Chapter Forty Six: Juushirou's Choice
"Hadou no Ichi: Shou!"
As the knife came down, Juushirou's instinct overrode his initial shock, the words of the spell breaking through the uneasy silence as he threw back his covers, stretching his right hand out determinedly towards the attacker. As he prepared for a second attack, light glittering at his fingertips in readiness for any sudden assault from the interloper, the figure fell back, stumbling away from the bed. In that moment the hood slipped back from their face, revealing their features for the first time.
Horror gripped Juushirou's heart as he absorbed what he was seeing.
"Eiraki-hime?"
At the sound of her name the girl glanced up, eyes blank and confused as she stared at him across the chamber. As she did so, she seemed to see for the first time what was clasped between her fingers and she let out a gasp of horror, the weapon sliding from her grip and falling to the floor with a thud as she took a fearful step back from her brother's bed. Confusion and terror swirled in her reiatsu, and Juushirou faltered, registering that the young girl was shaking, her features silver pale in the cold winter moonlight.
"Eiraki-hime, why…" He began, but before he could finish his question, the girl had turned on her heel, fleeing from the chamber. Juushirou was up in an instant, reaching instinctively for the sheathed form of Sougyo no Kotowari that lay beside his bed. Then he hesitated, remembering the sudden fear that had pierced the young girl's reiatsu as he had confronted her.
Almost as though she didn't know what she was doing. Almost as though she was asleep…and I woke her up.
He bit his lip, turning to glance at Hirata as she did so. The younger boy was still asleep, worn out from the exertions of the day and the worry that rested on his thin shoulders, and for a moment Juushirou paused, ensuring that his friend had come to no harm. Hirata was unmarked, however, and the knife that had come so close to slashing through his vulnerable body lay abandoned on the floor.
He picked up the dagger, turning it over in his hands as he examined the hilt. As he had expected, the wood was engraved with the Kyouraku crest and Yuukirin flower that Shunsui had described to them – yet it was old and worn at the edges, as though it had not seen use for many years. It seemed old fashioned and strange, Juushirou decided, and as he ran his fingers along the sleek metal blade, he felt something else – only the faintest of traces, but the unfamiliar wash of someone's lingering reiatsu.
Eiraki-hime's?
Juushirou dismissed this almost at once, for though the young girl's energy had flared in that moment after he had fired the Kidou, her spirit power was weak and besides, as he processed the sensation more carefully, Juushirou realised with a jolt that this was not Endou reiatsu. He had worked with Hirata since the start of the first year, had spoken to both Sumire and Eiraki, had met Misashi and the dead Shouichi, yet this sensation matched none of them. And, as dread and confusion grew in his own mind, Juushirou realised something else.
That the reiatsu did not belong to Seimaru, either.
A Kyouraku weapon. An unknown reiatsu. And Eiraki-hime, here, with the intention of…what? Something is very wrong with this. Very, very wrong indeed.
In that moment, Juushirou made up his mind.
It was a Kyouraku blade, but it had been Eiraki who had wielded it…Eiraki who had come here and Eiraki who had purposefully brought the weapon down towards her older brother's sleeping body. Yet even so, Juushirou had seen the girl's terror and had understood – that though she had been here, and though she had held the knife aloft without hesitation, it had not been Eiraki who had tried to kill Hirata.
It had been someone else. Someone with unknown reiatsu. Someone in possession of a Kyouraku blade.
One of Shunsui's kinsfolk?
Juushirou gritted his teeth, knowing that the possibility was there.
Yet in that case…why Eiraki-hime? Why…I don't understand?
"Because someone else was pulling the strings, Juushirou."
You's voice echoed softly in his head and he turned, putting the Kyouraku dagger down and crossing the room once more to where his zanpakutou lay. Gently he pulled it from its scabbard, noticing the faint prickles of light that ran indignantly down the metal blade.
"You sense it too, don't you? The taint of another's hand in this. You felt it then, on that dagger – your senses are sharper than ever now you have us to help you. Don't doubt your instinct. This was not what it seemed. You know it too – don't you?"
Yes.
Juushirou's brows knitted together.
But I don't understand, even so. I don't know…how…
"A puppet master in the shadows."
That was In, her voice agitated and anxious as she swished her tail against his senses.
"The young girl is a victim too – she may yet be in more danger. Deep inside of her – have you not felt it? Tonight it blossomed – some dark shred of someone else's evil will. Someone else's zanpakutou, Juushirou. Someone in the darkness, pulling on the strings."
Juushirou's eyes widened, and he gripped his weapon more tightly.
Eiraki-hime was being controlled…by someone else's zanpakutou? But whose? A Kyouraku's? There's probably enough of them who distrust the Endou, and I know that Shunsui has kinsfolk who have proper swords. But even so…
"While you spend time here trying to dissect the evidence, a young girl might be killed." You spoke sharply, reawakening Juushirou to the danger. "Your Kidou broke the hold over her, and brought her back to herself. You saw it, after all – the fear and confusion in her eyes as though you'd woken her from a dream. But she's failed in what she was sent to do. Hirata still lives. And because of that…"
Whoever did this might be angry.
Juushirou nodded, pulling the weapon fully from the sheath and sliding the black, polished wood scabbard beneath his blankets as he remembered the secret letter concealed deep within it.
I don't know what I'm going to face, and if it's to do with Eiraki-hime, it may also be to do with the Endou, after all. Better this stays here. Better it's with Hirata…just in case something happens. With any luck, it won't – with any luck I'll find Eiraki-hime and Hirata won't need to ever know anything about this. But just in case…I won't risk it. Since even though Seimaru's reiatsu wasn't the reiatsu I felt…even so, that doesn't mean whoever it is might not be looking for that letter.
"You've become suspicious in your old age, Juushirou." In observed softly, and he could hear You's quiet chuckle.
"So he should be, with the training we've given him." He said approvingly. "We've taught him well, In."
Then we're going.
Juushirou tightened the sash of his night robe more tightly around his body, sliding the unprotected blade between the folds of fabric. As an afterthought he kicked the dagger beneath a pile of Hirata's belongings, then he pushed back the door, hurrying out into the corridor as he tried to pinpoint Eiraki's faint, feeble reiatsu.
At first he could sense nothing, then a prickle ran down his spine as he locked onto it, flaring and frightened as the young girl fled into the night. There was another there, he realised, and, with horror, she was heading right towards it.
Drawn by her puppet master into a trap?
Juushirou quickened his pace, heart thumping in his chest as he realised how much time he had already lost through his initial hesitation.
I won't let anything happen to Hirata's sister, In'you. I can't do that. We have to find her first – we can do that, can't we? I promised Misashi-sama that I'd use my sword to help Hirata – surely helping Eiraki-hime is an extension of that aim?
"Be careful, Juushirou." You warned. "You don't know the enemy you go to face. Even In and I cannot fully ascertain what kind of foe this is – he's clever and cloaks himself, giving only enough away to lure his prey to him."
His prey?
Juushirou's eyes became slits.
Eiraki-hime? Hirata? Or me, following her through the darkness?
"So long as you're aware of that possibility." In told him firmly. "Not everything is always as it seems, after all – go into this with your eyes open. Eiraki is a weak child. You are a strong one. The damage a puppet master can use her to wreak is small – but if he were to take you off guard…"
"Are you saying Juushirou should not go into this alone?" You asked, and Juushirou felt In sigh.
"I'm saying I don't want to see him hurt." She said heavily. "While he exists to protect others, You, we exist to protect and defend him."
I won't get hurt. That's why I have you with me.
Juushirou responded frankly.
Between the three of us we can't be easily fooled. And I mean what I say, In'you. I want to find Eiraki-hime – before whoever this other person is manages to hurt her more than he already has. She knew, after all, in that moment. I saw it in her eyes. She didn't understand how or why she was there, but she knew that she had a knife, and she knew that she was there to hurt Hirata. No little sister should ever have that look in their eyes…and nobody who's been through as much as Eiraki-hime should have to go through any more. It's not fair. I'll make it stop. I have to make it stop!
"Juushirou!"
Mitsuki's voice broke through his thoughts, and he faltered for a brief moment, registering his classmate's reiatsu from the hallway beyond. Sora was with her, but in that split-second, Juushirou had made up his mind.
It may be dangerous. I won't take you with me.
"Juushirou, where are you going?"
He quickened his pace, ignoring his friend's call as he focused his whole attention on locating Eiraki before she fell into danger. Her spirit had become more erratic now, raw and shredded as he felt her fear overwhelm her, and deep down he wondered if Mitsuki could feel it as well.
Yet he did not pause to ask her, for at that moment he reached the main door of the estate.
It was locked, but the window alongside it had a loose catch and a quick glance at it told him that it had been through here that Eiraki had scrambled out into the grounds beyond. With the blunt hilt of his sword Juushirou found he could force it open further, slipping his skinny body through the resultant gap and down onto the grass. It was cold and damp, but he forced back the initial shock of the winter weather, pressing forward towards where he knew the young Endou princess had been heading.
She had slowed, and as he reached a knot of willow trees, he caught sight of her, her breath coming in heavy gasps as she clung on to the trunk of the nearest tree. She had exhausted herself, tears glittering on her cheeks and, to Juushirou's dismay, as he approached her she faltered, dropping to the ground and coughing violently. Blood splattered on the frozen grass, and instinctively Juushirou hurried to support her, frightened by the shudders that wracked through her thin frame.
Just like Shunsui and the others must feel, when it's me. I didn't realise…how truly frightening it is to see someone cough blood.
At first she did not seem aware of him, her attention entirely caught up in her struggle to catch her breath. Then, as the spasm subsided, she seemed to realise someone was with her and she tensed, staring up at him in horror and fright.
"It's all right." Juushirou was quick to reassure her. "I've come to help you, not hurt you. You were coughing – and I know how that feels, so I wanted to…"
He bit his lip, realising that he was still touching her, and he hastily withdrew his hands, bowing his head in apology towards her.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to grab you. Just I thought you might fall and…when I cough, it helps if someone else supports me."
Eiraki took a shaky breath into her lungs, and Juushirou could see the terror in her blue eyes.
"What happened to me?" She whispered, her voice hoarse and faint. "Why am I…what…was I dreaming? What…who…Ukitake-san, why…?"
"You were sleepwalking." Juushirou said gently. "And you came to Hirata and I by mistake. I think I frightened you – I'm sorry – and you ran. I came after you – and here we are."
"Sleep…walking?" Eiraki's eyes clouded and Juushirou could tell she was struggling to piece what he said together with the jagged shards of memory that filled her own thoughts. "To…Nii-sama?"
"Mm. But he's still asleep. Only I was awake, so…"
Juushirou tensed, his gaze flitting from the girl into the woodland beyond as he felt the briefest flicker of that same, strange reiatsu, and Eiraki let out a heavy sigh. At the last minute Juushirou realised the girl had fainted, and he reached out arms to catch her, holding her tightly as he registered that faint sensation becoming clearer and more defined.
"Who are you?" He demanded, the fingers of his right hand inching instinctively towards Sougyo no Kotowari's hilt as he thought he heard the soft tread of footsteps through the frozen undergrowth. "Show yourself – tell me why you hurt Eiraki-hime and what you want from her!"
"I'm impressed." A voice came from the shadows, and for the first time Juushirou was aware of a man, leaning up against the trunk of a nearby tree. He had not been there a moment before, Juushirou had been sure of it, yet the faint flickers of spirit power neatly dispersing on the wind told him that he had been fooled by a spell and that he had been watching their conversation from the start.
"Kyakkou." He murmured, and the stranger laughed, bowing his head in acknowledgement towards the young shinigami.
"Even more so, then, that your wits are keen enough to not only discern my kidou but name it."
"Answer my question." Juushirou demanded. "Who are you and why are you hurting Eiraki-hime?"
"I've no intention to hurt Eiraki-hime." The man shook his head, stepping into the moonlight and revealing himself to Juushirou for the first time. He was tall and slender, robed all in black with dark hair tied in a rough tail at the nape of his neck. It was his eyes, however, that struck Juushirou the most – for they were both familiar and unlike any he had ever seen before, and seemed to be mocking and examining him at the same time.
"On the contrary, I intend to keep her alive – which is more than can be said for others closer to her bloodline."
Juushirou frowned, shaking his head.
"Don't lie." He said softly. "Look at her. She's exhausted and frightened and you…it was you, wasn't it? You gave her the knife, you sent her to our chamber…you made her act like this. You're the puppet master – its your strings that controlled her and drove her to attack Hirata. If I hadn't have interfered…"
"So she failed." The man did not seem concerned by this, shrugging his shoulders. "Oh well. You win some. You lose some, in the end."
"Then you admit it was you?" Juushirou demanded, and the tall man laughed.
"You already know that it was." He said lightly. "It was quite intentional, after all. I didn't know, of course, how sensitive your wits were and that you'd realise quite so quickly that Eiraki-hime was being manipulated. But I did expect her attempt to be disturbed. Why else would I send her into a chamber to commit a crime when there could be a witness to her act? Don't be foolish. Of course you would have stopped her. Of course she would have failed."
"I don't understand." Juushirou was on edge now, casting the stranger a confused look, and his companion nodded.
"You do." He said cheerfully. "You already told me, after all. I manipulated Eiraki-hime to go attack her brother. You know exactly what the situation is – don't do yourself down."
"Who are you and what do you want?" Juushirou snapped, and the man took a few steps towards them, crouching down at Eiraki's side. Juushirou flinched back, pulling the unconscious girl away from the man's long, pale fingers, and the stranger sighed, shaking his head.
"She came looking for me." He said quietly. "Eiraki-hime isn't afraid of me. She doesn't suspect me – she trusts me. Why would I betray that trust by hurting her?"
"You already hurt her. You did this to her!"
"You have a lot of opinions, for one so young and so low born." The man raised his gaze, and Juushirou found those odd, mud-slurried eyes piercing into his own, seemingly seeing right through to the core of his soul. "But I suppose I shouldn't have expected anything less…not from the first District shinigami."
Juushirou tensed, staring at him in alarm, and the man nodded.
"I know who you are. Ukitake Juushirou." He said calmly. "I've heard all about you, after all. All about you. You seem to have made important friends and important enemies, little by little – Seimaru-sama has already told me plenty about you and the way in which you faced him, a year or more ago."
"Seimaru." Anger flooded through Juushirou's system. "So this is to do with him. You are to do with him! You sent Eiraki-hime to hurt Hirata on Seimaru's orders – she was your puppet and you're his, is that it?"
His fingers closed around the hilt of his zanpakutou, but his companion smiled, shaking his head and reaching gently across to uncurl the boy's grip. Startled by this temerity, Juushirou did not resist, and amusement glittered in the other's brown eyes.
"I didn't come here to hurt you. And I am not interested in killing Hirata-sama." He said softly. "You are not wrong, when you say it was my technique that manipulated Eiraki-hime and that it was on Seimaru-sama's orders that I so engaged her. But unlike Seimaru-sama, it troubles me not at all if his kinsfolk live or if they die. Eiraki-hime's life is in my hands – without my protection, Seimaru-sama will doubtless slay her. It was thanks to me that she escaped from District Seven at all. Thanks to my handiwork that she and her mother and that loyal soldier of theirs were able to slip over the divide and into safe, neutral territory where Seimaru-sama's hands can't reach. For his gain? For theirs? It doesn't really matter. I have an interest in keeping them alive, and so I made it happen, just like this."
He sat back, eying Juushirou thoughtfully, and despite himself, the District boy was bemused.
"I sent Eiraki-hime as Seimaru-sama's puppet, because in that way, I could ensure her escape and that she would live." He said softly. "That she would fail…or succeed…didn't interest me particularly. I don't care about the boy's life either way. Eiraki-hime is more useful to me – as tonight has clearly proved."
"You're Seimaru's servant yet you're betraying him?" Juushirou asked softly.
"No." The other man shook his head. "I'm not fool enough to do that. He's useful, after all – he has been and still will be, I imagine, as time moves on. Just…the fate of his family is not the only cause for which I'm fighting. It is a useful distraction, but it is not my real aim."
He cast Juushirou a faint smile, yet it did not reach those strange eyes.
"I have more of an interest in you than in the Endou-ke." He said honestly. "So I planned and used Eiraki-hime to bring you out. I also drugged the guards after the noble procession left, so nobody else would be able to interfere in our conversation tonight. I wanted to see you for myself. Rumours aren't enough, after all – I wanted to know exactly who this District shinigami was and why so many people were made uneasy by him. Now we've met face to face, I'm all the more curious – about what kind of power you wield in that controversial blade and whether or not you are suitable…for what I have in mind."
"This was…to lure me out?" Juushirou faltered, horror in his gaze. "You hurt Eiraki-hime…put her through all of that…because you wanted me?"
"Every piece in a puzzle has its correct place." The other man got to his feet. "With patience, you can build the whole picture. It takes time, and it takes effort, and everything has to fit exactly as it's supposed to. When that happens, everything becomes clear. When you finish the puzzle, Ukitake…that is when all those pieces come together into one whole."
"What does that mean?" Juushirou stared, and the other man chuckled.
"Think it over. Perhaps you'll understand."
"How can I? I don't even know who you are."
"Who I am?" The man pursed his lips thoughtfully. "I suppose that depends who you ask. If you speak to the Council, you'll find me an outlaw and an exile. Speak to the Endou-ke, and I'll be a distant kinsman from the border territories. Speak to Eiraki-hime, and I'll be the brave fiance who helped bring her to freedom. Speak to…"
"Wait a minute. You're Eiraki-hime's fiance?" Juushirou interrupted him, incredulous and the man nodded. "You're Minazake Roukei?"
"That name will do, if you like." Keitarou agreed lightly. "What you call me doesn't really matter, after all. What's important is why I came – and what you intend to do from now on."
"Take Eiraki-hime back inside and report this to Kyouki-sama." Juushirou said blackly. "Eiraki-hime and Sumire-sama believe that you were their ally – that you had a grudge against Seimaru and were acting with them because of it. Yet you're his servant and you betrayed them. They deserve to know the truth – so that's what I'm going to do."
"I see." Keitarou looked pensive. "And if Eiraki-hime was to die, would you accept that as a burden of having reported the truth?"
"Eiraki-hime isn't going to die!" Juushirou protested hotly. "Not if I take her with me now, and I will!"
"Mm. Hot-headed and principled but still naïve." Keitarou shook his head, sliding his hand into his obi and producing his tantou knife. "I've never wielded a sword, Ukitake, but even so, this is what you would call my 'zanpakutou'."
He tilted it, causing the monogrammed blade to catch the stray beams of moonlight.
"Do you see there, at the tip, where a tiny fragment is missing? That piece is burrowed deep inside of Eiraki-hime's heart as we speak. Deeper and deeper it runs, so as I can control her as I see fit. But there's only so long my influence can remain inside of her before her body rejects it completely and starts to shut down. Already she's choking and coughing blood. Perhaps another twenty-four hours? Forty-eight, at best. So long as that chip remains lodged there – Eiraki-hime's frail form isn't a match for the reiryoku I have, and it will start to poison her."
"Then…all of her symptoms…her coughing, and tiredness…have been because of you?" Juushirou's eyes widened with horror, and Keitarou shrugged.
"A calculated gamble. I was sure that I'd have the opportunity to remove it before it killed her." He said lightly. "And I will, here and now, if you like."
"Why?" Juushirou was suspicious, and Keitarou nodded.
"Yes, there is an ulterior motive." He agreed. "I will withdraw the shard from Eiraki-hime's body, and she will heal. But in return, I can't have you running around telling people I was here. They may make the connection, after all, and realise that Minazake is not my only name. Also, I didn't come all this way just to look at you. I have other things in mind – in the pursuit of broadening my knowledge and widening my research. And there are things which we must speak of that should not be mentioned here. So my terms are these, Ukitake. I will free Eiraki-hime from my spell and she will make a full recovery. But in return, you will come with me. You will come with me back to District Seven, and we will talk in more detail about this unusual, unexpected talent you seem to have for Shinigami arts."
"Come with you? So Seimaru can kill me?"
"Seimaru-sama will not kill you." Keitarou assured him lightly. "While I'm sure he'd have plenty to say to you, I have no intention of giving you to him, nor of letting him destroy such an interesting line of enquiry."
"Then…?"
"You can even bring your sword. Sougyo no…Kotowari, isn't it?" Keitarou smiled. "I'm not a soldier. I haven't trained like you have to fight. Do you think I can hurt you, even so?"
"Be careful, Juushirou." You's words rippled against his senses, but Juushirou sighed, glancing at the pale, unconscious form of the young princess that huddled against his body. There was still blood against her lips, and somehow he knew the other man had spoken the truth.
I promised Misashi-sama to be Hirata's ally. To save his sister is to keep that promise, isn't it? I have no choice, In'you. For her sake, I can't take the risk. She's not strong. We are. Somehow…if I walk away from this, I'll know that…Eiraki-hime's life could have been saved and I was the one who condemned her. Even though it's not my spell, even so…now I know what it can do. And I can't let it lie like that. I have sisters too, after all. I won't let Hirata's die.
"Even though it's a trap?" In was worried, and Juushirou nodded.
Even so. This is my choice. Fight with me, please…both of you. I'll be counting on you.
"Well?" Keitarou was watching him like a hawk, and Juushirou's lips thinned.
"Free Eiraki-hime." He said at length. "Free her and let her recover. She's been through enough – don't put her through more."
"And…?" Keitarou's blade was already glittering with silver, as he eyed the District boy expectantly.
Juushirou nodded, gently laying Eiraki down on the cold ground and getting to his feet.
"And I'll come with you." He said, swallowing his misgivings as he faced the other bravely. "Back to District Seven."
"Are you sure it was Juushirou's reiatsu that you sensed?"
As Mitsuki reached the front entrance hall of the Kyouraku manor house, Sora grabbed her by the arm, shooting her an anxious look. "I couldn't be sure of who it was we saw – are you sure it was Juushirou? Running around the corridors isn't like him, and nor is ignoring you – are you absolutely certain it was him?"
"Yes. Absolutely." Mitsuki nodded, gazing around her in agitation as she tried to work out which way her classmate had gone. "Somehow, Sora, he sensed it too. I'm sure he did – whatever that dark sensation was that I picked up before. And now I can't feel it – now I can't feel anything. But I know he was here. Juushirou, and something else."
"Something else. Someone else?" Sora questioned. "That dark…whatever it was? You said it was like someone's soul had been stolen – that?"
"Mm." Mitsuki bit her lip. "I can't sense it now, or lock onto it clearly. But it was definitely there. I'm sure I didn't imagine it."
"I believe you. I have faith in your senses." Sora glanced around, squinting in the dim light. "But even so, we're wandering around black hallways looking for something we don't understand. You said it was outside, Mi-chan, but every way we've tried has been locked. If we carry on like this, we'll run into guardsfolk, and…"
"Strange, isn't it." Mitsuki interrupted her, shooting her a look of consternation. "How there aren't any guards around, even though there's been such an important event as today's wedding. There were no shortage of them at the ceremony, and there were plenty enough there to see Tokutarou-sama and Rae-hime ride from the manor on the first step of their wedding progress around the District. So where are they now? Why are there no soldiers here asking why we're running around the hallways, anyhow?"
"Now you mention it, that is odd." Sora admitted. "Even if some of them did get merry at the banquet, there should still be someone on duty here if nowhere else. But there isn't. It's just us. And…"
"And it's not right." Mitsuki said grimly. "But I can't put my finger on why. It's as though all the guards who should've been here have just vanished from their post – leaving the manor vulnerable. But there's no proof of it – no sign of anything like that having happened. Nobody is here to give that kind of an order…which makes me uneasy, Sora-chan. All of it makes me feel…strange."
"Then come look at this." Sora said grimly, turning from where she had been examining the loose window. "Someone's worked the catch so that it doesn't fasten properly…and I'd say a person could get out through that – wouldn't you?"
Before Mitsuki could respond, there was a sudden flare of red light from the hallway behind them and both girls spun around in alarm, half expecting one of the missing retainers ready to take them and interrogate them on their intentions.
"Edogawa? Sora?" The voice was familiar, however, and Mitsuki let out her breath in a rush, even as Kai stepped out of the darkness, fingers glittering with the red light of a faint shakkahou spell. "Don't tell me you sensed something too…?"
"Mi-chan did." Sora put her hand to her chest, taking a deep drag of air into her lungs as she glared at the Shihouin boy indignantly. "You scared the hell out of me, Shihouin! Did you have to creep up on us like that?"
"Assassin training – old habits die hard, I suppose." Kai looked rueful, offering them an apologetic shrug. "I didn't realise it had woken anyone else, so I wasn't sure to begin with if you were friend or foe. There are so many different people's reiatsu lingering around this place at the moment, it's hard to be sure who's where…but there was definitely something. And it bothered me, so…"
He paused, glancing at Mitsuki.
"If you sensed it too, does that mean someone is hurt?" He asked, and Mitsuki shrugged.
"I don't know." She said helplessly. "I felt something dark – like someone's soul was being sucked down into black and then…I don't know. Something else. And Juushirou – he was coming this way, I think. In fact, I'm almost sure I can sense his reiatsu now, around the window frame. But…I can't sense it outside. I can't sense anything. It's as though…what was there one moment has completely vanished."
"Ukitake as well." Kai frowned. "And where are the guards? Where's everyone else at this hour? Why is it just us wandering around the building like this? It doesn't make any sense."
"Because you and Mitsuki – and I guess, Juushirou too – have sharp wits." Sora said bleakly. "I didn't – and still haven't – picked up on anything. With the exception of the Shiba-ke, there's probably nobody else who'd pick it up – and my family's sleeping quarters are well over the other side of the estate. Probably far enough that Okaasama and my brothers haven't sensed anything at all. All I can feel is a general morass of different mixed reiatsu – I'm not sharp-witted enough to separate them all out and know whose is which, not when they're so faint and fleeting. But it does bother me that the guards aren't here. They should be here…shouldn't they?"
"They should." Kai said grimly, closing his hand with a snap and the flicker of kidou flame disappeared. "And I don't like that they're not. Tokutarou-sama and Rae-hime left safely – they're not here, so perhaps they feel there's less need for vigilance. However…somehow I don't think so. That manservant of Tokutarou-sama's not the kind to be lax just because his master is away…on the contrary, I'd have thought he'd be more alert if that was the case."
"Either way, someone got out of this window, and Mitsuki thinks it was Juushirou." Sora patted the sill pensively. "So in the absence of anyone else, I vote we go outside and look for ourselves. There's nothing dark out there now, Mi-chan – right? You said that it had gone. So it probably isn't dangerous."
"Mm." Mitsuki nodded. "Shihouin-kun, will you come too? The more of us there are, somehow, the better I think."
"I was already going to. That's why I'm here." Kai nodded. "Does the window open any further than that? I imagine we can all slip through, but…"
"A little bit." Sora agreed. "If I hold it for you and for Mi-chan, will you prop it open for me in return? That'd be easier, I think."
"There seems to be a small congregation of individuals here." As Kai began to clamber out of the window, the entrance hall was suddenly bathed in the dim light of one of the wall kidou lamps, and a figure appeared at the top of the stairs, wrapped in a white robe as he solemnly gazed down on them all. "Mitsuki I am not surprised at – but to find you and Sora here I did not expect, Shihouin."
"Kuchiki!" Sora exclaimed, then clapped a hand over her mouth as she realised it was the dead of night. Ryuu shook his head, however, coming slowly down the stairs to join them.
"You will not summon anyone." He said softly. "Everyone in this wing is asleep."
"Then…?" Kai paused in his window scramble, half in and half out as he stared at his rival. "What do you mean, Kuchiki? Do you know why there's nobody here?"
"Yes, because I am sensible, and do not go rambling around a strange manor in the dead of night looking for monsters." Ryuu said acerbically, folding his arms across his chest. "I sensed a foreign presence in the grounds and so went to report as much to Tokutarou-sama's manservant, Yasuhiro-dono."
"Yet you're here." Mitsuki's heart clenched. "Does that mean…something…"
"I could not rouse him." Ryuu said simply. "And when I went to the guardroom, the same was true there. Several retainers were present, but all in deep sleep. I suspect some kind of soporific at work – though I have not the expertise to determine what. I would put it down to alcohol from the wedding, but it seemed…convenient, if that was the case, that all of the guards should be so summarily taken down at the same time a foreign presence emerged in the manor grounds."
"And this presence – do you feel it now?" Mitsuki asked anxiously. Ryuu shook his head.
"It has gone." He replied gravely.
"The guards drugged, and strange things afoot." Kai dropped down the rest of the way, leaning over to help Sora keep the window open for Mitsuki. "On the night of the Kyouraku lord's wedding. All the more reason for us to investigate, then. Kuchiki, are you coming? Since your first plan didn't get you anywhere, do you want to come see if we can find out what exactly happened?"
"With pleasure." Ryuu said darkly. "Since that unknown reiatsu is not the only one which has disappeared from the estate. I cannot sense Ukitake, either. And that concerns me more than the drugging of the guards."
"You too, huh?" Sora looked grim. "Mitsuki said something similar – that she sensed Juushirou, even saw him coming this way. But she can't sense him outside any more. And if Mi-chan can't sense Juushirou…and Kuchiki can't either…"
"It means he probably isn't there." Kai sighed, and Mitsuki scrambled through the gap in the window, watching as Sora and then Ryuu followed suit onto the cold grass beyond. "Where is Kyouraku at a time like this? Hirata too. Houjou's dead as a post to reiatsu and after his drinking exploits I expect he'll snore his way through till dawn. But as for the other two - why aren't they woken by this, if all of us are?"
"Hirata was very sleepy when he left the great hall." Sora remembered. "He was struggling to keep his eyes open, and Juushirou had to pretty much lead him up the stairs to bed. Do you suppose he might've been drugged too? He didn't drink any alcohol that I saw – in fact, I saw Yasuhiro bring him water directly, so he can't have been drunk."
"Water from Yasuhiro, who appears to have been drugged." Ryuu said slowly. "Perhaps Hirata too, then, was affected by accident. There were many guests at the wedding – many people who could have been responsible for such a thing, and many others who might have been unwittingly sedated in order to further whatever plan was at work. And as for Kyouraku…"
"Considering the amount Shunsui drunk, I'm not surprised that he's not awake." Sora sighed. "But I suppose nobody thought that we were worth drugging. Since we're just students, after all – what do we matter in any of this?"
"More to the point, why is anyone drugging anyone, anyway?" Kai arched an eyebrow. "If that's not suspicious behaviour, nothing is."
"I still don't feel Juushirou's reiatsu." Mitsuki said softly, before anyone could respond to Kai's observation. "But there is someone out here. Someone…Eiraki-chan, I think. It's faint and uneven, but I think…I sense Eiraki-chan."
"Eiraki-hime? Hirata's sister?" Shock glittered in Kai's golden eyes, and Mitsuki nodded.
"I'm pretty sure. Up ahead." She murmured. "I think we should hurry. It's cold and dark out here and she's not been in the best health."
With that she was gone off ahead, her friends speeding up their pace to keep up with her as she followed the faint, plaintive signal through the trees. Sure enough, huddled at the foot of one of the willow trees was Eiraki, black cloak wrapped around her shoulders as she raised a tear-stained, blood-streaked face.
"M…M…Mitsuki-neesama?" Through chattering teeth she managed the name, and Mitsuki let out an exclamation, hurrying down at the young girl's side.
"Eiraki-chan! Why are you out here? What happened?"
"I…don't know." Eiraki whispered, and as Mitsuki slipped an arm around her shoulders, the young girl buried her face in her companion's shoulder, shaking with cold and fear. "I think…a bad dream…and I was out here. I remember…someone told me it would be all right. And then…all alone here. Till M…Mitsuki-neesama c…came to find me."
"Why didn't you come back to the house?" Mitsuki demanded. "Can you not walk? Shall I help you?"
"There's blood on the ground." Kai observed, stepping over a branch and into the clearing. "Eiraki-hime, are you all right?"
"K…Kai-dono?" Eiraki pulled away from Mitsuki to stare at the older boy like a frightened rabbit, and Sora let out an exclamation.
"There's blood on her clothing too – and she's shivering like crazy. We should get her inside first and foremost – questions can wait for later!"
"Agreed." Kai said grimly. "Kuchiki, between the two of us we should be able to carry her. Will you help me? I don't think one of us can manage it alone."
"I had already thought to do such a thing." Ryuu said archly. "Please have no worries, Eiraki-hime. Shihouin and I will see you safely back in the warm, and then I will send for the Kyouraku physician to see that you are well."
"N…no. I'm all right. I feel…all right." Eiraki's hand went to her chest, and as the two boys hoisted her up between them, Mitsuki was aware of a spreading, splattered red stain on the front of the girl's night robe. "Like something has been…taken away. Something tight and stifling…has gone."
"Even so, you shouldn't stay out here." Sora told her frankly. "It won't hurt for you to be examined, since you might easily catch a chill. I'll go wake Mother, when we get you in – it'll all be all right, then."
"No. Sora, you shouldn't do that." Kai shook his head. "This is Kyouraku land. Reporting to a Shiba – didn't you say as much yourself? That the Kyouraku resent the Shiba influence in Tokutarou-sama's life? That might put people's backs up, if you got Kyouki-sama involved."
"Maybe." Sora admitted. "But Tokutarou-sama isn't here."
"Then it should be reported to Kyouraku, surely." Ryuu reflected, and Sora snorted.
"I doubt that'll be possible, not considering how much he had to drink." She said disparagingly. "You forget, Kuchiki, I know Shunsui. I knew him before he came to the Academy and I've seen him after a hard night's drinking. We won't get sense out of him. Not for a few hours at least."
She eyed the young girl keenly.
"Incidentally, Eiraki-hime…how did you get here? Were you sleepwalking? Is that it?"
"That's what Ukitake-san said. That I was…sleepwalking." Eiraki's head jerked forward in a nod, and Mitsuki's blood ran cold.
"Juushirou was with you?" She asked carefully, and Eiraki nodded.
"Yes. But I think…I fainted. And when I woke up…he was gone. There was nobody else here. I thought…maybe he went…to find help. He said he'd help me…he said he'd come to make sure I was all right. He was kind, Mitsuki-neesama. But I don't know…where he went."
"And there was nobody else here?" Ryuu asked quietly. Eiraki bit her lip, then slowly, shook her head.
"I only saw Ukitake-san." She murmured, as a shiver ran through her young frame. "That's all. Nobody else. Just…Ukitake-san."
"Then Juushirou was out here." Sora bit her lip, casting Mitsuki a glance. "But he's not here now. Is he inside? Could he have gone back to bed?"
"And left Eiraki-hime here? Don't be stupid." Kai said brusquely. "What part of Ukitake does that sound like to you, to leave a young girl in the freezing cold and go back to bed? Not a chance."
"But he could have gone inside for help." Sora was not to be dissuaded. "Couldn't he? We might have just missed him."
"No…" Mitsuki shook her head. "No, Sora, it's not that. I can't sense his reiatsu anywhere. Not here, not inside, not anywhere. It's gone completely…just vanished. There was no pain, no shock, nothing that suggests anyone attacked him. It just…went. As though…as though he went away. Far away. And…and that's all."
"As though he went away." Ryuu's brows furrowed in confusion. "But that also is unlike Ukitake. To leave Eiraki-hime alone like that…is out of character to say the least."
"It is." Sora nodded. "Which means there must have been a reason. Going to find help would be a reason – after all, I doubt he could carry Eiraki-hime on his own, and if she fainted, that would be a problem. Right?"
"I don't know." Mitsuki looked troubled, her instincts torn between concern for the shivering fourteen year old and her worry about the missing Juushirou. "But for now…for now, we have to help Eiraki-hime. Juushirou's reiatsu isn't here, but it doesn't make sense for it to have just vanished. He wasn't attacked or hurt or anything like that, so he's not in…in trouble, I don't think. Sora is right, that he came here to find Eiraki-hime – and to help her. And if that's the case…he may…he may be looking for Yasuhiro to report it and may have stifled his own reiatsu so as not to worry or disturb people. It might be…we're overreacting."
But deep down, she knew that she was not, for although Juushirou had improved his reiatsu control three-fold since summoning his sword, Mitsuki knew that she would still be able to locate him, and that the complete lack of signal against her senses made her fearful and confused. The dark aura she had felt from her chamber still troubled her, also, though that too was now gone from her awareness.
I wish Kyouraku-kun was here. He can always sense Juushirou too – if even he couldn't find him…
She sighed, rubbing her temples as she forced her healer wits to take precedence over her personal concerns.
"We'll help Eiraki-hime." She murmured. "And in the morning…in the morning, we'll see. If Juushirou is still not around then…then we'll have to report to Kyouki-sama and Kyouraku-kun and tell them…but…but it might not happen, yet. So we shouldn't worry…not yet."
"You're the one worrying the most." Sora said gently. "But if that's what you think, that's what we'll do. If we can't pick up his reiatsu, there's not much we can do in any case. And if you say he wasn't hurt or attacked or anything…and Eiraki-hime says nobody else was here…then common sense says he's all right. He must just be cloaking his reiatsu – and we'll all laugh about it in the morning."
Mitsuki pursed her lips, but she did not reply, though she did cast a glance over her shoulder at the copse before following her companions back towards the main building.
Somehow I don't think we'll be laughing. Somehow, I don't think you're here. I can't explain it, Juushirou-kun – it makes no sense to me at all. But you left Eiraki-hime and you intended me to find her – somehow I know that you did. And so I'll do as you wanted – I'll see that she's all right. Be all right too, Juushirou-kun – please let me be worrying for nothing!
It had only been a short few moments, but Juushirou felt like he had been walking forever.
When Keitarou's tantou knife had glittered so ominously with silver light, he had been afraid of some kind of underhand, hidden attack on either his own body or that of the helpless young princess, but to his surprise, Keitarou had made no move to attack either of them. Instead he had done as he had promised – withdrawing the spiritual tendrils of argent energy from within Eiraki's fragile body. Juushirou had felt it – the faint sense of relief in the girl's feeble reiatsu and then the completion of Keitarou's blade, blood-specked yet whole again as he had gently lowered it.
He had kept his word without a moment of hesitation, yet Juushirou was unsure of how to take that fact. Had he done so because he was the type who honoured promises, or simply because it was the end result he had anticipated all along and in doing so his plan had once more progressed?
The District boy sighed, gazing around him at the gloom of his surroundings.
He had hoped to fire at least one shakkahou into the sky to alert someone – anyone – to Eiraki's position, but before he could do anything about it, Keitarou had used his knife a second time – this time to open up a divide in the spiritual atmosphere and create a passageway through which he had pulled his young companion without warning. The door had closed quickly behind them, trapping them in a mottled environment of black shadow and dim grey light, but as fear had engulfed Juushirou's senses, he had heard the other man laugh.
"This is a quicker route to where we're going." He had said flippantly. "We'll walk for maybe an hour instead of travelling for at least a day. Don't touch anything and don't fire any spells or do anything foolish with that sword of yours – if you do, you'll find yourself in trouble, since this tunnel is made entirely of spirit particles and anything you do will draw it down on top of you like an avalanche. Simply follow the butterfly – and you won't get led astray."
It had been at that moment that Juushirou had first seen it – the small, perfectly formed insect that had fluttered dazedly around Keitarou's head before spreading its wings and flying forward into the dank gloom of the tunnel ahead. Despite himself he had gazed at it in confused fascination – was it alive or was it dead? He couldn't tell – it was as though the creature both thought and didn't think at the same time, yet something about its drone-like, buzzing consciousness reassured him nonetheless.
"Where are we going?" He had asked, and Keitarou had shrugged his shoulders.
"You know the answer to that." He had said simply. "And since its complicated to explain to border guards why you're with me, I decided that it was a good time to see just how well I could make this science work."
Juushirou frowned now, reaching out to touch the tunnel wall but stopping just before his fingers brushed against the uneven surface. At his hesitation, Keitarou turned, sending him a quizzical look.
"Do you forget instructions so easily?" He asked softly. "Or are you the type who seeks to prove things to himself, even when he's been advised? I already told you. Don't touch. I can't guarantee your life if you do – there's still a lot of work that needs to be done before this route can be considered stable."
Juushirou lowered his hand, his lips thinning.
"This is…Senkaimon, isn't it?" He murmured, and Keitarou shot him a look of surprise.
"Yes." He agreed. "Though I didn't realise that one of your level would know about something like this."
"Kazoe-sensei used it once…to get us back from a dangerous situation." Juushirou murmured. "But…even so, he said then that it could only be operated by zanpakutou. And that…it was only used by Clan people. Genryuusai-sensei set it up for us in case of danger but…"
"If that old man set it up, doubtless it was safe as houses." Keitarou said sardonically. "Since he would have had all the permissions granted to cross this and that sector, as well as people at his beck and call helping him to set it in play. I don't have those luxuries – and this route is not sanctioned by anyone, so the possibility of cutting through the paths of Hollows and other creatures is great. It takes longer than I'd like to be crossing spiritual planes because of having to meander so much – and because I didn't have very long to plan this so going any faster would render it even more unstable. Even so, though, I think it's better to risk travelling this way. The fewer people who see you the better."
He gestured to the butterfly.
"I told you to follow that. Don't let it get too far ahead. If you do, there's nobody to show us the right path. I've hacked this route from the planned pathways the Clans let fall into disuse - but it's still dangerous and one wrong step could mean disaster. Without the butterfly, it isn't safe to walk anywhere in this tunnel. That includes any wild escape attempts you may have on your mind - do you understand?"
There was both impatience and genuine anxiety in Keitarou's tones, and Juushirou frowned, reluctantly falling into step with his would be captor.
"There's a lot that I don't." He said presently. "The Senkaimon is a gateway, isn't it? Between two places – that the Clans use to cross their territory at speed."
"Usually. Yes." Keitarou nodded. "A door from one side of their kingdom to the other, if you will. A quick route for the rich who don't want to take many days doing the same trip. The Kuchiki-ke especially like using it – it gives them a feeling of superiority, since the person who opens the gate must have a stronger spiritual presence than the tunnel he is opening. His reiatsu alone keeps it from collapsing in on him – so you see, it is the province of the elite."
He sent Juushirou a sidelong glance.
"They settled on a flawed design." He added softly. "Though if your old Sensei forged passages for you, he doubtless used his own considerable reiatsu to wall it and make it safe for minnows to cross unhindered. A short trip, I trust? A matter of a few minutes from one point to the next."
"Yes." Juushirou bristled. "Though it's none of your business."
"It's entirely my business." Keitarou shook his head. "Even before I was born, members of my family were working with this technology, trying to stabilise it and create pathways beyond simply one side of a single District to another. So far, their caution and political niceties have prevented doing even what this tunnel does – takes us across a border without the risk of a security patrol arresting us for trespass. Routes of that length are dangerous without a guide – hence why I said to keep in touch with the butterfly. To you it may seem to be just a random shred of spiritual energy, but instilled in that creature is the exact knowledge of how to reach the exit. Therefore the journey can be longer…and we can cross from Eight into Seven with relative ease."
Juushirou faltered, a sudden thought crossing his mind as he turned to stare at his companion anew.
"You can open Senkaimon. You know all about it, and the Clans that use it." He murmured. "More than that, you understand…you said…your family. But…Kamitani-kun said…"
"Kamitani?" Keitarou blinked, and Juushirou realised that his companion's eyes, though darker, were as unusual and striking as those belonging to his young school fellow in Class Four. His heart skipped a beat, and he swallowed hard.
"You're Urahara-ke." He whispered. "That's what you meant, when you said Minazake was only one of your names. It's not your name – is it? You know about this…your family knew about this. Kamitani-kun said quite clearly that his family devised the Senkaimon. That it was their work, and he…his kinsman is the current head of that Clan. So…in that case…you're an Urahara too, aren't you? Even though your hair is dark and your eyes too – you're still…one of them, aren't you?"
"Kamitani, huh." Keitarou pursed his lips. "I wonder which sister that line has spawned from. There are enough of them, after all. Urahara hime with broods of unnecessary children to fill out the gaps in the Urahara family tree."
He cast Juushirou a grin, but there was a coldness in his eyes that Juushirou did not like.
"I'm not an Urahara." He said softly. "I haven't been one of those in a very long time. But you are right in one respect. The Senkaimon was the work of that Clan. Even though it still remains imperfect – the end goal was to open a tunnel through to other planes of existence and keep them stable for the purpose of Gotei manoeuvre. Only the very, very strongest Shinigami have ever been able to maintain reiatsu levels long enough and steadily enough to pass through that haphazard level of gate that the Council have endorsed. Probably as many Gotei Clansfolk have disappeared presumed dead in those tunnels as have been slain in the Real World, to be truthful – though the Council would probably not admit to such a thing, since it would show them in a weak light. They don't realise, you see…that all it takes is a shred of spiritual energy to show them the true path."
"The butterfly." Juushirou murmured, and Keitarou nodded.
"Exactly." He agreed. "That particular one was ripped from the soul of a dead guardsman in District Seven before I left there. It was fortunate that Eiraki-hime and Sumire-sama's departure left so many corpses – I was able to harvest quite a lot of spirit power in the time before I came after them. The buzz you feel at the edge of your wits is the remains of that man's consciousness – his homing instinct for District Seven is driving it – and us – towards our destination."
"But…you took a man's soul? That creature is…was…a person?" Juushirou was horrified, and Keitarou shrugged.
"It's not perfect, I know." He admitted. "But I've had scant little time to work on a way of drawing the same power from my own reiryoku without giving it too much free will. Easier to subjugate the weaker spirits of others – so for now, it's the only way. Don't look like that, Ukitake – one man's death has helped us find our way, and therefore it wasn't in vain."
"I can't see it like that." Juushirou felt very cold suddenly as he looked at the tiny, folorn velvet creature fluttering ahead of them. "He may have had family. Children, even. They may be waiting for him and he'll never come home."
"Sentimental." Keitarou observed, and Juushirou shook his head.
"Everybody is the same to me. Nobody should be dying for someone else's benefit." He responded. "Whether they're rich or poor, strong or weak – everyone has the same feelings and emotions and desires and hopes locked up inside of them. But that…that butterfly, it doesn't have those things. It doesn't have any free will at all. It's just a drone – your slave – doing what it's told without any hope at all. I don't know how you can think that's all right."
"You're in a precarious position to lecture me, considering that you chose to accept my terms and come of your own free will." Keitarou said lightly, and Juushirou shrugged.
"It's not really free will. You left me no choice." He returned flatly. "I wasn't going to let Eiraki-hime die. Her life is important too. I'm not the kind of person who stands back and lets things happen."
"And if it results in your death? What then? Your life is important too, by your own evaluation."
Keitarou's eyes glittered in the darkness, and Juushirou felt uneasy.
"What are you going to do to me?" He asked quietly, and Keitarou laughed.
"So you do have fear. You do care about your own life, too." He observed, amused. "Though for the time being, you are quite safe. You chose to come with me, and you've already indicated where your principles lie. You're easy to read, Ukitake, and therefore I can manipulate your actions to suit my will. I don't need to hurt or kill you to obtain what I want…so for the time being, you needn't fear for your life."
"I'm not going to be your puppet." Juushirou said blackly. "I won't let you do to me what you did to Eiraki-hime."
"I wouldn't try to." Keitarou said lightly. "Eiraki-hime has weak spiritual power, but my shikai release would probably be resisted from the start by someone with a shinigami sword. If it did succeed in locking onto you, it would probably not give me the kind of control I would need. I don't do things that are unecessary – like I said, I don't need those things to obtain what I want."
"Which is what?" Juushirou asked suspiciously.
"I'm not sure even myself, yet." Keitarou admitted. "Which is part of the fun of it. I had a clear idea in mind when I decided to take you – even to the point of making Seimaru-sama promise to leave you entirely in my hands. Yet now I've met you…I'm curious more than ever about what you can do. You aren't exactly what I expected you to be – and that interests me."
Juushirou sighed, rubbing his temples.
"Sometimes I wish I was Clan just so that people stopped being interested in me and just let me get on with my life." He muttered. "If being District is so exciting, I wonder why the Clans don't try it instead of bothering me all of the time with this or that silly observation."
Keitarou chuckled appreciatively.
"I see." He mused. "But I'm not Clan either, Ukitake. Not now, in any case – whatever I may have been born. And I agree with you, as it happens. I'm not interested in you because you're District. I'm interested because you're not Clan. And because you're not Clan, you're not ingrained in their codes and practices. Taking you seemed to be easier than taking a Clan shinigami, because you have no powerful family waiting in the wings. But I hadn't realised…I should have, but I hadn't…that to be a District Shinigami in this world means…you are something exceptional. And you are exceptional by yourself, Ukitake…because there is no Clan to big you up and make you more important than you are."
"You're confusing me." Juushirou protested. "You came as Seimaru's ally – you plotted to hurt Hirata, but…you did all of that simply because of me? Or…something else? Something bigger than that? You are Urahara, after all, aren't you? You are…"
He paused, then he shook his head.
"No. I'm being slow." He berated himself. "Kamitani-kun told me about that, too, after all. You're not Urahara, but you were born it. You're a descendant, aren't you? Of one of the people who was outlawed or executed a hundred years ago because of the reidoku. You're a blood relation of Keitsune-sama – aren't you? The one that took the blame for everything else."
Keitarou stopped at the sound of Keitsune's name, and Juushirou saw a flicker of tension ripple through his lean body. Instinctively the District boy took a step back, worried by the sudden shift in his companion's calm demeanour. For a moment he thought that Keitarou may forget his own instructions about spiritual attacks in the tunnel, and then, in an instant, the moment was gone.
Slowly the other man nodded his head.
"I did not realise that any Urahara still spoke that name." He murmured. "But perhaps I have misjudged the degree of hate with which they view the whole affair."
"Kamitani-kun said people had been executed and that a lot of modern Urahara didn't agree with the decision." Juushirou remembered. "That Nagesu-sama had tried his best to smooth things over and make the Urahara-ke stable, but without persecuting people because of the past. But I am right, then? You are…you do…"
"Keitsune was my father." Keitarou admitted, and from the sudden, soft note in his tones, Juushirou realised that however detached and calculating this man was, he still had some latent affection for the dead man. "He died when I was four. And that was the end of my association with that Clan."
Juushirou nodded.
"You're Urahara Keitarou-san, then. I thought you were." He responded, and Keitarou stared at him in surprise. "I'm right, aren't I? Minazake isn't your real name. Urahara Keitarou is. And,"
As something else occurred to him,
"Your hair isn't really that colour, is it? You coloured it to make yourself look Endou-ke, but it doesn't look right - not even with your eyes like that. You dyed it. It's not black at all. It's Urahara blond."
"You are far, far cleverer than I had anticipated." Keitarou offered a humourless smile. "To know so much about me from so little. For your classmates to speak of my father – and for you to even know my name…"
He touched a finger to his hair.
"You're right in all respects." He agreed evenly. "Except one. My hair was never Urahara blond, not even when I was small. It's darker - tainted, perhaps, by the Kyouraku in my blood."
"Kyouraku?" Juushirou paled, staring at him. "You...are kin to...Shunsui and Tokutarou-sama?"
"Distant. Through my mother, and her half-blood." Keitarou chuckled, apparently amused by the boy's discomfort. "Not what you're thinking. I was born Urahara. I would be Urahara-ke. Only I was discarded when Father died. And so...I have no Clan. Not your friend's Kyouraku-ke, nor my own."
"But you got into District Eight because of that. Because you have Kyouraku blood?" Juushirou whispered. "And the dagger...that was Kyouraku...because..."
Keitarou nodded, patting his obi pensively.
"You reason things out well, for someone so young. You might almost make a scientist yourself, given that level of rationality." He said, and to Juushirou's surprise it was not derision but a faint amount of respect in the other's voice. "I will be sure to remember that, and not waste it when we get to where we're going. The dagger came from my mother's belongings - trinkets left me when she died, and the most use she ever was to me, in truth. The crest also. I've never considered any part of myself part of the Kyouraku-ke - but to get into District Eight, well, it helps. And the dagger will mean suspicion falls on one from that Clan, resentful of their neighbours. A trick Seimaru-sama used in the past with the Shihouin, and the Council were fool enough to fall for it. So I used it in the same way. They will suspect one another. They won't suspect me."
"Kyouki-sama warned me that you were dangerous. Manipulative. And that you were probably working with Seimaru." Juushirou said quietly. "You were the one who was behind the reidoku Seimaru wanted to use to kill Genryuusai-sensei, weren't you? In which case, I can't feel sorry for you, or forgive you, or follow anything you say. Even if it means you kill me. Genryuusai-sensei is an important person in Soul Society – he's probably the only one who can truly save it from falling into ruin. So if you want me to try and kill him…"
"I have never had any interest in killing your Sensei, Ukitake." Keitarou's composure was back in place, and he shook his head. "That was Seimaru's little game with Kamuki of the Shihouin. I provided the reidoku because I had an opportunity to test it on a different level to what had gone before. But I have no personal grudge against the old man of the Yamamoto. If he had died, then I would not have grieved for him, true enough. But you don't understand, do you? You don't have to have a desire to kill in order to kill – nor an active interest in the crime in order to supply a weapon. Those who craft knives that slit others' throats are not culpable in the murder, are they? You can see me in the same light. I created the weapon because it interested me to do so. I did not care about killing anyone with it – it was simply another stage in my perfection of my father's invention."
"Reidoku is evil." Juushirou snapped, and Keitarou shook his head.
"No. What is evil is a family where brother turns on brother to save his own skin." He said bitterly. "That is Clan, Ukitake. Because of that judgement, the reidoku was not perfected. Because it was not perfected, only illicit experiments remained. Because it remained illicit, people died. Experiments were done on subjects who would not have suffered if the Urahara had stood up for their science and developed it in the proper way. Reidoku is salvageable. It can be stabilised and it can be safe for use. Had Father been given time, he would have produced something to benefit all of Soul Society. As it was, people were killed, hounded and hunted from their homes. And even now…there are children born with blond hair and pale eyes in other districts who get persecuted simply for looking the way they do. The true crime wasn't commited by Urahara Keitsune. It was committed by his older brother Urahara Rikaya…an act of betrayal that I will never forgive."
Juushirou's eyes opened wide, and Keitarou sighed, running his fingers through his thick dark hair.
"But that is neither here nor there." He murmured. "Not now. Everything has gone too far to be taken back. You have no concept of the kind of life the Urahara exiles lived, even in so called safe havens like District Seven. All the exploitation, the fear, the hatred that surrounds us simply because of the black reputation of who we were."
"So you decided to live up to it?" Juushirou asked, and Keitarou smiled.
"I decided to become it." He agreed. "My sword was born of bitter hatred and resentment, not combat prowess. The desire to avenge my family that grew with every injustice we suffered over the years. I hate the Urahara, and I no longer carry their name…perhaps I became stronger, in the end, because of it. Who knows – fate has a funny way of dictating the rules of her game."
"And into all of this, somewhere, I fit? And Eiraki-hime? And Hirata?"
"Eiraki-hime is my fiancee and I intend to keep that connection." Keitarou nodded. "Marriage to her re-legitimises my line, after all."
"Does that matter, if you hate Clan?"
"Yes, because it's easier to work from the inside than from without." Keitarou said evenly.
"And if Eiraki-hime knew all of this…?"
"She does know." Keitarou smiled, and Juushirou's heart skipped a beat at the satisfaction in his expression. "Eiraki-hime is loyal to me because she knows about my past."
"What?" Juushirou stared. "You mean…she really…is betraying Hirata?"
"No. I don't think that comes into it. Separate strands, Ukitake. Separate strands." Keitarou dismissed this with a flick of his hand. "She hated her Grandfather and loathes her cousin. My family suffered badly at their hands and I appealed to her good nature. She is young and gullible but she is not completely stupid. She knows what the Endou have done to the people in their District. I am simply the proof of it. And by being her ally when nobody else was – by helping her escape when nobody else could – I have gained her trust. It won't be broken easily, even if she knew how I had manipulated her against her brother."
"Mitsuki said she was in love." Juushirou realised with a jolt. "But…it was you. It's you that…"
"Exactly." Keitarou agreed evenly. "So as you can see, convincing her that I'm the villain will be quite difficult for anyone. The victim, Seimaru's puppet…all of those things. But not the demon. Seimaru is that. Conveniently, he is good at being that. And I will get what I want as he gets what he does – so it all works out in the end."
"You telling me all this implies you don't think I'll ever have the chance to tell anyone else." Juushirou observed darkly. "Which means you do intend to kill me, otherwise I'm a risk."
"On the contrary. Truth can be a good tool as well as deception and secrecy. Eiraki-hime is a good example." Keitarou replied. "I don't intend to kill you – not unless it becomes unavoidable, in any case. But you are right in one respect."
"Which is?"
"I don't intend on sending you back to them." Keitarou flipped his knife from his obi, and Juushirou realised they'd reached the end of the path. "When we made that deal, we made a firm pact, after all. Eiraki-hime is free now - she will heal and grow and live her life. In effect I exchanged hers for yours and took control of you instead. Even without my knife's power - that does seem to be the case, doesn't it?"
Juushirou did not reply at first, watching as his companion struck the blade of the weapon through the darkness, causing it to open up into black night and cold wintry air in the world beyond. Then he sighed, shaking his head.
"People will know that I've gone." He said levelly. "They will notice. Even if I'm not Clan, I'm not invisible to people. They will know something happened, Keitarou-san. They'll want to know what."
"You think so?" Keitarou arched an eyebrow. "You have such faith, then, that people of Noble blood will care what happens to a District boy like you?"
"It isn't about Clan or otherwise. They're my friends, so they'll wonder." Juushirou said frankly. "That's all there is to it...that's what friends do."
"Such simple beliefs." Keitarou was mocking him now, and despite himself, anger rose in Juushirou's heart even as he stepped out into the frozen, barren landscape.
"There's no need to make them anything else." He snapped. "I know who I trust and who I don't - who can be relied on and who can't. I know those things and you won't sway me from them, Keitarou-san. No matter what happens, I know that there will be people who'll want to know where I am. And the promise I gave you was to come to Seventh in return for you freeing Eiraki-hime. I'm under no obligation to do anything else for you here or anywhere else - I've kept my word, after all, providing that this is Seventh District. Our deal is effectively, technically, ended."
"So very particular with your meanings." Keitarou was amused. "But you must know that in this place you are only safe with my protection. Even if folk don't know you by name, you are District and you have spirit power that makes your very existence here illegal. You can try and flee me now, if you like - but you will be caught and you will be brought in and killed. If Seimaru discovers you first...you will meet a horrible death. He seems very much to dislike you...very much indeed."
He pursed his lips, eying Juushirou carefully.
"I wonder what it is you said or did that made him so determined to take you out."
Juushirou's mind flitted to the hidden letter, and he frowned.
"I stood up to him." He said simply. "And told him what I thought of him, face to face. He didn't like it. That's all. He thinks me rude and acting above my station – and I'm not ashamed of it, if that's what I'm doing. Even if he is the head of the Endou-ke – I'm not afraid of him or of speaking my mind."
"Not afraid of him. Oh, but you should be." Keitarou reflected. "It's a bad weakness indeed, Ukitake, to ignore your safety reflexes. Fear is one of those. You don't fear him and you don't fear me, do you? But you should. You know nothing of my plans or of his – or whether I am lying to you by saying I haven't come to take you to him. You assume I've told you the truth and that you have my measure – but really you know nothing at all."
"You could say the same about you where I'm concerned." Juushirou retorted, and Keitarou chuckled.
"You are sparky, at least. Principled and resolute." He realised. "But I outgrew those ideals a long time ago. They don't get you anywhere, in the end. Reality is the only thing that does. Whether it's true reality or a reality you create for the benefit of others. I don't trust in anyone, Juushirou. You. Seimaru. Even myself. Even I know I can't be trusted – so you shouldn't let your guard down. I'm not your friend, after all – even though I'm not your enemy, either. I have no grudge against you – but there have been many others I've drawn into my web that I've had no grudge against, too. I learnt a long time ago that the only path anyone can and should follow is the one that suits them best. Nobody else will support you – more likely they will betray you. So you should open your eyes and realise that. You made a sacrifice last night to save Eiraki-hime's life. But because of it, your own life could be in danger. You said you could not let her die – but what of you, now? Did anyone stop you from leaving the Kyouraku estate? Did anyone try to follow? We're quite alone here. Alone and untraceable and far from the reach of your District Eight friends. Do you understand? I manipulated you into making that decision – but only a truly naïve person would take that choice. Your friends are Clan. They understand what you do not – that such principled choices come second place to the Clan's façade of honour."
"You're the one who doesn't understand." Juushirou said indignantly, and Keitarou laughed.
"I understand." He said lightly. "At four years old I came to understand quite clearly the meaning of the word 'betrayal'. Nobody will come for you. Nobody will find you. You're not really one of them, after all. Just like me – you don't matter. Just like me, you exist in between two worlds – not quite District, not wanted by the Clans. If you were to disappear, it would solve a lot of awkward questions that make Clansfolk all over Seireitei uneasy. These are the true, harsh facts of the world in which we live. Clan decide everything. Who lives, who dies, who is innocent, who bears guilt. They fabricate the past to suit their future. Nobody will listen to one lone voice from District Six, not given the smothering traditions each family is bound to. You will be forgotten and overlooked – a ripple in their reality – and things will move on without you, just as they did before."
"I don't see things that way."
"Then you'll find out the hard way, just as I did, a hundred years ago." Keitarou said matter-of-factly. "For the time being, though, here is cold and far too exposed. We still have a little way to travel - and you are not robed well for the freezing nights in District Seven."
"I'm not robed well for any of this. I'm surprised you notice now." Despite himself, Juushirou could not help but be facetious, and Keitarou sighed, unclipping his grey cloak from around his throat and casting it over Juushirou's shoulders, pulling up the hood to conceal the shock of white hair from view.
"There. Now you seem no more than another peasant boy and nobody will pay you any mind." He said briskly. "We should move. I wish to be back in a place of safety before the sun rises - I must see Seimaru, then, and I want you safely away from his clutches before that happens."
"You really aren't going to give me to him, then, are you?"
"No. I don't imagine so." Keitarou shook his head. "Though I do think that you have information he might like to know. Information about a letter, for example - things of that nature that he might want to look further into. Of course, I could search you for such a thing myself, but..."
He paused, and Juushirou froze, trying not to flinch under the sudden scrutiny.
"Somehow I don't think it's something you have with you, is it? You are too clever, aren't you, to carry such a thing on your person in such a risky situation?"
"I don't know what you mean." Juushirou said simply, and Keitarou patted him condescendingly on the head.
"You know full well. I see it in your eyes." He responded. "But it's all right. I had already presumed it to be in your care somehow. Whoever finds it will be able to implicate Seimaru, perhaps, but I'm already a wanted man and it makes no difference to me whether my name is or is not included in the text. I just wanted to know that I was right. You are the one most trusted by the boy Hirata, aren't you?"
"You just said that I couldn't put stock in those bonds." Juushirou said primly. "So I don't know why you'd think anything of the sort."
"All right. I get the message." Keitarou chuckled. "You're loyal to him and you don't intend to speak. Well, fine. We'll see for ourselves how the game plays out. For the time being, stay close to me. I can't promise where we're going is pleasant, but at least it will be less cold than it is here."
"Where is this place, anyhow?" Juushirou asked, gazing around at the shadowed remains of buildings that littered the landscape.
"Where I and others of my kin grew up, but the place has long since been desecrated and deserted." Keitarou said simply. "Most are dead, or have fled for sanctuary elsewhere. There are no souls here to see us unless it is haunted by the dead - so long as you stay with me, you won't be in any danger in this place. Now stop asking questions and focus on moving one foot in front of the other. There will be time enough after the sun rises for me to discover exactly what kind of a prize I've brought home this time - right now getting undercover is our first priority and everything else can wait."
Author's Note
Mitsuki's senses:
It was asked in an anon review, so I can only answer it here. Hopefully this chapter and so on will actually answer the question a little bit more. It's safe to say that Mitsuki has a combination of superior Kuchiki senses combined with her empathic healing abilities, so she is probably more sensitive in that department than the others, especially now she's begun training with Retsu. That doesn't mean that the others can't sense things - just that this is probably Mitsuki's forte. Considering she was the one who felt Megumi's reiatsu flare and disappear when she died, even though Megumi's reiatsu was weak and Mitsuki was neither anywhere near her or her acquaintance, that should indicate how sensitive Mitsuki's wits are. Quite scary, really...