Chapter Fifty Three: Call To Arms

"You know, anyone would think that this was your District, the way you managed to sweet-talk that trader."

As they sheltered in the dubious protection of a half-collapsed village shack, Hirata cast Shunsui a rueful glance, his fingers brushing against the rough fabric of the peasant kimono he now wore.

"We were standing out far too much before – so this is much better."

"Not much warmer, but it will do." Shunsui nodded his head. "We came out here unprepared and neither one of us has any actual money with us, but it was a good idea of yours to trade your hair clasp for clothes and food, Hirata. Those things are often made of expensive metal – that was the real sealing of the deal, in honesty. As soon as I presented him with an Endou clasp, he couldn't provide us with enough."

"It'll be melted down and resold." Hirata agreed. "But to be truthful, I…sort of don't mind that. I almost feel…satisfied that something so associated with my family will be treated in that way. I only brought it with me to District Eight because I knew it would be a wedding and I'd be expected to dress as Clan – I prefer just tying my hair back with a white tie like I do at the Academy. Is that terrible? I just…have never felt so disconnected from my Clan as I do now."

"I can't blame you." Shunsui looked serious. "This place is abandoned and deserted. So was wherever we were last night. The place we walked through when my shunpo gave out was burned to the ground. Having met the refugees, I know…that this is where their journeys began. And that the Endou-ke ordered this…knowing that, I can't fault you for feeling that way at all."

"Mm." Hirata nodded, pulling the rough cloak around his shoulders with a shiver, and pushing his long, straying dark hair back behind his ear. "But I'm also resolved to…end it, now. I don't know if I can, Kyouraku-kun. But even so, I can't turn back."

"I'm going to assume that your hands are shaking because of cold, then, and not because of fright." Shunsui said gently, coming to pat his friend on the back. "But I don't really intend to let Seimaru kill you, you know. So I am going to help. First we'll find Juu, and then we'll see about your cousin. All right?"

"All right." Hirata nodded. "I don't want Ukitake-kun caught up in this any more than he already is. It's my fault for giving him that letter in the first place."

"It's his fault for being an idealistic idiot wanting to save the world." Shunsui said dryly. "But then, looking at us, I guess I can't say too much about that either, not at the moment."

He frowned.

"When we head back out there, Hirata, you mustn't call me Kyouraku-kun." He added. "Even dressed like this, it'll attract attention to us if you do."

"Then what will I call you?" Hirata looked blank. "And it will anyhow, if you call me Hirata or if you call me by my family's name. So…"

"I'll just try and remember not to use your name too much, I suppose." Shunsui pursed his lips. "But there's no reason you shouldn't call me Shunsui. Juu and Sora do…and I'm not particularly offended by it, if you start to. Kai's the only one you're really less formal with, and it's about time it stopped with Juu and I at the very least."

"I…suppose so." Hirata's cheeks pinkened, but he nodded his head. "I just…you're both older than me, and…and Kai-kun is…"

"Kai's not that much younger than me, and he's only a couple of months up on Juu." Shunsui said inexorably. "So if you can do it for Kai, you can do it for me. It'll be less conspicuous – so leave it at that, okay?"

Hirata looked rueful.

"Kai-kun pointed his dagger at my throat and told me that if I didn't, he would tattoo his name kanji onto my skin for me." He said softly. "I still don't know if he was kidding or not – but it was…when the Shihouin-ke were in…such a mess. And I hate being called by my family name, because I'm ashamed of them. Kai-kun took a lot of hassle from other people when Kamuki-sama was tried and executed…so I understood and I agreed not to call him Shihouin-kun any more."

"Well, I have Kai-kun's wakizashi. I could try the same technique." Shunsui said playfully. "But in all seriousness – there's no reason for you to be that formal with me. You were much younger than us in the first year, but things have changed. You've grown up a lot more than the rest of us, I think. And while we're here at least…it would be safer."

"All right." Hirata agreed. "I'll try to remember."

"And while I'm thinking about it…" Shunsui eyed his companion critically, then, "How well can you see without your glasses?"

"Mm. Blurry at best." Hirata grimaced. "I have done it before…roamed the wilds without them. But…my eyesight isn't very good over long distances. Not good at all, to be honest."

He removed the spectacles from his nose, blinking a couple of times, then sighing. "I'd say maybe…sixty percent of what I can see with the glasses I can see without them?"

"Then it probably isn't safe for you to travel without them. Pity." Shunsui gestured for him to put them back on. "They make you distinctive, but distinctive is better than foolishly vulnerable to attack. And this is your land. Not mine. I need you to be able to pick out that we're going the right way."

"We are." Hirata nodded, doing as he was bidden. "Outside this empty village is a knot of trees and I'm pretty sure if we follow the pathway through them we'll be on the right route to the main house. It's still some distance to walk – but we are in the right region, and your shunpo did take us closer than we would have managed to walk before sunrise."

"It's funny. I only seem to be able to use it effectively when Juu's in trouble." Shunsui reflected, as he pushed back the rickety remains of the shack door, peering out into the wintery daylight outside and nodding his head. "The coast is clear. We can move now. You'd think that with Uebashi's teaching, I'd have improved my technique – but I guess not."

"I'm not sure." Hirata said thoughtfully. "Ukitake-kun is in danger, but we don't know precisely where he is or whether we're heading in the right direction. I think your shunpo is quite good, K…Shunsui-kun. And it probably has got better."

He grinned self-consciously.

"If I survive this, I'm going to work doubly hard on mine next term." He added. "Now I've seen how it works first-hand, I think I understand better how to apply all the things we've learnt."

"You will survive it." Shunsui brushed his fingers against Kai's wakizashi. "I'm going to promise it, Hirata. We're both going to survive this little adventure and go home so that Nii-sama can chastise me into next month and Sumire-sama can tell you off for being irresponsible and reckless. Okay?"

Hirata was silent for a moment, then he shook his head.

"This is my home." He said softly, all lightness gone from his voice as he surveyed the desolate landscape. "I may feel like a stranger in it, but seeing it like this reminds me of that fact most of all. This is what I've been running from for a very long time. Not just since I went to Midori-sama for help, but before that. Before I came to the Academy. Before Father thought about sending me away to train. The people here have suffered probably since before I was born. I can keep running away, but that won't change anything. I have to stop it. Eiraki-chan was right. Even if I'm weak and feeble and frightened of Seimaru, there's only me now who can. No matter what it takes…I have to."

"Then you also have to live." Shunsui told him sensibly. "All the more, in fact, if that's how you feel about it. Because there's no sense sacrificing your life taking down a despot. If you're the only one with the blood right to change this, then you have to see it through to the very end. So either way, you're going to live through it. All right? No more negative. You are. We both are. And so is Juu."

"Mmm." Hirata nodded slowly. "I suppose so. I suppose that's true, too."

"I'm taking action also." Shunsui reflected. "Nii-sama will be livid, probably. He should be, if I'm honest about it. I squirmed my way around the promises I made him and I guess I'm not as reliable as I told him I was, before. But I make a habit of not doing things that need doing too, Hirata. And it's time I stopped it, too."

He glanced at his friend expectantly.

"So? Which way now?"

"That way." Hirata pointed towards the faint trackway where the path led down to a cluster of raggedy, bare-branched trees. "Through there and out the other side. I'm quite sure."

"Okay. Then that's the way we're going." Shunsui nodded his head. "If you sense Juu's reiatsu at all, let me know, okay? I'll be looking out for it too – if we both do, one of us might get lucky."

"I've already been trying to find it." Hirata confessed. "And I would tell you, if I knew it was there."

"I know." Absently Shunsui reached across to ruffle Hirata's already windswept hair, and the younger boy let out an exclamation, pulling away from his touch indignantly.

"Shunsui-kun! I thought you said I wasn't a kid any more!"

"You're not." Shunsui grinned at him. "But I wanted to get that tragic look out of your eyes. You're very good at looking melancholy and troubled, and right now it's more unnerving than endearing, given our situation."

Hirata opened his mouth to retort, but the words faded on his lips as he heard the unmistakeable sound of hoofbeats across the frozen snow. His eyes widened and he grabbed Shunsui by the arm. Shunsui nodded grimly.

"We either run towards the forest or back towards the village." He said slowly. "Or we stay and fake it out, since running is suspicious and the snow isn't hard enough that we wouldn't leave tracks."

"If we run, it implies we have something to run from." Hirata murmured. "In District Seven, if you run…it means someone will come to try and catch you. It doesn't matter who or what your crime is – if you can sell someone to the authorities then you can feed your family for another week. Bad enough we have spiritual power – if anyone realised who we were…"

"Then we'll try and bluff it out." Shunsui said frankly, before Hirata could finish his sentence. "Using kyakkou here would arouse suspicions, so suppress your reiatsu right down and we'll try and walk on by like two random peasants out for a winter stroll. You're good at hiding your spirit power, at least – I'll try and match you and we'll do our best to be insignificant."

"All right." Hirata nodded his head, pausing for a moment then slipping his spectacles off his nose. He pushed them into the rough brown sash, offering Shunsui a rueful glance.

"Less conspicious." He said softly. "Until the coast is clear."

Shunsui nodded his head, and Hirata was aware of his companion's neatly controlled reiatsu dropping to a barely perceivable level alongside him. Even so, however, his heart was in his throat as they rounded the exposed bend of the path, and for the first time they saw the horsemen, their beasts somewhat silhouetted by the feeble winter sun.

"Only two of them." Shunsui murmured. "I think I could out-shunpo two horses, if need be."

Hirata did not answer, his gaze fixed on the two riders as consternation began to creep into his heart.

"Hirata?" Shunsui nudged him, and Hirata swallowed hard.

"Look how they're dressed." He murmured. "No shunpo, Shunsui-kun. No kidou. Nothing. Just…keep walking. Don't even meet their eyes. Keep walking. And for goodness's sake bow as we pass them. Bow properly…all right?"

He reached to pull up the misshapen hood of the peasant's cloak over his head, gesturing for his companion to do the same.

"You know them." Shunsui did as he was told, but suspicion and curiosity glittered in his brown eyes. "Don't you?"

Hirata nodded almost imperceptibly.

"They're dressed in red and brown." He murmured. "And not soldier red and brown, either. They're not retainers, Shunsui-kun. They're Endou Clansmen."

"Clansmen?" Shunsui's expression became one of consternation. "Of what level?"

"Does it matter? They're members of Seimaru's council, else they wouldn't be robed that way." Hirata said flatly. "I don't know why they're here or what they're doing riding in these parts – but they cannot find us. They cannot see us here. Even without my glasses…I'm fairly sure they'd know who I am."

"You know them even by name, then, don't you?" Shunsui surmised, and Hirata nodded.

"Raiden Umeki-dono and Jinkei Wataru-dono." He muttered. "I can tell by the specific cut and colour of their clothing even from this distance and even without my glasses. It's like an identity badge – how each family wears their Endou colours. It's unmistakeable."

He sighed.

"Both are fourth degree through a female line, but both have land-holdings and were stalwarts of my Grandfather's court. I saw both many times."

"Damn." Shunsui pursed his lips. "Then getting past them won't be easy. Maybe we should have turned back…but then, that might've made them suspicious, too."

"We'll keep walking." Hirata responded. "We have to, now. We've come too far to do anything else…we're in their line of sight."

Shunsui nodded, and Hirata was sure he could hear his heart pounding beneath his ribcage as the two shabbily dressed young students shuffled ever closer to the two men on their horses. At first Hirata thought the two noblemen had paid them no mind, for the clothes they had purchased were worn and nondescript and at a glance, with the hood drawn up, it would be difficult to even tell their age or gender, let alone their identity. But as they bowed their heads low to pass the riders, one of them suddenly tugged on his horse's reins, urging his beast to block their path.

Hirata faltered, but before he could do anything, Shunsui had slipped in front of him, raising his gaze to the nobles in feigned surprise.

"Why are you here?" The horseman – Hirata knew it was Raiden – peered down at Shunsui suspiciously. "No peasants have lived in that village for over six months now – what settlement have you come from, that you travel so openly despite the danger?"

"We became lost, sir." Shunsui spoke in muted, respectful tones, bowing his head towards Raiden once again. "We strayed from our path and as you see, became separated from our settlement."

The silence that followed seemed to last an age, then Raiden pulled his sword from his scabbard, reaching across to knock back Shunsui's cloak. As he did so, Hirata saw Shunsui tense, and in an instant he knew why. Concealed beneath the heavy fabric was the distinctive, Shihouin-hilted blade loaned to him by Kai, and though Shunsui had tried his best to cover it, it had been impossible to do so completely.

"Peasants do not carry arms as a matter of course." Raiden said softly. "Draw it please. I would see it for myself."

Shunsui seemed about to defy the nobleman, but Raiden's sword pointed more firmly at the Kyouraku boy's throat, a dark glint in his eyes. Shunsui flinched as a trickle of red blood began to run down his neck towards the collar of his clothing, but still he did not move to take the gold-hilted weapon from its hiding place, and Raiden frowned.

"I can cut it off your body." He said ominously. "After I slit your throat. It matters not to me how a peasant dies."

"Stand down!"

Before Hirata knew what he was doing, the words had already left his mouth and he had flung the hood of his cloak back, glaring at the two nobles indignantly. "Lower your blade, Raiden-dono! If you take his life, it will be your life next!"

At his exclamation, Raiden drew his sword back in surprise, and Shunsui turned, sending his classmate a look of alarm.

"What are you doing?" He hissed, and Hirata bit his lip, realising in that moment exactly where he was and how badly he had blown their cover.

"I…" He faltered, but Jinkei let out an exclamation, reaching out to grab Raiden by the arm.

"Raiden-dono!" He whispered. "Lower your sword, for God's sake! Do you not see who it is who gives you the order?"

Raiden's eyes widened as his gaze shifted from Shunsui's face to Hirata's, disbelief growing in his expression with every passing moment.

Hirata felt his whole body suddenly go very cold, as the old man's lips parted and two words dropped into the icy atmosphere.

"H…H…Hirata-sama?"

"This meeting of the Council will now come to order."

As the rich, austere tones of the Kuchiki Clan leader echoed out over the Great Hall, the assembled members of seven of the Eight great families began to settle, turning their attention to Guren as they read the identical tension in his grey eyes.

From his position to the Council Leader's left, Nagesu could feel the mingled reiatsu of his neighbouring Clanfolk, each buzzing with apprehension or displeasure at the suddenness of the summons. Yet not one individual defied Guren's sharp instruction, and when the chamber was silent once more, the Kuchiki spoke again.

"We are summoned on your order, Genryuusai-sama of the Yamamoto-ke." He said gravely, getting to his feet and gesturing for the old, wizened form of the ancient Sensei to do the same. "We have acquiesced to your instructions telling us to prepare for such a summoning, and now we are here. I see that your kinsman Hashihiko-dono does not attend – is this, then, a matter you wish to deal with directly?"

"I do." Genryuusai lowered his bald head gravely. "But with the assent and support of you all. I was not the one who sent the final summons. This matter is not a secret to any Clan and must be dealt with immediately…before it is allowed to get worse."

"Seimaru-dono is not here." Midori said thoughtfully. "And nor is there a representative of the Endou Clan present in his place. I thought as much when I saw the gold summons…are we to assume that at last, the axe of justice is about to fall on his overly ambitious head?"

"Midori-dono, please." Guren sent her a reproachful look. "Without knowing the particulars of the event…"

"I know the particulars of the event, Guren-sama, and in far greater detail than you do." Midori cut across him, shaking her head impatiently. "I have known of them for well over a year and a half now. But it is custom, is it not, to bring accusations against a fellow Clan leader only when you hold evidence to do so? My Uncle chose not to speak of it, therefore my Clan were helpless to do anything except obey the Council's strictures and attempt to rebuild in the aftermath of Uncle's execution. But if Seimaru-dono is not present, I know why we are summoned here. Someone must have proof…of the involvement of the Endou-ke in Uncle's reidoku experiments."

A sudden hush went over the chamber, and Nagesu felt his heart constrict in his chest.

So it was not over, after all. Had he ever truly believed it was?

He bit his lip, acknowledging to himself that he had not. He had hoped, that was all. He had hoped that with Kamuki's arraignment and execution, everything would once more be behind them. But again, this ghost of his Clan's past had reared its ugly head. And, as he had feared but not wanted to believe – the roots were far deeper than just the Shihouin.

Perhaps those roots were indeed still Urahara.

"Genryuusai-sama, is that the reason for our summons?" He asked softly, and Genryuusai's gaze drifted across the chamber to where Tokutarou got slowly to his feet. He was holding something made of folded paper – a letter of some kind, Nagesu thought, and at Genryuusai's signal, he began to read it aloud.

"Greetings from the shrike's nest to the hunter in shadows." He read soberly. "All progresses as expected. I trust that before too long the weapon of choice will be neatly in your hands. Our people have been working hard on the formulae you've submitted to me from that kind danna-sama of yours in Second District and it seems work is progressing nicely now. The boy, I suppose, will be easy to convince that the order has come from his Uncle? He's too blind to accept it from any other source, so I'll be relying on you in that respect. Take the keystone and the building crumbles. And even if none of us are a match in blades - there are other ways to kill a cat.

I will send confirmation via a more secure road when the errand is to be completed. I would like to come myself, but with my grandmother's keeper watching my every move I have to act cautiously to make sure I am not prevented. Even so, your diversions have proved successful and the trail grows cold in the direction of District Two. Your assistance will not be forgotten – when the deal is done, my people will reward you as promised. You need not worry about retribution from your own people. They – like the wizened husk of the man we seek to destroy – will soon lose any power they ever had to control even their own fate, let alone the fates of others."

A moment of silence followed his reading, then,

"Tokutarou-dono, will you please enlighten us to what it was you just read?" Guren's voice was still somehow calm, though Nagesu could hear the faint ripple of dismay in the other man's normally distant tones. Tokutarou nodded.

"A letter penned from the Endou-ke to Aitori Hideaki, a former teacher at the Academy in District One." He said softly, stepping forward to hand the letter directly into Guren's waiting grasp. "I believe I do not need to spell out which Endou, given the way the note is addressed."

"Indeed not."

Guren glanced it over for a moment, then,

"I ratified Seimaru-dono's sword myself some ten years ago – I remember quite clearly that it bore the spirit of a shrike, and I am sure Hashihiko-dono and Retsu-dono would be able to support me also in that assertion."

"I will do so now." Retsu said gravely. "Yojinmozu was indeed as you recall, Guren-sama."

"Thank you." Guren inclined his head towards her in acknowledgement of her words, then, "My key question is something quite different. Tokutarou-dono, this letter is written from an Endou to a Shihouin. You bear no formal alliance with either Clan - how did it come to be in your hands?"

"From Shihouin Kai-dono." Tokutarou glanced at Midori, then turned his gaze to Guren. "Acting as the messenger of Endou Hirata, who appears to have been concealing it since the death of Aitori two summers ago. And you are not quite correct, Guren-sama. Midori-sama and I are in the process of negotiating an alliance between the Kyouraku and the Shihouin – for this reason, she and her people have been open and frank with mine in many respects."

He paused to offer Midori a grave smile, and Midori returned it with a grim nod of her own.

"I have therefore spoken in some depth to the Shihouin heir and I understand the reference made to a 'boy' in the letter – Kai-dono has confirmed this 'boy' to be him, though I do not believe him to have been guilty in the conspiracy."

"He was not. I stand surety for my brother's honour in this regard." Midori interjected at this point. "The Council found him innocent and I will stand by that finding. He knew of the plan, but tried to prevent it and was assaulted by a kinsman because of that resistance. That kinsman was Onoe Tomoyuki – the nephew of Aitori Hideaki and the boy who, with Kai's refusal, was next earmarked to carry out the assassination."

"We should, then, speak to the Onoe boy." Kyouki murmured, but Retsu shook her head.

"That will not be possible." She said softly. "Onoe Tomoyuki-dono was also a student at the Academy and I had involvement in his care after the incident with Shihouin Kai-dono. He took a powerful soporific that all but stole away his life – I imagine his condition now, if he still lives, remains very much the same."

"He is still comatose." Midori agreed soberly. "Whatever his involvement, it is not possible to call him before the Council as witness."

"There is no hope for a change in his condition?" Tokutarou glanced at Retsu, who shook her head again.

"If he regains his wits, that will be enough." She said evenly. "But the chance of him still having memory even of his own family is very slim indeed. Of a matter of this nature? The evidence was erased when he took the Eiminyaku. I am sorry, Tokutarou-sama. It is my professional opinion that Onoe-kun will never be able to speak of his involvement or otherwise in this scheme."

"Even so, we do have a Shihouin who seems to have some further knowledge than the rest of us." Guren's eyes flitted accusingly to the young Shihouin. "Evidence, if my information is accurate, that led to the recipient of this document being cut down within his own dwelling."

Midori nodded her head.

"It wasn't a Council matter, then, but I killed Aitori for the reasons stated in that letter." She said matter-of-factly. "He was betraying us – as that clearly proves – in favour of the Endou who wanted to lay all the blame at our door and take over our land and territory by framing us for all of the work with the reidoku. Any true-blooded Clansman or woman would act the same against a traitor posing a threat to the whole family – even yourself, I imagine, Guren-sama."

"I am not usually in the habit of having to cut down Kuchiki kinsfolk." Guren said, a faint coldness in his tones. "But I accept that what you say is true, at least by Shihouin standards. The one who received this was clearly guilty of treason against his Clan. I am not raising the matter of his death as a subject of Council jurisdiction – but the rest of its contents and the information you have on them would be beneficial to us all in this current situation. You said before you could not speak – now, I would say that not to do so would put the fragile Shihouin-ke in a once more negative light."

"I have nothing to hide." Midori shook her head. "I've been happy to reveal this at any moment, but I kept quiet because Hirata asked me to. I didn't have the proof – I had seen it, but he would not trust it to me, and so I could not override him and use it to prevent Seimaru-dono being sworn into the Gotei. You forget that it was my Clan he sought to hurt most of all – and that is something I would not easily forgive. And besides, there is more to this than simple studies into reidoku that were ill-advised but not originally intended to blow up on this scale. There is the other matter of Seimaru-dono plotting a significant murder – the aftermath of which he believed would be enough to destroy the Shihouin forever."

She frowned, her eyes becoming near slits as she remembered.

"Unfortunately for him, I didn't see things that way." She murmured.

"A significant murder." Retsu spoke softly. "Genryuusai-sama…?"

"Yes." Genryuusai agreed evenly. "The target of their planned assassination was me. The Endou and the Shihouin were united in their fear and prejudice against what my Academy had begun to do. Fortunately, however, the Shihouin were blessed with at least one sharp young mind with the will to stand in their way. Thanks to that, I believe, the Shihouin have survived and begun to blossom once more in District Two."

Midori inclined her head slightly at the compliment, and Guren frowned, rubbing his temples.

"I cannot conceive this." He murmured. "That a Clan member of any level would seek to murder one held in as high esteem as yourself, Genryuusai-sama. Or that he thought he could achieve it…why did Kamuki-dono not mention any of this before our sentencing court? If he had…if he had…"

"Like me, he had no clear proof." Midori said helplessly. "And he was also guilty, Guren-sama. I am not trying to offload my Clan's guilt onto another's head. But I would like it made known for the record that what I speak of refers to then, not to now. Our family have been punished and have moved on. We are no longer involved in the provision of reidoku on any level."

"But you believe the Endou-ke are?" Guren asked. Midori shrugged.

"I believe Seimaru is." She agreed candidly, causing murmurs from the shadows at her casual use of his name. "I've fought him, blade to blade and he's weak, but he's the kind who seeks to be strong. And he planned to use reidoku as his weapon against Genryuusai-sama – I don't see why that modus operandi would have changed."

"You think he still plans to...?" Nagesu's eyes widened.

"Well, his first attempts failed, but it doesn't mean that he wouldn't consider it." Midori said astutely. "I know this man…I was engaged to him and I lived in his District for long enough to learn that he was a thoroughly unpleasant individual."

"But Hirata-dono is an exile, is he not?" Nagesu pointed out. "Tokutarou-sama, you say he has been concealing it?"

"To protect his family." Kyouki observed quietly. "You may not realise, Nagesu-dono – but there is still a rift in Seven as wide as a river between both halves of the Endou-ke. Shouichi-sama had begun to bridge that gap – by bringing his surviving son back into his politics. But Seimaru does not share those ambitions. He hates Misashi-dono and his family with a vengeance – and it seems to be a mutual state of affairs. Misashi-dono is currently a prisoner in an unknown location in District Seven – at the very least, providing he still lives. His wife and daughter are refugees seeking shelter in my kinsman's land in District Eight. When this letter was discovered, I imagine all three of them were precariously placed in District Seven and Hirata feared bringing this to our attention because of the risk of them being caught up in the fallout. He didn't then have a Clan he could trust. Perhaps he now has affiliations with the Shihouin – but I imagine he was still wary of putting his family in danger."

"Yet now he doesn't think so?" Guren asked.

"Now he seems to be acting on his last trump card." Kyouki replied. "I'm not well acquainted with the young Endou boy and I'm finding it a shame that I'm not, because already he seems quite an interesting child. He seems meek and shy at first encounter – the kind of boy you'd easily forget in a split-second and one who'd disappear into a corner without anyone noticing he was gone. And yet…all of this…"

"Endou Hirata is an extremely gifted young boy." Genryuusai said softly. "But one who has lived in the constant shadow and threat of his more brutal Clan fellows. When Misashi-dono sent him to me for training, he acknowledged as much in his letter. I know as well as anyone that spiritual gifts are nothing unless they are trained in the right way – and unless the one who possesses them has the confidence to use them. In the last year, I've seen that young boy improve considerably in both regards. He will never be a vicious sword fighter like his anticedents. But he should not be overlooked. He understands circumstances very well – far more than meets the eye."

"It almost seems as though you wish to persuade the Council to interfere with sovereignty in District Seven and displace Seimaru-dono in Hirata-dono's favour." Guren's lips thinned. "Yet to do so on evidence more than a year old…perhaps Seimaru-dono was involved – almost certainly this was written by his hand. But if he had done so at the coercion of his Grandfather? We do not have Kamuki-dono to testify in this regard, nor the young boy Onoe. Without hard proof that the matter is still ongoing…this letter could easily be overturned."

"It is in the Council's interests to investigate the matter." Genryuusai said calmly. "Now it has been brought correctly to light."

"We ought also to speak to Hirata-dono himself, and find out his motives in all of this." Nagesu pointed out. "He is a student of Genryuusai-sama's, but even so…surely he is still too young to be considered for the Clan?"

"He is a second year." Genryuusai agreed. "And could stand more training yet. He is just seventeen, I believe – three years shy of his formal majority. However, I don't think…that we're going to be given that time before the Council will have to formally declare an allegiance."

"The Council cannot declare in the favour of a minor." Nagesu pointed out.

"It also cannot declare in the favour of someone acting in breach of its own laws." Kyouki responded. "Genryuusai-sama, please, think carefully. If this is what you're asking of us…believe me, there's nothing I'd like better than to go in there and whip some discipline into that firesworded snot-nosed excuse for a Clan leader. However…"

"If Seimaru and Hirata are both no good, then the Endou-ke cannot be sustained." Tokutarou's eyes darkened. "Which would mean a protectorate at my borders."

"Not necessarily." Midori shook her head. "If Genryuusai-sama is asking us to rally behind Hirata's claim and to take action against Seimaru – then we should be doing just that. We have some evidence. We will find more evidence. Hirata himself can provide plenty. And you're forgetting, all of you, that Hirata's father is still involved. Misashi-dono is Seimaru's current successor. Not Hirata. Misashi-dono is of age and the Council would accept him as such. Tokutarou-dono is proof that a Clan leader need not be Gotei to rule successfully and wisely. Therefore Misashi-dono is the candidate in whose name the Council should now act."

"We do not even know for certain that he is alive." Guren pointed out, and Midori snorted.

"A feeble response from a so-called Clan leader." She said derisively. "Of course he still lives, Guren-sama! Seimaru is not as foolish as all that! To kill Misashi-dono would be to immediately make Hirata his heir and perhaps encourage those uneasy within the Endou ranks to take action and oppose him in favour of their prodigal son. Hirata's greater family have not denounced the boy, even if Seimaru himself has, and he is too new a Clan leader to be certain of security. You forget, even if the Council don't judge a majority till the age of twenty – some Clans see adulthood much sooner. If Hirata was by some fluke to come back and fight Seimaru – defeat Seimaru – then at seventeen the Endou-ke would accept him as their leader. Even if the Council did not…Seimaru can't take the risk."

"Midori-dono is correct." Genryuusai agreed levelly, before Guren's pride could rise up in protest against Midori's blunt speech. "At least in her meaning, if not the tone of her words. Each Clan has specific traditions and the Endou-ke are a warrior Clan. Seimaru does not know how strong Hirata currently is, but he knows one thing for certain. He knows the boy's potential surpasses his own. Therefore I suspect Misashi-dono is still alive. And…that before that changes – the Council should act."

"Although there's a small glitch in all of this. Hirata's current whereabouts are unknown." Tokutarou said grimly. "Along with the exact location of my younger brother Shunsui and the District boy, Ukitake Juushirou."

"Seimaru-sama has taken them as prisoners?" Retsu's face paled, and Tokutarou shrugged.

"From the hysterical wailings of the other young ones currently staying in my land, it appears that Juushirou may have been taken as a hostage of some kind." He admitted. "At the very least, if he wasn't taken by force, he is now in some kind of danger. A message was sent to Hirata to lure him to District Seven and apparently Shunsui decided to go with him. Kai-dono told me that that was Hirata's reason for giving him the letter – to act in his absence in case he had taken a one way trip into danger to face his cousin. I was away from the manor when this happened – unless people have forgotten, it's only a matter of a few days since I married Rae-hime and that ceremony and its aftermath seems to have been used as some kind of distraction. The exact events are unclear – but since my guardsfolk were drugged with some unknown sedative the night Juushirou disappeared, I suspect engineered foul play. And more than that."

He raised his gaze, meeting Nagesu's startled eyes with clouded brown ones of his own.

"I believe an Urahara to be involved."

"An Urahara?" Guren's gaze too flitted to Nagesu, and the uneasy feeling in the District Three Clan head's heart began to grow. He frowned, then,

"Such a thing is not impossible." He admitted reluctantly. "Although I can assure the Council that no undertakings of that nature have been made with my knowledge."

"Shouichi-sama said he was hunting Urahara. Rebel Urahara." Kyouki said frankly. "And then Shouichi-sama conveniently died in very suspicious circumstances."

"Retsu-dono, you inspected Shouichi-dono's corpse." Guren glanced at the Unohana. "There was nothing amiss in his death?"

"There were a good many questions that remain unanswered." Retsu said gravely. "But in the absence of proof, Guren-sama, one cannot register a death as suspected murder. There was no indication at the scene that Shouichi-sama's sword had been released, or that a fight had taken place. Therefore there was no other option but to declare the death an accident."

"But you had reservations, even so?" Kyouki asked softly. Retsu sighed.

"Misashi-dono was very afraid his father's death had been murder, and I did what I could to waylay those fears." She said heavily. "I saw nothing of particular significance in my examination and I am only guided by the corpse itself. The dead speak in tongues, Kyouki-sama – and sometimes interpreting their words is more difficult than others. Shouichi-sama died because he fell from the bank onto the stones below. This is a fact. A stone broke his rib and the broken bone penetrated his heart. This is also fact. His heart suffered severe, if unexpectedly fatal damage. Another fact. Why he fell? I do not know. But since Hijirobaya was not unsealed, and since Misashi-dono assured me the entire rest of the Endou-ke's potential suspects had unfailing alibis in each other's testimony…nothing more could be done. There were no illicit substances in Shouichi-sama's blood or body fluids that suggested foul play. If there was no other at the scene, and no drug administered – then I can only rule the death an unhappy accident. Even if…deep down…there are questions I cannot answer."

"In short, yes." Tokutarou sighed.

"Retsu-dono acted properly." Genryuusai shook his head. "Suspicions without proof are nothing more than rumours or gossip. Just as Midori-dono said before – without the letter, claims could not be made against Seimaru-dono. And now, without further evidence, claims cannot be made that Shouichi-dono was murdered."

His eyes narrowed.

"Although I believe not a single one of us now doubts that he was, those must, for now, remain simply our private suspicions and not matters for Council concern." He murmured. "In the meantime, I am aware that Seimaru-dono has assured the Council that the Urahara have been killed and vanquished. This conflicts with your belief, Tokutarou-dono."

"And I don't have hard proof for it, either." Tokutarou admitted. "Hearsay is nothing but that, in the end. But before I left here, I spoke to Eiraki-hime and I spoke to Kibana Hiroto, Misashi-dono's servant. Both of them gave me cause to believe an Urahara is not only alive but…quite probably…right at the heart of this whole affair."

"And it seems Nagesu-dono knows a little about it, too." Genryuusai said thoughtfully. "Nagesu-dono, would you please tell us whatever it is that's caused your face to drain of colour so quickly?"

Nagesu sighed heavily, reaching up to remove his glasses and rubbing them absently against his robes.

"I also don't know anything." He said heavily. "I wish I did, because then I could be of more assistance. I am only aware of possibilities, Genryuusai-sama. Possibilities which may waste time and lead people to the wrong conclusions. However…"

"Before his imprisonment, Misashi-sama gave me the name 'Urahara Keitarou'." Midori said quietly.

"This same name was the name given to me independantly by Eiraki-hime." Tokutarou added. "Nagesu-dono, is that a name you know?"

Nagesu's heart sank even further, and he nodded his head.

"Yes." He acknowledged. "Though it belongs to someone I have not seen in more than a century…not since I was a young boy."

"This has a connection to Keitsune-sama, then." Guren asked, and Nagesu nodded.

"A hundred years ago my Father disowned his brother and signed a warrant agreeing that he would not intervene in the Council's justice against Keitsune-jisama as regards the reidoku." He agreed sadly. "I was eight years old at the time, but I still remember the confusion and the number of people who suddenly disappeared from my immediate vicinity. One of them was my cousin – Keitsune-jisama's only son. He was only a boy of four years – but his name was Keitarou. I would not forget that – not so long as I lived – for I was the one who taught him the characters that made up his name."

"And there is a possibility this young boy may have survived?" Retsu asked. Genryuusai nodded his head.

"Before Keitsune and his companions were executed, many of their wives and children disappeared." He agreed. "It's said they fled with a nomadic people, and Rikaya-dono spent much of the rest of his life persecuting this race in the hope of tracing the whereabouts of these missing people. Some also travelled into District Two where Kamuki-dono protected them – a matter that caused some level of unrest between the Shihouin and the Urahara."

"There was a war." Midori confirmed. "Which my Uncle won, but lost his children in the process."

"I have not continued my Father's policies of persecution." Nagesu continued slowly. "To me, those people were already punished simply by association. I don't fault Father's judgement in what he did – with the reidoku as serious a situation as I know it was, he had no choice but to submit my Uncle to the Council's justice or risk the security of the whole Clan. He chose to save the many rather than protect the few – however, I was only a child when this happened, and I didn't want to rule a Clan tainted by the shadow of that memory. So I…I have not looked for exiled Urahara. I have not persecuted the nomadic peoples and I have…done my best…to bring my Clan back into order."

"I suspect this Keitarou has been in District Seven a long time. By the evidence of the letter, long enough to have a working relationship with the Endou-ke." Guren pursed his lips. "All right. I am satisfied then that Council members have reason to go to District Seven – particularly in light of the immediate risk to the life of one Clan heir and another who might become a Clan heir, should things be settled in the right way."

"And a District boy who this world needs as much as any of the others." Genryuusai said chidingly. "His life is in danger too."

"I realise, however…"

"A child ratified by the Council is a shinigami that the Council should protect." Kyouki said firmly. "We accepted him, Guren-sama. You accepted him. He is a part of our spiritual family now even if he is not Clan."

"Guren-sama will not forsake the boy Ukitake." Genryuusai said comfortably. "Whether he seeks to be distant in his judgement or not, he has no wish to see the child die, either."

"Genryuusai-sama?" Guren stared at the old man, suddenly discomfitted, and Genryuusai smiled. He nodded.

"I know who Raiko was. I trained her, so of course I knew." He said softly. "And I know that even despite her bloodline, you would not see her son killed without raising a hand to help. Juushirou is as much Kuchiki in pride as you are – but he has ideals and values that are all his own. His sword represents justice even in the characters that name it – and what is the Council if not a body that protects justice?"

"Genryuusai-sama is right." Nagesu nodded his head, inwardly making up his mind. "Genryuusai-sama, I will gladly go to District Seven. Even if that means facing and cutting my own blood cousin down – I will stand by the Council's duties and I will go."

"My brother is in danger. Of course I will go." Tokutarou said, and Kyouki nodded.

"I also, to fight the battles Tokkun wants to, but won't be able to." She said astutely. "For Shunsui's sake and for Juushirou's sake – I'll go."

"I'm Hirata's ally. Misashi-dono's too. They're relying on me to go." Midori added her voice to the conversation.

"I will go to heal the injured." Retsu said softly. "Because in a matter like this, there is bound to be blood spilt."

Guren sighed, and Nagesu saw the resignation in his grey eyes.

"Raiko was outside the degrees of kinship." He said quietly. "In that respect, her son is no responsibility of mine. But I was fond of her, and I will not forsake her descendant. You are right, Genryuusai-sama. I too will go to District Seven. But I will not raise blades – if I go, I go as a peacekeeper, not to release my zanpakutou in a foreign land on a people who already suffer more than their fair share."

"Then the decision is unanimous." Genryuusai smiled. "We should leave at once, then. We must find and free Misashi-dono, gather the truth about Seimaru-dono's actions and discover this rebel Urahara since he seems to be in breach of our Council peace. And we must also save the young ones who seek to do what we should already be doing – they are our future and we must stop them being killed before they have a chance to make their mark on it. Even if it means a protectorate in place over District Seven – justice must be allowed to prevail."

Guren nodded solemnly.

"The verdict is clear." He said at length. "The Council has spoken. We will go."

It was probably growing late.

Juushirou sat back against the wall of the torture chamber, setting his sword down at his side with a heavy sigh as his gaze flitted around the smooth, rounded room. It was difficult in this underground world to know whether it was night or day, and though he had only been there for a short few days, every minute dragged into every hour, each hour seeming an eternity from start to end.

The heavy Sekkiseki environment, damped though it was, made him feel shut in and stifled, and the lack of natural light and air were beginning to irritate his delicate chest. He had not perceived it before, how much of an outside person he was, for he had spent so much of his young life cooped up in bed with a fever or the fatigue that followed a particularly bad bout of coughing. Yet now he remembered with startling clarity how even on his most unwell of days at home, Anika had propped his window open so that he could smell the soft sea air and know that not far from where he lay, the waves were lapping gently against the shore, waiting patiently for him to recover and come and visit them.

His world was storm and sea. Sougyo no Kotowari had taught him this, and in that moment, in the dimly lit, stonewalled chamber, he felt it starkly once again. He was not locked in his cell, but he did not need to be. He was a prisoner, and he was not sure how much longer he could take it.

How Shikiki had managed so long in this underground labyrinth, he did not know. But then Shikiki was a child, and a child who looked for Keitarou for protection. Perhaps for her the horrors she had encountered in the outside world overrode the dark gloom of being constantly a prisoner in a place where people had suffered and died, one after the other. Though the place was meticulously clean, Juushirou could still feel it when his blade was released - the faint, disjointed fragments of the dead who had spent their last moments in this place. No, he did not like it. He did not like it at all. And somehow, he knew, he had to find a way out.

I'm not going to sit here and be rescued. I'm not going to sit here and let them be enticed into rescuing me.

He clenched and unclenched his fists, resolution growing inside of him as he reflected on each of his friends in turn.

They all have more to lose than me. They're all less well trained than me. Even if they're Clan - even Shunsui...I'm the only one in our class to hold a zanpakutou. True, I barely know anything about it, yet. But I'm beginning to, little by little.

He reached out a hand to brush against the blade, stifling the urge to cough. He had pushed himself through his paces relentlessly, releasing and sealing the blade again and again until he had finally sensed the moment in his blade's divide when the two weapons diverged into separate entities. Keitarou had been right, after all, he relected pensively. His swords were part of the same weapon, yet their auras were minutely different to one another. And he now knew what he had not known before. That his swords were not just a pair - they were designed to work as a pair, too.

He frowned.

Did Keitarou-san tell me about my sword in the hope I'd train here and find that out for myself? Maybe he did. He seems fairly sure he can manipulate my actions, so probably he thought if he put the idea into my head, I'd spend this time down here alone putting those concepts into action. Still, even if that's so, it isn't as though I did it for his benefit. Just because he gave me some advice and it happened to be true...doesn't mean I'm at all indebted to him in any way.

He sighed, pulling himself to his feet and reaching for his sword.

Enough for now. Keitarou-san will probably come back here soon, anyhow...if it really is getting later. It feels like I've been practicing for ages...well, perhaps I have, for all I know. This place has no time at all, so I might practice the whole night through and still not know whether or not the dawn's come. I hate feeling so much in limbo...the sooner I find a way to leave here the better.

He slid the bared weapon through the rough sash at his waist, reaching across to pull back the door of the torture chamber and stepping over the threshold into the dark corridor beyond. As he did so, however, he felt a sudden shift in the atmosphere and he froze, a sense of unease rippling through his heart as he tried to place its meaning. The next moment he heard Shikiki's shriek of alarm, and that was enough to force movement into his limbs, his fingers never leaving Sougyo no Kotowari's hilt as he hurried forward to the young girl's aid.

He had half expected to find another half-Hollow humanoid lumbering across Keitarou's lab as a second form of a test, but as he reached the other end of the corridor, he realised that he was mistaken. Shikiki was cowering under one of Keitarou's units, terror in her aqua eyes as she gazed up at an intruder in distress and fear, and as Juushirou's gaze rested on the interloper, he felt a mixture of indignation and apprehension swell inside of him.

"Seimaru."

Before he knew what he was doing, he had spoken the word aloud, and the Clansman turned, his eyes no more than slits as he regarded the District shinigami.

He was robed in fine Endou silks, the dark red and brown of the Seventh District Clan embroidered with the badge of the hunting bird at his throat. Over his shoulders he now wore the haori that Juushirou remembered from his brief encounter with Shouichi in the Council Chamber that now seemed like so long ago, and something about its pristine whiteness made the young boy angry. Its purity was in stark contrast to the deep ruby of the man's obi, and despite the obviously expensive nature of the fabric, too Juushirou it just seemed as though Seimaru's sash had been dipped in blood.

"Ukitake Juushirou." He spoke now, his tones soft and even, yet Juushirou could tell from his reiatsu that he was far from calm. He had suppressed his presence on entering the hideout, the Sekkiseki further distorting it so that it had been impossible to identify his coming from the torture chamber - yet now there was no mistaking the sly, murderous intent that bristled about Seimaru's body as he glowered at his scientist's prey.

There was a moment of silence, then Seimaru smirked.

"Well. It seems I don't get to torture the brat after all." He said, a faint note of mocking disappointment in his tones as he gazed at her derisively. "Since she didn't want to tell me where to find you, I imagine that means you've formed some type of peasant solidarity between you?"

"Did you hurt Shikiki?" Juushirou demanded, and Seimaru laughed.

"I see you have." He observed. "Funny things, you peasants. It's something Aizen never heeds me on - the peculiar, pack instinct that lower beings seem to find so reassuring. You are of no material use to anyone, not with that sheep-like mentality and those empty, senseless eyes. All of you are the same. One after another, producing generation after generation of people who do nothing but eat, toil and die. I do not understand it...why Aizen is so interested in creatures like you."

"Answer my question." Juushirou knew he was being reckless now, but his edgy temper and the indignant prickle of his sword against his senses would not let him back down. "I asked if you had hurt Shikiki. You surely know the answer to that, Seimaru-dono, if you're in possession of such superior wits."

"I neither know nor care whether peasants feel pain." Seimaru snapped back. "But it seems that even time down here in Aizen's laboratory hasn't dampened your coarse tongue nor taught you submission. It's a good thing I came here...I'll do that myself."

Juushirou's grip around Sougyo no Kotowari's hilt tightened, adrenalin coursing through his body as he met Seimaru's gaze defiantly.

"It saves me coming to look for you, that's all." He said coldly. "Shikiki, go to the round room. Go there and stay there, do you understand? Here is dangerous. You might get hurt."

"I'm not going nowhere." Shikiki shook her head, distress in her aqua eyes. "I'm not going, Juu-nii! I'm not going!"

"Shikiki!"

"I won't go!" Shikiki screamed, her words more than half hysterical as tears spilled down her cheeks."Dai-nii made me stay behind! Dai-nii made me hide and be safe and Dai-nii died! I couldn't help Dai-nii by staying behind, so I'm not going to leave!"

Seimaru sighed, tapping his fingers against Yojinmozu's hilt.

"It should be heart-warming, but it simply makes me nauseous." He said cruelly. "A screeching brat and a peasant boy who thinks he has the right to take on the world just because one crazy old nobleman took pity on him and decided to use him to further his own ends. You're nothing other than Yamamoto Genryuusai's pet project, Ukitake. You have no right to stand there before me - no right to think you can defend against me, and certainly no right to believe you can protect that child from my fire curse. You saw one friend struck down with it, didn't you? Would you like it, then, if I made her my next target?"

"I would very much appreciate it if there was no fire released in my underground laboratory, Seimaru-sama."

Keitarou's tones cut through the confrontation at that moment, and Juushirou was struck by how relieved he was to hear the man's voice. "Since a lot of my paperwork is stored here, not to mention the final version of the reidoku formula - it would be costly and time consuming to replace. Even with the precaution of Sekkiseki flanking the outer walls...I imagine there might be some people who would become suspicious if an area of the manor suddenly started to burn down."

"Aizen." Seimaru turned, sending his subordinate a dark look, then, "Do you think I cannot control my own zanpakutou?"

"Of course not." Keitarou responded, his tones respectful and polite yet Juushirou got the distinct feeling the scientist was mocking the young Endou with his deference. "Only, I'm not so sure about Ukitake. And since his zanpakutou's innate ability involves absorbing power and firing it back out into the ether - any careless moves may create us both a considerable amount of problems."

"His zanpakutou." Seimaru spat the words out, stalking suddenly across the chamber and grabbing Juushirou by the arm. Momentarily taken off guard, Juushirou could not react as the older man wrenched Sougyo no Kotowari from his grip, glancing at it and then tossing it with disdain across the room. It clattered against the hard floor, the sound echoing in the stonewalled dungeon, and Juushirou felt a jolt of fear and pain rush through his senses as Sougyo no Kotowari's feelings mingled once more with his own.

"A toy, not a zanpakutou. He is not Clan. I may accept you hold such a blade, Aizen, considering your true birth. But this one? I will not. So long as I live, I will not accept that any District underling could assemble spirit power enough to raise a true shinigami sword."

Keitarou eyed him for a moment, then,

"Why are you here, Seimaru-sama?" He asked curiously. "I had thought you intended to retire to your quarters and attend to Clan business - did something untoward occur in the meantime?"

"Something untoward, he says." Seimaru's gaze became black and he wheeled on the scientist, Juushirou momentarily forgotten. He grabbed Aizen by the throat, pushing him up against the wall, and Juushirou drew breath sharply, even as Shikiki let out a cry of dismay.

"Kei-nii! No! Seimaru-sama, please, don't hurt Kei-nii! Don't hurt him!"

"It's quite all right, Shikiki." Keitarou was still calm, despite the fact Seimaru had him pinned firmly against the cold stone wall. "Stay where you are. You too, Juushirou. You've been foolish enough to raise your sword to a Clan Leader - don't make it worse by seeking to retrieve your weapon whilst Seimaru-sama is otherwise occupied."

Juushirou, who had been on the verge of doing just that, faltered, sending Keitarou a look of consternation.

Was he in danger? Was the scientist really overpowered by Seimaru's burst of rage? He was not fighting back, yet in that moment, Juushirou had the distinct impression that it was not because he could not. He was not trapped because Seimaru had taken him off guard. He was trapped simply because he had chosen to let Seimaru trap him...and he had done so...to...


To take attention away from Shikiki and I?

The realisation struck through Juushirou to the core.

Is he protecting us? Protecting the reidoku? Protecting...something else?

"I am not afraid of your peasants, Aizen." Seimaru tightened his grip, his gaze seemingly boring into the scientist's own. "But I came here to claim the District boy. My patience has worn out. I want him now."

"I don't understand." Keitarou gently disentangled himself from the other's grasp, eying Seimaru in concern. "We had a clear agreement, Seimaru-sama. Juushirou was to be in my custody."

"Until Hirata came here. Yes."

Juushirou bit his lip at the sound of his friend's name, and Keitarou arched an eyebrow.

"Such a thing has occurred?"

"I have no clear proof." Seimaru shook his head, and Juushirou could feel the agitation pulsing at the edge of the man's aura. "But two of my nobles have absconded, and the rumour is that they have defected to his cause. That they have ridden in breach of my laws in search of his banner...and that they seek to back him against me for possession of this Clan."

"Then you will simply have to cut him down, and them too." Keitarou said evenly. "Such a thing should not be difficult - I thought that was your end objective, in any case."

"You told me that Hirata would act alone." Seimaru shook his head impatiently. "That he would not seek help - could not seek help. That that snivelling creature whose sword my Grandfather dared ratify was the only one who knew the whereabouts of that damn letter, and the only one in whom Hirata would confide. Take him, take Hirata, and its all over. That was what you said. But do you know something, Aizen?"

"I imagine not, my Lord, though I would be happy if you would tell me." Keitarou responded, and Seimaru growled, irritation in his gaze.

"I sent word to the border in reply to that arrogant fool Tokutarou's elevated claims over my kin." He said darkly. "And I learnt from the messenger that returned that Tokutarou was not in District Eight. That he had been summoned to Inner Seireitei...that the Council had been called into emergency session and as a result, both Shiba and Kyouraku soldiers flanked the divide."

"I see." Keitarou murmured. "And this caused you concern?"

"Of course it did!" Seimaru exclaimed. "Are you quite stupid, or do you only see science and nothing else before you? The Council, Aizen! The Council of Elders! A summons to the Council - of which I am a member, yet I did not receive any such summons! They have met...they have met without me...and now...my nobles are disappearing and I intend to take the Ukitake boy! He is my hostage now - I overrule you! I will use him and force them to retreat - force Hirata to surrender, force everyone to..."

"Seimaru-sama, please. Calm down." Keitarou held up his hands, slowly shaking his head. "I understand your concern, but please, think again."

"Don't tell me what to do!" Seimaru growled. "This is not..."

"The reidoku is ready." Keitarou interrupted calmly. "And the Council can have no proof against you of anything. I am quite sure that Ukitake Juushirou was the one in whom Hirata-sama entrusted the letter you so desperately seek."

Juushirou stiffened involuntarily, and Keitarou's gaze flitted to him momentarily, daring him to deny it. For some reason, the words died in Juushirou's throat, and he swallowed hard, lowering his gaze to the floor.

"If, however, you were to start claiming hostages and sending threats, then the Council would have reason to arrest you." Keitarou continued slowly. "If they come, you should greet them warmly and welcome them into your home. This place is sealed. They will not find it, I guarantee you that, and none of my research material remains in the deserted village. Juushirou is concealed here, and so any stories that you have him are impossible to prove. Perhaps he was kidnapped by a rogue Urahara - certainly, any clues in District Eight lead back to me and not in any way to you. It was how we agreed it, and I am more than content to be your scapegoat. Juushirou is my prize - the reidoku is yours. With it you will be sure to defeat any opponent - no doubt, destroy the cousin you so despise and consolidate your hold on your Clan. But if you upset the Council before that point...it will all be over. Do you see my meaning, Seimaru-sama? If you act rashly now, everything will have been for nothing."

For a moment, Juushirou thought Seimaru would hit out at Keitarou, then he sighed, banging his fists instead against the hard stone wall.

"Your logic makes me hate you and sometimes I would happily pound through your bones to the flesh beneath." He muttered. "But in your logic there is truth, and so I will not. Dammit, I will not. However..."

He glanced at Juushirou, malevolence in his gaze.

"That one I will still kill, when Hirata is no longer a problem." He said coldly. "I will not destroy your lab, this time - nor take your toy away from you. Not yet. But in return, I want the reidoku, Aizen. I want it now...in exchange for my letting you keep that boy's life a little longer."

"Yes, sir." Keitarou inclined his head slightly. "I had already planned to give it to you in the next few days, so now is perfect timing."

"No!" Juushirou could not prevent himself from crying out, but Keitarou did not pay him any heed, instead turning his attention to Shikiki.

"Shikiki, take Juushirou's sword and Juushirou and go to the round room." He said softly, his tones gentle enough to break through the young girl's terror. "Go now - make sure he goes with you. It's not safe for you to be nearby when I open my vault - what I have is for Seimaru-sama's eyes only. Do you understand?"

"Y...yes, Kei-nii." Shikiki dried her eyes, getting slowly but obediently to her feet and trotting across the chamber to pick up the discarded Sougyo no Kotowari. She paused as she did so, meeting Juushirou's gaze from the other side of the room.

"You have to come with me, Juu-nii." She murmured, her eyes beseeching him to follow her. "Please. To the round room. Kei-nii said so - we have to go there now."

"I don't..." Juushirou faltered, but Keitarou flicked his fingers in the direction of the door.

"If you do not, someone will get hurt." He said quietly. "I know you will regret that, if it happens. Go there, and wait for me. You have nothing to fear, so long as you obey me now."

Juushirou bit his lip, but Shikiki took the decision out of his hands, coming towards him and tugging plaintively on the sleeve of his robe.

"Please, Juu-nii." She begged. "I don't want to be in that room alone."

Juushirou sighed, but slowly nodded his head.

"All right." He agreed reluctantly. "I...I'm coming, Shiki-chan. Don't look like that. I'm not going to disobey."

"Good boy." Keitarou smiled. "I appreciate your understanding."

Juushirou did not answer, merely gritting his teeth as he let Shikiki lead him back down the hallway to the old torture chamber. Once inside, Shikiki pushed the door shut, sinking down onto the ground with a sigh.

"I hope it's all right." She said hesitantly. "Kei-nii says I mustn't ever be near those chemicals, and you too, by the sounds. But I don't like it when Seimaru-sama comes down here. An' he doesn't like you at all, Juu-nii. He really wanted to kill you - I could tell."

"He did." Juushirou groaned, dropping down beside her. "And for a moment there it was mutual. But the things they said...both of them...it bothers me. Shiki-chan, doesn't it bother you, that Keitarou-san was talking about killing people?"

"Mm..mm." Shikiki nodded slowly. "I don't like it. I don't like it when he says things like that. But he always does, when it's Seimaru-sama. He doesn't kill people, Juu-nii. Jus' Seimaru-sama goes away, when he talks about doing it."

"I think it's more than likely Keitarou-san has killed people before, Shiki-chan." Juushirou said softly, and Shikiki glanced at her hands.

"He...he told me he...he killed a fallen down big person." She admitted, and Juushirou stared at her.

"He did what?"

"A...a...it was a funny word." Shikiki's brow creased in concentration. "A bigot. That was it. That he killed a fallen down bigot. Shouichi-sama. Yes."

"Oh. I see." Juushirou sighed. "Then he has killed someone, hasn't he? If he told you he did that."

"Ye-e-es." Shikiki agreed cautiously. "But Shouichi-sama killed Dai-nii. He killed him so horribly, Juu-nii. He killed him and made Shikiki sad and made Kei-nii cry. So...so...so I think...it was okay to kill Shouichi-sama. It was okay...to stop him doing more bad things."

"Because Shouichi-sama died, Shikiki, Seimaru became leader of this District." Juushirou said gravely. "Because he did that, the mother and sister of my good friend were forced to flee into exile. Because of that, a lot more people may suffer. Even if he did kill Daisuke-san...it isn't always right to kill someone else in return."

A flicker of guilt washed over him as he realised how hypocritical his words were.

I have been thinking about killing Seimaru, haven't I? Since the death of that Hollowed soul...I've been thinking about killing a whole lot more than I should. Was that Keitarou-san's plan too? Or was that just an extra bonus, that being cooped up here makes every fleeting thought so much more real and dangerous?

"I know." Shikiki broke through his thoughts, nodding her head soberly. "But...I trust Kei-nii, Juu-nii. Nobody else ever helped us, before. People were killed and nobody helped us. Dai-nii and Kei-nii did...they looked after me and they tried to help the village so that it would stay safe. Dai-nii went out to help the village the night he...the...when he was...taken away. So...even if it's true that Kei-nii killed someone and even if I know that's a bad thing...I..."

She faltered, and Juushirou sighed, reaching over to hug her.

"I'm sorry." He said contritely. "You're right - I don't have any business saying things I know nothing about. I know he protected you, Shiki-chan - they both did. And I'm glad they did. I guess...I just..."

"You don't know Kei-nii yet." Shikiki responded, offering him a faint smile. "I know he can be scary. Sometimes I'm scared too, though he's never been mean to me, not ever, and I don't think he'd ever hurt me. But...bad things happened to Kei-nii. I know they did, even before Dai-nii died. And because of it, Kei-nii was hurt."

She shivered involuntarily, then,

"My family died and so did his. I understand that." She said softly. "Juu-nii is lucky. Juu-nii's family are still alive, and they love him. I only have Kei-nii. And he...he only has me, too. So I trust him. And he looks after me. And that's all."

"You have me too, now." Juushirou said gently. "Even if I'm a shinigami - I won't hurt you, either."

"I know." Shikiki nodded her head. "I'm glad. I like that Juu-nii came here...I'm glad that you did."

Before Juushirou could respond, the door of the torture chamber slid back, and instinctively the District boy tensed, fingers reaching for Sougyo no Kotowari who lay at Shikiki's side.

"Now, now. No swords, please." Keitarou held up his hands, raising an eyebrow at Juushirou's furtive movements. "Seimaru-sama has gone. He won't come back here to bother you again - he has more important things on his mind."

"You more or less told him to go kill Hirata." Juushirou snapped. "I'm afraid that's not really making me relaxed."

"No...I suppose not." Keitarou acknowledged. "But I don't suppose either that your friend is really here. A couple of missing nobles is nothing. They may have done any number of things - and besides, I blocked off the Senkaimon that led you and I here the other night. Even if they could open it and make it stable at the Kyouraku estate, I'm quite sure they would not be able to exit it at the abandoned Urahara village. Though that's assuming anybody would try and come here...and you know already my thoughts on that matter."

"I don't want anyone to come. They'll just be in danger and I don't want that." Juushirou said stiffly. "Keitarou-san, Seimaru called you by yet another name. How many do you have? How many selves have you perpetuated around this District? I don't know whether to believe or not believe anything you do or say, even when you tell me that it's truth!"

"Ah." Keitarou pursed his lips. "Well, names don't matter very much to me. You know my true name. That's all that counts. An exile needs aliases in order to keep hidden from people who seek him. You shouldn't concern yourself too greatly with things that aren't important. Not everything about a person is tied up in their name. One of the better things about the Districts, I think...that you are who you are, not who your family claim to be."

He sighed.

"But Seimaru-sama has become impatient, and I can tell you're restless too. You were foolish to face him in any regard - did you think you could fight him with your zanpakutou in such a basic state?"

"I don't know." Juushirou admitted. "But I was willing to try it, if he hurt Shikiki."

"If he hurt Shikiki." Keitarou's gaze flitted to the young girl, then he nodded.

"Yes. I'm glad." He observed. "You've known each other such a short space of time - that you'd risk your life to protect her makes me glad."

"She refused to tell him where I was." Juushirou said simply. "And I believe in trusting those who show they can be trusted."

"Meaning that I can't?" Keitarou looked thoughtful. "I suppose that's wise. I did tell you as much, and I'm happy you were paying attention."

He turned to go, but Juushirou called him back.

"Keitarou-san?"

"Yes?" Keitarou turned, eying him curiously. "Something else ailing you?"

"What will the reidoku do to Seimaru, if he takes it?" Juushirou asked quietly. "Did you really give it to him - is that really why you sent us away?"

"Of course. It would do you two irreparable damage to be in close proximity to a formula of that nature." Keitarou nodded. "And a deal is a deal. I need to test my final product. Father's work - the reason he died - all comes down to this."

"But...surely..."

"The formula I gave Seimaru is safe inasmuch as it will not devour him the way past formulae did." Keitarou said evenly. "So long as he obeys me to the letter and remembers there's enough in that vial for two battles, I'm quite sure of that. I'm very confident indeed that this solution is stable. Of course, anyone who crosses his path while he is in fighting mood might not find it as safe - if that is what you're asking."

"Then he might use it to kill someone. If not Hirata...someone else." Juushirou's brain was working quickly now, and Keitarou smiled.

"If you think that's the case, you should tell me now." He said lightly. "If anyone else knew the whereabouts of that letter."

"Letter?" Juushirou looked stricken, and Keitarou nodded.

"The one you were protecting for Hirata-sama." He agreed. "You needn't deny it. You're a poor liar. You have either seen it or hidden it, and either way you know its contents and its whereabouts. I'm not going to ask you for either of those things. I'm simply asking if anyone other than you and Hirata-sama knew those details."

Juushirou bit his lip, then, slowly, he shook his head.

"Then you surely have nothing to fear, do you?" Keitarou said sensibly. "Since anyone Seimaru kills now is unlikely to be a friend of yours."

"But..."

"You're becoming tiresome." Keitarou arched an eyebrow. "You are determined, aren't you, to get involved in things that don't concern you?"

"I don't like the idea. That's all."

"And I don't like the idea of you being caught in the crossfire." Keitarou told him firmly. "Aside from the problems it would cause all of us if you were seen above ground after absconding District Eight by your own free will, you are the most likely one to be in danger if you leave this place. You don't understand at all what kind of a place District Seven is. Even Shikiki understands more clearly than you do, no matter how polished or proud your zanpakutou might appear. Seimaru may have left here for now, but that's not to say he wouldn't cut you down as soon as look at you if you were out of my protection. I'm the only one who's able to ensure you stay alive - for the time being at least, you should do as you're told and sit quietly here until all the fuss dies down."

"I can't do that." Juushirou shook his head. "It might be unlikely, but what if Hirata did come here? What if..."

"You should leave that to me. I have already told you, I think, that in return for your cooperation, I'll assist Hirata-sama." Keitarou cut across him. "I can walk above ground. I have a name and a place up there and I am not under any suspicion. You on the other hand are a District boy with a zanpakutou in a land where it is illegal for the peasantry to have spirit power. You leave here and immediately every man with a sword will be after you. Juushirou - if you leave here, you will regret it."

"But..."

"Leave it to me."

"Keitarou-san..." Juushirou faltered, then shook his head, reaching for his sword and sliding it into his sash as he got to his feet. "You're the one who doesn't understand. I can't just sit here. No matter what's going on outside, I can't. Even if it's dangerous. Maybe because it is. If there's a chance any of my friends came here, it's because of me. If there's fighting now, it's because of me. I'm not going to sit back and let people I care for die. It's not in me to do. If you won't tell me how to get out of here, I'll just have to use Sougyo and find my own way out. But I'm going to go, no matter what."

"And break your promise?"

"If you keep yours, I'll keep mine." Juushirou made up his mind. "If you truly help Hirata and stop Seimaru from hurting him, I'll believe that you're not my enemy, either. But I can't risk there being a real war between this land and District Eight. So I'll go and...and if you keep your word then I'll come back, if coming back is what you want me to do. But...I'm still going. I have to. That's all."

Keitarou eyed him for a moment, a strange look in his dark eyes. Then he sighed, nodding his head slowly.

"I knew, deep down, that's how you'd see it." He said regretfully. "And the fact is, I hoped you wouldn't. I didn't want it to come to this yet - not when there's so much at stake and you're already so worn out. But there's no choice. If you're not going to listen...there really is no choice."

There was a sudden glitter of silver, and Juushirou felt the air around him suddenly move as though particles of spiritual energy were speeding towards him through the thick, cloying air of the torture chamber.

"Bankai." Keitarou whispered. "Chudokuga Konshi."

Author's Note:

Agh, he's done it again. Bankaied on a cliffhanger just to annoy people.

He's a tricky one, that Keitarou xD.

A small clue regarding Keitarou's Bankai technique: Chudokuga is the name of his zanpakutou and, as I think I've said before, it means "Spider's Poison Fang" or "Spider's Evil Intent." Konshi means 'Soul Thread'...you can read into that what you will...