Chapter Sixty: Hokujou
"Are you sure that this is the right path?"
As Kyouki reined in her hastily acquired steed to avoid the half-hidden shape of a snow-covered branch across the ground in front of her, she cast Hirata a questioning look.
"There are so many trackways and trails – are you certain we're heading the right way, Hirata? This Hokujou is something I've never even heard of – but it sounded very much to me like it was several day's ride."
Hirata shook his head absently, gazing around at the devastated winter landscape. He had lost all concept of time since the battle with Seimaru had begun, and the heavy sky made it seem deceptively late in the day, yet even so he found himself wondering whether they could get to the northern fortress by the time the sun set over District Seven. They had left almost immediately, finding that with nobody on duty at the stable stealing three horses had been easy – and since then they had been riding, but for how long Hirata did not know. It all seemed somehow unreal to him, he reflected absently, tightening his grasp on the horse's reins as he struggled to make out the fuzzy landmarks through his compromised vision. The landscape was awash with spirit matter, teasing at his senses and making him even more confused. The battle, Seimaru's death, the fierce flare of defensive Kidou that Midori had fired towards the terrible explosion of his cousin's flame-cursed reiryoku - it was all a part of the same indistinct spiritual blur. And in the distance, there was Juushirou and Shunsui. Hirata had put it down to his general haziness regarding the whole situation – but it had seemed very much like his friends' reiatsu had been directed at each other, not at a common foe. And then…
But something like that is impossible. Unthinkable. So I can't think it. If I do, I might not manage to keep riding forwards and right now that's all I can do.
"Hirata?" Midori's voice reminded him of Kyouki's question and he sighed, shrugging his shoulders.
"No. Riding at speed or in a fast carriage, I think it's only a matter of hours before you reach the border of Hokujou's territory." He said carefully. "Beyond that…another hour, maybe, until you reach the fortress itself. It's not physically far – just politically far. And as for whether or not this is the path – I don't know either, to tell you the truth. Only this is the way Raiden and Jinkei started out, when they left me at the manor. So if they rode this way and they were heading to Hokujou – it seems the right way for us to go, too."
"Raiden. Jinkei. Endou Clansmen?" Midori asked, and Hirata nodded.
"Fourth degree men who supported my Grandfather and want to support Father and I because they see the other path as death." He said bitterly. "I have never been to Hokujou myself – nobody would ever have allowed it. But it is possible, I think, that they have. And…"
"You're tracing their reiatsu, aren't you?" Kyouki's eyes widened, and Hirata sighed.
"It's faint and fleeting, but I'm trying." He admitted. "In this sea of spirit matter, somehow I'm managing to pick them out. I can't explain it, Kyouki-sama – but at the same time Seimaru's fire exploded and devoured him, I felt my own spirit surge up, too. Perhaps some specks of the reidoku residue fell on me after all – either way, right now my senses are more aware than they were before the battle. And even though Raiden and Jinkei are poor spiritually, they do have some latent skill in shunpo and kidou techniques. I hope…it will be enough to trace them. If not, I don't know where we are going at all."
"If you think you got hit by even a tiny bit of that reidoku, we'd better keep close eyes on you, too." Midori said decidedly. "Since that stuff is evil, Hirata, whether stable or not. Don't push yourself too hard, all right? That explosion could have killed you – and I wish we didn't have to make you ride like this, not when you know your friends are in danger. But right now, this is important. So don't force yourself. With Seimaru in no position to give orders, we can take a little more time."
"On the contrary, we should hurry." Kyouki said grimly. "If what Hirata said about Hokujou is true – if Seimaru's mother resides there – she may well be primed to kill any prisoners should news of her son's defeat reach her before we do. We can't risk delaying, Midori. I'm concerned for the boy as well – and exhausted myself into the bargain. But we don't have the luxury of rest time. If Misashi-dono really is there…and is still alive…we have to find him as quickly as possible."
"I agree." Hirata nodded grimly, adjusting his grip once more on the leather thongs that guided his horse. "So we'll keep going. I'm all right, Midori-sama. Kyouki-sama's right. We must. It's why I came back, after all. We must."
"There was nobody in the stables." Midori reflected as she kicked her horse into a faster canter. "I expected guards, but there was nobody around at all. It was the easiest thing in the world to just take three horses without anyone asking any questions - I'm sure security wasn't as lax as that when I was sent here as Seimaru's prospective bride."
"I imagine that's down to Guren-sama." Kyouki said sensibly.
"But he's only commandeering the shinigami squad, surely?" Midori blinked. "Not the entire guard of the Endou estate."
"There's not much difference between the two." Hirata shook his head. "Grandfather didn't really want a squad, so simply made it an extension of his military retinue. The difference between shinigami and soldiers in District Seven is that soldiers are common born, usually...whilst shinigami are kinsfolk. Most of them can't hold a sword, and would be easily beaten in a battle. Only a few of them actually hold proper zanpakutou - Grandfather's chosen Lieutenant and a couple of sub-Captains. Father said it was because he was afraid of insurgents gaining too much power and causing a coup."
"The Endou's way of clipping the claws and wings of a bird before it has a chance to hunt." Kyouki murmured, and Hirata nodded.
"Like Father." He agreed frankly. "Those with potential are only allowed to have it if it benefits the Clan leader. Grandfather...really...did oppressive things to this family, didn't he?"
"I imagine it wasn't his work alone." Midori reflected. "Seimaru. Mibune-dono. Even Yayoi-sama. Perhaps Misashi-dono, too, for not standing up and raising rebellion sooner. And generations before...this is a long time in the making, Hirata. It isn't simply the last few months or even years. The Endou-ke have been decaying for a long while. Really, what we're doing is cutting away the dead wood and allowing them to start again."
"It sounds so clinical that way." Hirata murmured. "And I'm to blame too, Midori-sama. I also stood back and did nothing."
"You're not doing nothing now." Kyouki pointed out. "You're battered, bruised and worried about your friends, but you're striking out for the Endou-ke. When we reach this fortress, you will have to take command and you know that, I think."
"Mm." Hirata bit his lip. "I killed Seimaru. I killed him in the view of witnesses - the both of you. And I...to do that means I...I fought to take the Clan from him. I understand, Kyouki-sama. Believe me, I know...the weight of what I've done."
And yet I don't feel any guilt for it, even now.
He frowned.
Maybe I never will. I felt it...the eruption and then the way in which Yojinmozu devoured Seimaru's spirit power, eating him from the inside out and burning him alive. I was close enough to feel every change and fluctuation. To burn to death is not pleasant...but all I could think of was the way in which he made Shunsui-kun suffer with his curse two summers ago. Shunsui-kun and all the other innocents he's put that sword to before and since. I don't feel anything for your passing, Seimaru. I just feel, at last, justice has been done.
He raised his gaze to the heavy, wintry sky, then,
Did you fear that happening? Did you know that one day it would, if you left me to live - even in exile? But you didn't think that I could act against you yet. You thought me weak...and I thought myself above the violence and butchery of the Endou-ke. But in the end, we were both wrong. You misjudged me. And I...by dishonourable means, I killed you. Maybe I'll never feel guilty for it - so long as I live, maybe it will remain this empty, gaping space inside of me. I am Endou, after all. And as such, I'm going to see this through to the end.
"There's still a lot of clashing spirit residue in the air."
As they crossed the northern river, it was Kyouki who made the observation, a troubled look touching her features. "Even so far afield as this, I can feel it, dispersing on the wind. A mixed melee of different reiatsu. My own. Seimaru's. Yours, Midori. Nagesu's. And..."
"Juushirou's storm." Midori's own features became grave. "His storm and something else. I don't like it. It isn't just him - Tokutarou-sama's brother is wrapped up in this also. I hope that Retsu-sama has managed to get to them...if not..."
"Ukitake-kun's reiatsu disappeared as we left the main estate's territories." Hirata said quietly. "I can't feel it, just like I couldn't when he left the Kyouraku manor. I don't know what it means, or if it means anything at all. But...it was gone. And then...I don't know."
He sighed.
"I feel nothing for Seimaru's death, even at my hand." He murmured. "But even though I wasn't with them, if something happened to my friends...that blood will be harder to wash from my fingers."
"But Midori's right. Retsu-sama and Genryuusai-sama are both nearer at hand than we are." Kyouki said matter-of-factly. "So no time for regrets right now, Hirata-sama. Until we know the fate of your Father, you've made yourself leader of this Clan by defeating and killing Seimaru. There's no room for deviations or distractions."
A wry, humourless smile touched Hirata's lips.
"I can barely see the path in front of me." He murmured, reaching up to touch his face briefly as he did so to indicate his missing spectacles. "That seems somehow right, doesn't it, for an Endou in my position?"
"You've ridden without your glasses before, and time is of the essence." Midori told him. "Besides, you already said it – it's not geography you're tracking, but reiatsu. That being the case…"
"I don't need glasses to do that." Hirata nodded. "It's not something you can see, after all."
"Genryuusai-sama was right about you, then." Kyouki reflected. "That you lack physical presence, but there's nothing wrong with your spiritual wits. It's almost a shame, really…that the Council can't act in your name and back your claim to the Clan."
"Now's not the best time to raise that little problem." Midori warned, and Kyouki shrugged.
"It's still the truth." She said frankly. "Hirata here is still a child by Council standards. Although I can't say anything I've seen him do today makes me think of him that way – law is law. As a Shiba, I would give him my confidence and ratify his position with a clear conscience. It's rare that I ever meet an Endou that I don't want to run through with my blade on first acquaintance, and that's the truth. But as a Gotei representative and member of the Council of Elders…"
"Exactly." Midori frowned. "The Council can't act in his name…and so…"
"We will find Father." Hirata said softly. "We must, mustn't we? There's nothing else for it but to."
"Whatever comes from this point, Hirata, you know you have the Shihouin-ke to call your allies." Midori assured him. "That bond was formed when Shouichi-sama and my Uncle signed papers to conspire together about District shinigami, but even though they're both dead and gone, I still consider that binding. You and Misashi-sama have the support of the Shihouin-ke – of Kai, of me, and of anything we can do to help your people rebuild this land."
"It needs rebuilding, that's for sure." Kyouki said gravely. "We've ridden for some time now, but we still haven't seen any positive sign of a thriving peasant settlement. Some clusters here and there of what might be houses – one or two deserted towns and another couple half-burned and full of beggars. District Two's ruling class suffered a good deal two summers back, but their common folk did not…not thanks to you, Midori, and your quick actions. In contrast…"
"In contrast, the Endou are predators." Hirata responded. "Birds of prey. Even me. We take things and rip them apart. That's the nature of my Clan, Kyouki-sama. It's in all of us – the beast that hunts and kills."
And in my aunt, too, most likely.
His eyes narrowed.
I wonder if she's truly still a prisoner. If she's been involved in Seimaru's plans, I really can't imagine that she is.
They rode on for some time, the sun dropping further and further behind the thick winter cloud as soft flakes of fresh snow began to flurry and dot themselves across the already frozen landscape. Hirata stifled a shiver, remembering that he was still wearing the attire of a peasant and that in the cold wind he had very little protecting him from District Seven's bleak weather.
It's easy to forget, in District Eight, that it's so much colder here at home. It's easy to forget a lot of things when you don't have to see them all the time.
"Hirata, there's a fork in the path ahead." Midori glanced across at him. "Which way do you say we should go? It looks like another wrecked village off to the right, but…could that be one of the tenant settlements for this Hokujou we're looking for?"
"Hokujou hasn't had tenancy lands for a long long time. Not since it became Riku-sama's prison." Hirata shook his head. "I think we should go left. I can't sense any reiatsu clearly now…I guess whatever happened before has begun to wear off. But I remember Father once saying that the road leading to Hokujou was a bleak one and lined with stone. He didn't say anything about any villages…and I know he's been here before in person."
"Then we'll take your word for it, and go left." Kyouki said decidedly, swinging her animal around to face the left-hand fork. "But are you sure you can handle this, Hirata? You're pale and you look freezing cold. Are you sure your adrenalin didn't just run out? If you faint and fall from the horse…"
"I won't faint." Hirata spoke quietly, but there was determination in his tones. "Clan leaders don't faint, Kyouki-sama. No matter what faces us when we get to Hokujou – I'm not going to falter. I'm just cold, that's all."
"There's a lot more than winter weather to make one feel cold in District Seven." Midori said acerbically. "But if the boy says he can ride, we should let him ride. He outranks the both of us here, Kyouki-sama – in this, Hirata's word is final."
"I suppose it is." Kyouki looked rueful. "First Shunsui in Eighth and now Hirata in Seventh. I'm being put nicely in my place by whelps all round at this rate – but I don't mind seeing it. I start to think Seireitei is going to have a prosperous future, when such young'uns are already taking their responsibilities so seriously."
She cast Midori a grin.
"That applies to you too, as it happens." She added. "You're not much older than any of them, when it comes down to it."
"A leader is made on spirit, Kyouki-sama. Not age." Midori said simply, shrugging her shoulders. "And twenty two is a good deal older than seventeen when it comes to the legalities of the Council of Elders."
"True." Kyouki acknowledged. "It's all right. Your colours are proven, Midori – and I'm sure the kids will be the same way."
"Those who survive become Shinigami." Midori murmured, and for a moment Hirata's blood ran cold at the cryptic edge to her words.
She felt it too. Ukitake-kun's reiatsu. She felt it disappear too…and she thinks…
He bit his lip, forcibly turning his mind away from such thoughts.
Ukitake-kun is with Shunsui-kun. Shunsui-kun would never hurt him. Would never let him get hurt. I shouldn't get frightened…I should focus on what I need to do. It will be all right – I have to hang on to that thought. It will be all right.
"There's a proper track-way up ahead." Kyouki said now, gesturing ahead of them. "And it looks formally laid, as though we're entering the immediate land surrounding a great house. Is this where we're heading, Hirata? Have we finally reached the outskirts of Hokujou?"
Hirata squinted through his blurry vision, making out something dark and shapeless on the horizon. A chill ran down his spine and he nodded.
"I have never been here." He murmured. "And I can't see far enough in front of my nose to know where we are. But I can feel it, Kyouki-sama. We've arrived. This is Hokujou. We're here."
Reckless. Foolish. Idealistic.
Genryuusai settled himself on his knees at the makeshift bedside, setting his cane to one side as he reached a wizened hand over to brush stray wisps of snow white hair from the young boy's brow. He was still cold to the touch, he realised, although it had been almost an hour now since Retsu and Tokutarou had brought the frozen youngsters in from their battleground. Despite the hoarse, shallow breaths he pulled into his lungs, there had been no movement of his eyes nor clear indication that he would ever return to consciousness, and regardless of his milennia of experience, Genryuusai still did not know for certain whether the boy he had selected and fostered was even still alive inside this pale, fragile shell. He had known that Juushirou was full of potential, but even with that aside, over the last two years he had become genuinely fond of the young boy too. Yet if the worst happened, it would be he who would have to write - no, in fact, he would go in person - to explain to the Ukitake-ke what had happened to their precious brother and son.
Retsu had cast a barrier of light and warmth around him, yet she had not been so cruel as to prevent the old man from reaching out to his student, saying that to the contrary, contact from a familiar voice was what Juushirou needed most of all. She had been calm and reassuring, seemingly confident that Shikiki had done enough to save the student's life. Though her opinion carried weight, Genryuusai was old, and although he trusted in her opinion, his age and past experiences had meant he was unable to quell all of his lingering doubts.
Though there was nothing to be done now but believe that the Captain of Fourth District's Gotei squad was right. And until he knew otherwise, outwardly at least, he would believe it. Because if he did not, everyone else's conviction would slowly slip away.
Retsu had left them alone now, and, even as the young Unohana leader had gone to tend to Shunsui's broken arm, Genryuusai had been glad of her moment of silent understanding.
In one small moment, he had felt the weight of the world drop down on his shoulders.
Juushirou.
He sighed, sitting back and gazing at his student's pitiful form with regret in his eyes.
Letting you go to District Eight was a mistake, in the end, wasn't it? It was too soon for you...too easy for them...and now here we are, with an incident that will likely scar the lives of two boys rather than one. Even if I told Kyouki that risks have to be taken...some risks are a step too far. I did not realise, in the end, how potent the Urahara's power of manipulation was - nor did I know that he would use such a young and guileless victim to help lure you into his trap. I did not know that you were his objective, Juushirou. Had I known that it was he and not Seimaru who sought you...I may have acted differently.
But it cannot be taken back. Nothing can ever be taken back. And so, as before, we move on instead.
"O...Ojiisan?"
An apprehensive voice from the doorway made him turn, seeing an apprehensive pair of aqua eyes staring at him from around the edge of the wooden divide. At the sight of her, Genryuusai's eyes softened and he reached out his hand to her, beckoning for her to come into the room.
"Shikiki is your name, isn't it?" He asked softly, and Shikiki nodded, obediently and hesitantly doing as she was bidden.
"Ojiisan, do you know Juu-nii?" She murmured, and Genryuusai smiled.
"He's a student of mine. I'm his sensei, you might say." He agreed. "But even despite my many, many years experience, it wasn't me who was able to bring him back from the bring of death. You have a very remarkable gift, Shikiki - a talent that I had thought all but dead among souls in Seireitei in this era. You understand, don't you? What you've done for Juushirou. You realise, I think - that if you had not done it, he would surely have died."
"I couldn't fix all of him." Shikiki shuffled closer, dropping down with a soft thud onto the wooden floor as she gazed up at Genryuusai sadly. "I wanted to. I wanted to fix all of him. But Juu-nii isn't a kitten and he was too big. So I could only do part of it. An' then my powers ran out, and I couldn't help Shun-nii either."
"Shunsui will be fine." Genryuusai assured her. "A broken arm isn't a fatal injury and it will soon mend, I've no doubt about that. His brother is with him and he will recover - he passed out from shock and exhaustion, but his life was in no danger. Your decision was not the wrong one and you shouldn't look so melancholy. You used your power where it was most needed - and that's what matters most."
"Will he wake up?" Shikiki's eyes flitted to Juushirou's pale face. "I don't like it like this. I know he's not dead any more, Ojiisan, but I...I don't know how to wake him up. I felt his heart going thump thump again and I fixed up his rib so it wasn't broken any more...but...he didn't open his eyes. And..."
She faltered, tears on her lashes, and Genryuusai stretched out his hand to pat her reassuringly on the head.
"You can cry." He told her gently. "It was a frightening moment for you, as well. I know that Juushirou has an easy way with making and keeping friends - even after such a short acquaintance, he did the same to you, didn't he?"
"He saved me from a Hollow." Shikiki sniffled, nodding her head. "Even though I was mean an' I was scared cos he was a shinigami, he still did. An' he was never cross with me. He was kind to me. I...I don't want him to die yet, Ojiisan. I haven't known him long enough yet...I want him to wake up an' be all right."
"The most talented healer in the whole of Seireitei is watching over him, now." Genryuusai told her. "If anyone can bring him back to health, she can."
He sighed, his moustache twitching as he considered how to ask the next question.
"You aren't going to be cross with Shun-nii, are you?" Shikiki prevented him from speaking, anxious eyes flitting to the old man's face. "He didn't want to hurt Juu-nii. An' even though he's stupid and rich, he's Juu-nii's friend. Only he had to stop Juu-nii cos Juu-nii was being mani...mani...manippolated and..."
"By Urahara Keitarou. Yes?" Genryuusai asked quietly, and Shikiki chewed on her lip.
"Yes." She whispered. "I don't know why, Ojiisan, but...I know that that's what happened."
"Shunsui acted in the only way he could have done." Genryuusai assured her. "He is not to blame for this, and I am proud of him for realising what his responsibility was. He won't be in trouble with me for what happened. As you said, Juushirou was not himself."
He eyed her keenly.
"You spent some time with this Keitarou, didn't you?"
"Y...yes." Shikiki seemed reluctant to respond, gnawing absently on the ragged nail of her thumb as she considered his question. "He was...he looked after me. Cos my parents were killed, and then Kei-nii saved me, and Kei-nii and Dai-nii looked after me, only Dai-nii got killed by Shouichi-sama so Kei-nii killed Shouichi-sama and I had to live in the underground place and then Juu-nii came and...and I don't think Kei-nii wanted Juu-nii to die, Ojiisan. He seemed to like him. And he was worried, too, that Juu-nii would get hurt. But Juu-nii wouldn't stay in the underground place and...and...then all this happened."
"I see." Genryuusai sifted through this information carefully, drawing out the salient points as he did so. "Urahara Keitarou told you that he killed Shouichi of the Endou?"
"Yes. Because Shouichi-sama did horrible things to Dai-nii and Kei-nii loved Dai-nii. So did I." Shikiki's tears were trickling down her cheeks by now, and Genryuusai slid his hand into his obi, pulling out a hankerchief and holding it out to her. She took it with a tiny smile, twisting the fine fabric around her fingers.
"Dai was a kinsman of Keitarou's?"
"Yes. Kotetsu Daisuke-nii." Shikiki agreed. "His family were sent away cos it was dangerous, but Dai-nii didn't go. Then the shinigami took him, and Shouichi-sama hurt him and killed him and I couldn't bring him back so Kei-nii..."
"Killed Shouichi-dono in revenge." Genryuusai mused carefully. "But not on the orders of Seimaru?"
"I...don't know." Shikiki faltered. "Seimaru-sama was scary. He wanted to kill me and to kill Juu-nii but Kei-nii never let him. But now Juu-nii's like this and...and I don't know what happened, Ojiisan. I don't know why...Kei-nii would want Juu-nii to hurt his friend."
"I'm sure there are some things we won't find the answers to easily, even if Juushirou wakes up and remembers everything that happened to him." Genryuusai said gravely. "Sadly, there are often things left unknown...and those unknown things return at a later point to show us our past failings and remind us that we can never know everything about this world. This is a lesson Juushirou hasn't learnt fully, either...his idealism is his strength and his weakness and he became embroiled in this because he is both strong and weak. But that he was kind to you, and that he protected you...that is the Juushirou I chose to teach. And I have faith that he will be that Juushirou again - even if it takes a little time."
"Mm." Shikiki nodded her head jerkily, wiping her eyes with the hankerchief.
"You mentioned an underground place - what place was this?"
"I think it was a prison before. It was dark and scary and had funny stone in the walls." Shikiki said thoughtfully. "An' there were no prisoners any more, but nobody came there except Seimaru-sama an' Kei-nii. And there wasn't a door, except Juu-nii blew a hole in it when we left, so now there is one. We couldn't have got out otherwise."
"Former dungeons, maybe." Genryuusai rubbed his beard pensively. "Would it frighten you, if you were asked to go there again?"
"No." Shikiki shook her head. "So long as...so long as Seimaru-sama wasn't there."
"I don't think there's a risk of that." Genryuusai assured her. "And I didn't mean that we would leave you there. You are far, far too important a young person to be abandoned in such a dark and dingy place any longer, believe me. But if that was where you and Juushirou were before you escaped, there may be things there that might help us understand what went wrong. Why Keitarou made Juushirou attack his friend...and other things."
"Kei-nii had lots and lots of notes and stuff." Shikiki remembered. "As well as chemicals all locked away because they were dangerous. But I can't read except numbers, so I don't know what any of it said."
"Then we should take a look and see what is there." Genryuusai reflected. "I suspect there will be many who'll want to see those things."
Shikiki let out a sigh, then,
"Will you kill Kei-nii?" She asked hesitantly. "If you read his stuff and find out the reasons - will you kill him?"
"Would that upset you?" Genryuusai asked, and Shikiki nodded.
"I loved Kei-nii." She said simply. "He was kind to me - always. But I know...I know he wasn't always kind to other people. I kinda didn't want to see it always, but I knew he was scary, too. That bad things had happened to him. But I understood too, sort of...that he lost his family because of bad things happening and so he was like me. He said that we were the same - that we'd seen people killed who shouldn't have been and that because of it we should be allies. That he'd help me be strong enough to protect myself from being hurt ever again. Because he did that, I was able to help Juu-nii. I..."
She faltered, touching the hazy spirit barrier gently, then,
"I wonder if that's what he wanted me to do anyway." She murmured. "I don't think Kei-nii ever wanted to kill Juu-nii. He may have killed people, but they were people he said were bad people. And..."
"What he's done is probably unforgivable before the Council of Elders." Genryuusai said gravely. "And whether or not holding him in eternal custody would work, I do not know. I cannot answer your question, Shikiki. If Keitarou is taken alive - then it will obviously come under much discussion. But..."
"I don't think he should have been a bad person." Shikiki said sadly. "Only he felt like nobody wanted him and nobody cared that he was there. I think...maybe...if he hadn't found me...maybe I would feel like that too. Only I never did...because Kei-nii wanted me. Dai-nii wanted me. They looked after me...so I didn't end up sad and angry like they were."
For such a young child, she has considerable perception.
Genryuusai eyed Shikiki thoughtfully.
Yet no discernable reiatsu from outside that indicates the gifts she holds deep within. A barrier of self-protection, perhaps, locking her aura away so that nobody can target her? Possibly. And so young yet already able to see so many things - a child who has never been a child, and whose talents and experiences make her realise even the things that some of my students might struggle to grasp. The lessons of hardship that only the Districts can teach - sometimes those lessons are more valuable than anything. But whether the sacrifices required to learn them are too high is another matter.
Out loud he said,
"I have no doubt you are right. You probably knew Keitarou better than anyone, and so, I will make you a promise. If he is captured and brought before the Council for trial, I will recommend that you be allowed to speak there on his behalf. So that you can make them understand what you just told me."
Slowly Shikiki nodded.
"All...all right."
"For now, though, you're probably tired too. Shouldn't you rest and recoup your strength?"
"I'm worried too much about Juu-nii." Shikiki bit her lip. "Everyone around me goes away, you see. Everyone always has - either died or left or disappeared. And I...I wanted to stop that happening to Juu-nii. I know I can't do anything else now to help him but...if I'm here, he can't disappear, can he? If I'm watching over him, he can't just vanish."
"We won't let him vanish." Genryuusai promised her, inwardly making up his mind that somehow, helpless as he was, he would see that that was the case.
Even if I have to send Ryuujinjakka forcibly into his soul and drag the fragments of his spirit back together myself. He is too important for the future - to too many people. I will not let him die...and I think Retsu knows that as well as I do myself deep down inside. My students are like my children - and I will never abandon one of them, even when things are so serious as this.
Out loud he continued,
"And besides, things will change for you now. You saved one life, but Shikiki, the impact of that life is greater than you realise. Juushirou has a family back in District Six - seven siblings, an anxious stepmother, not to mention school friends apprehensively waiting for news. By helping him, you've saved the tears of all of those people. And in the future, when I'm sure Juushirou will be a great Shinigami - every life he touches and thing he does will be in some way thanks to you and what you did today. Giving life is the most important and valuable gift a soul can have - far greater in all respects than the ability to take life away. Your talent is precious, irreplaceable and needed. Not just for Juushirou's sake - but for the whole of Soul Society."
Before Shikiki could respond, there was a gentle knock at the door, and Genryuusai frowned, interpreting the reiatsu that flickered faintly through the wood divide.
"Enter, Nagesu-dono." He said softly. "I've been expecting your report."
The door slid back, and Genryuusai took in the Clan leader's dishevilled appearance, his messy blond hair loosed from its taming ties and his Clan robes soiled and dirtied from the fallout of his battle. He had used a lot of strength, and his face was pale, yet from the clouded look in those clever pale eyes, Genryuusai knew that he had been victorious.
"I see." He said now, nodding his head. "Then you were able to achieve your goal."
"I...do not know if I achieved it." Nagesu pursed his lips. "Certainly, I was the only one to leave the battlefield - his reiatsu is gone and I could not trace it. Even as a kinsman...but I do not believe he was killed. Not without putting up more of a fight. When he felt the Ukitake boy's life force disappear..."
He faltered, his eyes widening as he took in the sleeping Juushirou for the first time, and Genryuusai nodded.
"He is very weak, but thanks to this child's talent, the boy appears to have survived." He said evenly. "But for the time being, that is not important. What is more important is whether or not you have enough strength left to carry out a little investigation. Of all people it should be you - if you can hold on for a while more."
"Mm. I'm all right." Nagesu's gaze fell on Shikiki, curiosity replacing the preoccupation as his scientist's wits took over. "But I don't...what do you want me to do?"
"There is an abandoned, disused dungeon beneath this estate that Shikiki here knows the way to." Genryuusai patted the young girl on the shoulder. "She's agreed to show us where it is, since it seems your cousin used this place as a laboratory and hideout while in District Seven. There may be clues there..."
"I'll go at once." Nagesu nodded his head decidedly. "If the young one will come with me."
"I'm sure she will." Genryuusai smiled. "Shikiki, this man is Keitarou's cousin, Nagesu. He's an Urahara, just like Keitarou - and he'd like to see where you stayed all this time."
"You...are Kei-nii's cousin?" Shikiki asked faintly, and Nagesu nodded.
"Yes. By blood, at least." He agreed. "When I was very small, we played together - but it was a very long time ago."
Shikiki gazed at Nagesu for a moment, then she nodded.
"Your eyes are like Dai-nii's eyes." She said reflectively. "Kei-nii's too, but his were darker. But Dai-nii's eyes were just like yours. And his hair, too. And if you are Kei-nii's cousin, you must be Dai-nii's cousin too."
She smiled, holding out her hand to take Nagesu's fingers in hers.
"I'll show you." She decided. "Since you're Kei-nii's family, it will be okay."
Nagesu's expression became pained, but slowly he nodded his head.
"Then please, take me there." He agreed. "But before we go - Genryuusai-sama, what of the Endou boy? I heard the Kyouraku one was here, but...what of...?"
"Kyouki-dono and Midori-dono have moved northwards in a specific direction." Genryuusai said quietly. "I believe the boy to be with them, since neither one is equipped to know the layout of District Seven. Seimaru's reiatsu flared then vanished - I believe he was probably killed. And for a moment I detected Hirata...before they left my range of awareness. I think we will find him safe - my guess is he knows something of his father's whereabouts and has gone to locate him."
"I see." Nagesu was relieved. "Then things are going somewhat to plan after all."
"Somewhat." Genryuusai's gaze flitted back to Juushirou. "And somewhat not. But for now, we can only work with the little we have. Please go, Nagesu-dono, and see what can be found in this hidden lab. From there, perhaps, we'll begin to build a full picture of what's been happening in District Seven."
"I wish I could say it wasn't what I was expecting." As they stood outside the front entrance to the northern fortress, Kyouki let out a gusty sigh, shaking her head in resignation. "But unfortunately, they're all the same, these kinds of places. Austere and cold from the outside - doubtless winding and dark from the inside. A proper, cliche Clan castle prison...I thought the like of these had largely been torn down, but I guess not everywhere."
"I don't know how old Hokujou is. It's been here a while." Hirata nodded. "But since Grandmother sent Riku-obasama here...nobody's visited. On her orders, nobody was ever allowed. Father told me that Mibune-jisama tried it once...and Grandmother threatened to cut his head off the moment he got back if he dared. He wasn't afraid of many people, my Uncle. But he was afraid of her. So he didn't go."
"Someone Mibune was afraid of." Kyouki's lips thinned. "Having heard the stories from Tokkun of the rebellion he faced down in Eighth and his experiences with that madman, I'm beginning to think that the legends about the old woman were right. Truly the lynchpin that kept the Clan stable -without her, it all crumbled away to nothing."
"No." Hirata gazed up at the worn stone of the castle as a chill breeze whipped around them. "Grandmother ruled by fear. That's all. She had everyone afraid of her reputation, so nobody acted out before her. But they still did things in secret. And those things carried on after she died. So in the end...nothing Grandmother did really mattered. When she died, the secrets became less secret. That's all."
He rubbed his temples.
"Father would probably punish me for saying that." He acknowledged sadly. "But I don't see any other truth in that but this one. I've spent the last year and a half among Clansfolk of different types and with those who aren't Clan at all. I've learnt that my Clan is rotten from the core and that rot began before Grandmother and Grandfather had the Clan in their grasp. Riku-basama's people were murdered, after all. Generations before that were slaughtered, too. I was taught it as a boy - the proud, dominating history of the Warrior Clan of Seireitei. But in truth, we're not warriors at all. Just murderers."
He glanced at his hands.
"Even me."
"You didn't murder anyone." Midori said sharply. "And if you're going to be any use to your family now, you need to stop having such a negative outlook on what you've done today. Seimaru was not a legitimate leader of your Clan. We all know that if he resisted arrest, we would have killed him. And the fact that you did it in the end, Hirata, if you're going to agonise over it..."
"I'm not agonising at all." Hirata shook his head. "I don't feel the slightest bit sorry for it, Midori-sama."
He smiled faintly.
"That's what I'm agonising over." he added. "The fact that, when it came down to it, I reacted probably like all of them did in the past. Even if the circumstances were a little different - I killed him and walked on. I never knew I could do that. But I could. And I did. And here we are."
"Some things are necessary. Even death." Kyouki said quietly. "Midori knows this first hand, and now so do you. For the benefit of the many, Hirata, sometimes a single individual life must be taken away. It may not be morally right, and there are probably those idealists who will fight against it. But you've seen the reality for yourself. You knew Seimaru had to be stopped. You stopped him. You've no reason to feel guilt for stopping a tyrant who was searing through your land and causing incalculable suffering to those subjects he was sworn to protect."
"It's a Clan leader's job to put to death those who betray their Clan." Midori added simply. "I don't feel guilt for Aitori's death, and you mustn't for Seimaru's, either. The Shihouin have moved on. Now the Endou must, too."
"Yes." Hirata sighed, a dull ache beginning to spread across his skull as he digested their words. "I suppose I know those things, too."
"So the next step is getting inside this place." Midori looked thoughtful. "It seems quite fortified, at least from the outside. Whether Riku-hime is a prisoner or is active inside, I imagine the reception might be hostile. I don't know how many guards are stationed here, Hirata, but I don't see any sign of your noble kinsfolk."
"Me either, nor sense their reiatsu." Hirata shook his head. "But I'm sure they came here. It's what they told me, after all - and I believed what they said."
"Well, there are horse tracks before ours, and recent ones." Midori swung herself nimbly down from her mount, bending to touch the snow-spattered ground as she did so. "Definitely today's, since they've not had a chance to freeze or be filled over by snow. I'd say two horses - so I imagine that you're right, Hirata. They did come here, and so we should be able to find them too."
"You Shihouin notice everything, don't you?" Kyouki dismounted her own horse, casting the Shihouin princess a rueful grin. "Come on, Hirata - can you get down on your own or do you need a hand?"
"I'll manage." Hirata scrambled down from the back of his own mare, patting her absently on the neck as she let out a faint protest at his clumsy descent. "I'm not the best with horses, but I can at least get off them without too many problems."
"A few more inches over and you'd have fallen." Midori told him dryly. "Don't take stupid risks. You don't have your glasses - your judgement of distances is bound to be impaired."
"We'll leave the horses here." Kyouki was already tethering her mount to the nearby branch of a very dead looking tree. "This place is ugly and unpleasant, but I don't think there's any reason why we should suspect high spiritual defences on the outside. We should be able to shunpo past the barricades and into the main courtyard - Midori, can I trust you to take care of the whelp? My spirit power is recovering, but I'd rather not blow it all out at once."
"With pleasure." Before Hirata knew what was going on, Midori had grabbed him firmly by the arms, and the world spun around him as they slipped into shunpo, dropping down onto the hard cobbles of the inner courtyard. "Shunpo is something of a speciality of mine - we Shihouin pride ourselves on how far and fast we can move without being detected."
"I think that's about to be challenged." Kyouki set down neatly opposite, dusting stray snowflakes from her clothing as she glanced around her. "I can sense people...coming this way. Minnows, I think - but a few of them and probably armed."
"Well, that means we've found the guards, I suppose." Midori sighed, and Hirata turned to look in the direction Kyouki indicated, seeing a huddle of brown and red clad retainers hurrying across the cold cobbles towards them. Several had their hands on their swords, and one or two were already waving katana in a menacing way as they approached.
"Who are you and why are you breaking into Hokujou!" The lead guardsman demanded, and Hirata took a deep breath, stepping forward.
"Endou Hirata." He said clearly. "On the errand of visiting my Lady Aunt, Riku-hime."
At the sound of his name, the guards faltered, several exchanging apprehensive looks. Faintly Hirata heard whispers from a few of the furthermost men, and then the lead guardsman bit his lip.
"We have no notification of this visit from the head of the Endou-ke, Seimaru-sama." He said frankly, and Hirata shook his head.
"You will receive none." He said briskly. "Seimaru is dead. I have therefore come to retrieve from Hokujou the next Head of the Endou Clan - my father Misashi-sama."
"Dead?!" The guards reeled back, then, "Wait...Misashi-sama? Misashi-sama...?"
"The Council of Elders have reason to believe Lord Misashi is being held a prisoner here." Kyouki took a hand now. "I - Shiba Kyouki - and my companion, Shihouin Midori are its representatives and Gotei shinigami, here to acknowledge the passing of Endou Seimaru and locate the whereabouts of the new Clan Leader. Is this a matter of which you have knowledge?"
As she flashed her Shiba pendant, the guard bowed his head towards her.
"I'm sorry, Shiba-sama. We guards are stationed outside Hokujou and we have no knowledge of what goes on within." He said apologetically, raising his head to eye her doubtfully. "If we had...if we had known that it was Hirata-sama...that something had befallen...but we have only the orders that this castle should be protected from outside invasion at all cost."
"Did you see Raiden-dono and Jinkei-dono?" Hirata asked, and the guard shook his head.
"There are two or three shifts of us though, sir." He added helpfully. "I have just begun mine - perhaps one of my comrades would know more."
"Then take us to them, please." Midori said softly. "We would like to know, after all, what became of those two men."
"Yes, ma'am." The guard saluted, signalling to his companions who followed suit.
"Keep patrolling here." he ordered. "I will take our noble guests to the barracks, but you must hold this place firm. Understand?"
"Yes, sir!" The soldiers chorused, and once they were out of earshot the guard nodded, turning back to the Clansfolk.
"Seimaru-sama did not welcome the Council's interference." he said quietly. "But I am not a man of District Seven by birth. And I have only my military orders. If someone supercedes them, I will not stand in their way."
"Not born in...?" Hirata blinked, and the man smiled.
"I was born in District Eight." He responded. "But like a few of my fellows, I defected and fled here when civil war against Tokutarou-sama broke out across the border. We had high principles, you see, but I had a wife and babe to feed - so this was my only choice. Yayoi-sama gave me my orders to patrol this place and I have done so ever since - the North is cold and bleak but it pays well enough to raise my family without problem."
"Another of Kibana's regiment." Hirata whispered, and the man looked surprised.
"Kibana...Hiroto?" He asked, and Hirata nodded.
"A manservant of my Father, Misashi-sama." He agreed, and the guard smiled.
"Then I understand why your Lord Father has kept his life so long as he has, having heard any number of whispers of plots over the years." He said wisely. "A fearsome soldier, Kibana. And loyal, too. I did not realise he had also come to District Seven - but I am glad that not all of my comrades died."
He gestured towards the barracks.
"Because of my bloodline and roots, I am not told secure information about the prisoners here." He added regretfully. "I am not trusted. My comrades may be more so, though if so, they have been sworn to secrecy and have never told me anything, either. I do not know if Misashi-sama is here, nor have I seen any come here today but you. However, that doesn't mean those things are not true. And if you truly are Endou Hirata-sama - and you must be, if you are in the company of the Council of Elders - then I will do what I can to assist you."
"Thank you." Hirata managed a smile. "I appreciate it."
"Riku-hime is still a prisoner here, I think?" Kyouki asked, and the guard nodded.
"So far as I know." He agreed. "But again, I've never been allowed inside the house. And I have no contact with those who work the halls inside...so I couldn't tell you for sure."
"I think she's here." Hirata turned to stare at the building, a fleeting wisp of something brushing against his senses. He closed his eyes, trying to make it out, but all he could feel was the cold wind on his cheeks and the shrieking sound that it made as it blew past his ears towards the trees below.
"Can you sense her?" Midori asked, and Hirata shrugged.
"I don't know." He admitted. "I've never met my aunt, so I don't know her reiatsu. There are people here, but..."
"It would make sense for her to be here. It's the safest place to operate from." Midori said wisely. "If she's meant to be a prisoner here, then nobody would question her being here - even if she's no longer as imprisoned as we think she is. We should be careful, Hirata...we don't know what kind of a person she might be."
"Twisted and strange, judging by her son." Kyouki said darkly, and Hirata shrugged.
"She never really met him either, so who knows?" He murmured. "It's not a very affectionate family, so anything is possible."
"Anything has already happened enough for one day, so let's stick to one thing at a time." Kyouki suggested. "Come on. The guard's leading us this way - and if it was a trap, he and his comrades would be cut down in an instant, so I think it's fine to...Hirata?"
For Hirata had paused, staring up at the building once more.
Had he just seen a shape move past that window, or had it been the delusion of his blurred vision against the winter weather?
"Hirata, are you listening?" Midori frowned, but Hirata was not paying attention. He took a step or two towards the building, then paused.
Something was calling him inside.
Briefly he thought he saw the silhouette of a bird patterned briefly on the snow white ground, then, the next moment it was gone.
Had he imagined it? Or...?
He frowned, remembering his father's words clearly from his childhood.
"All Endou-ke who wield swords are blessed with a bird of prey as their guardian spirit. Your Grandmother's is an eagle, your Grandfather's a gyrfalcon. And one day, you will also know yours."
"But what of yours, Papa?" The young Hirata had asked, and Misashi had frowned, touching his son gently on the shoulder.
"I have never trained to hold a sword." he said, the regret in his voice resounding even more vividly in Hirata's heart now than it ever had before. "But I have dreamed once or twice about an owl, flitting through a moonlit sky. Perhaps...that is the bird that guides me, although I doubt I will ever hear it speak."
Was that Otousama's owl, then, patterned on the ground outside the forbidding castle?
Before Hirata knew what he was doing, his legs were moving, and he was running towards the main door of the estate. He could hear Kyouki and Midori calling him back, but something was driving him and he could not stop, suddenly gaining a second wind as he felt certain that in that brief instant he had seen proof of Misashi's presence at the castle. Even though all he had seen had been the unmistakeable shadow of spread wings, he felt sure...
For ladies of the Endou-ke don't carry zanpakutou, other than Grandmother. And there's nobody else to whom a bird could belong. Nobody except...the true leader of the Endou-ke.
Hirata's heart leapt in his throat, as something surged around him, and his surroundings blurred and changed, the frozen skyline replaced by dull wood panels and heavy fabric drapes as he found himself somehow inside the castle itself.
He drew breath sharply, putting a hand to his chest as the world swayed around him.
Had he just...used shunpo?
He closed his eyes, his heart beating fit to burst in his young chest as adrenalin rushed through his body.
Hadn't Shunsui said that his shunpo worked best when Juushirou was in trouble? Had he, then, discovered the same? In the heat of the moment, following his instincts...had he really used shunpo...in order to find his father?
"Stop right there."
At the sound of a fresh voice, Hirata froze, turning slowly to stare at the figure that had just emerged from the top of the long, claustrophobic hallway. Through his fuzzy vision he could make out the form of a woman, taller than he was and slender, and two further indistinguishable shapes behind her he realised were more soldiers, their spirit power weak and insubstantial enough for him to be uncertain of their true skills. There was, however, no mistaking the woman's potential. Though he could not clearly see her face, Hirata could feel the waves of challenging, defiant reiatsu pouring forth from the newcomer's body, and his heart clenched for a moment in apprehension.
"Riku-sama." He murmured.
Author's Note: O.o.
Birds in the snow. Mysterious...o.o. This was a very Hirata chapter...I like to think of this as being towards the end of his character's evolution. But boy, has he come a long way since that first scene in Second Manuscript when Enishi and Juu found him crying in the Dorm!!
And Shikiki's descendant? Of course...as some of you have correctly guessed, she's the ancestor of Ushouda Hachigen xD. Finally...two apologies are due. Firstly, there was no chapter on Tuesday because Tuesday was my 28th birthday (T_T I'm getting old) and I was in London then swamped with stuff the rest of the week. So that's why there was no update. I haven't died. Gomen nasai. Good thing it wasn't a bad cliffhanger, ne? Secondly - for the above listed reason, some people I didn't get to reply to reviews for. Again, to those people, gomen nasai. I read and appreciate every review I get, but this week has just been manic and this is the first chance I've had to post here! Forgive me?