Chapter Sixty Three: Twin Spirits, Twin Blades
Tomorrow was Shougatsu.
Shunsui pushed back the door of his chamber, pausing in the hallway beyond as a maidservant hurried by him, acknowledging him only with the slightest bow of her head as she hastened off to carry out her duties.
In the four days since Hirata had returned from Hokujou, the main house of the Endou-ke had become a hive of activity. Even though he had been relegated to the role of walking wounded and a foreigner at that, Shunsui had picked up on the change in atmosphere almost immediately. From being like a ship cast adrift in the sea mist, suddenly the normal cogs and wheels of Clan life had begun to creak back into life as though Seventh District were waking from a long, bad dream.
Because Misashi-sama was still alive, and Hirata came back, slowly things are calming down. Even if it's a false calm...for now, everyone is so relieved to have someone to take charge that they've just stood back and let it happen.
Shunsui sighed, leaning up against the wall as he considered this.
But in the end, that's the right choice. The Council are still here, and Nii-sama said yesterday that before they return home to their own respective lands they will formally ratify Misashi-sama's position as Head of the Endou Clan. It means that, so far as outside are concerned, the matter is resolved. Rebuilding everything is going to be the job of this District, not the Council - though I don't suppose Nii-sama will ignore them completely. I know he hopes for better relations with the Endou now, and I'm sure that the Shihouin will remain involved too. Those things will help...and little by little, things will settle down.
He closed his eyes.
Just a matter of a few days, and yet already the wounds are beginning to heal. Misashi-sama is that influential an administrator? Or is it simply that the Endou are tired of struggling for power amid bloodshed? The economy of Seventh has faltered in recent years. Misashi-sama has probably promised to help put that right - and that will have won him support from his kinsfolk right away. Clan doesn't work without money - and there's still the matter of luring back the thousands of stray refugees still inhabiting the borderlands of District Eight. There's a lot to fix, but there's no time limit by which they have to be fixed. So I guess...bit by bit...this District will start to heal. Maybe Eighth will help, in their own way.
And I suppose I can leave that to Nii-sama to deal with.
I suppose it isn't my duty, yet, to take those things on. Although right now I feel like I could do that more easily than...what else I must do.
He opened his eyes, hardening his resolve as he made his way once more along the hallway to the little room that still acted as his friend's sickroom.
Despite his own conviction, he had not yet mustered the courage to go visit Juushirou a second time. Those blurry, smudgy eyes still bored into his conscience, yet he had delayed, telling himself that he would wait until his friend was of firmer mind and better able to absorb everything. The truth was, though, that he was scared. Deep down he was terrified...that the person he trusted most would truly have become a stranger and that, after everything, he had severed more than Keitarou's control when he had plunged Seibara's blade deep into Juushirou's heart.
But tomorrow was Shougatsu, a time for new beginnings and moving on. And so he would not let a new year begin with these same questions still hanging over him. Amaki had pushed him, Seibara too. It was time he faced up to what had to be done.
It was time to talk to Juushirou face to face.
Hirata had already been to visit the other boy a couple of times, and though Shunsui had also spoken to the young Endou about the fight, Hirata had not raised the subject with the District boy. He too had grown up even in the past few days, Shunsui reflected - from scared school student to the heir to the Endou Clan and though he was still young, Shunsui had begun to see his friend as a potential leader one day in the future too. Talking to Hirata had indeed helped put things into perspective - for as Retsu had remarked, the Endou boy had his own demons to deal with - yet even so Shunsui had put off the inevitable as long as he could. Hirata had gone. Members of the Council had, and Genryuusai too had spent time visiting the injured District boy. Even Shikiki had been often at Juushirou's side...but not Shunsui.
No more being a coward, Amaki. Today I will go. I've decided, so I'm going to go. Resolve, Seibara. I'm grabbing hold of that now - and I'm going in.
With this thought in mind, Shunsui put his good hand to the door, gently pushing it back and stepping into the chamber.
Bright sunlight gleamed in through the window, a fair contrast from the murky, snowy weather that had covered the landscape for the past couple of days, and somehow the light reminded him of his inner world. This gave him extra courage, and he quietly shut the door behind him with his good arm, trying not to make a noise.
"You came, then."
The hoarse, yet unmistakeable sound of his friend's voice made him falter, turning to meet the quizzical hazel gaze of his classmate. Although he knew that Juushirou had spent longer periods awake since their last encounter, Shunsui had expected the boy to at least be lying down still as he recovered from his ordeal. Retsu had made it clear that the strain of his captivity and then the battle had triggered a serious haibyou episode, and that his body still had a lot of mending to do. But even so, Juushirou was propped up in bed, surrounded by pillows of various sizes to support his delicate, fragile frame. His features were ash pale, his eyes still barely more than shadows in his face, yet there was a sinister flush at his cheeks which told Shunsui that he had not been deceived about the severity of Juushirou's condition after all. He was sitting up, but that did not make him recovered, and he sighed, coming over to kneel carefully at the bedside.
"I have." He said solemnly. "Though if you'd rather I left you alone, I'll go."
"Mm." Juushirou was silent for a time, then, "I wondered, you know. If you were going to...to come at all."
A faint catch in his voice told Shunsui his friend was fighting against haibyou spasms in his lungs to convey his words.
"I didn't know if you wanted me to." He said honestly. "And I wasn't sure how well you were, anyhow. I know Shikiki has been with you a lot, and Hirata and Retsu-sama, too, once or twice. Nii-sama too, once, while you were sleeping. But...to be truthful, Juu, I wasn't sure you'd want me here at all. I did come...once before...and I think I disturbed you, then. So I didn't...I wanted to know you were recovering - but I thought my visiting you might throw that back."
A faint, humourless smile touched Juushirou's lips.
"And yet you can come now?" He asked softly. "Even though I'm like this? You know me too well not to see it - this is the w...worst my haibyou has been since my F...Father died."
"I was worried about coming." Shunsui owned. "In the end, I suppose I was being selfish - but I wanted to see...that you were...that you were..."
"Still alive?" Juushirou whispered, and Shunsui bowed his head low before his friend.
"Yes." He agreed sadly. "I wanted to see...that."
"Shunsui..." Juushirou let out a heavy sigh, and then Shunsui felt the touch of a hand on his good arm, the pale, fragile fingers trembling as they brushed against the sleeve of his hakamashita.
"I'm sorry." Juushirou spoke quietly and contritely. "You must have...have been worried about me."
Shunsui's head shot up in dismay, a stricken look entering his dark eyes.
"Don't apologise to me." He said sharply, pulling back from the tentative touch. "Don't, Juu, else I won't hold it together. I promised enough people that I was going to deal with this and move on, but if you sit there and look at me like that, I won't manage it. You shouldn't apologise. You shouldn't look at me with those eyes...I won't have it. Do you even understand what you're saying, and who you're saying it to? Does that mean you really don't know...don't remember...what happened to leave you in this state?"
Juushirou's eyes widened slightly, his brow creasing in consternation.
"I know." He said gravely, and Shunsui's heart clenched.
"Unohana-sensei promised that she wouldn't..." He began, but Juushirou shook his head gingerly.
"Shikiki told me everything." He said quietly, and Shunsui knew the muted tones were to prevent the onset of a coughing fit. "She didn't mean to...but when she thought I was sleeping...she would talk a lot and...she told me things. Things like I shouldn't be mad at you, and that she had been scared and...little by little I...I worked out what she was trying to say."
"Oh." Shunsui bit his lip, then, "Everything?"
"What she knew, I suppose." Juushirou whispered. "Keitarou-san's sword, the fight, and how you stopped me. How Keitarou-san disappeared and how she was afraid that she would be alone...how she wanted to help me, but she couldn't help all of me. And how you had to stop me. Yes...that I know, too. And I'm sorry. You s...shouldn't h...have to...to have..."
The rest of his sentence dissolved into a fit of coughing, and Shunsui cursed, moving to slip his good arm around Juushirou's shoulders as the younger boy's body shook with the force of the spasm.
"You shouldn't be talking, let alone talking nonsense." He said matter-of-factly, holding his friend firmly as he had done so many times in the past during similar fits. This time, though, Juushirou felt even more fragile than before - as though he might easily break under the slightest pressure, and once more Shunsui was aware of how faint and feeble the other's reiatsu still was. "So don't try to. I don't want to make it worse."
"I didn't know if you'd come." Juushirou admitted, as the spasm abated and he sighed, leaning his weight against his friend as fatigue overwhelmed his body. "I thought I'd seen you...here...but you'd seemed...haunted and I thought...it was a fevered dream. Then...when I heard...I thought you wouldn't...ever face me again."
"Well, I came." Shunsui tried to keep his tone light, though guilt coursed through him at the awkward honesty of Juushirou's words. "But Juu...really. You shouldn't be the one apologising. You're not the one who...in the end, you weren't the one who..."
He stopped, unable to say the words, and a faint smile touched Juushirou's lips.
"I don't remember any of it." he said quietly. "Shikiki said you were worried that I did, because you thought I was in pain. I don't, though. I don't remember anything about the fight at all. Just waking up here. And I know it's thanks to her that I'm alive - but if I hadn't gone off on one of my own whims again, you wouldn't have been forced to stop me in the way you did. I'm not cross. I don't hate you. But I knew...you'd think I was and that I did. And...that you'd be cross with yourself, too. So I...I wanted to say I was sorry. For making you do that...and feel that."
Shunsui took a deep breath into his lungs.
"I didn't have to do it alone, in the end." He responded carefully. "Seibara...my zanpakutou...she guided me. I couldn't have found the resolve without her. It was a sucky thing to have to do, in truth. And if you'd died, I don't know...how I'd have managed to carry that. Somehow, I suppose...but it didn't come to it. I should just be grateful for that and not think too much on it - but I have been thinking on it and thanking my stars that Shikiki was with us at the time. Otherwise...well, I didn't really want you to die, Juu. I didn't come to District Seven to kill you. I came to find you and help you. Rescue you, if need be. So..."
"Shunsui." Juushirou cut across him, shaking his head slightly. "You don't have to tell me that. Do you think I'd really believe you capable of killing me? It wasn't me you were fighting. It was Keitarou-san's spell. That's what you broke and destroyed - it wasn't me. It would never have been me again. I would have hurt people and then died, slowly...it wasn't me any longer."
He sighed, closing his eyes briefly as he leant up against his friend once again, the effort of holding himself upright proving too much in his beleagured state.
"I think...it's only me now...because of Shikiki." He whispered. "Because she used her magic...and...somehow, she brought me back."
"Do you believe me, now, when I say that Urahara is trouble?" Shunsui asked, and Juushirou looked rueful.
"I never said otherwise." He pointed out. "I never said he was my ally, or on my side. I just...didn't think he was really Seimaru's. And...I still don't. But what he meant to do by controlling me.."
He rubbed his chest, grimacing with pain, then,
"There are still faint slithers of his reiatsu inside me. Unohana-sensei says they will break down and disappear but she can't remove them." He added. "Like traces of poison, I suppose, lingering in the body even after the antidote has been given. Maybe that's why I think this way, even now but...Shunsui, I don't think that he meant me harm. I don't think...that was his intention. He didn't intend to kill Eiraki-hime, and...he didn't intend to kill me. I wouldn't listen to him and he couldn't keep me hidden, so he used desperate measures to keep a hold of me. And that included fighting everyone and anyone...even you."
"Maybe." Shunsui's eyes narrowed. "But if you expect me to forgive it, you'll be waiting a long time. He manipulated you and made you suffer. Even if you can't remember it, Juu, at the time you were hurting and you were wanting to be helped. You were crying. Begging me, at one point, to make you stop. I had to try. That was what decided it, in the end. He did something awful to you. I won't ever forgive that. Or forget it. Not now and not ever."
"I've not heard you talk like that before." Juushirou sounded surprised, and Shunsui smiled, a rueful look entering his dark eyes.
"I've never really hated someone like this before." He confessed. "I hated Seimaru plenty - but that pales in comparison to this. What that man did...I don't care what you think his motives were. What the end result was...was unforgivable. You could have died. I could've died. Shikiki could've died. Everything could have fallen apart. No matter how you think of it - that's the truth. I'm not proud of what I did at all, and Juu, if you'd hated me for it, I'd have understood why you did. It wouldn't have been undeserved hate. And what Keitarou did...in my opinion, this time...that's also not undeserved hate. This whole thing just proves what I always have said - the moment you pick up a sword to fight, you're in the wrong. No matter how right your motives - in the end, it's the same thing. It just ends in breeding more hate."
"I told you already that I d...don't hate you." Juushirou reminded him, and Shunsui nodded.
"I know. But that's only because you understand people impossibly well." He said with a heavy sigh. "Still, I feel better for hearing you say it. I've never had a week like this one before. When I've had to face up to so many things. But at least I haven't been alone with it. Hirata and I have talked...but also, even when there's nobody else...Seibara and Amaki have been shadowing me, and even when they're nagging or poking at me, it's like I have allies now that I didn't have before. They were with me then and they're with me now. They're making me face up to things - and so far I guess they're being proven right."
"I'm glad." Juushirou murmured, but there was a wistfulness in his voice, and Shunsui cast him a quizzical glance.
"Juu? What is it?"
"I don't know where In'you are at the moment." Juushirou admitted mournfully. "Unohana-sensei says they're a part of me so they can't be so easily destroyed - my spirit power isn't damaged or cut off or anything like that. But I can't hear them. Feel them. Or reach my sword."
He gestured feebly to the unit beside the bed.
"Sougyo is with me, but it doesn't answer." He added. "When Keitarou-san first cast his spell on me, the sword responded to my commands but I couldn't hear their voices. And even now, I can't. It's like they're gone completely. I don't like it...it makes me feel very alone all of a sudden."
"And I've been hiding away like a coward and not coming to see you like a good friend should." Inwardly Shunsui berated himself. "Well, then we'll have to change that. I'm stuck here till Nii-sama goes home - and until that point, I'll make it my specific business to harass you as much as possible. If Unohana-sensei says they'll come back, I'm sure that it's true - so in the meantime, I'll annoy you so much you won't have a chance to fret."
"Shunsui." Despite himself, a faint smile touched Juushirou's lips. "Actually, I may be the one doing the annoying, in fact."
"Mm?" Shunsui eyed him curiously, and Juushirou swallowed hard, pausing for a moment to stifle a new spasm before speaking.
"Sensei was here this morning." He whispered. "Before you came. He and I had a long t...talk about things. Right now I'm sick - I know this better than anyone. This isn't just another haibyou attack, but rooted right to the core of my being. It's not going to be shaken off in a few days, not even with specialist treatment. I'm going to take time to recover, this time. I accept that. It's what I deserve for throwing myself so recklessly into danger."
"You really shouldn't be doing quite so much talking, in that case." Shunsui pointed out, and Juushirou shrugged.
"I'm bored and fed up." He said obstinately. "Even if I cough, at least if I c...cough talking to p...people, I'm c...coughing for a good reason. I'll cough anyhow, so..."
"All right, no need to prove the point by starting a rant at me." Shunsui grinned, inwardly feeling relieved at the normality of Juushirou's reaction. "What did Yama-jii have to say about things?"
"I won't be coming back to school when you all do, after the Shougatsu celebrations."
"Not..." Shunsui was floored. "But...what...not at all?"
"Not till at least the start of Third Year." Juushirou shook his head. "I was cross too - actually, if you h...hadn't have come in, I might have cried, to be honest. Because I feel I've come so far...then gone so far back, all in one year."
"That's still only a term, though." Shunsui pointed out. "Then you'd be back, if you'd healed up okay. And he wouldn't drop you back...would he? Would he drop you back?"
"Mm..no." Juushirou shook his head. "If I'm fit enough to t...take the final theory exams when you do, I c...can stay with you all. He g...gave me that incentive. It just s...seems like a long time to be away from everyone."
"But won't you go home? Your family will be missing you."
"T...too dangerous." Juushirou shook his head again. "My reiatsu is low now, but it will grow, and I'm not strong enough to reel it in fully while I'm healing. So I would make things risky at home. I'm at a too high level of training to be s...safe while in this state."
"Then?"
"Tokutarou-sama has volunteered to take me back to Eight and house me there while I heal." Juushirou sighed. "It's further from my family, but I can't stay here. Politics are too unstable and the Clan as a whole aren't overly fond of District shinigami yet. And while I know Ryuu and Mitsuki would accept it, I've learnt a lot about the Kuchiki-ke f...from them. I know that it would not be possible for me to go there - and I d...don't really want to, either. Even if my mother was one - I'm not. And that's how it will always be. Tokutarou-sama is kind and I feel...in Eight...it would be okay. But I will be...on my own. Especially with In'you...like this."
"Mm." Shunsui frowned, helping his friend to lie back on his pillows and then settling himself more comfortably, flinching slightly as he jolted his broken arm. At his reaction, Juushirou bit his lip.
"I did that, didn't I." He whispered, and despite himself Shunsui grinned.
"Let's call it quits." he suggested lightly. "I skewered your heart, you smashed my arm. Let's leave it at that and call it a draw for Team Stupid this time out."
"But my heart is all right now. It's the only part of me that is."
"And my arm will be too, soon. So it's fine. Really. Just a little sore."
He sat back against the wall, looking thoughtful.
"I think Nii-sama's done the best thing, and I can't believe he didn't tell me that was what he had planned." He continued. "But I suppose he still wasn't sure what you and I would say to each other - whether it would be all right. Unohana-sensei thought it would be - but I admit I was scared that we wouldn't be the same after that fight. You...terrified me, to be honest. Coming at me like that, using your sword, wielding techniques I'd never seen you use before...I'm quite sure that Shikiki saved my life in the battle before she saved yours afterwards. That kid is pretty amazing - everyone should have one as a matter of course."
"Shikiki is very special." Juushirou nodded. "And I promised her she wouldn't be left alone any more. Sensei wants to t...train her, but she's only a child. So I m...made him agree that she wouldn't start that till she was s...sixteen at least. Because I owe her a debt and so do my family. So...so I'm going to part repay that debt. I might not be able to go home but...Shikiki will. Tokutarou-sama has promised to try and get at least my stepmother to District Eight to see me, and Shikiki...I intend Shikiki to be part of my family till...till she's old enough to train like us."
"That's a nice thought." Shunsui grinned. "She's a District kid who'd be overwhelmed by Clans and she still has a lot of shinigami phobia to get over. Growing up with your brood might not make her turn out all that normal, but at least she'd be happy and loved - and that's more important."
"My family aren't that strange." Juushirou objected, and Shunsui laughed.
"You have a biased opinion." He teased. "Others don't see it quite that simply."
"I didn't expect to hear laughter from here this morning."
Before Juushirou could respond, there was a voice from the doorway and Shunsui glanced up, a smile touching his lips as he registered Hirata watching them. Robed in fresh and official Clan clothing as befitted his new position, Shunsui could not help but think that he was barely recogniseable as the young fifteen year old who had been dumped into their midst at the start of the First Year, yet under the Kyouraku's scrutiny, Hirata flushed an awkward red, shaking his head impatiently.
"Please, don't. I feel strange enough without you staring at me too."
"Come in, Hirata." Juushirou suggested. "You're not interrupting anything...is he, Shunsui?"
"No. I think everything has been said that needs to be right now." Shunsui agreed. "And you can hide out with us for a bit if you need a break from the politics. You must've been up since quite early - you don't look like you had much sleep last night."
"My sleeping is uneven at the moment anyway." Hirata said with a sigh, coming to obediently kneel beside the bed. "There's too much going on in my mind."
"How are things with the Endou?" Shunsui asked softly. "We've been holed up here and we're not really involved, but...for you..."
"I don't know how I would have managed if Father hadn't been there." Hirata admitted. "I don't know much about running a Clan, and this one is in such a mess. There are so many missing common folk and the local economies are warped or completely collapsed in several areas. Since yesterday Clansmen from all over the District have come to petition Father and I for something to be done to improve the situation and a lot of talk about encouraging the refugees to return has also been under discussion. It's making my head spin, if I'm truthful. But Father...Father seems to have an answer for each of them. Already he's begun thinking of a strategy to rebuild our economy and to devise trade links with other Districts. Listening to him I realise how inadequate my knowledge and understanding is...of everything like that."
"But Misashi-sama is there, so you've him to learn from." Shunsui grinned. "I'll be honest, I don't know much about leading a Clan either. I leave it to Tokutarou-nii and I've no real desire to learn all the mechanics of it. It's a big job - and not all that interesting."
"I don't have the same choice you do." Hirata said gravely. "Tokutarou-sama is married and will likely produce children of his own. They will inherit and you won't have to worry. In my case...there is nobody else, now. All the other claimants to the position are dead."
"Hirata..." Juushirou hesitated, then, "I feel...I should be sorry to you, too. Because...I hurried this all on. Didn't I?"
"This is obviously your day for taking the blame for things." Shunsui cast him a sidelong glance. "I don't suppose that there's any real truth in that, though. After all, you were a pawn in this as much as anyone else. Lots of little things bunched together to wind up with things as they are."
"Besides, this is the best outcome." Hirata settled himself more comfortably. "I'm frightened and I feel trapped because I know I'll never escape my Clan now. But this was the only good way things could have finished. Seimaru had to be stopped. The flow of refugees had to be stopped. Everything had to change. And...and I was born as Father's son, so that means...I've got to be part of that change."
"Mm." Juushirou sighed heavily, rubbing his chest absently as he did so. "Not for the first time...I'm happy not to be Clan."
"Have they managed to find the Urahara?" Shunsui cast Hirata a quizzical look, and Hirata shook his head.
"The Council have been organising searches and Ninth and Eleventh Squads have also been called in to help, but there's been no trace of him." He said gravely. "Nagesu-sama fought with him at the old Urahara village - he told Sensei that much, and I heard Sensei talking to Father about it...since Sensei seems to think that shielding me from anything now will just hold me back from getting stronger. But they've searched there and found no body...and Nagesu-sama himself said he didn't think he'd killed Keitarou. They seized a bunch of records from his underground laboratory - but even though they've been picked over now, there's nothing in them apparently that relates to Shikiki or to you, Ukitake-kun. Nor anything about reidoku, either. Just harmless information about Senkaimon and other experiments he'd perfected over the last hundred years."
"I'm pretty sure he did k...keep notes on me when I was there." Juushirou bit his lip, and Hirata nodded.
"The thought is that when he left the battlefield with Nagesu-sama, he concealed his reiatsu and returned to his lab to remove documents." He said helplessly. "But where he went from there or if that's even true...nobody knows. Just Nagesu-sama says that, from the detailed nature of the Senkaimon notes they found...he thinks its possible that Keitarou isn't in Soul Society any more. Which means he could only have gone to one of two places - places where even shinigami can't easily go."
"Two places?" Juushirou frowned, and Shunsui's eyes became grave.
"The Real World, or the world of the Hollows." He murmured. "Though the latter is supposedly just a legend, and as for the other..."
"If he's gone there, they may never find him." Hirata agreed with a sigh. "Since it will take time for the Urahara to work to stabilise the Senkaimon enough to send proper search parties, and by that time..."
"They won't find him." Juushirou bit his lip. "Keitarou-san is really g...good at hiding himself. They won't ever find him. If he's gone there, he's g...gone for g...good."
"Or until he comes back to put another plan into motion." Shunsui said darkly. "With someone like that, I wouldn't put it past him."
His eyes narrowed, then,
"Juu, I want you to promise me now that if you ever see, hear or even smell any trace of this guy ever again - if he comes near you ever again on any premise - you'll tell someone. Anyone. Even if it's just me or Mitsuki or Hirata or someone in our class. Better if it was someone like Sensei - but please, promise me you will. He's almost killed you once and if he took those notes with him...he may not completely have given up on using you in the future. If he knows you're still alive...Juu, if he did come back..."
Juushirou's eyes darkened.
"I won't go with him again." He said solemnly, his voice slightly hoarse as he met Shunsui's gaze. "You have my w...word that I won't ever be manipulated by his sword again. And he's an outlaw, so of course I w...would report it. The only reason I d...didn't this time was that he t...took me before I could."
He sighed heavily.
"But it will be a l...long time before people let their guard down and assume he isn't going to c...come back." He said softly. "Keitarou-san is patient - he can wait forever if need be, I'm sure of that. And he will...he will wait for people to be distracted and to f...forget that he ever existed. Who knows? By that time, all of us may have f...finished our training. It may be our job to face him - and if that's the case, we c...can't run away. I in particular won't run away."
"It would have been better if Nagesu-sama had killed him." Hirata said frankly, and Shunsui shot his friend a pensive look.
"I don't believe in killing." He mused. "But in this instance...maybe you're right. I guess we'll see - I just don't think we've heard the last of this man or his nefarious schemes."
"Me either." Hirata admitted. "Even now, he's left his mark. Father hasn't brought Eiraki and Mother back yet because he's not addressed Eiraki-chan's involvement with the Council and doesn't want her to be arraigned in whatever game Keitarou was playing. Tokutarou-sama has said that he won't hand over a young girl who's claiming sanctuary and so for the time being the Council haven't any jurisdiction. But till the Council accept Father formally, essentially this District is under the direct control of Inner Seireitei. And if Eiraki came back here, she could be arrested. Nobody wants that."
"Eiraki-hime was a victim in all of this." Shunsui shook his head. "If she was arrested, Juu and Shikiki would have to be, too - and that's not going to happen. Eiraki-hime didn't mean to attack you - even you know that. So..."
"Yes." Hirata looked troubled. "But even so, I'm worried about my sister. About the effect all of this has had on her. She's not...strong. Not in character nor in body, and a lot of things have happened. Whether she'll be all right...I don't know. I really don't."
"A year or two ago we could've said that about you." Shunsui pointed out. "Now look at you."
"Mm." Hirata glanced down, his cheeks blazing red. "I haven't really had a choice. But I've also been away from this place - and here is...it sucks the life from you. Or it did. We're going to change it, somehow. But while Grandmother, Grandfather, Mibune-jisama and Seimaru were here...living was hiding in shadows trying not to be noticed. Both Eiraki and I grew up that way. We had no choice in the matter. And it takes more than a few weeks to change that mindset. I think...perhaps it takes more than a couple of years, to be truthful."
"But you have changed." Juushirou reminded him. "Shunsui is right."
"Outwardly, perhaps." Hirata was rueful. "Inwardly, I'm still petrified. But I'm not alone...Father is here, and I have my Academy friends...and Sensei's promised to keep me as one of his students. It may be that I don't go back to school this next term - Father will probably want me here for a while. But I will...I know I will go back. So...hopefully, by the time I graduate, I'll be ready to do what the Endou-ke ask of me. I'm not, yet. But I have...changed. I suppose that's the truth and I can't hide from it. I changed before this fight...and I changed because of it. When Seimaru died...I felt...different. And I haven't stopped feeling it. I don't know if it's good or not - but I seem to be more aware of...so many things."
"You can talk to us about Seimaru, you know." Juushirou murmured. "If it upset you...you can..."
"I know, but it didn't." Hirata smiled sadly. "I'm an Endou, and this made me realise that deep down I really am just like all of them. Even if I'm not as outwardly aggressive - if it comes to it, I can be as ruthless as any of them. I made a decision and it was the right one. Seimaru died, and I feel no guilt for being responsible. I'm sorry, Ukitake-kun. I know you probably don't like me saying things like that. But...in the end...that's the truth."
"I think we've all discovered things about ourselves in this." Shunsui said matter-of-factly. "If that's how you feel about Seimaru's death, Hirata, then I don't think Juu or I can say anything about it. None of us are blameless in what's happened."
Juushirou lowered his gaze.
"This place has a s...strange effect anyway." He whispered. "Even before Keitarou-san used his sw...sword on me. I was only his captive for a few days, but it seemed like an endless eternity. No day. No night. Just t...time flowing on and on. He said so m...many things...and then there was the Hollow that attacked Shikiki, and I didn't know if that was r...really a Hollow or a person or how to tell whether what I'd done was r...right or not, even though Sougyo no Kotowari had exorcised the spirit without a problem. And I started...to think...about that more and more. And...Keitarou-san told me things about my sword. Things about its technique that m...meant I understood what it could do b...better than I had before. So I practiced. And...and my thoughts were...strange. I thought about killing Seimaru too, once or twice. Because...I'd already b...broken rules and laws and released my sword and t...taken down a Hollow without the right to do it. So...if I was already in that kind of trouble..."
"He really was good at manipulating, wasn't he?" Shunsui's eyes narrowed. "Put it out of your mind, Juu. If you fought a Hollow to protect Shikiki, then you did your duty as a shinigami. Whether it was Keitarou's scheme or not, that's how it is. And as for wanting to kill Seimaru - surrounded by so many confusing and conflicting things, you got a little crazy. Forget about it now. He didn't have you in his power long enough to make a lasting impact, surely - your body and your spirit will heal, and then...it will be behind us."
Juushirou did not answer for a moment, then at length he nodded.
"Yes." He agreed. "But I won't forget it. Just like I know n...neither one of you will. It's not something that can be forgotten - probably it shouldn't be. Somehow we should learn from it. If we can."
"Midori-sama said that it was a matter of children becoming adults." Hirata said thoughtfully. "Perhaps she's right. Perhaps that is what it is."
Juushirou offered a faint smile, reaching out his hands to touch both Hirata and Shunsui's arms.
"Thank you for c...coming to rescue me." He said sincerely, his voice somewhat wavery yet clearly audible. "Keitarou-san said n...nobody would come, but he was wrong. You came. And even th...though I didn't ask you to - and I didn't m...mean to cause so much trouble - I'm glad deep down. That he was wrong."
"Damn right he was wrong." Shunsui nodded. "And I'll tell you something else. Mitsuki and the others would've come too if they'd been able. Just the means of getting here was a bit picky in who it allowed - otherwise it would have been an Academy stampede. You're one of us - like hell was anyone going to let any jumped up Urahara and power mad Endou get away with abducting you so easily!"
"I wonder if they know...if everyone knows what happened, now." Juushirou frowned. "They'd be worried, surely...someone would tell them that we were alive?"
"I'm sure Nii-sama sent a report to Mother, and I imagine she'd have passed the information on." Shunsui agreed. "If you're thinking of Mitsuki-chan, Juu, I'm sure she's dying to skip borders and come heal you herself. But I doubt they'll keep the others in the dark. That would be cruel - and even Yama-jii wouldn't be that mean."
"I suppose not." Juushirou looked wistful. "I'm going to m...miss going back with all of you though. I really am."
"I will too." Hirata nodded. "But I will write to you, Ukitake-kun, and if you can write back, then please do. Because we'll both be somewhat on our own for a while...and it'll be easier that way, if we write."
"I might even manage to write a decent letter or two myself." Shunsui reflected.
"With your arm like that?" Hirata looked doubtful, and Shunsui nodded, flexing his left hand.
"It's not as neat, but I can write with this one if I have to." He agreed. "My Uncle used to discourage it - but because he did that, I used to use it all the more in lessons to vex him and my tutors. So I learnt to letter with both hands."
"That sounds like you." Juushirou offered a smile. "All right then. I suppose they won't s…stop me writing letters to people. So I'll do that. And maybe it will h…help pass the time c…convalescing."
Hirata hesitated for a moment, then,
"Ukitake-kun, would you mind if I…do you think it would be okay if I…"
He faltered, and Shunsui shot him a keen glance.
"Hirata wants to know if he can call you by your first name now." He said astutely, and Hirata flushed red, slowly nodding his head. "Since I bullied him into using mine, and I didn't see why he shouldn't use yours as well. We're friends, after all – though why he's getting all flustered about it is beyond me."
"Because Ukitake-kun is older than me." Hirata murmured. "And it's not the same as b…being the same age."
"But we're in the same class." Juushirou pointed out, a faint smile touching his lips. "I don't mind, Hirata. If you want to call me Juushirou…I don't mind."
"Then you can address your letters to Juushirou-kun now, can't you?" Shunsui laughed, reaching out his good hand to ruffle Hirata's hair playfully. "See? I said it would be all right. And you're not that much younger than we are – not in spirit, even if it's a couple of years in age. We've kind of all grown up together – just like Midori-sama said. So that's settled. No more formality. All right?"
"All right." Hirata was still red-faced, but there was a smile on his face too. "Thank you, Shunsui-kun. Thank you, J…Juushirou-kun. I'll remember."
"He's still cute, isn't he?" Shunsui reflected. "You know, sometimes I still want to call him Hirata-chan – although I think his Clan would be up in arms about it if I did."
"Shunsui-kun!" It was impossible now for Hirata to go redder, but Juushirou grinned, nodding his head.
"Things are starting…to f…feel more normal around here." He murmured. "I'm glad. It's l…like I'm coming out of a nightmare when I d…didn't know what was up and what was down. There are b…big holes in my memory, but now I feel like I d…don't want to have them filled. And…and I'm not going to f…fret about anything if I can h…help it. Sougyo and I w…will work together again, even if n…now we can't. It might take time…but I'm not about to give up."
"That applies to us too." Shunsui said gravely, meeting Hirata's gaze. "I'm going to talk to Yama-jii properly about my sword spirits when we go back to school – even if I can't physically train much until my arm heals. And Hirata…I suggest that you do the same."
"Hirata?" Juushirou stared at his friend, who sighed heavily.
"I haven't spoken to any sword spirit." He said with a shake of his head. "Gaining Clan status doesn't mean…"
"You said yourself that you felt different. And your aura does, too." Shunsui responded. "Juu might not pick it up yet, with his own so ragged and raw, but I do. You might not have spoken to it yet – but that doesn't mean it isn't there and that you won't. It might be premature for you, Hirata – but even so, that's how it seems. Maybe Seibara and Amaki have made me more aware of things as well – but that's what I think."
Hirata's expression became thoughtful, then he shrugged.
"Maybe you're right." He admitted. "I'll think about it…I'll think about it a lot. Perhaps I won't speak to Sensei yet – but if…when I come back to the Academy, maybe…by then I'll know if you're right or not. Either way, I'm not going to try and stop it happening. Like you, I don't think it's something that can be rushed or pushed aside. So I guess we'll see…a lot can happen in a few months."
"Hopefully I'll get m…my sword back, too, in that time." Juushirou said wistfully. "Then maybe w…we can all three train together."
"I'd like that especially." Shunsui owned. "Since we both have two spirits, and from the way Seibara spoke, I'm quite sure I have two blades, as well. We should train together. Twin spirits, twin blades – that kind of coincidence is hard to ignore."
"Maybe it isn't coincidence." Hirata suggested, and Juushirou and Shunsui exchanged looks.
"Up till now, all zanpakutou have had one sword and one spirit." Juushirou murmured. "But then there's you and there's m…me. At the same time, almost, raising t…twin spirits and fighting with t…twin blades. Can that be a coincidence?"
Shunsui's eyes narrowed thoughtfully and he shook his head.
"I guess we'll just have to wait and see." He said at length. "Because although I manifested a sword briefly in our fight, I haven't seen what form my zanpakutou takes yet. But maybe…maybe not. Maybe there's too much in it to be a coincidence. Maybe that's why we were meant to be thrown into the Academy at the same time – perhaps that's why we've clicked so well and why we understand each other like we do. We're the first to have swords like this – and maybe the fact we do means that our souls are somehow on the same wavelength."
He shrugged.
"We'll find out soon enough." He concluded, reaching out to grab Juushirou's pale fingers with his unbound hand. "But one thing is for sure. We'll fight together in the Gotei one day – whatever rank we achieve and whatever reason we fight. That's decided now. We shouldn't ever be fighting one another – battles like the one the other day are an aberration and against what we're put here to do. We're supposed to use those swords to fight together, not against each other – to change Soul Society and to make a difference."
"I've never heard you so determined." Juushirou reflected, and Shunsui grinned wryly.
"Circumstances dictate." He replied flippantly. "But in all seriousness, I mean it. Let's not fight each other again, okay?"
"Suits me." Juushirou grinned back. "Besides, I think it m…might be more fun if we were to f…fight together!"
"Nagesu-dono."
Kyouki paused in the doorway of the chamber, her gaze resting on the tall, slender figure slightly cast in shadow by the long rays of the setting sun. It was more than just the evening of one day, she knew...it was as though over the course of the past week the curtain had come down on an entire era. With each twenty four hours, more and more of the despotic Endou-ke regime was being eroded away, and little by little fresh shoots were beginning to push up from beneath the ashes of the old. Perhaps that spring would see flowers bloom in the burnt out field where Seimaru had made his last stand, too, she mused. When the frozen season passed, maybe the long economic winter in District Seven would also start to thaw.
It would take a long time for the region to truly recover from the after-effects of the devastation. Probably more than a few years - perhaps even a century before the scars were truly healed. But despite that fact, it was not that which occupied Kyouki's thoughts at that moment. Slowly and silently she slipped across the room, pausing not far from Nagesu's side. They had not had more than the briefest moments to exchange conversation since the Council had moved to act, and those moments had been in view of other witnesses. But now they were alone, and Kyouki was reminded of the sibling-like friendship they had had as youngsters, training together to raise their swords. She rarely saw Nagesu as a younger brother now, for he was a grown man in his own right, with dignity and respect from all around. Yet now she saw it again - the faint uncertainty and regret in his aura that typified his naturally retiring nature.
Most people did not realise how much Nagesu had hated learning to hold a sword, and how much he had resented knowing how to kill. But Kyouki had known it. And thanks to Kyouki, he had grown to be capable of both - whatever his private thoughts.
"All is drawing to a final conclusion now, it seems." She said softly now. "Misashi-dono will be accepted by the Council and there will be plans drawn up for the future to prevent this happening again. District Seven's immediate crisis is averted - and three foolish children have been successfully reunited with their relevant overseers."
The fair-haired man turned, offering her a faint smile as he shrugged his shoulders.
"There is no such thing as a final conclusion. Not where Clan is concerned." He said quietly, his usual measured tones more weary and heavy than usual. "But in some ways, I suppose that is true. For District Seven, in any case...one thing has been brought to a close."
"Seimaru was a dangerous man." Kyouki cast her gaze out across the landscape, thinning her lips as she remembered. "In the end, he was more dangerous to himself than anyone else. He was killed by his own ambition and greed - destroyed in the same way as those in our past were."
"It seems fitting to me." Nagesu admitted. "That it should be the taint of reidoku that takes the life of a man who perpetuated its evil and the tragedies associated with it long after it should have been laid to rest."
"You've spent some time thinking on it, haven't you?"
"Yes, and I have already been through Keitarou's papers, but the final formula for the reidoku Seimaru-dono ingested is not among them." Nagesu responded quietly. "If as you and Midori-sama surmise, he did perfect it - he remains the only one who knows how. And I hope...he will keep the information to himself and not venture to use it again. My Uncle's research was never meant for this kind of project, after all. It was never meant...to end up like this."
Kyouki nodded slowly.
"It was difficult, then, just as I supposed." She reflected absently, sending him sidelong glance. "To face a fragment of your past and be forced to confront it in quite this way."
"To face such tasks is the duty of a Clan leader." Nagesu said quietly. "If I was not equal to it, I should resign my office at once, and pass my position to my son. I am not given to unecessary remeniscence, Kyouki-dono. Not in circumstances of this nature. I know my duty."
Kyouki chuckled, slowly shaking her head.
"I don't believe that for a moment." She said lightly. "We've worked together for some time now, after all. You, Matsuhara and I were a generation in our own right, you realise. We often trained together as youngsters - and even though the shadow of reidoku forced Matsuhara to inherit from his Uncle far too soon, you and I came into power over our Clans within a short few years of each other."
"You haven't spoken of Matsuhara in that way in a while." Nagesu observed. "He was always more your ally than mine, however. I suppose...his Clan were hurt far more by the actions of mine, and at that time...it was harder for him to forgive."
"Matsuhara was only fifteen when the Kyouraku Clan fell into his hands." Kyouki said seriously. "In that one fell swoop, he lost his Father, his Uncle...and spent the end of his childhood fighting to keep hold of his right to rule the Clan at all. Without the strong will of his mother to act as his protector and the determination of Genryuusai-sama to keep it in his hands, I doubt he would have survived those years between then and adulthood. The Kyouraku's decline began then - Matsuhara never quite managed to find the force or resolve to pull it back together the way his Uncle had held it in the time before. It's why, more than anything, I undertook Tokutarou as my responsibility when Matsuhara asked it of me. I suspected history may repeat itself and so did he."
She sighed heavily.
"The Kyouraku suffered greatly then, I don't deny it. But I don't suppose that was why Matsuhara preferred my company to yours. I never once heard him bear a grudge to the Urahara-ke for those he had lost...he wasn't that kind of man. It wasn't he who cast the Kyouraku vote in favour of executing Keitsune-sama, in the end - it was his widowed mother acting in his name. I think it was simply a matter of swords - that Gekkoushin understood Tensonshin's sensitive nature better than anyone else, and when they fought together, Gekkoushin often kept Tensonshin's highly strung self in hand. Matsuhara always found himself happier in the company of women, anyhow - with the exception of Genryuusai-sama, he lost all his male role models at far too young an age, and he never got along with his younger brother. Tensonshin was possessed of a female spirit, so it was she in the end who became his guide and guardian after his mother passed away. Matsuhara was a gentle man whose outlook was influenced more by that blade and its power than it should have been - and Sekizanha couldn't reach through as easily as my moon maiden did."
"I think that's simply your own strength." A faint smile touched Nagesu's lips. "But you're right. We were all young when we inherited, but Matsuhara probably paid the highest price for it. And I felt responsible, then, for that. Probably that too divided us - because I knew my family had changed the course of his family irreversibly - and not only his."
"There, you see?" Kyouki grinned. "You disprove yourself. You're even now thinking of what happened a century ago. I don't believe anyone holds the burden so heavily as you do for what happened then, Nagesu-kun - nor do I think there's anyone less to blame for any of it. You haven't changed, in the end. Though politics often separate us these days, I still remember the kind of person you were then. More than any other living soul in the Council, I'm well used to your ways and your rationality."
"But you should, then, know more than anyone that I always speak truth." Nagesu said simply. "And I would be grateful if you did not try and place unecessary meaning on necessary encounters."
"That won't do." Kyouki chided softly. "Because I also know something else, Nagesu-kun. I know that most of all, in that rational, moderate brain of yours, you value one thing above everything else. That thing is loyalty. Fidelity. Especially in relation to your Clan. And I also know...I know that you never forgave Rikaya-sama, did you? For making the decision he made all those years ago in forsaking your Uncle."
Nagesu let out a humourless laugh, spreading his hands.
"Father's judgement was just, correct and unavoidable. He did the only thing he could do." He responded. "There was no other option. Not in those circumstances."
"But even so, you didn't forgive him - did you?"
There was a long pause, then Nagesu sighed.
"No." He owned. "I suppose I did not."
"And Keitarou? Will you forgive him, then? The young boy who became the victim of that decision?"
Nagesu smiled faintly, turning to face his old friend, and Kyouki could see the faint glitter of tears behind the wire rimmed glasses.
"Today I did what I had to do as the head of the Urahara." He said quietly. "I raised my sword and I did my duty. But there is part of me that is...glad he still lives. That part of me is irrational, I suppose...but you are right. I have forgiven him. I will continue to forgive him. Even though I know he will never forgive me. And even though...there are things done that cannot be forgiven. I hope not to meet him again, because I know what my duty will be...if I do. And it is not a duty I relish. I am not sure...it's one I could fulfill."
He shrugged his shoulders.
"I was not able to do anything a hundred years ago, after all." He concluded. "As a boy of eight, I had no way to act. And even if I had..."
"Even if you had, would you have acted?" Kyouki wondered.
"Who knows." Nagesu turned his gaze back to the landscape outside. "I loved my Uncle and I still grieve for him every time I hear someone speak ill of his name. I don't know why Keitarou gave Seimaru-dono the reidoku, or whether he was really just another test subject. But even though he spoke so dismissively of his test subjects as objects - I still didn't feel he had killed indiscriminately. That there had always been a reason...that he had always had a plan."
"What do you mean?" Kyouki stared, and Nagesu pursed his lips.
"Keitarou was always known to possess genius - far more than I." He said quietly. "Even as a four year old he had understanding and potential well beyond his years. That he would be able to do so much is unsurprising to me. And that he would have a logic and a plan behind it all - I would expect nothing less from my younger cousin. I know he took Shouichi-sama's life in revenge for the death of our cousin Daisuke, because he told me so himself. And he discarded Seimaru-dono's life too, quite coldly - saying that if Seimaru-dono didn't follow his guidance, he could be his own enemy and face the consequences. Yet he spared the District girl, who had no connection to any of this. He even raised her, orphaned and abandoned as she was. She told me himself that he had cared for her - and that she had come to love him. When I heard her speak about him...I think I understood most clearly of all that in his own way, Keitarou had his own ethics and reasons for what he did. And I...cannot do anything but oppose them. I don't believe in them. But I do understand them. Little by little... that was the boy my cousin was. In the end...that was Keitarou. I was bound by the rules of the family. And even then, Keitarou was not."
"He could have killed you too, couldn't he?" Kyouki realised. "Even with a weakened sword, he could have..."
"I imagine so." Nagesu agreed. "He didn't really fight me as hard as I expected."
"Perhaps he considers you his blood cousin too, then, even now."
"No...I don't think so." Nagesu traced his finger along the edge of the window. "Maybe he was killing time by stalling me, but I also got the impression that...he remembers still who it was who first taught him to write his name. He did say he didn't hate me - and though he wanted to, he'd not been able to."
"Nagesu-kun." Kyouki murmured, and Nagesu shrugged his shoulders.
"He tried very hard to sever himself from all bonds and work simply for his Father's revenge." He replied. "But I saw it...in his eyes. The way he felt...just for a moment, I knew. He didn't want to fight against me. The one he wanted was my Father. Not me. Even though he said things...I knew, deep down, he was confused. Probably, wherever he now is, he's still that way. And maybe it means that he won't come back - at least, not for some time. Not until people have forgotten and he can create a new life for himself where nobody is seeking him."
"You almost sound as though you want the Council to rule him as presumed dead." Kyouki realised. "Even though no body has been found and it's highly likely even from your own words that he's alive."
"Would you stand against me, if I did?" Nagesu looked apprehensive, and Kyouki laughed.
"You, break a rule? That's a first." She teased, and Nagesu nodded.
"First and last." He agreed. "But of all people, Kyouki-neesama, I think you understand why."
"I suppose so." Kyouki nodded her head. "You want to bury your Uncle's guilt and let him rest in peace for once - and so long as this goes on, well, that can't happen. I agree that it's time Keitsune-dono rested in peace. It's more than time for that, in fact, because there's a difference between a mistake and a malicious intent. But Nagesu-kun, listen to me. Keitsune-dono made an error. Keitarou's actions weren't in error. You said yourself he had a plan. Circumstances may have made him a monster, but even so...to close the book is dangerous. He is still there...he can come back. And it may happen."
"Yes, I know." Nagesu nodded. "But...it just worries me. It worries me that if it continues then...more Urahara may be tainted. More people...more lives. I don't know how many people escaped this, or are still living in hiding because they are kin to men who knew and worked with my Uncle. But in my eyes, that crime is over. It was punished. I don't want any more of a slur cast over innocent people. Even though Keitarou is guilty - and you're right, Keitarou shouldn't be written off completely from the Council records - I want it made clear that this isn't an Urahara action. That Keitsune-jisama is dead and should rest in peace. That past was no part our generation's work. We need to all move on."
"That at least I can endorse." Kyouki nodded. "And I will. You have my word."
"Thank you." Nagesu smiled faintly. "And also, there is one more thing."
He raised his right hand, uncupping it and Kyouki saw a flickering cluster of blue-black spirit energy take faint form in his palm, fluttering raggedy wings against his skin.
"What the..."
"He left this behind." Nagesu said, reaching across to stroke the insect's head absently. "Not literally, but in the records I found in his laboratory. There was nothing about reidoku - but it's almost as though this was a message from him to me - or to the Council - that there was so much we didn't understand about what he could do and that we'd all been closed minded for a long, long time. I really think he did it on purpose. It's formed of spirit matter - he'd confined a large amount of it in a vessel in his laboratory with his notes, and I believe he harvested it from dead soldiers, though I can't be sure. I do remember, though, reading about similar experiments in my Uncle's work from long ago. I think it's...a Hell Butterfly. Without Uncle, it was something we couldn't perfect, but Keitarou obviously did. With his intelligence, I suppose it was child's play."
"And he left that data for you to find?"
"It would seem so." Nagesu nodded. "I don't know if it was by accident or on purpose...and this is only a broken, hazy specimen I formed from his notes. It's far from perfect. The young Endou boy did mention a similar creature being sent with the message about the Ukitake child, though, and its considerable significance as some kind of spirit guide. When I heard that, I began to see what he has done. This one couldn't guide anyone - it's not concise enough for that. But with work and practice - I'm sure I could now perfect it. And maybe do so for the Council's benefit. It's almost as though..I think he's left us something we can use. For Soul Society's future...something of Uncle's creation that won't cast shame on the Urahara-ke."
He smiled, a bittersweet expression on his face.
"We always knew Keitarou would one day do great things." He added. "This is a sign of that being true. He meant this information to stay behind - to stay with me here. So that I could understand. And more, use it."
"And perhaps, one day, set out and find him." Kyouki said acidly. "It seems to me like he left it as signpost pointing you towards where he might now be."
"Perhaps." Nagesu nodded. "But that day won't be today. For now, we've all fought enough. I've no intention of leaving this world to hunt him down. So long as he isn't in Soul Society, he's beyond our jurisdiction. And for now...that suits me fine."
"Well, take your pet and put it away somewhere safe." Kyouki ordered. "Because the Council will be meeting soon, and it won't do for either of us to be delayed. Even if it is an impromptu gathering - without it, Misashi-dono can't be accepted as Head of the Endou, and nothing can move on."
"Yes. I'm coming now." Nagesu closed his hand, and the butterfly fragmented and vanished. "I'm sorry, Kyouki-neesama. Enough of the past. Time to look forward."
The other members of the Clan Elite were already gathered in the Great Hall of the Endou estate when the two of them arrived, and Nagesu hurriedly bowed his head in apology towards where Guren was seated.
"I apologise for our lateness, Guren-sama. It was my fault - I was experimenting with scientific concepts and lost track of time." He said softly. Guren smiled, however, shaking his head as he indicated for them to sit down.
"This is an unusual setting for this kind of a meeting. An unusual beginning seems a natural consequence." He said quietly. "Have you, then, managed to glean something from your cousin's reports?"
"Yes and no." Nagesu agreed. "Nothing relating to my Uncle's reidoku work, but much concerning other experiments of a less volatile nature. I believe that there is information we might make use of - and I will hope to begin working on those concepts in more detail when I return to District Three. You can expect me to present my findings before the Council as soon as I am able - until then, it would be better not to speculate on what Keitarou has left behind."
"Isn't Misashi-dono attending this meeting?" Kyouki looked startled, glancing around the room. "I don't see him here."
"He is waiting for our summons." Guren shook his head. "Before he entered, I wished to discuss the matter of this District without his being present."
"That seems a little covert, if I may say so, Guren-sama." Tokutarou frowned. "We are acknowledging him as the Leader of this District, are we not? In that case..."
"That is the intention of this meeting." Midori agreed. "Tokutarou-sama is right, Guren-sama. We shouldn't delay on the true purpose of us being here."
"No. On this matter, it would be as well to decide without him being here." Guren shook his head gravely. "On the conduct of his daughter - the Lady Eiraki - and her involvement in this matter. We must resolve it and right away."
"Eiraki-hime was a victim, not a perpetrator." Tokutarou shook his head. "She's a scared little girl, Guren-sama, who was frightened for her family and who acted in the only way she knew how."
"Ukitake Juushirou has also described to me how Urahara Keitarou was utilising her by means of his zanpakutou, Chudokuga." Genryuusai added soberly. "We know nothing of this sword except the witness statements of others - but it seems to possess a high level of manipulative ability. If, using it, he was able to successfully control my District student to attack his closest friend with real intent, a young girl like Eiraki-hime would have stood little chance. She is not in the same category as the child Shikiki - Eiraki-hime is not possessed of any real spiritual ability."
"It would have been very easy for her to be manipulated, too, with Seimaru putting him in a position whereby she saw him as an ally." Tokutarou nodded. "I don't think the Council should be pursuing charges against her in any of this. Her aim was always to help her Father and she and her mother came to me with the intention of rallying Hirata-dono to retake District Seven. That was her only true motive in this - and we can't judge her on that."
"I concur." Nagesu inclined his head. "Keitarou boasted to me himself about the manipulative power of his zanpakutou. Now that power has been broken over both Eiraki-hime and Ukitake Juushirou...for both of them it should be considered over."
"Then it is decided?" Guren asked, and there were a series of nods and murmurs of assent. "Then good. In which case, we should usher Misashi-dono before us."
He flicked his fingers towards where a retainer stood guarding the door and at his gesture the man bowed, hurriedly pulling the divide back to admit the surviving claimant to the Endou leadership. He was robed in full Endou finery, yet Nagesu could see that he had still not fully recovered from his experiences, and a pang of guilt stabbed through him.
My family were at least in part responsible for this. The guilt spreads over many lands...to close the book as much as possible is the only way to prevent yet another generation being poisoned by its taint.
"Endou Misashi-dono, you are summoned before us today to claim your birthright as heir and Lord of the Clan of Seventh District." Guren said quietly. "The Council has consulted and has accepted your claim to the Endou-ke and to the people who live beneath your family's guidance."
Misashi dropped down onto the floor in the centre of the room, bowing his head low before the assembled members.
"Endou Misashi, do you undertake the leadership of this Clan in full understanding of the burdens and duties placed on you by the Council of Elders?" Guren's voice was firm and clear, and Nagesu found some scant comfort in the Kuchiki's cultured tones repeating such familiar words.
"I do." Misashi's head remained bowed, but his words too lacked any doubt or hesitation.
"And do you undertake to act in defence of and protection over the individuals who call District Seven their home?"
"I do."
"Do you undertake to represent your family among the Council of Elders and to act only within the laws of Inner Seireitei, acknowledging your position as part of the brotherhood that guides all of Soul Society?"
"I do."
"Then you are welcomed among us, Endou Misashi, and are recognised before the sight of all Clans as the true heir and leader of District Seven." Guren smiled, reaching out his hand to gesture to the crouched figure. "Stand and join our ranks. You are now an equal among us, and your word will be heard as clearly as any of ours."
Slowly and a little stiffly Misashi got to his feet, raising his gaze to meet Guren's grey eyes solemnly.
"Thank you." He said quietly. "I will do my best to improve on the reputation my predecessors have left behind."
"Your seat is here, Misashi-dono." Tokutarou gestured to the vacant seat at his side. "After all, we are neighbours. And we have much to discuss outside of this place as well as within. But to begin with at least...I will be making full arrangements for your wife and daughter to be returned here. Your manservant too, once he fully recovers from his wounds. I will send my own trusted aide with them, so their travel will be safe. The Council will not be indicting Eiraki-hime on any charge...and so I will agree to their crossing the border."
"Oh." Misashi's eyes widened slightly, then he smiled. "I am grateful. My Clan has treated you and your land very ill over past years, but I will endeavour especially to change that from now on. We are weak neighbours and we will need to improve our bonds with all the other Clans in order to be strong again. Your kindness to my kin won't be forgotten, Tokutarou-sama. Now or ever...I am in your debt."
"Debts don't always have to be repaid right away, however." Tokutarou returned the grin. "And I don't wage war on women or children."
"The next problem is how to deal with the administration of this District, however." Genryuusai said softly. "There are many common folk who are displaced still from their homes...and the economy of the Seventh District is gravely damaged by the recent events."
"I have thought of that." Misashi nodded. "In fact, by some coincidence, Seimaru confining me at Hokujou made me realise it all the more strongly. Sekkiseki was always the economy of Seventh District in the past, and there is no other land with as plentiful or pure a supply. A lot of our past wealth was built on mining, and I believe it could be so again, since the resources are still there. In the last couple of days I have consulted records and have had Hirata doing the same. We've spoken to some of the Clansfolk and learnt much about the potential for rebeginning such operations. To begin with it will be slow - and Sekkiseki is potentially dangerous if mishandled. Yet even so...I believe there is a future in it. After all, there has always been a need for it."
"Sekkiseki is vital for Soul Society's balance." Nagesu nodded his head. "Without it even in small levels, the flow of spiritual energy might mingle too much out of control. The grade of stone we've used in recent years has concerned me - particularly as regards the divide between Seireitei and Rukongai."
"What do you mean, Nagesu-dono?" Guren looked surprised, and Nagesu sighed.
"The souls in Rukongai are spirits from the Real World, and they are not like us." He said simply. "But there is a very grave risk that the raging spirit levels from Seireitei is polluting the land of Rukongai and putting its residents in serious danger. With so many Hollows posing a danger to people here as well as in the Real World, tainting the landscape with spirit power is like lacing a trap for those supposedly safe souls to fall into. If we were to reconstruct the divide with proper Sekkiseki, we might offer some minor protection for those people."
"Then there will be a demand, it seems, for Sekkiseki." Kyouki's eyes twinkled. "In which case, if District Seven can provide it, it seems a good way of going forward."
"There will be much to discuss and arrange, but I think so." Misashi agreed. "At least, its a place to start."
"It will take a long time to rebuild administration and military forces here, won't it?" Midori frowned. "Guren-sama, when the Council disperses, I'd like it recorded that as an ally of the Endou-ke and of Misashi-sama and Hirata-dono, I intend to remain here a while longer. I offered my support and I mean to give it - this land is very tentative and the more help the better."
"But what of District Two, in that case?" Retsu asked quietly. "Your kindness to your allies is understood, but what of your own people? Would a long absence not make them uneasy?"
"Maybe." Midori admitted. "But this is an alliance I can't forsake on any terms, Retsu-sama. I owe Misashi-dono my Clan's current recovery. He took a great risk to help me return to my people and fix the damage before it got too much out of hand. I promised to do my bit too - to help save his Clan. I've not done enough yet to equal that balance. And I'm a Shihouin. I won't break my word. Particularly since we've all agreed to suspend Seventh Squad and the Endou-ke's own retainer army for the time being."
"But your heir is your brother, Kai-dono." Nagesu frowned. "A minor, like Hirata-dono, and not of an age to take control."
"He could, if need be." Midori reflected. "Although I admit, him being young and with his training still in progress...it wouldn't be ideal."
"Hirata and Juushirou will not be returning to the Academy for the next term. This I know." Genryuusai reflected. "Are you suggesting that Kai should also be taken from school to guard his Clan?"
"There's no need for that." Guren held up his hand, shaking his head. "Because Midori-dono has another she can call on in circumstances such as this."
"Guren-sama?" Tokutarou stared, and Guren sighed.
"We have seen with our own eyes who the true guilty were in this chemical plot." He said heavily. "A year or more ago, we put to death a man who was a conspirator, but not the true mastermind. We executed a man who was desperate to save his Clan - and understood that his death was a part of doing that. Then, we promised him that, if we took his life, his family would not bear the weight of his crimes for the rest of time. So we promised him. So we all agreed."
"Guren-sama, what are you suggesting?" Kyouki asked sharply. "That we shouldn't have executed Kamuki-dono after all?"
"My Uncle was guilty by his own admission." Midori shook her head. "His death was a necessary price of what he did - he knew it and so do I."
"But we know, now, that the one who devised the modern reidoku was Aizen Keitarou, and that he did so on the orders of Endou Seimaru." Guren said grimly. "Perhaps also Endou Shouichi."
"I fear that is probably true." Misashi sighed. "I did not endorse it, nor did mother - but my father, my brother and my nephew...they all believed in this. Father stopped his support for the experiments because he promised my mother he would - but otherwise, his guilt in this is...probably the same. Perhaps mine too, for knowing that it was going on."
"We already know that you had no power in those decisions." Guren shook his head. "Besides, you are the only person on whom the Endou can currently depend, so such things are overlooked. And, in the same light...perhaps other things can be overlooked. Or...overturned. For the benefit of Soul Society's overall stability."
He pursed his lips, then,
"The true criminals in this were not the Shihouin, though the guilt of Shihouin Kamuki and Shihouin Chiaki was firmly established and their punishments were justly given." He said at length. "However, the case against and sentence over Shihouin Yanagi has never been as weighty or as firm. I suggest, therefore, that Shihouin Yanagi be released from his confinement forthwith in order that he be able to assist Midori-dono in the governance of her land."
"Oniisama?" Midori's eyes almost fell out of her head. "Guren-sama...you want to...pardon Oniisama? And..."
"On account of his Council convictions, his claim to the Shihouin-ke is forfeit, and as such, to rise against you would be a crime immediately demanding his death." Guren nodded. "But I do not believe, with the current evidence, that your brother bears heavy enough guilt in this matter to remain confined when his Clan may make use of him as a better form of penance. The Shihouin-ke and the Endou-ke must both rebuild. It is my opinion that Shihouin Yanagi be allowed to play his part in that fact."
"I concur." Nagesu raised his hand, nodding his head. "My Clan also carry guilt in this and probably will forever. I agree with Guren-sama's suggestion. Yanagi-dono showed no sign of malicious intent in his hearing before us, nor did he seem deceptive or misleading. He cooperated with us fully and I believe he would obey those terms. We should allow him to be released - so that the Shihouin-ke's stability is maintained whilst the Endou-ke is being rebuilt."
"Are there any who would object?" Guren glanced around the room, but there were no complaints, and he nodded.
"Then it is decided. Midori-dono, you are charged with seeing the Council's will be carried out as we have decided here."
"Yes, sir." Midori smiled, bowing her head. "I admit it's not something I expected from a Kuchiki, but I'm grateful nonetheless. Having Nii-sama will help a lot, and take some of the pressure off Kai while he's still in training."
"And your help here will be received with gratitude too." Misashi told her quietly. "The Endou are a Clan without friends, but from hereon in, I want to change that."
"Then this meeting is settled and adjourned." Guren decided. "We should return to our homelands and see to our own business...for now, this Clan and land is entrusted to new leadership and we hope and pray to see peace here in the not too distant future."