Chapter Twenty Three: Mitsuki's Temper
The archive was almost empty by the time Shirogane reached it, with just one or two of the older kinsfolk secluded away in dark corners to go over transcripts of documents several hundred years old. In the next few days many would be returning to their own regions of District Six, and Shirogane knew without even asking that most of these library-dwellers now were checking fine details in old documents in order to find new fuel over border disputes and other petty matters in their own domains. It had happened spectacularly some two hundred and fifty years previously, when the border Kuchiki had waged war on the Endou over a dispute relating to ancient land holdings, and Shirogane remembered with an inward grimace reading about the catastrophic disaster of defeat that had soon followed.
Though this Clan dislike such stories, and in the official records there is barely more than a passing comment regarding that border war, let alone the savage exploits of the Endou's eagle princess, Lady Yayoi. Typical of the Kuchiki, to gloss over defeat and glory instead in victory.
He sighed, moving through the rows of shelves and walls lined from floor to ceiling with ancient tomes, heading straight for the rear section of the library and the stairwell that led up to the Council archives on the level above. Though most Clans kept records of these meetings going back to the time of the Council's inception, the Kuchiki were particularly fastidious about completion, and so as he stepped through the wood-panelled entrance and into the chamber proper, he was confronted by row upon row of neatly catalogued volumes, all bound in the same identical black and silver and all neatly dated by hand by some overzealous scribe. Every so often the handwriting changed, as a new scribe took over from an old in managing these ancient but precious records, and Shirogane paused to cautiously scan the room first, making sure that the current incumbent had long since left for the night.
He had, for it was growing closer to midnight, and so with a little sigh of relief, Shirogane moved through the shelves, lighting occasional Kidou lamps with a touch of his finger as he scanned the books for the ones that he wanted. Following his mother's death, he had spent a good amount of time here reading through sections and meetings relating to important Kuchiki decisions, and so he knew that each set of minutes was archived according to year and the Clan who had assumed leadership for that twelve month period. The current Leader of the Council of Elders were the Shihouin, Shirogane remembered – but he was not interested in this year's minutes. Rather, he was keen to go back further than that – to a time before Tokutarou had inherited the Kyouraku title.
As he approached the most recent volumes, Shirogane paused, working it out carefully in his head. He did not know precisely how old Tokutarou was, but a fleeting recollection of his time at the Academy and a particularly unpleasant run-in with Tokutarou's brother Shunsui caused a faint smile to touch his lips and he nodded, raising his gaze to scan the books carefully.
Who would have thought that little upstart pulling rank on me would ever have any positive purpose – but now it does, and quite clearly too. I can remember him standing before me – the young heir to the Kyouraku as he was then, and of an age not dissimilar to that wretched District boy whose sword skills were infuriatingly good. Tokutarou-dono is not much older than his brother – no more than ten years at the most, which means he cannot have turned twenty before the Academy began. That year the Yamamoto had hold of the Council, which is probably the only way they were able to push through such an ambitious project with so little fuss. That must have been this year, then…
He reached up to touch a book, then ran his gaze to the left of it, taking in the spine labels one by one.
There was a Kyouraku held Council a year before that. I wonder if that was Matsuhara-dono or his brother? Let's see.
Carefully he removed the old book from its place on the shelf, setting it down on the table and flicking pensively through the pages until he came to the frontispiece, adorned as it was with bright and intricately coloured images of Clan insignia followed by names.
"Yamamoto Hashihiko. Shihouin Kamuki. Urahara Nagesu. Unohana Retsu. Shiba Kyouki. Kuchiki Guren. Endou Shouichi. Chair: Kyouraku Matsuhara…"
He frowned, realising with a jolt that the crest of the Kyouraku was missing. Confused, he flicked through the pages, his eyes widening as he realised the reason for its omission.
"Chair: Absent. Chair: Absent." He whispered. "The Council fell to the Kyouraku to chair but Matsuhara did not attend all of the meetings and was declared absentee for the duration of the year. Therefore his crest isn't recorded…wait a minute. No…that's different. Something here…is different."
He paused, smoothing down the page and then frowning as he read the short but concise entry.
Kyouraku Matsuhara is reported to the Council as being deceased from cause of a sword wound to his body. District Eight representative Kyouraku Sadehira has henceforth been sworn in and accepted before the Council as interim leader until Matsuhara's son Tokutarou reaches his majority. Tokutarou is represented by Shiba Kyouki-dono in this agreement and has assented in his absence. This agreed and signed by all representatives and Sadehira-dono is hereafter sworn in as a member of the Council of Elders.
Beside the entry was a crest, and Shirogane bit his lip as he realised whose crest it was.
Kyouraku Sadehira. That's Tokutarou-dono's predecessor, then – the one she was talking about. But that…that isn't the crest that girl showed me. Whatever it was…it wasn't the crest of Tokutarou-dono's militant Uncle. So…that being the case…
He flipped the book shut with a bang, sending a cloud of dust all around him, and for a moment he froze, half certain he had disturbed the people in the lower level of the library by making such a noise. Nobody came to chastise him, however, so he lifted the book with a sigh, returning it to its place on the shelf.
That was the year Matsuhara-dono was murdered, and his brother took control of the Clan. Usurped, is the word I think most people use – though it looks as though the Council accepted him readily enough as leader during Tokutarou-dono's minority. I suppose looks can be deceiving – most politics go on behind closed doors, not in front of them.
He skimmed back a few more volumes, pulling down another book from some twenty years earlier and setting it down on the table. Opening the cover, he soon found what he was looking for – the crests of the Eight Clan leaders and there, bright and still crisp as though it had been painted only yesterday was the official crest of Kyouraku Matsuhara.
It matched exactly the emblem that Nanaki had worn around her neck.
So what, then?
Shirogane closed the book slowly, lifting it and returning it to its place on the shelf as he considered this inconsistency.
She claims to be the daughter of the Uncle who allied with the Endou and lost the civil war – a matter about which most every Clan in Seireitei is somewhat aware. But she carries the crest of his brother – the man who Sadehira murdered to take power and whose son he tried to oust when he came of age. Does that mean she is a Kyouraku, but lied about who and where she came from? Or is she not a Kyouraku after all – is there something else at work here that I don't understand?
His eyes narrowed at this.
And what does she know about our Clan? Was my impulse right? Was it her who took the document Ryuu found in the library? If she's been hiding as a maid here, it could easily have been. Maybe Ryuu was the first person to see it, and then this Nanaki was the second. But then what about the things she said regarding Seiren-dono? Ryuu was uncomfortable about something too, and…and even if she wasn't telling the whole truth, maybe that still fits. Something in that document – that I never got to see.
"Shirogane-sama!"
A sudden commotion at the door alerted him to the fact he had company and he swung around, his eyes widening in surprise and dismay as he registered Shibata, his hand already closed around the hilt of his sword and in his slipstream, five or six other guardsmen, each similarly armed. They were all attired in the uniform of Seiren's retinue, and Shirogane's alarm soon became anger as he realised his Uncle had decided to act.
"What is this?" He exclaimed, stepping away from the bookshelves and sliding his fingers firmly around the hilt of his own weapon. "The Archive is meant to be a place of quiet reading and study, not violent interruptions! Can I not even come to read about my own family's history without being stalked by my Uncle's men?"
"On the orders of Seiren-sama, we have been instructed to take you to answer questions before him." Shibata said quietly, crossing the room in short swift strides and pausing a bare two or three feet from where Shirogane stood. "I am sorry, Shirogane-sama, but in the face of orders from such a high ranking person, the sanctity of even the burial vaults can be gainsaid, let alone the archive. We do not want to create an incident – please come with us quietly and no damage need be done."
"Stand and answer questions? On what grounds?" Shirogane demanded, making no attempt to move towards the waiting guards.
"That is for Lord Seiren to raise, not for me to speak of." Shibata said gravely. "I am instructed to bring you by force if need be. You will only worsen the charges against you if you resist us now – your best option is to come quietly and without a fight."
"To do what? Be interrogated or be killed behind the private closed doors of Seiren-dono's study?" Shirogane's eyes blazed with anger. "Was that wench right – does he really seek to do away with me even though I'm supposedly beneath his notice?"
"Wench?" Shibata's eyes widened, then, "So you do know the girl! You did speak to her after all! And doubtless beat her too, when she refused to keep your secrets?"
"Beat her? Beat a woman?" Shirogane stared, then he snorted, shaking his head in derision. "Is that the best my Uncle can do, then? To fabricate some story that I abused a maidservant in order to cover his own back? Tell me, what did he do to her? Torture her for her information? Threaten her if she didn't disclose what she knew? Is he that desperate to make Ryuu heir of this Clan that he'd resort to such low tricks?"
"Lord Seiren is protecting a witness from further violent attacks against her person." Shibata said coldly, and even Shirogane was struck by the sudden look of ice in the retainer's eyes. "And I will protect his reputation with this sword against the slurs you cast against it. You are the one who is under arrest, Shirogane-dono. You can disdain it all you want, but I saw the state that girl was in after she had come from your rooms – she had met with nobody else, but by your own admission just now she had met with you. I may be a soldier, and I've seen many bad things in battle. But I will not condone violence of this nature against a woman, regardless of who she might be. I will take you, even if I have to fight you myself."
His eyes narrowed.
"In whatever state that might be." He added blackly, and Shirogane was reminded of the many years of good, efficient service Shibata had done as a member of the Kuchiki armed forces before his rise to Seiren's chief retainer. "I have been given my orders. If you resist them, I will not be held responsible for spilling blood."
He really does intend to kill me. By fair means or foul, whether by legal execution or secret murder. Seiren-dono seeks to destroy me – in any way he can.
The realisation slipped through Shirogane's startled mind like the soft whisper of another's voice against his senses, as everything that had happened since the night Ribari had died suddenly flashed in vivid pictures through his mind. Seiren's attitude, his disdain – no, his true, clear hatred merged together with Nanaki's words and Ryuu's own doubts to harden his conviction.
Maybe Seiren-dono was involved in Ribari-sama's death. Ryuu knew, but was frightened without proof of accusing his own father, and so he kept it a secret. Now Seiren-dono is doing everything he can to make sure his son inherits. Even if that means removing me – who has always held more favour with Guren-sama – by force.
Shirogane stood for a moment, his mind whirling as he struggled to digest what his companion was saying. Almost before he knew what he was doing, his right hand had drawn itself up from his side, pulling Ginkyoujiki from its sheath and wielding it with a shaking hand in the retainer's direction.
Was Nanaki right, then? Whoever she might be or not be, was I wrong to suspect her information, when right now it's Seiren-dono's retainers who are stood in front of me, swords drawn?
"Saite, Ginkyoujiki." He commanded, casting his free hand in the direction of the assembled men. His voice trembled as the sword glimmered with a soft silver light then shattered into petals of razor sharp metal, spinning out across the room towards the startled guards. Shibata let out an exclamation, raising his own spiritless weapon in an attempt to defend himself from the sudden onslaught of metal fragments, but he was not able to repel them all, and as the edges sliced against the skin of his face and arms and cut through the fabric of his kimono, blood spattered on the floor and across the tables.
"Shibata-dono!" His men swarmed forward, but Shirogane's attack was in full flow now and he flicked the hilt of the weapon in their direction, too angry now to really care what he was doing. The blood-specked fragments swirled back and then redoubled their assault on the gathered guards, a cloud of razor sharp shards cloaked in a haze of metallic silver energy as Shirogane's attack became more and more resolute.
"Whatever Seiren-dono is planning, I don't intend to sit back and quietly accept it any longer." He said darkly, spreading the fingers of his left hand to increase the haze of magnetic reiatsu and Shibata's sword juddered then ripped free of his hand, spinning in the air once before embedding itself firmly in the wood of the shelf behind him. "If you want to catch me, Shibata, and lock me up, you'll have to get past Ginkyoujiki first. I've done nothing to deserve such a summons, and I obey the orders of my Captain, not my power-hungry Uncle. Until Guren-sama summons me, you can go back and report to your master that I'm not coming. I don't have time to play his games."
Shibata grabbed the hilt of his sword, yanking it forcibly from the shelf and without missing a beat, throwing it with some force across the room towards Shirogane. The shinigami cursed, hurriedly recalling his blade shards as he sought to deflect the swing, and as he did so, Shibata gestured to his men to surround their target, each hurrying to grab an arm to hold the young man still.
"You are under arrest." Shibata reached up to wipe blood from his cheek, fixing Shirogane with a black look. "On suspicion of the murder of your cousin, Ribari-sama, and high treason against the Clan Kuchiki. You will be taken before Lord Seiren, who will interrogate you before this matter is reported in full to the Lord of the Kuchiki, Guren-sama – to whom you will ultimately be answerable. Someone take his sword, before he can release it again and damage the records held here."
"Yes, Shibata-dono." A young man hurried to do his bidding, grabbing Shirogane's right fist and seeking to pry the still-glittering weapon free of his hold. As he did so, however, something inside the shinigami's mind snapped and his eyes narrowed, a storm brewing in their grey depths.
"Hadou no Ichi. Shou." He murmured, and the young soldier fell back with a yelp, tumbling over his feet with the force of the Kidou blast. His right hand now free, Shirogane brought his weapon up, slicing without hesitation through the arm of one retainer and then another as he sought to cut himself free of their hold. They dropped back in fear at his sudden savagery, blood spilling from the wounded limbs and Shibata let out a curse, lunging forward to grab Shirogane firmly around the neck. Shirogane had anticipated it, however, and he swung around, spreading his left hand fully as he thrust his palm towards the older man's chest.
"Bakudou no Ichi. Sai." He whispered, and the arms that had reached out to grab him were suddenly pinioned by an invisible force behind Shibata's back, causing him to drop to his knees in surprise and dismay.
"I told you. I don't intend to sit back and quietly accept Seiren-dono's actions." He said, his voice trembling in anger as he surveyed the group of soldiers, some bleeding and others edging away from him in clear terror at the sudden nature of his assault. "I'm not going to be killed by him – quietly or publicly, I don't intend on being anyone's martyr or scapegoat. I didn't kill Ribari-sama, but obviously nobody here believes me – or have reasons to want me blamed. So if that's the case, I'm not going to wait around to be murdered in my bed. I'm going to find someone who does believe me – and I'm going to find the truth."
He raised his hand over his head.
"Bakudou no Nijuu Roku. Kyokkou!" He exclaimed, as he blurred a Kidou barrier around his body, concealing himself from view and slipping into shunpo. For a while he did not stop, simply pushing himself from one step to the next as he sought to get as far from his Uncle's retinue as he could, but at length his anger and adrenaline faded and he dropped down onto the ground, realising for the first time that he had not only left the archive but also the Kuchiki manor far behind.
It was a cold and wet evening, although the rain was not falling here, and he shivered despite himself, realising that he had not even stopped to collect a cloak or anything else.
But I can't go back.
Getting to his feet with some difficulty, Shirogane turned back in the direction from which he had come, only just able to make out the faintest outline of the Kuchiki manor between the dense trees of the forest around him.
Ribari-sama died in this forest.
Shirogane's brows drew together as he registered where he was.
But I'm not going to do the same. If I can't stay here – and I can't – I have no choice but to keep going. Away from here. Out of District Six, if need be. To find someone who'll listen to me, and maybe, who'll help.
He turned on his heel, strengthening the Kyokkou barrier around his body as he trudged purposefully forward into the night.
Ryuu and Mitsuki are in District One, and so is Genryuusai-sama. So I'll go to District One, and somehow, I'll find the truth!
"I might have known you would be waiting for me."
As Juushirou reached the door of his chamber, he smiled ruefully, his gaze flitting from Hirata to Shunsui.
"Just because you don't want me to take all of the blame for something doesn't mean you have to take charge of everything I do, either."
"Well, I didn't like that Sensei dismissed us first, and neither of us were going to sleep till we knew what he'd said to you." Shunsui said gravely. "Don't tease us, Juu. What happened? Even if you can't tell us the specifics – what's he going to do to you?"
"Nothing, it seems." Juushirou admitted, shrugging his shoulders, and Hirata's eyes became huge.
"Nothing?" he echoed. "But…when he looked as cross as that?"
"He was cross. I mean, when we came back, I could tell he really was." Juushirou sighed, pushing open the dorm of his chamber and ushering his companions inside before sinking down onto his bed. "I'm so tired now it's over I could drop and sleep without changing, but I suppose I must. Apparently Tsukabishi-kun said something to him before he left the Healing Bay. About what had happened with Sougyo and that I had had to use my sword because he had been trapped and the Hollow was trying to kill him. So in light of that, Sensei let me off with a warning. And…that's that."
"That kid did, huh?" Shunsui tut-tutted under his breath. "Well…I'll admit it, I didn't think he had it in him."
"Quiet people do have conviction too, Shunsui-kun." Hirata chided, but there was relief in his pale blue eyes. "And I'm glad he found the courage to tell Sensei the truth."
"Sensei said that Tsukabishi-kun seemed to like me. Even…I don't know, admire me." Juushirou's cheeks reddened slightly at this. "I'm not quite sure what to do with that, to be honest. Especially since I've inadvertently put him through a whole lot of bad things, but…"
"You're not to blame if idiots start getting their noses out of joint and decide to bully their juniors." Shunsui said pragmatically. "And you shouldn't get embarrassed if the kid looks up to you. As Anideshi, he should. Right?"
"Yeah…maybe…but…"
"I looked up to you, when you first reached out to help me." Hirata said matter-of-factly. "And I still do, quite a lot, although I've found my own place now. That's because of you believing in me to begin with though, Juushirou-kun. You must know that already – if I hadn't met you in First year, who knows what might have happened to me, my Clan, or anybody."
"Stop it." Juushirou could not go any redder, and he flopped back on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. "Hirata, don't you start with it too. Because the truth of it is, I made lots of mistakes tonight. And I…I must have made a bunch of them leading up to this point. See, I'm sure that the people who were bullying Tsukabishi are those who were kept down in the Fifth year this year."
"Well, that's an obvious deduction." Shunsui snorted. "You didn't really think Kira or Kamitani or any of that group would start stabbing you in the back, did you?"
"I didn't really know." Juushirou admitted. "They're the first people I think of when you say Fifth year, because we studied with them for so long. But it focused my thoughts, being out in the rain and trying to track the kid down. That it is only me who's been targeted. It's only me that Tsukabishi-kun has been running scared from, and it seems to be only me that these bullies have a grudge again. Because I'm Anideshi. Right?"
"Well, it's either a case of you being District, or it's a case of sour grapes." Shunsui reflected. "Neither of which is something you've done."
"You're wrong." Juushirou shook his head grimly, turning to meet his friend's gaze with a sober one of his own. "On the very first day, I crossed words with Kamaki Azusa – one of last year's Fifth years. And since then he's been generally disapproving around me. I don't know it's him for sure – and since I have no proof, I didn't give his name to Sensei. But…the more I think about it, the more sure I am. Because I was sharp with him on first day about his behaviour – in front of witnesses, too – I think he's disposed to hate me."
"All because of one exchange of words?" Hirata sighed. "Do you really think that would make him want to steal your sword?"
"Kamaki is a kinsman of Sora's." Shunsui said thoughtfully. "Third degree, I believe, though his father operates as one of Kyouki-sama's particular advisors. I've only met him once, when Oniisama dragged me to District Five for some important occasion or other when I was fifteen. I wasn't impressed. The Shiba aren't anti-District, so that probably isn't his motive – if Juu is right. But from the little I remember of him – and from what I've heard when Sora's been on one of her inexplicable rants, he's not a particularly nice person. The kind who blames his ills on others – and certainly one who wouldn't forgive being kept down. He was quite stuck up to me, if I recall correctly – because I was younger than him, and I quote, 'only heir by default.' The truth is I think he was jealous of the attention Kyouki-sama and her children gave me as Tokutarou-nii's brother, but it was only a brief encounter and it never got beyond that stage. I'd forgotten about it till you mentioned his name, in fact."
He sighed.
"But I can see that if Juu put himself in a place where he became a focal point for that resentment…I think he's as good a candidate as we've got."
"But we have to prove it." Juushirou groaned. "So that he won't tackle Tsukabishi-kun any more. The kid is frightened of whoever it is – and there's more to it than we know, I'm absolutely sure about that. So tomorrow - if I'm all right - I'm going to see what I can find out. As Anideshi…"
"You take care of your fever first." Shunsui ordered. "I guess this means your spar with Akira-kun is off."
"Spar?" Juushirou sat bolt upright, alarm flickering in his hazel eyes, and Shunsui sighed, patting his friend on the shoulder.
"You'd forgotten, hadn't you?" He murmured. "I shouldn't have reminded you – all that battling of Hollows clear wiped it from your mind."
"Yes, it did, but now you've said it, I need to deal with that, too." Juushirou bit his lip. "Because that's a whole other problem, and…"
"Postpone it." Hirata suggested. "That's the easiest solution."
Juushirou looked troubled, but before he could answer there was a soft knock at the door, and all eyes turned to the divide.
"Mitsuki-chan, right on cue." Shunsui murmured, and Juushirou shot him a dark look, before raising his voice to call the healer in. She slid back the door, offering them all a rueful smile before stepping carefully over the threshold.
"I shouldn't be here, and I don't want to be caught in a boy's room." She murmured. "So I won't stay very long. I just…when you were out in the cold…I wanted you to have this. Because I thought you'd need it."
She produced a small vial, setting it down beside Juushirou's bed.
"You know exactly what happened out in the forest, don't you?" Juushirou picked it up, glancing at her, and Mitsuki nodded.
"Ryuu and I both do, and Shihouin-kun felt it too." She agreed gravely. "We filled Sora-chan and Houjou-kun in on the details. But I know you're hurting right now too, Juushirou-kun. So take that and try to sleep. Hopefully it will take the edge off and you'll feel better in the morning."
She paused, then,
"Sensei…didn't get very cross with you, did he?"
"He was, but he's forgiven me." Juushirou assured her. "So you needn't worry. I've been sent back here to sleep – and that's what I intend to do. It's already far too late…Sensei said it was past midnight, and I'm exhausted."
He took the stopper from the vial, sniffing the contents cautiously before letting out a heavy sigh.
"This is going to be bitter, isn't it?" He said resignedly, and Mitsuki nodded.
"It is a little." She said apologetically. "I didn't have time to dig out anything to make the taste sweeter, so you'll have to take it neat I'm afraid. It's all I could manage in a short space of time. I only did get back today and I haven't properly reported to Retsu-sama for anything yet, so I didn't have much I could use."
"It's all right. If it tastes bad maybe it'll teach him to be less silly next time." Shunsui chuckled, as Juushirou pulled a graphic face, then downed the contents in one go.
"You make me sound like a naughty child." He complained, handing the vial back to Mitsuki. "Thank you, Mitsuki. It wasn't as bad as it smelt – and I trust your potions where my fevers are concerned. I'm going to kick all of you out now, though…because if I don't get changed soon, I will fall asleep like this and have to explain to Sensei tomorrow why my one clean uniform is rumbled and creased from being slept in."
"We're going." Hirata nodded, stifling a yawn. "We're tired too…it was a long night for all of us."
"Mitsuki-chan might want to stay and help the patient to change." Shunsui said innocently, and Mitsuki snorted.
"I already said I didn't intend to get caught inside a boy's room, and I've already been here too long." She said archly. "Stop trying to put innuendos into situations, Kyouraku-kun. Juushirou is exhausted and I'm going to bed too, now."
She flashed Juushirou a tired smile.
"I need to sleep as well." She admitted. "Goodnight, Juushirou. Sweet dreams, all right?"
With that she was gone, and Shunsui let out a low whistle.
"With a nurse like that, I imagine your dreams will be very sweet." He said playfully.
"Shut up and go away, will you?" Juushirou retorted, his fingers already moving to unfasten his obi. "She's right, and I'm too tired to be teased. We'll return to this issue in the morning…I'm done for tonight."
"And Yamamoto-kun?" Hirata asked. "Do you want someone to take him a message?"
"Mm. No." Juushirou shook his head. "I'll deal with that tomorrow too – leave it with me."
Well, the Academy certainly wasn't dull.
Mitsuki pushed open the door of the small chamber which from that night she would share with Sora, gazing around it pensively for a moment before letting out a heavy sigh. It seemed as though she had been back for days, for term had fallen into full swing in her absence, yet despite the craziness of their first day back, the young healer felt somewhat relieved.
I'm back where I belong. Nobody is getting killed. Nobody is plotting to kill anyone else. Servants aren't going to be savaged in the stable yard here – and Ryuu and I are safe.
Her grey eyes softened as she thought back to that morning, before they had left the Kuchiki manor for the toll road to District One. Her father had been there to see them off, and as he had hugged her, he had murmured in her ear,
"Try not to take it back with you."
She had known without asking what he had meant – for although she had no deep ties to the Kuchiki way of life, she and her father had been very close ever since her mother's death some years before. Teitou had always been prone to overprotecting her, and he had been horrified when he had discovered that she had been the first to see the slaughtered stable hands, her clothes stained with their blood as she had tried desperately to save the groom's life. Even now she knew he worried about her – and that her choice of vocation would end up causing her more pain that it would pleasure. Although he had accepted it, the most recent events had drawn those concerns once more to the forefront of his mind – and Mitsuki was sure that Teitou in particular was relieved to have her sent far from the centre of the Clan.
A place I would never choose to be of my own volition, but a place that I found myself all the same.
Slowly she changed out of her uniform and into her nightrobe, sinking down onto the covers of her bed with a yawn. Sora had told her she was heading to the bath before she had gone to check on Juushirou, so she knew her room-mate would not be back for a while, yet although Sora had been excited about the prospect of a late night conversation, Mitsuki felt fairly sure she would be asleep before her friend returned.
Still, being back with Sora has helped, too. Even though she's Clan, Sora isn't tied up in political intrigue. She's just…Sora. Someone I trust. Someone who can be trusted. Someone whose motives I know and understand.
She frowned, her mind flitting to Shirogane.
I wonder if Senpai is all right. Father said he wasn't going to come see us off – that he'd decided not to, because Seiren-dono's guards were the ones escorting us back. The rift between Ryuu's father and Shirogane-senpai is growing wider, and it worries me. But there isn't anything that a third degree hime can do about Kuchiki politics, even if I had stayed in District Six.
She rolled onto her stomach, resting her chin in her hands as she thought this through.
It's funny. I didn't ever really speak to Senpai before Ribari-sama died. Before I was called from home to treat him, I was even a little scared of him. But…that night I sat with him…it changed. I couldn't be scared of someone who grabbed hold of my hand so desperately and who was so obviously afraid. Little by little I've seen the other side of him – that he isn't just sardonic and austere but that he has feelings and they can be hurt just like anyone else's. I'm a little ashamed of myself for not knowing it sooner – but now I do know it, I don't like that Ryuu and I have left him alone.
She smiled slightly at her own stupidity.
I'm sure he hasn't even thought twice about it, though. He's used to us not being there – he's never bothered with either of us before. This was a specific and exceptional circumstance – like as not he'll get back to his duties now and things will calm down. If he can help find Ribari-sama's killer, everything will be all right. Although given the things Ryuu was saying earlier…
She shook her head as if to clear it.
I don't believe Seiren-dono killed Ribari-sama, or had any involvement in his death. Guren-sama was shattered when I arrived at the main estate that night, but it was Seiren-dono who refused to accept the boy was really dead. He made me examine Ribari-sama twice before Guren-sama ordered us to leave his son in peace. And then Shirogane-senpai started to get into difficulties, so I was ordered to stay with him and save his life no matter what. But it was Seiren-dono in whose eyes I saw real fear and uncertainty that night.
Guren-sama knew. He knew his son was past all hope, and he acted as a Clan leader had to, even while he was grieving as a father. It was Seiren-dono who was still struggling to accept it. Ryuu might not be able to pick up those things from his father, but I did. Whatever has happened since, Seiren-dono did not know Ribari-sama was going to be killed that night. And more, although he doesn't show feelings very openly, he was almost as devastated by it as Guren-sama was. Even if it's true that Seiren-dono dislikes or mistrusts Senpai - I don't believe he would have hurt Ribari-sama, not even to make Ryuu the heir to the Clan.
She sighed, flopping forward onto her bedcovers.
But I shouldn't be running this over and over in my mind. With everything today and this evening, I'd begun to push it away – but on my own like this it comes back. The bad feeling in the Kuchiki estate is oppressive and stifling – especially for someone with healer's wits. But I can't help but be worried about what's happening back there. I've never felt so involved in the centre of the Clan before…even if the truth is that I'm not.
"Mitsuki-chan?"
The sound of Naoko's voice startled her to the fact she had company, and she turned, shooting the Unohana girl a surprised look.
"Naoko? It's late – has something happened?"
"No, I don't suppose it has." Naoko hesitated, then slid the door shut, coming to sit down on Sora's bed. "Suzuno said you were up and moving around still, and I thought I'd come make sure that you were all right. With the things that have been happening lately, and then tonight…I was worried you were dwelling on things too much."
"Probably I am, but that's nothing new." Mitsuki offered her friend a weary smile. "Thank you, Naoko-chan. But I'm all right, I think. There is a lot that's not settled in District Six, that's all. So now I'm alone and it's late, I'm remembering that fact."
"Mm." Naoko pursed her lips for a moment, then, "To tell you the truth, I saw you a little while ago. With…Kyouraku-kun and Endou-kun, coming out of the Nest."
"Oh." Mitsuki pinkened. "Well, I did go there…that was something else that bothered me. Juushirou got drenched this evening, and wound up fighting a Hollow to top it all off. I could sense it – that he was hurting – so I just went to take him a simple herbal remedy. That's all. I didn't stay very long."
"It is a breach of rules." Naoko reminded her lightly. "Had anyone else seen you…by which I mean less understanding members of our class – you might have found yourself in trouble. You may not have been back here long enough yet to really appreciate the ill feeling beneath the surface, but that isn't an excuse. You should be more discreet, you know – even if you haven't seen one another for such a long time."
"There's nothing to be indiscreet about." Mitsuki shrugged her shoulders. "I'm in love with Juushirou and I won't deny it. But we are just friends, and there's nothing more to it than that. I told you that earlier, and I'll give you my word again now, Naoko-chan. That's all it is."
She smiled faintly.
"I might like it to be something more, but I know more than ever lately that it can't be." She added wistfully. "Because my Clan is a complicated place at the best of times. And I am…a part of that Clan. Even though I'm a healer, and I've always felt on the edge of it. Right now I feel…I am a Kuchiki. And I care what's happening there, even though now I'm here."
"Well, of course you do." Naoko said matter-of-factly. "That's just common sense. I'm an Unohana and what happens in my Clan bothers me – even if I don't want to go round running after sick people like the most of them do. You don't have to be a carbon copy of your Clan's stereotype to feel a kinship to your family. It's perfectly normal that you would, given your position."
She paused, then,
"Guren-sama acknowledged you, didn't he?" She asked quietly, and Mitsuki nodded.
"He never really has before, though he did give permission for my training." She agreed with a sigh. "But when Ribari-sama was hurt, Ryuu told his father and Seiren-dono pushed Guren-sama to send for me. It was too late for Ribari-sama, but I did manage to help Shirogane-senpai at the very least. I think…maybe that made people understand a little. That even if I am…odd to them, I have a purpose too."
She laughed ruefully, glancing at her hands.
"Or maybe I was the one who realised I had a purpose there." She amended. "Though I don't intend to always be at the heart of Kuchiki intrigue. Just…there was a lot I couldn't do to help, but I did save Senpai's life. And…that was something important that I did because I was a healer. If it had waited till Retsu-sama had come…he would probably have died. She said that too – because of me, he's still alive."
"And able to carry out his own duties, too." Naoko looked thoughtful. "Mitsuki-chan, tell me, for I've forgotten – what degree of Clan is Nagoya-senpai?"
"Mm. That's complicated." Mitsuki pulled a face. "Well, everything associated with the Kuchiki is. His mother was Ryuu's aunt, making him second degree. But his father was a fourth degree kinsman, and so some feel…"
"He is beneath second degree in reality, but elevated by talent and favour?" Naoko asked. Mitsuki nodded.
"He's not elevated beyond his station though." She added hurriedly. "Senpai is smart and able and he's good at what he does. He should be considered second degree and Ryuu's effective equal. It's a silly rule, in my mind, that because it was his mother and not his father who was from the central line, he should be thought of any differently."
"Agnatic tradition." Naoko sounded disdainful. "An outmoded concept in most progressive Clans. I'm glad the Unohana don't believe in it – Retsu-sama is the strongest and most able Clan head we've had in many generations. Everybody says that that's so."
"Sora's mother is also that way in District Five." Mitsuki agreed with a sigh. "But I think the Kuchiki inner court would throw up hands in horror at the bare suggestion. Masane-dono was the daughter of Senaya-sama and a hime of good blood. But really she wasn't anything more than that. And because of that fact, Shirogane-senpai's position depends pretty much entirely on Guren-sama's good opinion."
"You sound worried about him." Naoko murmured, and Mitsuki reddened, nodding her head.
"It does sound that way." She acknowledged. "I suppose I am. It's funny that I should feel so concerned for someone who a few months ago I would probably do my best to avoid meeting. He can be sharp-tongued, dismissive and intolerant…and he doesn't generally talk to those who rank beneath him more than he has to. But…now things are different, and his own position is under threat. More, though, he's grieving. The boy who died…was very close to him. And I don't think he's ever been in that situation before. I…it's hard to explain, but when I saved him, that night he was truly vulnerable. He didn't know I was there, or that anyone was – he was trapped in delusions and when he cried out or reached for my hand it was involuntary, not conscious. But my healer senses responded to that need…and I haven't been afraid of him since."
"You sound more than unafraid of him, if I may say so." Naoko said acerbically. "You sound somewhat fond of him."
"Fond?" Mitsuki looked surprised, and Naoko nodded.
"You said yourself that your friendship with Ukitake-kun must remain on a platonic basis because of your difference in birth." She said pragmatically. "And that you were more aware of your position within the Kuchiki Clan as a result of recent events."
"Yes, I know I did." Mitsuki frowned. "But Naoko-chan, if you're suggesting…"
"You need to look at things more realistically." Naoko said firmly. "There's no shame in having a close friendship with a District boy – even with a boy whose antecedents are illegitimate Kuchiki. Ukitake-kun is a respectable person, and not someone whose manners would cause an upset. You can't take it any further. You and he have both accepted that. However…Nagoya-senpai is an entirely different prospect."
"Naoko, are you suggesting I should focus my affections on Shirogane-senpai?" Despite her tiredness, Mitsuki's was suddenly alert, staring at her friend in complete disbelief. "I said I was worried about him – and yes, I have become somewhat 'fond' of him, but not in that way! If anything it's a very new friendship – but it's completely different from how things are with Juushirou!"
"Things aren't anything with Ukitake-kun, by your own admission." Naoko said bluntly. "Listen, Mitsuki-chan. As your friend, I'm going to be straight with you. Your Clan is in flux and right now it doesn't need any further disruption. You have been noticed by your Clan leader – you can't hide any longer in the shadows of obscurity because of your healer vocation. Do you think that, even if you were to pursue anything with Ukitake-kun, your Clan would accept it? All you would do would be disgrace yourself and your father in Guren-sama's eyes and create irreparable damage for people you care about. Probably for Ukitake-kun as well. You know all of this – you've said it yourself. Now I'm saying it back to you."
"But…"
"You're not a teenager now." Naoko said gently. "You're an adult woman who can make her own choices in life. Most Kuchiki hime are betrothed or married by the time they reach twenty, are they not? The main reasons you are not are because you are a healer - and because you are here, training as you are. But when you graduate, I'm sure your father will raise the subject, and within the Kuchiki, a woman's role is very different from what it might be in other less mysogenistic families."
She pulled a derisive face, then,
"Ukitake-kun is a resident of your Clan's District, and you must realise the impact it could have on him too, now you're in Guren-sama's notice." She continued. "You would do far better to forget about those feelings and focus yourself on the future. Nagoya-senpai is not quite second degree and not quite fourth degree. You are third degree. A more suitable match within the Clan probably does not exist."
"I don't have that kind of interest in Shirogane-senpai, Naoko-chan."
"Well, that isn't how it sounds to an outside observer." Naoko said acerbically. "Besides, I didn't think that kind of thing really mattered when it was the Kuchiki. I've heard of many virtues your Clan seek when making marriage matches. Bloodline. Heritage. Talent. Even handsome appearance. But romance? It's not really a Sixth District trait. Perhaps it isn't a Clan one either. You've allowed yourself to become naive, that's all - but like I just said, we're none of us children now."
"Are you serious?" Mitsuki asked softly, and Naoko looked surprised, then nodded her head.
"I'm thinking with your best interests at heart." She agreed. "I know you don't want to hear those things, but Mi-chan, you have to see it from an outside perspective too. You lost your heart to Ukitake-kun and that's your own folly, I suppose, because you did it with the one boy in our class that nobody would ever sanction you being with. But to take it further might destroy both of your lives. To persist in feeling such things...don't you see that if you were to be married to someone suitable when you graduate here, you'll not only be provided for in the heart of that masculinised Clan of yours but also your friendship with Ukitake-kun can't fail to be seen as nothing beyond platonic? I know you're intelligent and that you understand more clearly than most what being Clan means. Your family will forgive your socialising with a District boy - an illegitimate Kuchiki boy, even - if they know it's simply a school friendship and nothing more."
Mitsuki was silent for a moment, unable to speak as a mixture of emotions rushed through her young body. Anger, fear, sadness and frustration all competed to be uppermost in her tired senses, and she bit her lip, clenching and unclenching her fists as she sought to keep a firm grip on her rising feelings.
"You're mistaken." She said quietly. "Being married to anyone would not settle anything at all. Because I don't intend to follow that path, Naoko. I'm not interested in doing anything like that. I'm not going to make a traditional Kuchiki match."
"Then you're foolish." Naoko said briskly. "And I didn't think you were that reckless a person deep down. You've never been a rebellious type - you've had your dreams and your vocation and you've followed it - but in the end, you've still stayed close to home. You've made your father proud of you, and let him protect you. What are you intending to do, then, when you're out there on your own in the real world? Seireitei isn't the Academy. And you're not going to have the protection of the Kuchiki squad. Do you think that just because Retsu-sama has tutored you, you'll immediately fall under her protection and she'll answer all your questions for you? Don't be naive. Retsu-sama is a good person, but she's a Shinigami Captain and a Clan leader. She can't spend all her time nursemaiding a student who isn't even of her blood."
"So that's what you really think of me, then?" Now Mitsuki's hot-blooded Kuchiki pride overrode her normal calm, and she got to her feet, glaring down at Naoko indignantly. "That I'm a helpless, kept hime who isn't capable of taking initiative into her own hands and forging her own path? You come from a family of healers, so you think you understand the healing vocation and what it is that drives me forward to train. But you don't, do you? You don't have even the slightest flicker of it inside of you. Only someone completely dense to it could say such things and believe in them as though they made sense."
"I was trying to give you sound advice, and instead you resort to casting low blows at me." Naoko bristled, her own obstinate temper rising in the face of this tirade. "You're not an Unohana, Mitsuki. Don't pretend that you are. I know my family better than you - I know more about this than you. You will have to prove yourself against people who have spent their whole lives training to be great healers and high ranking ones in District Four. Don't be naive. It's not as simple as you think it is."
"I don't care." Mitsuki snapped back, her eyes glittering with tears, but they were tears of fury, not of sadness. "I didn't choose to be a healer, but I am one. You didn't choose not to be, but you're not. You're the one who doesn't understand, Naoko. From the things you've said tonight, I understand that more clearly than I ever have before. That you might be an Unohana, but you don't have an Unohana's sensitivity. You don't really know how other people feel at all, do you? And more, you don't really care."
"If I didn't care, you stupid girl, I wouldn't put my neck out to make such suggestions in the first place!" Naoko shot back, and Mitsuki snorted, shaking her head in frustration.
"Don't make them at all, because I don't want them!" She exclaimed, banging her hand down on the wall as if to emphasise her point. "I'm not a helpless hime who can't choose or act for herself, you know! And I realise I have a long way to go before I'll make a great healer. I know that! I've seen the blood spilt of those who I should have been able to save, and I've not been protected from death or violence since I chose this path. But I know my own mind, Naoko. I know it, and I will follow it. Even if you, or other people think differently. I have made up my mind. I don't intend to marry. Not Senpai, not anyone at all. I'm in love with Juushirou, and I can stay that way for the rest of my life if need be. It doesn't matter if we can't get married or be together or do anything other than be friends. Because I'm a healer, and that is my path. I won't be the prized trinket wife of any powerful Clan lord - not for anyone!"
"Mitsuki, you..."
"No, you listen to me for once." Mitsuki strode forward, grasping Naoko by the shoulders and fixing her with a defiant, challenging glare. "You always have an opinion, and that's fine. I listen to those opinions and I take them on board. But when it comes to my heart or my future, don't presume you understand. You don't know anything about the Kuchiki, nor about healers. You only see Clan and status as a security for the future. Well, perhaps I don't choose that easy, stable future. Perhaps I choose something different to that."
"What the hell is going on in here?"
Before Naoko could fire back a response, the door of the chamber slid back to reveal Sora, towel in hand and a bemused expression on her face as she glanced from one friend to the other. "Mitsuki, why are you red in the face and why do you look like you're about to shake the heebie-jeebies out of Nao-chan? And Nao-chan, why are you glaring at Mitsuki as if she just killed your favourite pet? What on earth are you doing? It's gone midnight and I could hear raised voices all down the hall!"
"I'm sure I don't know." Naoko shook herself free from Mitsuki's grip, turning to shoot the Kuchiki girl an ice cold glare before turning to meet Sora's gaze impassively. "Since I have no understanding of other people's feelings, I wouldn't presume to guess. You'll have to ask the healer for the details, Sora - I'm sure she'll be far better qualified than I to give you a rundown of the facts."
With that she was gone, sliding the door firmly behind her with a forceful click, and Mitsuki groaned, sinking down onto her bed and burying her head in her hands. She was still shaking, she realised, with anger and a force of emotion she had not known she had possessed. Naoko's words had preyed on her tiredness and she had snapped - but even though she knew she had lost her head thoroughly, she did not feel sorry for what she had said. Instead she simply felt anger - searing rage that bubbled and stirred within her and that try as she might she could not fully quell.
"Well?" After the silence threatened to become endless, Sora's voice finally broke through the heavy atmosphere and at length Mitsuki raised her gaze, her expression defensive as she stared at her friend.
"Hey, don't eat me too." Sora held up her hands hurriedly. "I only said 'well?'. I'm sure there are rules of argument etiquette that forbid people snapping heads off without provocation."
At this, Mitsuki sighed, rubbing her temples.
"I'm sorry." She murmured, then, "I'm not angry at you. But I'm still...quite angry. So I might shout at you...if you ask me too much now."
"Naoko said something you didn't like, huh?" Sora flopped back on her bed, gazing up at the ceiling. "But even so, I've not seen you like that before. Well...well, like this. Like...your reiatsu is prickling enough that even I can feel it and feel it clearly. Were you that worried about Juushirou's antics? He came back safe, didn't he?"
"It's not about Juushirou." There was more force in Mitsuki's words than she intended, and Sora arched an eyebrow.
"From the way you said that, I think it was a little bit about Juushirou." She observed pensively. "And knowing Naoko, I'm sure I can work out what. She told you to stop your crush on him, didn't she? Something on those lines. And you're tired, and worried about Juushirou's adventure this evening, and so you snapped. It'll blow over in the morning - you know how Nao is. She has strong views on things."
"So do I, Sora." Mitsuki murmured, glancing at the backs of her hands as she fought to bring her emotions under control. Tears still pricked at her lashes but she forced them back, resting her hands on the bedcovers in an attempt to stop them trembling. "So do I."
"I wasn't saying otherwise." Sora assured her hastily. "But you are tired, and it is late. And so..."
"She doesn't understand at all." Mitsuki cut across her, shaking her head. "I'm sorry, Sora. I'm not going to forget it so easily. What she said. What she thinks. It's not about Juushirou - it's not just about that. It's about how Naoko sees me overall - as a helpless hime who when graduation comes will wind up running back to her Clan instead of following her vocation and becoming a proper healer. She doesn't think I'm strong enough to do that - to forsake everything in order to help people as a healer should. But she doesn't understand at all."
"Nao is Nao." Sora came to sit beside her friend, slipping a tentative arm around her shoulders, and Mitsuki did not pull away, allowing the tension to seep out of her weary body.
"And I'm Mitsuki." She murmured. "Edogawa Mitsuki. Not Kuchiki. Not Unohana. Edogawa. That's who I am. It's all I am. It's all I ever will be."
"Huh?" Sora stared at her, bewildered, and Mitsuki groaned.
"Yesterday, at the main estate, five stable hands were cut down by an unknown assasin." She said quietly. "The whole place was awash with blood. They were badly savaged by someone with no qualms about death - maybe someone who enjoyed killing, I don't know. One man...was still alive when I reached them, but I could not save him. I simply had to watch him die. I was there, in the midst of that scene, with nobody to protect me from their pain or from the violence. Naoko thinks I'm a coward - that I've been shielded by my family my whole life and that when it comes to it I won't be able to face what being a Shinigami healer means. But yesterday I saw it face on, Sora. I saw what it means. And I only realised one thing. That I wanted to have saved them. I didn't mind the blood. I wasn't frightened of the danger. But I couldn't stand that they died...and I couldn't help them."
She buried her head in her hands.
"Naoko thinks I should be a good Kuchiki, try and snare Shirogane-senpai as my husband and settle down in peace and tranquility, because I don't have the sword skills to fight on the front line." She whispered. "Because I'm distressed by other people's pain, I'm sure she thinks I'm weak - and because I'm a Kuchiki, I'm sure she thinks me spoiled. But she doesn't understand even a little bit of how things are for me. She never has. I realised it properly tonight. Naoko is an Unohana, but she has no healing wits at all. And she doesn't really understand people - just social rules and etiquette."
She offered a faint, bittersweet smile.
"Even you understand a little bit, although you're not as sensitive to reiatsu as some of the others." She added. "Because you listen to what I'm saying, rather than just assuming what I mean."
Sora sighed, gently ruffling her fingers through Mitsuki's hair.
"You've really been through it lately, haven't you?" She said quietly, and Mitsuki shrugged.
"It's like I said before." She said sadly. "I've just realised all the more how much I am a healer - and how much more important that is to me than being part of my Clan. I am a Kuchiki - I feel ties to that family I never did before, now. But it hasn't changed who I am deep down. No matter how hard the path is, Sora - I intend to follow Retsu-sama and become a proper healer. Even if the Unohana shinigami all hate and resent me and even if I have to start from the very bottom without help from anyone. It's the only thing I can do."
"Then do it." Sora advised matter of factly. "It's your life. Your vocation. So do it. Nobody's stopping you - right?"
"Right." Mitsuki nodded, wiping her eyes. "When you say it, it sounds so simple. That's why it's easier to talk to you, Sora. I don't think I'll make Naoko understand."
"I could talk to her?" Sora suggested, but Mitsuki shook her head.
"I don't think...I want to make her understand." She admitted. "I don't think...after tonight...there's a lot of point."
She frowned, remembering the cold look that the older girl had shot her way.
"She's always thought to protect me, too." She added simply. "But I don't need protecting any more. So I don't think...we'll work this through, Sora. I don't think that I want to. I'm not...who she thinks I am. And that isn't going to change, no matter how much talking we do."
She shrugged.
"But for now, I'm going to sleep. If I can." She said heavily. "I'm sorry you had to walk in on that, Sora-chan - and that it puts you in the middle. But I'm not going to change my mind, I don't think. Because even now I'm calming down, I'm still angry. And I don't think...that I'm going to forgive her for what she said very easily at all."
Author's note:
Here ends the longest day in fanfiction history ;)
Also – Kyokkou. This is Kyakkou as referenced in previous fics – the incantation that Hirata often uses to conceal himself. It's the fault of my own laziness really, in that I didn't bother to go look the spell up in the raw manga for myself until I saw the Kanji on a forum somewhere and thought, hang on a minute, that doesn't make sense. So I went to the raw to check, and sure enough the spell is actually called Kyokkou, not Kyakkou. I haven't any intention of changing the references in the early fics because it would be too time consuming – but I thought I'd explain here, just so as people weren't confused.
It's a pity. Kyakkou is a nicer word .