Chapter Fifty: The Real World
"So this is it, huh?"
Shunsui stepped out of the dark tunnel of energy that connected Seireitei with their destination, pausing to gaze up at the sky that hazed in blues and whites high above their head. In the branches of the trees, birds sang and insects buzzed, but though at first glance it resembled the forestland of District One, there was something very different in the atmosphere that made him look again.
Almost as though it's an illusion. Either it is, or we are. One or the other.
Thoughtfully he bent down to touch the blades of grass, feeling the dampness of dew against his skin. He brought his hand up to his face, examining the smeared droplets as they glinted in the early morning light.
Water, just like in Seireitei. But it's not like in Seireitei. I'm not sure how to explain it – I just know that that's true.
"What's up?" Juushirou came up behind him, and Shunsui turned, offering him a rueful smile. His friend had entirely recovered from their night out now, his appearance marking him out as a dutiful senior student with authority and responsibility to carry out the tasks he had been given. His lank white hair was tied firmly back from his face with scarcely a stray wisp to catch the gentle breeze, and his uniform was smart and trim, a black band at his wrist indicating that he was group leader and therefore in charge of the safety of those in his company.
A short distance away, Akira had also exited the Senkaimon, an identical band of ebony looped around his wrist. Unlike Juushirou, whose bearing only just managed to conceal the excitement of having crossed from one world into the other, the Yamamoto boy looked faintly impatient, and for some reason Shunsui found his smile widening at the contrast.
"This world has a strange feeling to it," he said now, turning back to his friend. "I almost feel as though we stepped into a dream state – don't you?"
"A dream state, huh?" Juushirou lifted up his hand to feel the cool rush of air that gusted through the trees. "Maybe. There's something lacking here – but even though it's lacking, it's also here in abundance. I know that doesn't make sense, but it's the only way I can explain it out loud."
"Lacking but in abundance," Shunsui repeated thoughtfully. "Yes. Maybe you're right."
"What it lacks in spiritual composition it makes up for in mineral deposit." Ryuu joined them, his own expression sober. "The dichotomy is easily comprehensible when looked at in those terms – our world is a spiritual one, but Sensei told us that this one is grounded in more stable elements."
"You might think it's comprehensible. I'm not sure I can spell comprehensible, let alone dichotomy!" Enishi grinned, clapping his Kuchiki friend on the back and almost sending him flying. "Whoops. Sorry, Kuchiki – I didn't mean to shove you over. Let's try and speak proper normal speak while we're in the Real World, huh? Since we're paired up, I won't understand a word you say unless you drop your vocabulary level to mine for a while."
"You should read more books," Ryuu told him acerbically, steadying himself with a dark glare, "and what kind of partner you will be if your first act is to floor me, I really don't know."
"Well, if Houjou cripples you, it means nobody else will need to," Kai joked, sending Ryuu a wink as he and Hirata hurried to join up with Akira and his party. "Good luck, all. We're heading east and you're heading west to the different camp sites. It's quite some distance apart – so we probably won't cross paths again till we go home. Try and remember to bring all extremities back with you – and we'll swap stories then."
"Same goes for you!" Shunsui's off-hand rejoinder neatly prevented Ryuu from making any kind of retort, and Kai laughed, waving his hand to indicate he had got the message. After a backward glance, Hirata turned to follow him, and Shunsui could hear Akira's carrying tones scolding them for loitering when they were on duty.
"West and east." Juushirou's words brought them back to the present. "Do we have everyone? Mitsuki…Sora?"
"Right here." Sora, the last out of the Senkaimon raised her hand, and Shunsui watched as the black expanse of emptiness disappeared, swallowing up the delicate blue-black butterfly that had guided them from the Academy to their destination. "That was a funny feeling – didn't you think so? I was starting to wonder if I was getting Gate-sickness – I didn't think it would be such an up and down transit."
"How can you get travel-sick from walking through a tunnel?" Ryuu stared at Sora in surprise, and Sora pulled a face.
"When you have a zanpakutou spirit like mine bouncing in, out and around your head at the same time, you can," she said blackly. "Trust me, Kuchiki. Besides, it's a rougher ride at the back of the pack. You were right up front with that wretched butterfly – but even though Sensei stabilised the tunnel so that we could use it, I still didn't think it was very safe."
"Technology's come on a long way, though, in a short time," Juushirou reflected. "It's amazing, really, what Nagesu-sama and his scientists have managed to construct even in the few years since the crisis in District Seven."
"We all know who's to thank for that," Shunsui said darkly. "There's an odd kind of irony that we're here as quickly as we are because of that man and his tinkering with space, time and dimensional doorways. Before the Hell Butterfly became more widespread, it apparently took a couple of days to get students here safely and a couple of days to get them back."
"At least he had some purpose," Ryuu said frankly. Juushirou nodded.
"I suppose that's the bright side of it. We have better travel networks now than we had before," he said pensively, meeting Shunsui's gaze for the briefest of moments. Shunsui grimaced, shrugging his shoulders.
"I'd be happy to walk everywhere if it meant that man didn't exist," he said evenly, "so let's not talk about him. Sensei's instructions talked about an abandoned settlement two ri west of here, where we can make our camp. I don't know what time it is in this place, but if this world works like our world, I think rain might be on the horizon. Therefore…"
"We should make for camp and go over basics." Juushirou nodded. "You're right. Ryuu, you have the map, don't you?"
"I do, but I don't need it if all we're doing is finding our camp location," Ryuu said pragmatically. "I have already memorised the coordinates for the area we need, and it is a fairly straightforward path. I'm not sure it is even two ri, not if we take a direct route – but Kyouraku may be right about the risk of rain."
"A little rain never hurt anyone," Enishi said philosophically, gazing up at the sky. "We can survive a downpour or two, can't we? It is autumn."
"I wonder if it is," Mitsuki put in pensively as the group of six fell into step together, each one of them taking in their surroundings as they walked. "The seasons here might not be the same as the ones we're used to – and we don't know if Real World rain is the same as it is in Seireitei."
"Sensei would've told us if rain was dangerous," Enishi pointed out. "He didn't, so I guess it's fine."
"I don't think the water here is harmful," Shunsui added thoughtfully. "There's dew on the ground and it seems to be fairly…well, like water to me. But it's what Ryuu said earlier – about the way this world is made up. There's very little spiritual vapour in the ether. Don't you guys feel that too? It's as though someone's switched off all of the things we usually have around us."
"It's a very…quiet world," Juushirou agreed. "Now you mention it, I see what you mean. In Seireitei, there are so many spiritual sensations that you just get used to reading and differentiating them from one another. But here…there's very little to even pick up. The air seems a lot clearer because of it – or maybe that's because there are less creatures here which have a spiritual footprint."
"You're getting all scientific again," Enishi grimaced. "I really hope there isn't going to be a theory paper on all of this, because you've lost me. There are trees, there's grass, there's sky. Somewhere here there's people, but they won't be able to see us because they don't have spiritual awareness and therefore won't know we're here. If there are Hollows – we kill them. If we find any stray souls, we bury them. What else matters? We don't need to know about spirits and their footprints unless they're big and ugly and belong to Hollows. Right?"
"Enishi," Shunsui laughed, patting his friend on the back, "you have a way of bringing us all back down to earth. You're right, of course. It doesn't matter. It just makes the world seem a lot emptier all of a sudden – that's all."
"I'm a little aware of it," Sora said thoughtfully. "Hotarue is more so than me, so that's probably why. But we should be able to find Hollows more quickly if that's the case. I can actually sense Yamamoto and the others at the moment, even though we're heading in opposite directions. Back at school, I can't often do that."
"Your spiritual senses are obviously set to a frequency called 'white noise'," Shunsui grinned, "which would explain a lot."
"Shut up!" Sora glared at him. "I was being serious."
"Me too." Shunsui adopted an innocent expression. "Here there isn't any white noise, so you're finally picking things up clearly. Maybe you've found your calling, Sora-chan."
"Sensei really has left us to our own devices, hasn't he?" Juushirou reflected. "I didn't think he would – not completely. But the thirteen of us are the only ones who left the Senkaimon, and the campsites are quite some distance from where that opened – though admittedly Hirata and Kai's seems to be further afield than ours in some respects. We're going to have to be really on our wits if we're going to manage to do everything we've been sent here to do – and prepared to use shunpo to cover distance, which I suppose is part of the point."
"That's a part of the test, I imagine," Ryuu raised a hand pensively to touch the wind. "Since there is little spiritual energy here, replenishing it via normal methods will be more difficult. We can eat the food in this world, and it will sustain us. But perhaps it will not break down so easily into reiryoku – so either we should conserve our power until we need it, or we'll have to make doubly sure we can consume enough proteins in order to function effectively in this environment. Finding supplies will become paramount, I imagine, in the next few days."
"What do we know about our area again?" Enishi asked, and Shunsui frowned.
"It's near a river – which should hopefully mean fish - and not far from a temporary settlement that replaced the old shacks we're going to be able to use as shelter," he remembered. "We might encounter the local people from time to time – but they shouldn't be able to see us, so it shouldn't matter. If they can't see us, we can't barter or trade with them for anything, so we'll probably have to do as Ryuu says and hunt for our own food as best we can. Sensei wouldn't have sent us to an area completely lacking in that kind of thing though – and we are all armed with a custom designed sharpie if we need it. Some of us with more than one."
He patted the swords at his waist, then continued,
"From the brief we had, the area has a moderate level of Hollow appearances – but a lot of the land beyond the settlement and river is a wasteland. According to Sensei, the district is called 'Wa' – which means peaceful, right? But I don't s'pose that's any more than a happy thought. I think there was a battle near here or something – I remember Kazoe saying something about us maybe tripping over bones."
"Bones?" Mitsuki shivered.
"Don't the Real World people bury or cremate their dead?" Sora wondered, and Juushirou shrugged.
"No idea," he admitted. "I don't know anything about the people here. None of us do – none of us have ever been here. Still, if they can't see us, they can't hurt us – so it shouldn't matter if we cross their paths."
"There are stories of a few who can," Ryuu warned. "I remember reading a recent report on it in the library – a Gotei officer and a subordinate were dispatched here after a particularly violent Real World battle in order to collect all the souls before they could turn and become Hollows. Apparently those who die violently and who have unresolved issues still in this world find it more difficult to leave and therefore war dead are some of the most at risk of becoming Hollowfied. In any case, whilst the shinigami were roaming the battlefield looking for lost souls, a young woman came across the land, weeping. As they were about to bury the soul of one particular unfortunate, she came running towards them, begging them to stop and to leave her fiance alone. It was a quite distressing scene all around, apparently – one shinigami had to somehow restrain her, whilst the other continued the konsou. The girl was quite distraught, and for a while there was a worry that the Real World population may be gaining the power to see spirits and people of our calibre. It was thought that it might interfere with our duty, and so reports were made and ideas pitched as to how to combat this situation."
"What did they decide?" Juushirou asked.
"I am not sure," Ryuu admitted. "It seems to be an ongoing matter for discussion. These 'sighted' people have since appeared in other Real World localities – but they are not the norm and it seems that for the most part what they witness is dismissed by their fellows as either hysteria or being blessed with visions of deities that surpass their own existences and therefore cannot be explained."
"Seeing ghosts," Mitsuki murmured, and Ryuu nodded.
"Yes. The faces of the dead in the world of the living – an unnatural occurrence at the best of times."
"Ghosts don't exist in Soul Society," Enishi said matter of factly.
"No, they don't," Shunsui agreed, "but they do here. If you think about it, Enishi, those dead are the people we're here to konsou. They are lost spirits and they need our help to get to where they're going. There are no wandering spectres in our world as such – but Rukongai exists as a dumping ground for those from this world."
"The people here sound really stupid," Sora snorted.
"What can you expect from a civilisation lacking in spiritual awareness?" Ryuu asked archly. "Think on it, Sora. They have only their eyes and ears with which to perceive their world and only their voices with which to convey their understanding of it. Such inconveniences must make developments very slow indeed."
"Okay. Enough!" Enishi held up his hands. "I'm done talking spirit science with you people now. We came here on practical experience. We didn't come here to debate theory."
"Hopefully we won't get too much practical experience on our first day," Juushirou said matter-of-factly. "I'd like to be able to sit down and go over everything Sensei gave us and told us before we left."
"So long as we're on our guard," Sora put in. "There's nothing in this area at the moment, though."
Shunsui was about to reply, but before he could Juushirou reached out an arm to pull him back as two small children ran across their path. They were robed in rough-dyed, woven kimono, tied loosely at the waist with a fraying sash, but though they passed less than a foot in front of Shunsui's nose, neither child paid them even the slightest bit of attention. The next moment the children were gone, and a man in his middle years, lean and somewhat bony emerged after them, a look of annoyance on his face.
"Come back here, you little idiots!" His words were clear and carrying on the morning air, and the shinigami students simply stared at him in bewilderment as he lifted the staff he carried, shaking it in clear annoyance. "Come back here and get what's coming to you!"
He disappeared after the young ones into the forestland beyond, and the six Seniors exchanged looks.
"Nothing in this area that has a spiritual pulse," Sora amended sheepishly, and Shunsui laughed.
"Yama-jii was right, though. They didn't even look at us," he said, a faint sense of relief flickering in his heart. "I didn't sense them coming, but even though they went right in front of me, they didn't even pause. It was like we weren't there at all."
"It's a funny feeling," Mitsuki shivered. "Almost as though we really aren't here."
"We are here," Ryuu told her firmly. "We are simply superior life forms and therefore we can see things they cannot. We can see them in all clarity – even if they have no reiatsu to be identified by. They are beneath our understanding, Mitsuki – you should not trouble yourself about such empty shells of people."
"No…we should," Juushirou shook his head. "Those empty shells of people, when they die, wind up in Rukongai. They become part of our world, and so…"
"They become part of Soul Society, but they do not become part of our world," Ryuu shook his head. "Such spiritless individuals could not survive in the purest centres of Seireitei – they are not built for such surroundings. People born in Seireitei all have reiatsu, even if that reiatsu is meagre and negligible at best. These creatures are different. They have no such thing."
"Well, either way, our job is to help them," Sora reasoned. "So even if they're not quite like us, we will, if we can. Right?"
Juushirou bent to pick up something that one of the children had dropped, turning it over in his hand.
"What have you found?" Shunsui came to peer over his shoulder, and Juushirou held it out.
"Ceramic," he responded. "It looks like a piece of a broken pot – probably if one of us had trodden on it it would've gone straight through the base of our sandals. One of the kids dropped it when he was running – I guess that explains why the man was so cross with them."
"So this world has cheeky vandals too, huh?" Shunsui took the broken fragment, gazing at it pensively. "This isn't badly made, either – probably it would've fetched a few sen at market – or whatever money this world uses. No wonder the guy was angry."
"Just like the stall vendors used to chase after my brother Hiro when he was small." Juushirou's expression became nostalgic. "Okaasama almost banned him from going into town at all at one point, because of the trouble he'd manage to cause."
He cast Ryuu a grin.
"I don't think we're all that superior, on reflection," he decided, "just different."
"You always want to see the best in everything," Ryuu sighed, but there was warmth in his tones. "Very well. Perhaps you are right."
"Well, there's one thing to be said for them." Sora pushed back the final row of bushes, gesturing towards an open expanse before them. "They know how to grow food."
"Food?" Enishi moved to gaze out over what Shunsui quickly realised was a paddyfield, the green shoots of the rice plants poking up through the muddy brown of the water that surrounded them.
"No kidding." Juushirou knelt down at the edge of the path which ran somewhat unevenly alongside the wide irrigated field, reaching out to touch the nearest green stalks with a grin. "This isn't so different from back home, either. There are whole areas to the south of my family's land which look like this. Father had involvement in them when he was alive – we had more land to work with then. Some of it is still run by my Uncle and Aunt, and I think they still produce rice."
"Do you think they'd notice if a few plants went missing?" Sora wondered. "I don't know anything about preparing rice for eating, but these look like quite big plants."
"Juu?" Shunsui cast Juushirou a questioning look, and Juushirou reddened, looking sheepish.
"I said my Father had involvement. Not that I did," he owned. "I lived with my Aunt and Uncle until I was a year old – but obviously I don't remember much about that. Whenever we went to visit them, I only saw the paddyfields from the upstairs windows – I wasn't usually allowed to go wandering free about the estate like some of my siblings. They fussed over my health even worse than at home, so I didn't go harvesting rice or anything like that. I've no more idea what to do with that than any of you have. I'm pretty sure you have to drain the field of water first, though…so I don't suppose these are ready to be harvested yet anyway. We'll do better if we can find wild fruit and maybe some mushrooms – Mitsuki should know what's poisonous and what's not, right?"
"I should hope so," Mitsuki agreed.
"You lived with your Aunt and Uncle for a year?" Shunsui blinked. "That big woman who tries to smother you the moment she sees you…her?"
"Yes," Juushirou burst out laughing, nodding his head. "She took me in after I was born, since Hahaue died and Father really didn't know what to do about me. After he re-married, and when he knew Okaasama was going to have Hiro and Chi, he wrote to my aunt and asked her to bring me back home – but up till that point, I was with her. Father didn't want to send me away from home – but I think he had a lot to deal with himself when Hahaue died."
"Then that explains why you only met your stepmother when you were a year old…I wondered about that." Shunsui's eyes twinkled mischievously. "I thought it odd since Chi and Hiro are only just more a year younger than you – but if you weren't living at the main estate, that'd be why. I thought for a while there might be some deep, dark scandal in the Ukitake-ke – I guess not, huh?"
"Absolutely not," Juushirou said firmly. "My father was a very honourable man – he wanted the best thing for everyone."
"I dread to think how Kyouraku knows Ukitake's aunt," Ryuu put in dryly, and Shunsui grinned.
"I spent the winter of First year at his house," he said simply, "and she decided to come visit her precious nephew to make sure us nasty Clansfolk had left him in one piece. She seemed very fond of you, Juu – I suppose that's why."
"She's fond of everyone, but yes, I suppose me especially," Juushirou agreed. "My family's like that, on the whole."
"Something warm to be protected at all costs – right?" Mitsuki sent him a quizzical glance, and Juushirou nodded.
"At all costs," he agreed firmly. "That's why I'm here."
"Well, speaking of here, I think we are too." Enishi strode forwards, gesturing to the land beyond the paddyfield. "There seem to be some old one-level buildings just beyond that rise – I'm guessing they're where we're going to camp out for the next few days, right? It doesn't look as though there's any smoke for fire or any sign of people there."
"I believe that's it," Ryuu agreed, "and we should reach them before the rain begins. That will allow us a little time to go over everything we've been given and plan our mode of action for the next few days."
"Sensei paired us, so I think we'll patrol in those pairs for the most part," Juushirou decided. "I'm not overly keen to stumble onto Hollows, but that's one reason we're here so we'll have to make sure the surrounding area is kept clear of those while we are. Plus if we find any of those Plus souls…we can try and use konsou to send them to Rukongai."
"I'm still not quite up to speed with that." Sora gazed at her sword pensively. "Hotarue won't sit still and concentrate for long enough to let me. She's all over the place, buzzing around like crazy most of the time – I wonder if she'll ever manage it at this rate."
"Yuuyugo can, though, so so long as we're together, there won't be a problem," Mitsuki pointed out. "Yuuyugo doesn't like it much – and told me so – but she will do it. We'll be fine, Sora-chan. I'll leave the Hollow-slaying to you and Hotarue and Yuuyugo and I can tackle the konsou."
"Then we'll begin with our first patrols tonight," Juushirou decided, "whatever the weather. We'll find food and set up camp and then we'll see what kind of place we've really been dropped into. That all right with everybody?"
"Suits me," Shunsui agreed. "Whether there are or aren't dangerous elements around these parts, we have a job to do and I can't see us being allowed back to school until we do it."
"I should rather not encounter any dangerous elements, but if they are there, perhaps we will come to understand more about their motives," Ryuu reflected, "and in the meantime, I shall sate some of my frustration on the monsters prowling this land. Houjou, I look forward to working with you."
"Likewise," Enishi grinned. "Dangers aside, I'm looking forward to this. I think it might prove to be fun."
The sun was beginning to set over District Six by the time Keitarou left the Senkaimon, a sharp breeze whipping around his face and reminding him that the seasons were moving quickly onwards. Sakura had long since been replaced by the red momiji leaves, creating a bloody hue across the forestland where in the spring the Kuchiki celebrated purity and new life.
That morning, he had keenly felt the distortion in the atmosphere not far from where he and his companions had been making their camp. Warning Eiraki to keep close tabs on Onoe and for them both to stay deep in their mountain cave hideaway until her returned, he had left immediately, knowing that he had a very small window of opportunity with which to carry out his errand.
It was a gamble, he acknowledged, as he crossed the grounds of Seiren's manor with brisk, determined steps. There was every possibility that his target would have increased security around his grounds, or even called on help from the main house to capture the shadowy character that had interfered so much in the Clan's life.
But Keitarou liked to gamble, especially at times when he was fairly confident of a win.
As he reached the main buildings, he paused, narrowing his gaze as he allowed the cool night air to penetrate his senses. It was faint and indistinct, eroded by the weather and by time, but there it was – the unmistakeable taint of the Clan leader's reiatsu. However, the guards that protected the estate remained much the same as before. Not one individual questioned him as he infiltrated the servants' level a second time, and Keitarou allowed himself a faint smile.
Perhaps Guren had been here. But he had clearly not stayed, and Keitarou felt fairly sure that that meant he had been rebuffed by his brother.
Seiren is smart enough to understand what I've done to him. If Guren was to realise that his spirit power had been unsealed, it would doubtless create several questions about how and why. If it was to become widely known that it was Seiren and not Guren who was born first…it might even create a permanent split in the family. Seiren knows I have that evidence and so long as I do, he can't speak against me. But by not speaking against me, he's inadvertently becoming complicit. The more secrets he keeps for me, the more he's obeying my will and the more he is betraying his brother. Clans are so easy to manipulate when founded on honour and pride, but of all of those I've encountered, this one most of all.
He paused at the top of the stairs, resting a hand against the wood panels of a sliding divide as he interpreted what lay beyond. A bitter, sweeping sensation, raw and unrefined rippled through this layer of the manor, and though Seiren's study was at the furthest end of the long corridor, Keitarou was already keenly aware of every nuance and spasm of the man's burgeoning spiritual power. It was a strange sensation, he reflected – perhaps it had become so ugly and distorted because of the length of time it had been sealed, but the scientist in Keitarou was not given to making those kinds of assumptions.
That snippet of paper Eiraki found suggested something else. Seiren's spirit power was something so horrific that it had to be sealed away. By releasing that lock, who knows what I've unleashed – but I'm interested to see. It's been a week, more or less, since the last time we spoke. If my estimates were correct, the threads I left inside of him should have worked the seal loose almost completely by now. In this place full of spiritless individuals, nobody can tell just how dangerous Seiren's reiryoku is getting to be. It hasn't raged out of control – yet. But I imagine he's in a poor shape – which makes me wonder how much more it will take to make that magic truly explode.
He pushed back the sliding door, steeling himself to walk through the fetid morass of spirit particles that seemed to saturate every nook and cranny. His keen senses were his weakness now – whilst the menial staff who could not detect reiatsu went about their daily work unaffected, for a shinigami with a Bankai level zanpakutou, the situation was quite different.
I'm fortunate that he doesn't have any control over what he's doing. If he did, with a power like this he'd be able to floor me quite easily.
Keitarou gritted his teeth.
But then, power of this kind probably can't be moulded into something you can use at will. It's broken and deformed. Juushirou's spirit power was raw and unsettled at times, but it wasn't like this. That had potential. This just has death written all over it. Seiren's best option would be to take his own life before it consumes him – but the fact I still feel this so strongly means he's still trying to live. I wonder whether that means I still have a chance to manipulate him before it proves too much.
There was a guard standing outside of the study door, his own expression somewhat preoccupied, and though the man did not detect Keitarou's approach, the look on his face made the scientist realise he understood something was badly wrong.
The fewer witnesses the better.
He raised his hand, murmuring the words to a particular kidou spell, and the guard's eyes widened for a moment before dulling and clouding over, his hand slipping from his sheathed sword and his knees buckling beneath him. His fall into unconsciousness was almost in slow motion, and Keitarou caught him deftly, lowering him to the floor. Killing Seiren's people would serve no purpose, and his interest was not in minnows.
His interest was in the monster that lay beyond.
The oppressive waves of spiritual energy were far worse this close to the study door, and as Keitarou manipulated the lock open, he realised how like the dark energy that formed the core of a Hollow it was. Fleetingly he wondered whether Seiren had potential for Hollowfication experiments, and then he caught himself, a wry smile touching his lips. Curious as the whole scenario was, he didn't have time to waste on frivolous side-ventures. Keitarou was sure that Genryuusai would not leave his precious charges in the Real World for too long – and there was always a chance that Ryuu's inclusion was to make him 'bait' in a trap to lure out Ribari's real killers.
I must act before my name and my intentions are properly revealed. If we take this chance to kill Ryuu, it will probably be impossible to conceal our identities any longer. I must deal with Seiren now – and let everything else take its course.
He pushed back the door, stepping into the study and pulling the divide closed softly behind him. As he did so, the wrap of kidou magic that had shielded him from Seiren's housestaff melted away entirely. Concealing himself from Seiren was a waste of time, for the man had already seen his face and knew far too much to be deceived any further about his motives.
"What did you do to Shibata?"
Seiren's voice was soft, but full of ice, and as Keitarou's gaze flitted around the dimly lit chamber, he met the cold grey eyes of his target in the furthest corner, leaning up against the window frames. It was clear that up until a moment earlier he had probably been gazing out over the darkening landscape – and the bright gleam of the evening moon was consequently the only light that now illuminated the study.
Though the man seemed calm, Keitarou knew that this was an illusion. Seiren's brow was taut with concentration, each word spoken in effort, and Keitarou thought he saw the first silver strands in the other's dark hair – a sign of age brought forward by his struggle to contain his rogue reiryoku alone. And it was a struggle. As the scientist assessed his subject, he carefully gauged the nobleman's instability.
I'd say six tenths likely to explode at any moment – four tenths not. But that's an ever-changing ratio – tomorrow it might be a different story.
"He's sleeping. I didn't hurt him."
Being this close to those powerful ripples of spirit power took every last inch of Keitarou's composure and concentration, but somehow he kept his voice level, offering the Kuchiki a slight smile. "I came to see you – as your ally, killing your servant would be pointless."
"You're no ally of mine." Seiren's tones were full of hate, but it was clear that movement was difficult for him, and that he truly was using every inch of his willpower to suppress the dark energy lurking within. "You did this to me – don't act as though you came here on my behalf."
"If you want to be technical about it, the one who did that to you was Senaya-sama," Keitarou said flippantly. "As your father, this…" He gestured towards his companion, "is entirely his responsibility. His folly too, as it happens. He shouldn't have let you live – you know that too, don't you?"
Seiren did not answer, and Keitarou nodded.
"Guren was here," he continued levelly. "I wonder what it was he came to say?"
"I said nothing to him of your coming," Seiren snapped. "Much as I wanted to, I did not."
"Sensible," Keitarou reflected, "but I already guessed as much. You don't want your brother to know any of this, do you? About your spirit power, about your true place in the Kuchiki line – those things are secrets you'd like to keep to yourself."
He pursed his lips.
"I thought you'd decided you wanted to live, but it isn't that," he realised. "You're willing to die, but only by natural causes – and eliminate yourself from the family tree without bringing shame down on your son. That's right, isn't it? So that Ryuu can become Guren's heir without any complication – you intend on having your death recorded as illness and nothing more."
"You can't do anything with me if I'm dead," Seiren said flatly, "and as you said – my life shouldn't have existed. I've made up my mind, Aizen. I won't let you manipulate me, not even for a moment. I've left the court and I won't return there. I've told Guren to continue without me and he has. There's nothing left for you in this – if you kill me, you'll only achieve my aims more quickly, won't you?"
"I see." Keitarou let out a soft chuckle. "Well, I admit you have more intelligence than I gave you credit for. Perhaps that was in compensation for the spirit power you had sealed away. You're right, of course – this will probably kill you. I thought that my threads would have completely torn apart the seal by now, but I can tell it isn't quite at that point. You've been resisting it, I suppose – because of the harm it might bring to people around you. I'm not sure how much longer you can do that – though I'd love to make a study of it and find out. But if you were to die of natural causes, it would mean that Guren's claim to the Clan no longer had a living competitor. The information I have might be rendered worthless, since Guren inherited the family in a time before Ryuu was born. I can see your reasoning and I agree, it makes sense."
"Then you should know I have nothing to talk to you about."
"Ah. But you do." Keitarou's gaze became predatorial. "So long as your son is in Genryuusai's care, all should be well – that's what you believe, isn't it? But at present, your son isn't in District One."
"What?" Seiren's eyes widened, then he shook his head impatiently. "Not possible. There's no way he'd be anywhere else without my knowledge – you're bluffing."
"Am I? Perhaps." Keitarou's eyes danced with amusement. "But can you risk it, if I am? You've proven to me that your life is now worthless. I accept that proof and acknowledge you are right. But just because you've resigned yourself to dying doesn't mean that this is over. I can still find your son and if necessary, I can take his life. Unlike you, he doesn't know my face or my name. Since you kindly didn't tell Guren about me, I doubt any warning was sent to District One, either."
"You're lying," Seiren said blackly. "Ryuu is safe and in the care of Genryuusai-sama and I won't let you manipulate me with your deceptions."
"I don't tell many lies," Keitarou responded simply. "Truth is a far greater weapon if used to its full potential. But very well, Seiren-dono. We'll see who's telling the truth."
"Leave this place!" Seiren snapped. "I do not make deals with traitors and neither do any of my family! You can try and spin any web of deception you like with that spider's sword of yours – but I won't be fooled by it. Ryuu is in Genryuusai-sama's custody. There's no way that would change without permission of a senior ranking Kuchiki, and no way either I or my brother would give consent for such a thing in a climate such as this! You won't manipulate me, Aizen – you have my word on that!"
"If that's your final word, then I'll accept it," Keitarou nodded, "and I'll do exactly as you wish. Just remember, a lord's decisions rest on his own shoulders. Whether or not he can live with the consequences – or maybe in your case, die with them – is another matter completely."
He offered Seiren a brief, insincere smile.
"I would wish you luck with that, but there doesn't seem a lot of point," he added. "I congratulate you for your willpower to date – and I'm fascinated to see how long it takes to actually eat you away inside. Of course, I'd have liked to have made better use of you – but it seems that I won't change your mind. Oh well. It was worth a try."
He let out a low chuckle.
"Of course, if your son wasn't around, things might be different," he said lightly. "I wonder who the heir to the Clan would become then…?"
With that he was gone, slipping easily into shunpo and withdrawing from the Kuchiki lord's manor.
It's decided then.
He sighed, shifting his body deftly through the streams of light and energy until he was a safe enough distance away to re-activate his hidden Senkaimon.
At the moment I can't use Chudokuga to bring Seiren under my control, and whilst his mind is fixated on Ryuu, there's nothing else to be done than kill the boy. That means walking into whatever trap Genryuusai has set for us – probably the Council too. I doubt that they're remaining entirely mute on this subject. They may or may not have guessed our involvement – but they almost certainly are using Ryuu as bait. I would rather not kill him while there are people like that watching – but there's no other choice now. Seiren's body is unstable. I'd predict he may have at most two or three weeks of life left. When his power overwhelms him, it will doubtless have a knock-on effect for his house staff – but in that house, the only ones who would die would be minnows. If I could change that…
His eyes narrowed.
Seiren's resolve to absorb as much of this into his body as he can is a nusiance. He's allowing it to destroy him from the inside rather than unleashing it on the world outside, so that he causes as little damage and fuss as possible. He wants his son to believe he died of illness that much? Or more likely, he wants to make sure Ryuu's future isn't damaged at all by what's happened to his father. Paternal affection is another Clan weakness when it comes to sons.
His lips curled in derision.
The only course of action left is to kill Ryuu. Take him out of the equation and everything changes. If Seiren no longer has something to protect, I might yet achieve my goals. There really is no choice but to risk slipping into the trap, is there? At least while I still have Onoe, there's still a way to turn this to my advantage.
"Well, in the end it didn't rain."
Enishi strode briskly across the wide expanse of wasteland, turning to cast a grin in his companion's direction. "We won't get muddy our first night, anyhow – the clouds have shifted over and the moon's quite bright in the sky. At least, I s'pose that is a moon? Sure looks like one to me, but with all the babble you were all spouting about the make up of this world, I thought I should check."
"So far as I am aware, Houjou, that is indeed the moon." There was a note of wry humour in Ryuu's response, and Enishi laughed, reaching out a substantial paw to pull his companion over a sudden dip in the earth.
"Careful where you're treading. Sensei wasn't kidding 'bout this place being full of bones," he said, as the Kuchiki boy cast him a quizzical glance. "Look. Ribs, I think – and what's left of a skull."
He prodded the fragile white object with his toe, bending down to peer at it more carefully.
"Looks like something smashed this guy's brains out," he concluded cheerfully. "I guess he didn't know much about it. But that's warfare for you – sometimes it goes like that."
"You're inordinately happy considering you just found the remains of somebody whose skull now resembles bits of broken eggshell," Ryuu scolded. "We aren't here to gather souvenirs. You do remember what our job is in being dispatched here this evening, don't you?"
"Sure. I just thought it was interesting." Enishi nodded, abandoning the skull and slipping his thumbs loosely into the folds of his obi as he obediently strolled alongside his shorter companion. Ryuu was by no means miniature, but next to the well built Enishi he appeared far smaller than he was. For some reason in this open wasteland the Kuchiki boy found he was glad of that fact – although he had said that he did not want a bodyguard, it was comforting now he was here to know that he was not only not alone, but paired with six foot plus of loyal muscle who would back him up in a heartbeat.
"Interesting?" He arched an eyebrow now. "How so? I fail to understand how the decomposing waste of this world's civilisation holds anything of value for shinigami like us."
"Just that, though. It's not like it is at home." Enishi's broad features took on an uncharacteristically thoughtful look. "Sensei said this was a battlefield, right? That's what we were told and it looked that way from the map when we were all gathered round it earlier on. The battle was ages ago – but the bones are still here. If it was our world, they wouldn't be. But here, they are."
"That's the difference between a spiritual plane of existence and this one." Ryuu shrugged. "You didn't seem particularly interested in that earlier on, however."
"I'm not," Enishi said, with characteristic bluntness, "but we're looking for Hollows. Aren't we? That's what our brief is."
"Your point is?"
"Part of that person's body is still here," Enishi replied. "Can they become a Hollow, when bits of them are scattered around like this?"
"I would think so," Ryuu nodded. "Otherwise there wouldn't be such a problem with Hollows associated with violent war-based death, now would there?"
"I s'pose not." Enishi was sheepish. "All right. That's a point too. In which case, that body's pretty much discarded when someone dies in this world."
"Yes..?"
"And it just stays there always?"
"Unless somebody or something moves it, I suppose it does."
"Doesn't that make you wonder a bit," Enishi frowned, "about the kind of people who live here?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about now, Houjou," Ryuu sighed. "Please, stop being so obscure."
"That's probably the first time I've ever foxed you with my line of thought," Enishi laughed. "But what I mean is…if that was someone you cared about, even if their soul wasn't a part of it any more…would you just leave it there to bleach and rot in the sun? Animals might tear bits from it and scatter the bones – but nobody's come to move it. There are others, too – part submerged in the ground and abandoned. Doesn't that make you wonder what the people here think of each other?"
"I see what you mean." Despite himself, Ryuu's eyes clouded and he nodded his head. "A corpse is a corpse in any world. Regardless of culture differences, the dead should be taken and treated with respect by those who love them. Whether that be buried, cremated or some other ritual – it's still true. If not…"
He glanced around the wasteland, seeing it with new eyes.
"Perhaps there were no loved ones left," he murmured. "This area's been burnt, Houjou. I didn't realise it before, but it's not a battlefield, not as such. It may look like an empty wasteland now, but it was…it used to be a settlement. Maybe that's why the other one is abandoned, also. The people here were all slaughtered by invading enemy forces. That meant there was nobody to care about burying their dead…and so they lie here like this."
"Heavy stuff," Enishi said gravely, "especially since there's a town over the rise that's new and apparently growing rice near here without a care in the world. There are bones in the field a stone's throw from a thriving settlement. To me that suggests that town was built by the invaders…"
"And that we're here to protect a community that murdered another one to take their land?" Ryuu looked aghast, and Enishi shrugged.
"S'war for you," he said sadly. "It's not pleasant wherever you take it. But yeah. That's what I thought."
He turned back to glance in the direction of the bones.
"Makes me glad he didn't know much about it, when death came," he added, "but I can see how souls here would get warped into Hollows. If you saw your village like this…and then lost your life without being able to protect anything you cared for – you'd linger. I understand it for the first time, I think – why people in this world get driven into being Hollows."
"Perhaps I do, also," Ryuu murmured. "It reminds me of District Seven's purge – only in a more complete manner."
"Mm." Enishi nodded his head. "When Clans go to war, it really is the Districts who suffer, isn't it?"
"I suppose so," Ryuu acknowledged, offering his friend a rueful smile. "You are quite perceptive this evening, Houjou – perhaps the clearer air suits you too."
"No…" Enishi grinned, shrugging his shoulders. "It's not that. I don't do well in a classroom – words aren't much to me unless there's something to back them up. What's written down on a page doesn't stay in here,"
He prodded his brow.
"If you teach me the same thing in the field, I'll hold onto it probably right away. It's just how my brain is."
Before Ryuu could respond, there was the soft sound of something on the wind, and he froze, straining his ears to make out the faint cries of what sounded like a young child. A glance at Enishi out of the corner of his eye told the young Kuchiki that his friend had also heard the frightened sobs, his expression one of concentration as he gazed right and left across the burnt out field.
At first, nothing was visible. Then in the gleam of the moonlight Ryuu saw the faintest flash of what might have been bleached fabric, and he reached out to grab Enishi by the arm. The tall boy nodded, his fingers resting briefly above the hilt of his weapon as they both made their way towards the source of the noise, neither one quite sure about what they were going to find.
Was it a trap?
Ryuu could not help the tension that rippled through his body at that thought, and he faltered briefly, then gritted his teeth, forcing him to overcome his hesitations. The sobs were getting louder now, and it wasn't as though he was going into this alone.
I'm not the pitiful little boy who used to cry and cling to my nurses when the lights went out. I'm not afraid of the dark now – I'm an adult and I have a job to do.
As he told himself this for the third time, Ryuu saw what had been causing the noise, and a wave of relief crashed over him as he registered the tiny form of a young child, his clothes ragged and torn and his hands and face smudged with dirt and ash. It did not seem as though he had seen the shinigami approach, and Ryuu was about to assume that this creature was another of the senseless, spiritless beings that made up the Real World when suddenly the boy raised his head, meeting the Kuchiki's grey eyes with a tearful brown gaze. As he did so, his eyes widened, and Ryuu saw a flash of what might have been fear cross the youngster's countenance.
So this one can see us? Hrm.
"What's up, kiddo?"
Enishi was the first one to reach the boy's side, paying no attention to the apprehension that now flooded the child's features. "You look lost – did you get separated from your family?"
The child sniffled, staring at Enishi for a moment, but did not answer, and Ryuu moved to join them, his brows knitting together as he carefully and meticulously processed the young one's appearance once again.
He was a child of maybe four years old, or perhaps not even that, Ryuu acknowledged, and his clothing suggested he was a local, for he was dressed not dissimilarly to the young boys they had seen crossing their path earlier that day. However, the ends of his kimono were ragged and torn, and consternation crossed Ryuu's features as he recognised the distinctive signs of singeing across the fabric. The boy's hair too was loose and uneven, the ends coming away in fragments of ash on the midnight breeze, and in the centre of his chest was a metallic object, attached to which were two or three links of a rusty looking chain. Ryuu's gaze fell on these momentarily, and his heart lurched in his stomach as he understood what it was they had found.
This child was not a resident of the local settlement.
This child was…
"Houjou, this boy is…" he began, but Enishi put a finger to his lips, nodding his head as if to indicate he understood what his friend wanted to tell him.
"You don't need to be afraid," he said now, his tones softer than Ryuu had heard them before, and he placed a gentle hand on the boy's shoulder, offering him a grin. "Who is it you're looking for, kid? Your Ma? Your Pa? Both, perhaps?"
The boy gave another sniff, nodding his head dolefully.
"Mama and Papa were in the house. Then the fire came and everything went red," he whispered, "and I can't find them. I've been looking and looking, but I can't find them."
"Houjou, we're not going to manage to find…" Ryuu began, but Enishi turned to meet his gaze.
"We'll help him find his parents," he said quietly. "Helping lost souls is what a shinigami does, isn't it? If it isn't, why are we here like we are?"
"Hou…jou?" Ryuu blinked, and Enishi got to his feet, pausing for a moment then bending to scoop the youngster up in his arms. With a deft swing of his shoulders he had the youngster perched atop his back, tiny legs each side of his broad neck.
"You can probably see better up there than down here," he explained cheerfully, "and since Kuchiki and I don't know what we're looking for, you're going to have to be the one who's playing lookout."
"Houjou, I really don't understand what you're trying to do." As they strode out across the field, Ryuu raised his voice in frustration. "That boy is quite clearly not like the others we saw earlier. The chances of us finding his parents are…"
"I know," Enishi said frankly, "but that doesn't mean that we shouldn't look for them."
"What on earth do you mean?" Ryuu was confused, and Enishi sighed.
"This kid is one of the people from this village. Right?" he said softly, lowering his voice so that the child could not hear him, and Ryuu nodded.
"You can tell that too, then?"
"Of course. Aside from the fact he can see us, the moment I saw him I knew that he was," Enishi agreed. "He has a chain, doesn't he? It's a dead giveaway, even if I couldn't tell there was something else funny about him."
"Then our job is to send him to Soul Society, isn't it?"
"It is. And we will," Enishi agreed, "but a soul with unfinished business is a problem, isn't it? Isn't that why they turn into Hollows in the first place?"
He cast Ryuu a sidelong glance, faint amusement in his dark eyes.
"Weren't you paying attention in Sensei's first lecture?" he teased. "Konsou can't be forced on a soul who's not ready to accept it. Not if it's going to work properly. And this one's a young'un. What's happened to him already so far is unforgivable. Does it hurt anything if we at least look for his parents before we send him to a place he might never see them again?"
"I suppose…not…but…"
"If there's a Hollow about, this mite won't stand a chance," Enishi added frankly, "so it's better we keep him with us while we patrol. If his parents aren't here – well, we won't be able to send them down with him, and it'll be a shame. But they might be here. We don't know. And if they are…"
"We should send them together," Ryuu murmured. Enishi nodded.
"Do you mind?" he asked doubtfully. "This is sort of my whim, I know, but it seems like the way it ought to happen."
"No…I don't mind." Ryuu managed a faint smile. "I feel a little ashamed for not seeing your train of thought more quickly. You really are much more in your element out in the field like this, aren't you? You are barely more than a year my senior, and yet just now…"
"I don't like sad endings." Enishi looked sheepish. "It's a long shot, but I'd like to know that this kid's folks aren't looking for him round these parts before we send him to Rukongai. If we don't find them, probably they've already been sent there…and so we can probably convince him to go of his own accord. Therefore, nobody gets hurt and everyone wins."
He raised his gaze to the kid who, oblivious to his elder's conversation was already eagerly scanning the wasteland for any familiar figures, his tears drying against his skin.
"You'll do that for us, won't you, kid?" he asked. "If your Ma and Pa aren't here any more, it means friends of ours sent them to another place already. If they're not here, will you let us send you to where they are? That way you'll have a better chance of finding them, I'm sure."
"Mama and Papa might not be here any more?" The child cocked his head on one side, and Ryuu nodded.
"It's possible others from where we're from have already come to take them to a safer place," he said pragmatically. "There was a bad fire here, by the looks, and the houses are all but destroyed. It's dangerous for you to stay here. If we find people wandering this area without home or shelter, we're to send them to a place they can find both. Your parents may already be there – so if we can't find them here, will you allow us to help you get there?"
"Mm." The kid looked pensive for a moment, then nodded his head. "I s'pose so. Since there's scary people round this part, an' I don't want to be caught by them. I thought you were them to begin with, but you're not."
"Scary people?" Enishi's ears pricked up, and Ryuu saw his friend's gaze flit his way. "What kind of scary people?"
"Huge ones. Like, as tall as a house or two houses or even three!" The youngster was excited now, waving his arms around, and Enishi let out a yelp, reaching up to steady the boy before he overbalanced.
"Careful," he admonished. "It's a long way down from there, I'm telling you."
"Did these scary people have masks?" Ryuu asked, and the boy nodded.
"White ones," he agreed. "They glowed in the moonlight. I've only seen one once – last night – in this area."
"Did it try to hurt you?" Enishi was concerned, but the boy shook his head.
"Something came and killed it," he said simply. "A man was here – and he cut it with a knife."
"So shinigami were posted here right up till last night." Enishi pursed his lips. "I guess that was a comrade of ours, kiddo – and that's part of our job, too. If you see any more while you're up there, let me know. We'll dispatch them too – nobody in this area should have to deal with those creatures, and they're very dangerous if you try to without the proper training."
"I was under the impression that there weren't any other shinigami to be in this area until we arrived." Ryuu frowned. "The Gotei have not spared any squad members in recent weeks – didn't Sensei say that this area had moderate Hollow activity but was not under regular Gotei management?"
"Yeah, he did," Enishi reached up to scratch his chin, "but who else could it have been? Only the Gotei have swords that can take down Hollows – and only the Gotei would dare try. So someone must've been here."
"He had a girl with him," the boy said helpfully, "and a man who might have been a dog."
"A…pardon me?" Ryuu blinked, and the boy beamed.
"Maybe he was a monkey," he said pensively. "I didn't see for sure, so I don't know. He was dressed all in black, and I didn't see his face. I thought he looked like a man – but the girl spoke to him like he was a dog and he obeyed like he was, so I thought he was. He was big, though, for a dog. Perhaps he was a monkey after all."
"I…have no idea." Enishi sent Ryuu a clueless glance, and Ryuu sighed.
"The more important duty is to complete our patrol," he said matter-of-factly, "not worry about dog-monkey creatures and shinigami taking out Hollows. There's nobody else here, Houjou. The boy is it – I suppose he was the last, and somehow he got left behind."
"I suppose so," Enishi sighed, kneeling down on the soft, black-dusted soil and helping his tiny charge to dismount. "I'm sorry. It looks like your folks went on the earlier ride – all we can do is send you along to join them now."
"Will it hurt?" As Ryuu began to draw his sword, the child suddenly looked afraid, but Enishi shook his head.
"If Kuchiki does it, you won't even notice," he said firmly. "He's good at stuff like this, so it'd be the best way, if Kuchiki helped you go."
"I'll do my best."
Ryuu pulled Shizurugi completely from its sheath, turning it so that the hilt faced the young boy. For a moment he gazed at the tiny features, taking in again the black smudges across the cheeks and the ugly chain that gave away how soon this child's life had ended. Although he would be sent to Rukongai, there was no guarantee he would meet his family again once he got there, and this fact made the young shinigami sad.
Children should not be subjected to pain or terror in this way. To die in the ravaging of a village and to never have a chance to live a life…how can that be considered fair and just? This child is innocent, yet he has paid the ultimate price. His family are stolen from him, perhaps forever. This is not how it should be. This world is a savage one indeed…though I wish I could consider ours any better.
He took a deep breath, settling his composure, and slowly and softly Shizurugi's hilt began to glow with a purplish haze as the monshou became gradually visible.
"You can close your eyes, if you like," he said softly. "When you open them again, I hope you'll be in the same place as your family."
The boy obediently closed his eyes, and Ryuu sighed, chewing hard on his lip. Then he gently placed the hilt of the sword against the youngster's brow, watching with a flurry of mixed emotions as the infant's soul sank down into the earth and disappeared.
Tears pricked at his eyes and he frowned, lowering his weapon and putting a finger to his cheek, bringing it away damp.
"Children should not die like this," he said quietly, and Enishi nodded.
"I agree," he said bluntly. "Nobody should die like the people here did. S'why we train and we fight, Kuchiki. So that they don't have to do so any more."
"If only that was true," Ryuu said regretfully. "I wish I could share your straight-forward optimism, Houjou – but I'm a Kuchiki, and therefore cannot."
"Then the Kuchiki Clan needs to pull itself together," Enishi said decidedly. "Are you all right? You look a little shaken up – was it hard, doing the burial?"
"No…not spiritually." Ryuu shook his head, sheathing Shizurugi carefully back at his waist. "It was as straightforward as Sensei reported, and I value having had the experience – thank you for letting me be the one to do it. I just…wasn't expecting to be affected by it emotionally."
"The kid was too damn young. That's why. Anyone with a soul would be upset by it," Enishi clapped a reassuring hand down on his companion's shoulders, "but it doesn't look as though there are any more souls abroad tonight…nor Hollows. More importantly, there's no sign of anyone who wants to cause you harm. I vote we go back to camp and report to Ukitake about tonight."
"But it's still early," Ryuu objected. Enishi shrugged.
"Maybe. But you look like you need a break anyway," he said honestly. "If need be, we can come back out again once we report – but since there's nothing threatening on the air this evening, it won't hurt to go back for a few minutes and see living faces instead of dead."
Ryuu gazed at Enishi for a moment, marvelling at the other's perception.
"Truthfully…" he said slowly, then paused, shaking his head as if to clear it.
"Truthfully?"
"As a child, I was afraid of the dark." Ryuu looked embarrassed. "My sister told me some horror stories and I would always protest when it came to my time to go to sleep. I disliked being alone in the blackness…but I thought such things I had long since outgrown."
He gazed up at the moon.
"Being out here, knowing there are people after me…and seeing the result of this world's savagery…I suppose it shook me," he added, "but I'll be all right. We don't have to go back…I'll be all right. Part of this is about facing fears – so thank you, Houjou, but we'll report when we're done. It's better that way."
"Whatever you like." Enishi grinned. "If that's what you want, that's what we'll do."
"I'd prefer you didn't share what I just told you with the others. Shihouin in particular."
"I've already forgotten it," Enishi said lightly, though Ryuu knew from his companion's expression that the other student had not, and had simply spirited the information away, never to be spoken of again. "We've cleared this area completely, so I suggest we move on to the next point on the map – that way we can cover more ground before it's time for us to check in."
"All right." Ryuu paused once more to glance at the spot where the young boy's soul had vanished. Then he nodded, turning on his heel.
"I'm with you. Let us go."
Author's Note: Ancient Japan.
Juu and Shun are too old, technically, for the area of Japanese history I have a particular interest in, so my pointers are vague and possibly a little off in some respects. However, 2000 years before current storyline would be around the end of BCE and the beginning of AD year counting in Western terms. This would place Japan currently to be within the 'Yayoi' period of Japanese history.
I'm not writing a history book, and there may be some artistic licence used. BUT I have tried to keep within the confines of the right period at least. Bearing in mind that Seireitei in current canon is stuck in the Edo period (17th-mid 19th century) before the time of the sword-ban and the end of the Shogunate, the time factor may be a little off. However, Yayoi crosses a wide period of time – and I therefore believe that the time that Juu and Shun and co go to real Japan is during this period.
The Yayoi period was also a time with plenty of battles over land, territory and establishment of power bases. I don't know many details about these individual power struggles – but it seems like a good explanation for the sudden influx of Hollow souls into Seireitei during this period!
Anyone who's interested, google it xD. Although I still have to admit I would've rather sent them to the Heian-jidai. .