Chapter Fifty Four: Bond
"Kuchiki!"
Enishi paused beneath a rock overhang to catch his breath, casting his gaze out around him at the forestland below. It seemed peaceful and quiet here – distant enough from the human settlement and even if they had encountered any of the Real World's inhabitants, Enishi remembered clearly enough from their briefing that only a very small percentage of humans could even see the people from Seireitei as they went about their daily tasks. At the time, he had been amused by the stories of the few who had created shrines of worship towards the fleeting guardians in black that slipped in and out of their daily lives – but now he was wary of them, hoping that he would not cross the path of one such 'sighted' individual as he continued his search for his friend.
He was not given to sensing reiatsu, but even so, he had a bad feeling about this.
Gut instinct is as good as anything when it comes down to it. I can't explain why I feel this way – I just don't think Kuchiki should've gone off alone like that.
The forest was too dense for him to see clearly, and as he picked up his pace once more he ruminated on his weak tracking skills a second time. Would it have been better if he had done as Ryuu had asked him to? The Kuchiki had definitely told him to return to base camp to summon their classmates. Should he have followed that instruction? Perhaps, he reflected ruefully, but it was too late for that now. He had moved far from the abandoned village that the students had chosen for their base of operations, and and to turn back, even with shunpo, would cost precious moments he was not sure that he could spare. He had nothing but that dark feeling of forboding to drive him on – yet even so, he kept moving forward, using his physical strength to compensate for his weakness in spiritual skill.
Kuchiki was assigned with me. Therefore if anything happens to him, I'm responsible too.
Enishi ran his fingers through sweat drenched dark hair as he reached a clearing, his gaze automatically looking for shadowy places where an attacker might hide unawares.
The Kuchiki family have been targeted, and in this place, he's the only one who can lure out those who are attacking them. He thought so too, and his senses are sharper than mine are. Probably whatever whim took him off like that, he'd already gauged the risk level before he moved. He's rational and smart and he's not as impulsive or reckless as Ukitake is when he has a goal in mind. Probably he's not in any danger at all, and he made it clear he didn't want a bodyguard. Then why do I feel so strongly about bringing him back? He disappeared before I could really get a grip on his reiatsu, and now I'm stumbling around in the dark trying to find him when I've no idea where he's gone. I can't stop though. I should have gone with him – now I can't do anything but go after him.
He faltered, his eyes narrowing as from somewhere in the dense woodland he picked up the faintest of signals. Though his spirit senses were far weaker than his companion's, by now even he could sense the prickle of energy that marked the release of a zanpakutou, and his brows knitted together as he interpreted which sword it was.
Shizurugi. So he's fighting. A Hollow? Or something else. Maybe…someone else. Dammit, if only my reiatsu senses were good enough to have kept with him from the start. Even though he said it wasn't my fight – I should have been with him.
He doubled his pace, focusing every inch of his attention on the fading flare of the zanpakutou release as he drove forward to his friend's location. Even he could tell that there was something abnormal about it – the sword had not fully entered shikai, and the spiritual signal had faltered and faded before it had reached its peak. It was only a vague impression against Enishi's mind – but he would not let it go, pushing his pace yet faster as he slipped into shunpo through the trees.
It seemed like forever, but it was really only seconds before he dropped his speed, grabbing the branch of a nearby tree to steady himself as he heard his friend's voice. It was Ryuu, he was certain, though he wasn't able to make out words and try as he might he could not hear a response.
Not a Hollow, though. At this range, even I can follow those.
Enishi's eyes became grim.
In which case, there's only one other alternative. He met something else dangerous in the forest, and he probably needs some help.
With that thought foremost in his mind he burst into the clearing, stopping dead as he took in the sight in front of him. Ryuu's sword lay discarded on the grass, and Ryuu himself lay prone alongside it, his body not moving as a black-clad figure hovered over him, a gleaming silver sword poised ready to strike a fatal blow through his spine.
Before he had even had time to think about his next actions, Enishi had driven forward with a yell, knocking the black-clad assassin off his balance and sending him thudding to the ground, the weapon falling from his grip. Blood spattered across the grass and the trees, and Enishi realised that Ryuu had managed to wound his assailant, for two of his middle fingers hung oddly from his right hand and a third was caked in blood.
With fingers like that, how was he even gripping his blade?
As he picked himself up, Enishi put his hefty form between the assassin and his friend's still body, hoping and praying inwardly that he had not arrived too late and that the Kuchiki was somehow still alive. He had looked alarmingly pale, but Enishi knew that he could not focus on that now, for already the dark clothed stranger was fumbling in the dirt for his weapon with his uninjured hand, turning to stare at Enishi with unfocused glassy eyes.
At that, Enishi let out another exclamation.
"Onoe?" he cried, then, "Dammit, what are you doing? You aren't supposed to be able to…did you hurt Kuchiki? But how..? Why?"
Onoe did not answer, merely launching himself silently towards his new opponent, weapon raised high above his head. Enishi pulled his own zanpakutou from its sheath, glancing it against the boy's reckless swing and Onoe launched himself upwards, landing clumsily on a tree branch as he stared down at the Yamamoto like a cornered cat.
Enishi raised his gaze, taking in the huddled form carefully.
Spiritual wits he did not have, but as a fighter, there were few in the Senior Class who could out-pace him and even when Onoe had been in his full mind, he had never managed to provide a particularly high level of competition. Though there was nothing in the golden eyes, Enishi almost felt his companion recognised him, and despite himself he frowned, remembering the time in the First year when his fist had almost broken the other boy's nose.
That time we were enemies too, but this time it's different.
Enishi realised in that moment what his position was.
Onoe or not, you attacked Kuchiki. You hurt him. Maybe worse. I don't know how or why you're here, or whether your time unconscious has just been a lie of some sort. But it ends here and now. I'm resolved, Onoe. This time, even if I end up in isolation for the rest of eternity. This time I won't just be breaking your nose. If you can hurt Kuchiki, with his level of skill, you can hurt others. And I won't allow that…I won't allow my allies to be hurt.
Onoe seemed to understand the change in his companion's demeanour, for he scrambled higher up the tree, and a glint of light between the branches told Enishi that his foe was gearing up to launch his katana as a weapon through the boughs. But his movements were noisy and lacking in the usual Shihouin care, and Enishi was not about to start a game of cat and mouse through the treetops of the Real World. He tightened his grasp around his zanpakutou's hilt, bringing it up before him as he felt his reiryoku flare up inside him.
"Susume, Kyoshingeki!" He exclaimed, as his weapon glowed and shone with light, the narrow katana blade lengthening and broadening into a more substantial weapon almost the length of a nodachi but with a broader, flatter blade that curved in a half-hook at the tip. It was not a zanpakutou with clever Kidou trickery or pretty elemental techniques, but instead it was a vessel for Enishi's own immense physical strength, for despite its flat appearance the blade's edges were deceptively razor sharp. Unlike the brittle blades of the asauchi that were more often used in training exercises, Kyoshingeki's density meant it was almost impossible to break – and therefore capable of cutting through almost any surface with surprising ease.
Enishi did not hesitate, for as the glow of energy around the weapon faded, he brought it across in a fierce horizantal sweep, slicing cleanly through the trunk of the tree with one attempt and giving it a fierce shove with his right shoulder as a follow-up, causing it to wobble then creak and topple over against its neighbours. The forest was too dense for it to fall headlong, but Enishi had calculated that his attack would be enough to dislodge his opponent from his perch and he was proven right for the next minute a black shadow descended through the branches and onto the grass, Ryuu apparently forgotten as Onoe once more fixed his attention on his new prey.
It was at that moment Enishi caught sight of the tantou knife embedded in the ground a short distance from where Ryuu lay, and he frowned.
Two weapons? But only fighting me with this one. I wonder what that means – but I should be careful. Even with that damaged hand, he doesn't seem to be incapable of attacking me. His right hand might have enough working fingers to wield a knife of that length – if I give him the chance.
Onoe drove forward again at that point, drilling his katana towards Enishi's chest. It was a direct and unfaltering attack, childsplay to defend against but as Enishi struck the weapon away with his zanpakutou, he was taken aback by the force that his companion had employed in the strike. He was not tiring – or his body did not care that he was, for he did not seem in the least bit hesitant or shaken from his adventure through the trees. Enishi could see blood trickling down his cheek from where a branch had scratched him during his fall, and tear marks against his black clothing suggested other bruises and scrapes, yet he did not seem troubled by any of them, merely focused on the kill.
Despite himself, Enishi felt a chill run down his spine.
It's like fighting a dead man. Can I kill him? Is it possible to kill a dead man – or will he just keep on coming, even if I slit his throat? Could he…keep fighting? Even if I cut him down, could he rise again?
He took a step back, his mind racing as he considered this frightening new possibility.
Could that be what happened to Kuchiki? Did he think he'd taken Onoe down, only to have him spring up again and take him by surprise?
Enishi glanced at Onoe's broken fingers, then at the left hand that now held the blade.
It's as if you don't understand pain at all. All you know is how to fight – and you keep fighting, regardless of how broken you become. But that isn't how Onoe fights. I remember well enough…I never forget anyone's fighting style once I've seen it once, and I saw yours many times. The way you fight now tells me you're not still Onoe. Even if you look like him, or bleed like him – you're not him.
He pursed his lips.
Even if you were, you came here to hurt Kuchiki. I can't forgive or overlook that.
As Onoe struck wildly towards Enishi again, the taller boy made his strength count, swinging Kyoshingeki's long and deadly blade diagonally down from left to right across the Shihouin's black-clad torso. There was no mercy or hesitation in the swing, and the hooked end of the weapon ripped through fabric and flesh, shattering the bones beneath. Despite his resolve, Enishi stifled a shudder as he felt his weapon cleave apart Onoe's left lung, breaking through the vessels that connected his heart and half-severing the organ as the blade continued its descent towards his liver.
Onoe's glass eyes did not reflect any pain, just the faintest glimmer of surprise as he choked, blood spewing from his lips and dribbling down his chin. Enishi shook his blade slightly and the shattered corpse of the would-be assassin fell limply to the ground, the strings of the puppeteer cut once and for all as he lay lifeless and bloody on the grass.
Enishi stared at him for a moment, then he shook the blood from the end of his weapon, re-sealing it and sliding it back into its sheath as he moved to examine his victim.
Onoe did not move, his eyes staring and dull, and Enishi knew that this time he was really dead.
"But what spell drove you, I don't know," he murmured with a heavy sigh. "You weren't Onoe, that's for sure. I hope Shihouin will forgive me for dicing his kin about like that – but in the circumstances, there wasn't anything else I could do."
He turned his back on the fallen assassin, kneeling down beside Ryuu's still form and carefully yet gingerly turning him over. As he did so, a faint groan came from the Kuchiki boy's lips and though it was involuntary, Enishi was relieved to hear it.
"You're alive," he realised, setting his companion back down on the grass as he checked his friend over for injuries, "and you're not bleeding particularly, except this scrape, here on your arm. So did he strike you across the head? You're out for the count, sure enough – but even so, you should be coming around by…"
"Ryuu!"
A shriek broke the quiet in the copse and Enishi started, almost dropping Ryuu's injured arm at the sudden interruption. Before he knew what was going on, someone was there beside him, and as he stared at the newcomer he hurriedly gathered his wits, taking in the frightened look in her soft grey eyes.
"Edogawa?" he murmured, setting Ryuu's arm down carefully, then, "Dammit, you about gave me a heart attack. What were you thinking? A few minutes earlier you'd have run right onto the end of an assassin's knife!"
"An assassin…" Mitsuki shivered, swallowing hard as she cast a fleeting glance at Onoe's fallen form. "Or a dancing corpse, one or the other. I know, Houjou-kun. I felt Ryuu falter, and I sensed your sword. I knew you were here, and that you were fighting. I saw you cut Onoe-kun down – I waited till he was quite still before I moved. But Ryuu…Ryuu needed me. And if you had taken any longer, I…would have had to have risked myself."
She spread her hands, a soft golden glow emitting from her fingers and wrapping itself gently around her cousin's body.
"His injuries don't seem that bad to me," Enishi remarked, and Mitsuki shook her head, her eyes dark.
"He's been poisoned," she said blackly, "probably through that cut on his arm – though I can't be sure. All I know is that I felt his faltering – it was the same confused sensation as Shirogane-senpai's spirit after Ribari-sama was killed. Someone was using the same technique – or a similar one – to take Ryuu out too."
"The same…?" Enishi faltered, muttering a curse, and Mitsuki nodded, offering him a faint smile.
"But they won't succeed," she said firmly, "thanks to your intervention, Houjou-kun. He hasn't taken in enough poison to prove fatal – I can tell, now I'm right beside him – it's in his system but it's not enough to kill him on its own."
"The tantou knife." Enishi reached to pull the embedded weapon from the ground, but Mitsuki shook her head, grabbing his sleeve and pulling his arm back.
"Maybe. Probably. Better you don't touch it, just in case," she said shortly. "It might be more laced with poison than it looks – whoever sent Onoe-kun almost certainly didn't care if he died doing this job. I doubt it was Onoe-kun who coated the weapon in that stuff, either. Perhaps if the knife had gone into a vessel or something like that…but it only glanced across Ryuu's skin."
"Onoe was standing over him, ready to impale him when I got here," Enishi sat back on his heels, remembering. "I guess you're right. Maybe it wasn't meant to kill him – just to hold him still so that he wasn't so hard to nail."
He grimaced.
"Judging by the haphazard way in which Onoe was fighting, I'd believe that," he added.
"It wasn't Onoe-kun fighting you," Mitsuki said matter-of-factly, "it was someone else. Someone controlling him. I've encountered this before, Houjou-kun. You have too. Someone who uses manipulative magic to suit their own purposes."
"Manipulative…" Enishi's eyes darkened, and he shot the healer a horrified glance.
"You mean that jerk who took Ukitake, don't you?" he demanded, anger flaring up in his dark eyes. "The one who tried to make him kill Kyouraku – the bastard who almost killed the both of them, out in District Seven!"
"Yes," Mitsuki agreed grimly, "that's exactly who I mean. Urahara Keitarou. Aizen Keitarou. Though why he's doing it is anyone's guess. I don't know anything about him or his motives…but I do know one thing. When he used his puppet skill before, on Eiraki-hime, I felt it. It had a very distinctive sensation. And that…"
She pointed disparagingly towards Onoe's corpse,
"That has the same sensation lingering around it. Onoe-kun's own soul wasn't there at all - I think perhaps that man's magic killed what little of it was left after his fight with Shihouin-kun, and he'd just become a puppet with no mind of his own at all. But there was the taint of another's hand. When he fell, that dark spirit burst from him like poison gas – something you can't see, but can sense."
"I didn't sense anything," Enishi admitted, "but I believe you."
"Sensing it isn't the same as doing something about it." Mitsuki shot him a smile. "What you did is much more productive than what I've done so far – so you shouldn't worry. You're the one who saved Ryuu. I'm fairly sure that if Onoe-kun had failed and nobody had come to Ryuu's rescue, someone else would have come to finish the job."
Enishi frowned, his lips pressed firmly together as he considered.
"You think Onoe was sent by that Keitarou to kill Ribari-sama for some political reason of his own?" he asked softly, and Mitsuki shrugged.
"That's one opinion," she agreed. "Why?"
Enishi shook his head.
"The kid was poisoned, wasn't he?" he pointed out. "You said that, right? Not slashed up like crazy, but poisoned. Yes?"
"Yes," Mitsuki confirmed, "with something quick and fatal that damaged his heart beyond repair."
"Then it wasn't Onoe," Enishi said frankly. "I'm not an expert on all this political intrigue, and I wouldn't know where to begin trying to work out the wheres, the whys and the hows in all of this business. I leave that to the smart folk and keep out of it. But one thing I do know is how people fight. I don't forget that kind of thing, and I don't confuse them, either - because it's something I'm good at."
He cast his glance over towards Onoe's bleeding body once more, then sighed.
"Maybe before…maybe the old Onoe could have carried out a kill like that. Stealthy is a Shihouin trait, and they have a history of assassinations. But that Onoe…wouldn't have stood a chance. Even given the poison that debilitated them…there's no way. He would have left far too big a trail."
"Ribari-sama said he saw Onoe-kun – or a Shihouin – before he died," Mitsuki said thoughtfully. "But you think…that's not true?"
"Ribari-sama might've. Onoe might've been there." Enishi shrugged. "But I'm just saying he wasn't the one who killed the kid, Edogawa. I'd stake my zanpakutou on it."
"You're right."
A fresh voice came from the trees beyond, and as one person the two turned, Mitsuki letting out a gasp as a young woman slipped between the trees. There was a wary defiance in her blue eyes, and she paused some feet from Onoe's body, glancing at it with a frown.
"He couldn't have done anything like that," she added detachedly, "with those clumsy hands of his. All he could do was take a blade and slash and kill – so that's what he was sent to do."
"Eiraki-chan," Mitsuki whispered, colour draining from her face, and the girl's expression flickered slightly with recognition.
"Mitsuki…oneesama," she murmured, and Enishi felt his stomach knotting as he understood who the newcomer was.
"Hirata's missing sister," he muttered, and Eiraki started, then shook her head.
"I'm not. Not any more," she said pragmatically. "I left my Clan and I don't belong to them any more. So I'm not his anything, now. So far as he's concerned, I'm sure I'm already dead."
"You're wrong, Eiraki-chan," Mitsuki's eyes glittered suddenly with tears. "Hirata worries about you all the time. He and your father and mother – they're all very worried about you. They want you safe at home with them – what are you doing here, in a place like this, involved with…with…"
Eiraki stared at her for a moment, then she sighed, shaking her head.
"Kei-sama said that nobody would understand," she murmured, and Enishi frowned, eying her in confusion.
"Kei-sama? You're with that Urahara guy? Did he take you after all?"
"He didn't take me anywhere. I chose to go with him," Eiraki shot Enishi a disparaging look, "as any wife would follow her husband."
"Wife…husband?" It was impossible for Mitsuki to go any paler, but Eiraki nodded.
"Kei-sama was betrothed to me when last we met, don't you remember?" she asked softly. "Under a false name, it's true, but I and he both considered such a thing binding. And I'm older now than I was then."
She sighed, looking suddenly tired.
"When my family broke their promises and started to hunt him down, I decided to break my chains and run with him rather than let him run alone," she added sadly. "I didn't want to be there in a place I wasn't wanted – I'm useful to Kei-sama, whereas I was never of any use there."
"Eiraki-chan…"
"I'm sorry if Ribari's death hurt you," Eiraki did not let her continue, fixing the healer with grave blue eyes. "I didn't intend to hurt you, because you were kind to me. Kei-sama didn't intend it either - he promised that you'd be left out of anything we did to the Kuchiki, because I liked you and because you didn't believe bad things about him. But I didn't suppose you'd mind very much about Ribari, really. I knew that he was a cousin of yours, but I didn't imagine you to be very close. You never seemed to be that attached to your Clan in that way – and like me, you were trapped by them, weren't you? So I didn't think you'd hate me, if one Kuchiki died. Even if two or three did. I came to clear up the mess Onoe left – but I really didn't expect to meet you here like this, now."
"You killed Ribari-sama?" Mitsuki looked horrified, and Eiraki nodded her head.
"Well, Onoe helped," she said with a faint smile. "He was the decoy, whilst I took care of the poison. It doesn't take strength to do that, just careful fingers. I have those. They were all collapsed – I could have killed any of them. But I only killed one."
"And now you were coming to kill Ryuu, too, weren't you?" Mitsuki's tears trickled down her cheeks. "I won't forgive that, Eiraki-chan. Hirata's sister or not – even as someone I was fond of or thought I understood. That you could kill anyone and stand there so calm as though it made sense…what did Keitarou do to you, to make you this way?"
"He didn't do anything," Eiraki was genuinely surprised. "He doesn't use his sword on me. He doesn't have to. I decided everything for myself. I don't have any regrets about it, Mitsuki-neesama. This was the path I chose to follow. It's the one I believe in – and so it's right."
"Don't call me Neesama any more!" Mitsuki's voice shook. "For you to hurt Ribari-sama…and then to think of hurting Ryuu…and to tell me that that path is right…don't you even think about it! If you didn't want to hurt me, you should have kept well away from my Clan! Whether I was close to Ribari-sama or not isn't the point. He was my kin, and his death has hurt other people I care about. And Ryuu...Ryuu is like my brother. If you had hurt him, I swear..."
She swallowed hard, and Enishi realised she was trembling as her fingers brushed briefly over Yuuyugo's patterned white hilt.
"Even carrying this blunt sword that was born to only heal, if you had seriously hurt Ryuu, you would have found just how deep my family pride does run," she said blackly. "You aren't the girl I thought you were – the girl I met two years ago wasn't capable of this level of evil."
"It's not evil. It's justice. Revenge, maybe…but justice most of all," Eiraki shook her head, her eyes big at Mitsuki's words. "You just haven't seen it clearly, that's all. The Clans strangle Soul Society, but I saw for myself what the Endou did to District Seven when Mother and I fled into exile. I saw the way people were purged – people like Kei-sama's people, but others too. Just because of greed and cruelty. They all care about protecting themselves and they believe they're superior, but there are a lot of poor people in Soul Society, Mitsuki-dono. A lot of people. And in Rukongai, too. Souls who are ignored and who face death every day trying to eke out a living. I didn't understand until I fled from Seimaru – but I do now, and I can't go back. Hirata-nii and the others…they tried to put District Seven back to how it was before. Even he didn't understand. I don't hate him – or any of them. I just don't belong to that world any more. If killing a few Clansfolk makes people realise they're not invincible – so be it. If it makes them notice the rest of Seireitei, so be it. Things will change – they're already changing. But you should understand and support this most of all – since you're in love with one of them, aren't you? With one of the District people that the Clans like so much to ignore."
"Leave Juushirou out of this!" Mitsuki snapped back, but Enishi reached out a hand, resting it gently on the healer's shoulder to calm her.
"You failed," he said quietly, meeting Eiraki's gaze. "Kuchiki isn't dead, and he won't die. I'll see to that personally, if I have to. Your puppet has been gutted – and whilst I don't wave my sword at girls, I don't intend on letting you poison anyone else right now. You're Hirata's sister, and for that reason alone I won't grab you and drag you back to our camp by force. For his sake, I won't do that – if he knew what you'd just told us, it would shatter him and I won't hurt a friend that way. But if you're wise, you'll go. You'll leave this – and us – well alone. Tell your Kei-sama that, too. If there's going to be a battle, he'll have to work harder than that if he's going to win it. I don't care how you dress it up - taking life is taking life. Murdering a helpless boy as he lay unconscious on the grass isn't fair combat."
"Like you slashed a hole in Onoe's chest with your monster sword?" Eiraki challenged, and Enishi realised she had been watching the fight - perhaps right from the beginning.
"Taking a life is taking a life," he repeated with a shrug. "I'll feel sorry for it later, but now my concern is for the life I saved. If you hadn't sent your puppet to kill Kuchiki, I wouldn't have had to cut him down. Death breeds more death - killing breeds more killing. Tell that to your Keitarou - not to begin a war he can't win."
Eiraki stared at him for a moment. Then, without a word, she turned on her heel, disappearing back into the undergrowth.
"I'm sorry, Houjou-kun," Mitsuki sighed, wiping away her tears, "but for Eiraki-chan…to hear her say…and that she's hurt Ryuu…and people have been blaming Shirogane-senpai, and…and I never made the connection at all. I don't know if Ryuu did, either – but it didn't occur to me for one moment that she…that this might be…like this."
"It's all right," Enishi assured her. "If I'd had sense, I'd have taken her by force anyway. I could've, easily…but I guess I'm soft at heart. I'm not sure what to do with this information – but right now Kuchiki has to be our priority. I can carry him back to camp – if you can follow my shunpo."
"Yes. That's the best plan," Mitsuki agreed, "but I suspect we'll be going back to the Academy as soon as we report this. And we must report it. Someone tried to kill Ryuu, who to all intents and purposes is currently considered the most likely next heir to the Kuchiki Clan. The assassins are here and we know their true identities. Eiraki may be fired up with her new faith, but she's still very young. Her belief in it made her careless and she said far too much. I think she really thought I would somehow understand her twisted logic...but I suppose we're not as similar as she thought."
"Hirata will break his heart over it," Enishi murmured, and Mitsuki sighed.
"But we can't keep it a secret. It might cost lives, including Hirata's own," she pointed out. Enishi nodded.
"I know," he owned, "and I'm with you, but I'm twice as glad now that I intervened. Bad enough she took one life. Worse if she'd been able to double it."
"Mm." Mitsuki looked troubled. "There's something else, as well. Something that I realised…very quickly, when she first appeared."
"Which was?" As Enishi bundled Ryuu's still form up in his arms, he cast his companion a quizzical glance.
Mitsuki was silent for a moment, then she shook her head as if to clear it.
"Eiraki-chan's reiatsu didn't reflect one person," she said uneasily. "It reflected two."
"Meaning that Kei jerk was controlling her?"
"No. Not like that…although I suppose it could be considered a form of manipulation." Mitsuki rubbed her temples. "No, Houjou-kun. What I mean is that…that there was a second aura discernable around Eiraki-chan's body. An infant's aura."
"An infant?" Enishi was floored, and Mitsuki nodded.
"Yes," she said heavily. "It was only faint, so it's fairly recent, and she may not even know yet herself. But there's no mistaking it. I'm quite certain - Eiraki-chan is with child."
"Mitsuki!"
At that moment a breathless and frantic Sora dropped into the copse, making both Senior students visibly jump with the suddenness of her appearance. As she took in Ryuu's unconscious form, her eyes widened, colour draining from her face even further as she registered the blooded shape of Onoe Tomoyuki on the grass not far away.
"What…the hell…happened?" she gasped out. "That…is…that Onoe? And Kuchiki…what…"
"Someone tried to put an end to Ryuu," Mitsuki's voice shook, "but Houjou-kun stopped them."
"It was Onoe," Enishi added briefly. "It's not any more."
"You mean…you…" Sora's gaze flitted uncertainly to her broad-built classmate, as if seeing his bulk as a threat for the first time, and Enishi's brows drew together in consternation.
"Yes," He agreed frankly, "but even before Kyoshingeki took his innards out, he'd already lost his soul. That one was a puppet assassin. Don't look at me that way…he was going to sever Kuchiki's spinal column if I hadn't've done something about it."
"Houjou-kun saved Ryuu's life," Mitsuki murmured, "but Onoe…wasn't the only assassin. Sora, Hirata's sister is here. Eiraki-chan is here. And it was her…she came to…"
"Endou Eiraki? That mouse of a girl?" Sora was dumbstruck. Mitsuki nodded slowly.
"She…was the one who killed Ribari-sama. She said so, as though it was nothing," she agreed soberly, getting carefully to her feet. "We need to take Ryuu back to camp – and then, I hope, back to school. He's been poisoned, but it's not enough to hurt him…I don't think. Like this he's vulnerable, though – and whilst we frightened Eiraki-chan off, if someone else came…"
"Someone else?" Sora's eyes became angry. "Someone like Aizen Keitarou, right?"
"Mm." Mitsuki nodded.
"He's controlling Hirata's sister to do all this stuff?"
"No. Eiraki-chan's doing it of her own accord," Mitsuki shook her head. "She wanted Ryuu to die and she didn't care if he did. The same applies to Ribari-sama. Eiraki-chan is a proper Endou, we just never realised it before."
"But we realised it in time to stop Kuchiki becoming another victim," Enishi gazed down at the pale form he cradled in his arms. "He's breathing all right, Edogawa – and though he's paler than normal, I think that's all it is. If we get him back quickly, probably he'll be fine. He's a tough one – and I intend to stick with him at least until we get back to the Academy. Kyoshingeki's riled up and ready to fight if I need him again – and whilst I won't slash my blade through a hime – especially not if she's with child like you think – I won't spare any punches for the one who pulled Onoe's strings."
"Eiraki-hime…is…" Sora was floored, and Mitsuki nodded.
"I think so," she agreed sadly. "She's Aizen's now. Entirely and completely. There's no way to save her, even if she wanted us to. If Guren-sama catches her, she'll be put to death without a doubt. Her age, her condition and her stupidity won't count for anything. He won't show her any mercy at all if he manages to lay hands on her."
"Is Ukitake already back at camp?" Enishi shot Mitsuki a quizzical look, and the young healer shook her head.
"He isn't. Nor is Kyouraku-kun," she replied. "Nobody's there now."
"Then you and I'll take Kuchiki back and try and make contact with Sensei," Enishi decided. "Sora, have you any breath left? You came haring in here after Edogawa, but someone should go tell Ukitake what's happened, and neither Edogawa nor I are leaving Kuchiki alone like this."
"I'll go." Sora nodded, scrambling to her feet. "I can't trace reiatsu as well as Mitsuki can, but I s'pect I'm better at it than you are, Houjou. Besides, I'll use Hotarue."
She patted the hilt of her sword.
"She's been skittish and dancing all over the place with all of these swords being released – and I think that means Katen Kyoukotsu has been released too. With her help, I'm sure I'll find Shunsui – and if I find him, probably I'll find Juushirou as well."
"Then we'll meet back at base camp as soon as possible." Mitsuki looked relieved. "Thank you, Sora. Be as quick as you can, all right? The sooner we get Ryuu somewhere safer than this the better."
"That was definitely Houjou's sword."
As the two Seniors hurried across the uneven mountain terrain, Kai cast Hirata an apprehensive glance, reading the same tension flowing through the younger boy's body as he had running through his own. "It was Kyoshingeki's release, and something else. They're practically on our group's territory – what the hell is he doing fighting something up here?"
"I don't know," Hirata's pale blue eyes were uncharacteristically dark, and he shook his head quickly from side to side, "but something's definitely going on beyond the group boundary line. Shunsui-kun's Katen Kyoukotsu was released too, Kai-kun…and not in the same area of land. I don't know what's happened, but in the circumstances…"
"Kuchiki?" Kai asked grimly, and Hirata nodded.
"Almost certainly," he said blackly, "but if Houjou-kun is all the way out towards the divide and Shunsui-kun's a long way towards their base camp – what does that mean? I thought I felt Shizurugi releasing too, but it was gone as soon as it happened, so I suppose I got confused. And then there was something else that didn't correspond to anyone or anything. Something piercing and damaged that flared for a while and then disappeared."
"In this atmosphere it's easy to read more into signals than is there, because there are less of them," Kai observed bleakly. "Houjou and Sora are probably at the advantage, because their senses aren't as keen as ours and therefore are less used to filtering out great swathes of irrelevant stuff. Here we're at risk of discarding or focusing on something important because it's flowing at a different strength from when we're back home – but I don't think you imagined Shizurugi. I think Kuchiki tried to release – what worries me is that he obviously didn't succeed."
"Something prevented him?"
"Or someone."
As they reached a clearing just beyond the line that divided their side of the group mission map from the area designated to Juushirou's team, Kai slowed, pausing as he caught sight of something dark and limp huddled beneath the shadow of a damaged tree. The area was pitch black now, night having well and truly fallen, but the moon was clear and bright in the sky, and Kai's keenly trained assassin wits soon realised that it was not a bush or fallen branch but the broken shape of a body.
He frowned, taking in the odd angle of the tree trunk that seemed to be leaning precariously against one of its fellows, and his eyes narrowed.
"Hirata, can you light this area with Kidou for me, please?" he asked softly. "You're better at firing spells without flaring spirit power than I am, and I don't want to bring a Hollow out this way. Besides, I want my hands free…I think it's better that I look at this than you."
"What have you found?" Hirata obediently pressed his hands together, closing his eyes and faint flickers of spiritual energy began to glimmer around the edges of his skin. "Hadou no Sanjuu San – Soukatsui!"
He parted his hands, and little by little the copse was illuminated in an eerie blueish glow.
"If Sensei finds out you're doing that without the incarnation, you'll be in trouble," Kai observed absently, crouching down closer to the huddled black-clad form. "You know we're not allowed to use Kidou that way until after we graduate – and only then if we're really proficient."
"I'm not causing anyone any harm, though," Hirata said levelly. "I can maintain it easily enough at this standard – this is a First year spell and it's only a matter of proper reiryoku control. Besides, that's not relevant to us right now, is it? What's more relevant is…who exactly is that beneath the tree?"
"Tomoyuki," Kai rested his hand against his cousin's shoulder, gazing into the empty golden eyes with a sigh, "and this time there's absolutely no doubt about it, Hirata. Whatever he was before, he's definitely dead now."
"This was where Kyoshingeki was released, wasn't it?" Hirata moved to kneel at his friend's side, the blue flame wavering slightly but staying firm as he made himself more comfortable on the grass. "There – now it's easier to see. Though whether that's a good thing or not…"
"Houjou's sword takes no prisoners," Kai said with a sigh, rolling Onoe's body onto its back and seeing for the first time the full scale of the damage. Despite himself he felt faintly queasy as he took in the jagged slash that had carved through the boy's ribs as though they were made of paper, slicing through the organs and vital structures that lay beneath. Onoe's heart had been cut right through, and this had been the ultimate cause of death – but even without that, Kai was sure his cousin would not have survived long from any of the other wounds either.
It was quick and it was decisive. Houjou decided that it had to be done and so he did it, and quickly, too. Whether Tomoyuki had any awareness or not I can't tell – but this would have happened so quickly that even a full-minded individual would probably have been dead before any pain signals would have reached the brain. Violent as it was, Houjou was merciful. His intention was to put Tomoyuki out of his misery, wasn't it? He must've realised that whatever his condition, there was no going back…killing him also at least spares the Shihouin the embarrassment of his being taken and formally tried.
"He's been cut to pieces quite horribly," Hirata's voice brought Kai back to the present. "I don't suppose he knew a lot about it, though."
"Me either." Kai reached a reluctant hand across to close the glassy empty eyes. "Are you okay? I remember when you found Aitori's corpse, it shook you up quite badly."
"That was a long time ago." Hirata's tones were faintly wistful. "I've got older, Kai-kun, and it's all right. It's not nice to look at, but I'm not disturbed by death the way I was back then."
"All right." Kai sat back on his heels. "We can't just leave him like this. Houjou isn't the type who'd just kill for no reason – even a person he didn't ever really like - so something must've happened here to make him release his sword."
"There's another weapon by that tree." Hirata nodded his head towards the abandoned tantou knife, and Kai got to his feet, carefully stepping around the blood-sodden pools that saturated the grass surrounding his cousin's body. At a glance he could see that his friend was right, and he frowned, a sudden thought crossing his mind as he bent down to examine it more closely.
The weapon was not marked with any distinctive Clan emblem, just as Onoe's own attire had been devoid of Shihouin or other crests. Yet the colour of the blade itself was somehow clouded, and a cold chill touched Kai's spine as he realised the significance of this observation.
"Hirata, come shine your light on this more closely," he instructed, and his companion obeyed, bringing the ghostly blue haze closer to the blade. Without touching it, Kai scrutinised the metal carefully, chewing on his lip as he worked out what he was seeing.
"Laced with poison of some kind," he said at length, standing upright and indicating for Hirata to do the same. "I don't know what, but the metal is definitely coated in something that it shouldn't be. The surface is far too murky and smudgy for it to be a clean weapon – but aside from a few specks right near the tip, there's no sign of blood."
"A few specks?" Hirata looked thoughtful, his features appearing strange in the flickering glow of the blue flame. "Kuchiki-kun?"
"Seems that way, doesn't it?" Kai's response was grim. "Tomoyuki was sent to poison Kuchiki, and Houjou intervened. There's no sign of either Houjou or Kuchiki here, which means they almost certainly went back to camp already – hopefully with Kuchiki in better physical state than Tomoyuki."
"Almost certainly he's alive," Hirata said pensively, "since Onoe-kun's body has been left here. If they were in a hurry to get Kuchiki-kun to help, they wouldn't have had time to worry about what to do with Onoe-kun. I think we can probably assume he survived – even if he wasn't able to fight."
"Let's hope, huh?" Kai glanced at his blood-stained fingers, feeling a sudden sense of heaviness washing over his young body. "This is the type of Shihouin my sister wants us to stop being, Hirata. Someone – almost certainly that exact someone who snared your sister – has made Tomoyuki enact out a role that my family are doing their level best to erase. This isn't the kind of way I want our Clan to be seen in the future…broken and bloody on the end of a sword after an assassination attempt gone wrong."
"The Shihouin and the Endou have both changed," Hirata said quietly, and though there was no active sympathy in his friend's tones, Kai knew the younger boy understood. "It's not an easy path for either family to walk – but we will walk it, no matter what other people try to do to get in our way."
"You're concerned, aren't you?" Kai eyed him quizzically. "You think that, seeing that Tomoyuki's like this, the next time it might be Eiraki-hime we find."
"I think I'm more afraid for Kuchiki-kun and for others – like Juushirou-kun – who might take exception to assaulting a hime if they encounter her," Hirata said honestly. "There's no knowing what my sister will be primed to do, or what she might already have done in order to help Aizen's plans."
"Hirata?" Kai stared at him, and Hirata offered a faint smile.
"I love my sister. I always will. Aizen probably knows that, which is why he's taken her as an accomplice," he said softly. "He wants to weaken the Clans, and Eiraki is the perfect weapon to use to take out what's left of the Endou. We're a weak family still rebuilding, though – we're no real challenge and our destruction won't help his long term cause. At the moment he's set his sights elsewhere, and taking Eiraki is a chance to keep the Endou at bay while he does. He assumes that if one of ours is involved, we'll be too fearful of our Clan's position to speak out or act."
"But…?" Kai pressed.
"I'm my Father's heir. Heir to the Clan. Grandson of Shouichi and Yayoi, son of Misashi, sole blood descendant to District Seven," Hirata said matter-of-factly. "Personal feelings aside, that's who I am and that's my duty. If Eiraki is betraying us, it makes it even more necessary for me to be loyal. That doesn't mean I want to face her or fight her – but it does mean that I can see her as an enemy. No, I already did see her as one, if I'm totally honest about it. As her brother I wanted to rescue her, and still do. On the other hand, as heir to the Clan, deep down I knew that rescue wasn't an option. Onoe-kun's death has just made that all the more certain. Aizen is an extremist and this is a cause people can – and probably have been – martyred for. It's the first seeds of a bigger war – even if we suppress it now, it will come back."
He got to his feet.
"Our job is to face it, accept it, fight it," he concluded. "As heirs to Clans, we have no other choice. We have to be firm with what we believe in, Kai-kun. If we're not…Seireitei's own framework may find itself under threat."
"You…really are a whole lot stronger these days," Kai said ruefully. "Turning twenty's had a bigger impact on you than we thought, huh? You're shying away from blood, keeping a rational head in the presence of a corpse, and even being able to look at your family's situation from a pragmatic point of view. Though maybe it's been happening for a while. You seem older than me, sometimes, when you make statements like that."
"I'm realising more what parts of me are Endou and what parts I can overcome," Hirata sounded weary, and Kai had the impression his friend had spent some time fighting a battle within himself over the kind of person he wanted to become, "and that loving my family doesn't stop me from fighting them. My Clan has existed by doing that very thing for generations and it's practically in my blood. What I don't want to become is an Endou like Grandfather or Seimaru – I want to be able to protect people who need protecting as well as use my bird of prey instinct to hunt down enemies. Endou Lords don't learn compassion – but I have learned it and I want to keep it. That's why being at the Academy is such a precious thing to me – I've had the chance to learn a lot more than the average Endou Clan heir."
"You've never really been much like a traditional Endou lord," Kai pointed out. "Right at the start especially…that's never really been your frame of mind."
"We all are, though. Even my Father is ruthless when he needs to be – with his life, with other lives," Hirata responded. "He didn't even blink at the eradication of the Urahara exiles under Grandfather's regime. Truthfully, too…since raising Seizumi, I've been less…troubled by death. Since killing Seimaru, I've realised that killing doesn't bother me much at all. Aitori's murder made me sick to my stomach, but right now I'm a few feet from a bleeding corpse and I don't...I don't feel anything at all, Kai-kun. It's just there. My brain's acknowledged that it is and that what's happened is horrific - but I don't feel anything more."
"For real, huh?" Kai's brows creased in consternation. Hirata nodded.
"As time's gone on, I've realised that - even though I don't intend on following the family tradition for slaughter, I'm designed to have no emotional reaction to taking life. I've never once had a nightmare about how Seimaru died, and that fact itself bothered me a lot more than his death, because it was the first time I saw how Endou I really was inside. More and more I've become accepting of death as a normal part of my existence. By the time I fully know how to wield my sword at the top level, I'll probably have all the hunter's instincts I need to be a proper Endou Lord."
"Hirata…" Kai stared.
"You needn't worry. I don't intend to be like Seimaru," Hirata spoke firmly. "If I ever became that way, Kai-kun, I'd hope you'd break your hate of killing and you'd take me out before I could start hurting innocent people."
"Don't ask stupid things," Kai snorted, reaching across to thwap his friend across the back of the head with an unblooded section of his white-sleeved arm. "I won't kill you. I'll kick it into you instead that killing people's a bad thing. You've had a year of Shihouin discipline already - a little more won't hurt you. Endou or not, no way you'll turn out like Seimaru and the rest. None of us would allow it - you think Ukitake would allow it?"
"Juushirou-kun's probably the biggest reason I've been able to figure all this out," Hirata sighed, spreading his hands and the flare of Kidou disappeared into fragments of light. "He doesn't believe in killing, but he does believe in doing the right thing regardless of the consequences. I think by spending time with him, I've been able to put my spirit power into perspective. He - and all of you - have always told me that when I raised my sword, it'd be different from the other Endou birds of prey. I really hope to make that the case. Spending that year with your family, too, and seeing how Midori-sama was changing things there, I realised that Clans don't have to follow the same model for all eternity, and that one individual can turn thing in a new direction. I've done a lot of thinking off and on about all of this, and I think it's the nature of our spirit power that forms the basis of an Endou becoming a ruthless killer. Understanding that is the first step to doing something about it."
"So...?"
"Father wasn't allowed to raise his sword, so he retained his sanity and his grip on everyday administration," Hirata reflected. "He and mother - who has no real spirit power - were the biggest influences on me as a small child. Grandfather and Grandmother were both capable of running the family, but bloodthirsty in their own way, whilst my Uncle Mibune and Seimaru were almost crazed by the power of their swords. Seimaru was trained to his sword by Mibune-ojiue, who was insanely violent even towards his own son. Seimaru never had a chance to be anything other than what he was, because he didn't see any other path that he could follow. Seizumi's real name is Tsumi no Fuuhi – a tsumi can be a sin as well as a sparrowhawk, and it's not an accidental play on words. My sword first started to awaken when I killed Seimaru and that moment I understood a little more about who I was. When Eiraki disappeared, I felt it more firmly. But I am decided. If my future is to fight against members of my family, I'm going to only do so for the sake of establishing a Clan that's stable and respectable in Seireitei's hierarchy - one that can govern properly and shield its people from harm, rather than inflict it. I'm completely decided about that, but committing to that future means I probably have to discard Eiraki-chan. I don't expect I'll have a choice but to view her in the same way I had to view Seimaru - an enemy to the prosperity and peace of District Seven."
"You'd kill her?" Kai asked, dumbstruck, and Hirata shook his head.
"I don't know if I could. It hasn't gone that deep inside of me yet," he admitted. "I'm holding onto that thought as hard as I can, because I want to be able to hunt when I need to but to hold that instinct in perspective. Seimaru loved Grandfather – Father's said that time and time again. He loved Grandfather like a father figure, yet still had him murdered to further his own ends. Love in the Endou has a strange meaning, but I love Eiraki. Even though she might have betrayed us, I want to keep loving Eiraki…in the way you love your sister and brother."
"I see." Kai was troubled. "You've never spoken quite like that before."
"There's never been a situation quite like this," Hirata's voice echoed slightly in the darkness, "but of all the people I trust, Kai-kun, you're maybe the only one who'd really understand. You were trained as a killer too – even if you don't practice that way, you must understand the will of a Clan whose very nature is death."
"I wish I didn't, but I do," Kai sighed. "All right then. Right now it seems a bad idea to keep up our hunt for Eiraki-hime. If Tomoyuki was sent to his death by Aizen, there's a good chance he'd use her in the same way and since there aren't many people in our group who'd slay a hime, he'd probably see the advantage in deploying her. Just the same, though, Tomoyuki can't be left here ignored like this. This is a crime scene and there is evidence of foul play all around. I'd bet there's enough to prove Kuchiki's and my kinsfolk innocent and maybe enough to provide a faint trail to the real assassins."
"I'll go back to our camp," Hirata volunteered. "In the dark I can feel my way through the air currents and I'll probably make quicker time than you would trying to do it by sight and sense. This world isn't designed for spiritual transit, so I think it's probably best I go. I'll tell Yamamoto-kun that Kuchiki-kun's been attacked and that most probably we'll be summoned back to Seireitei as a result. If I can, I'll get him to mobilise everyone towards the Senkaimon."
"I suppose that leaves me to stand guard over Tomoyuki," Kai said grimly.
"It does. I'm sorry," Hirata sounded apologetic, "but in the circumstances…"
"No, it's best that way." Kai shook his head. "He's my cousin. None of this was his choice. Fool as he was – as a Shihouin, this is my duty. I'll stay here. If anything significant happens, I'll flare a spell – or head towards the Senkaimon. But otherwise…this is where I'll be."
"Understood." There was the faint shadow of Hirata's nodding assent, then with a flicker of spirit power he was gone, leaving Kai alone with the corpse of his dead cousin.
Letting out a heavy sigh, Kai returned across the clearing to where the cooling body lay, spreading his own left hand and murmuring the incantation for Shakkahou as he illuminated the area in a haze of blood-red light.
The last time we spent time alone together, you held a knife and tried to take my life before submitting your own.
He sank down against the broken tree, being careful to keep out of the congealing blood.
This happened because that happened. You rebelled against my sister and threatened to hurt her – probably knowing that your deed was unforgivable and would not be forgiven. You chose to die as an assassin dies. However, because you made that choice, Tomoyuki, all of these things came into play. Who knows how many lives you've damaged and ended since you disappeared from District Two?
He groaned.
Is your spirit happy, wherever it is? Are you proud that you really did become a proper assassin from the shadows and died an assassin's death? Or are you ashamed of it, Tomoyuki? I wish I could ask you whether you knew what you were doing, or if you were no more than an empty shell following that man's commands.
We were no kind of allies, but I'm probably the one who'll find it hardest to forget you or write you out of our family's past. Seeing you how you were after our fight told me that I didn't want to be a killer. I wanted to live and to help change the Clan – so I've done it, and now I'm the family's heir. This…all of this…is the reason it needs to stop. People's lives are precious. Your life was too, but you never had anyone to talk to you the way Kyouraku and Unohana-sensei talked to me. Because they did, I'm here now, and I know what it is I need to do. I need to live. I may be a Shihouin trained for death, but I don't suppose I'll ever stop believing in living.
He rested his head against the wood of the tree, closing his eyes as he spread his senses all around for any sign of danger or trouble.
I'll be an Onmitsukidou and I'll do what I can. Like Hirata, I'll do my duty by my Clan and by Seireitei and I'll protect as much as I'm able. The Shihouin of the next generation will protect people's lives, not end them. That's my hope for the future, Tomoyuki. I'm sorry it wasn't a future you could see, but at least here, while we're alone, I'll promise you that.
He opened his eyes, gazing down once more at his cousin's still form. Though his body was bloody, with his eyes closed Tomoyuki's features were reposed as though he was sleeping, and despite himself, a sad smile touched Kai's lips.
"If I can, I'll get Neesama to give you a proper burial," he said softly. "For your mother's sake, I'll try, because she loved you more than you ever realised she did. I don't know if souls like yours travel to the Real World or if the Eiminyaku really did just eat it all away. But just on the off-chance some part of you is here in this place to hear me, I'll promise you to at least do what I can to have you laid to rest where you should be. This isn't over yet – Hirata might be right and it might just be the beginning. But for you, it's done. And for the Shihouin, it's time we all moved on."
Author's Note (Warning, it's a long one this week!)
Clever people are lifesavers
As a lot of people have probably experienced, FFnet has issues at the moment with updating stories. However, thanks to the smart brains of people who have a lot more intelligence than me, I'm now able to belatedly update Meifu for this week. Hopefully normal service will be resumed soon, and thank you once again, smart people =D
Enishi
Here it is, then. Enishi's crowning moment of glory in the Meifu world. The title of this chapter is 'bond' – which, as I explained way back in the footnotes for 2nd manuscript, is what 'Enishi' actually means. His bond with and loyalty to his companions is what will make him a great shinigami – even though his kidou is feeble and his ability to sense reiatsu somewhat below that of some of his fellows.
Enishi is a simple soul – straight-forward, earnest and strong, and so I wanted him to have a zanpakutou to match. Kyoshingeki doesn't have any special magic tricks associated with it. It really is just a huge strong blade designed for force rather than delicate schematics.
The name of the sword means "Huge soul attack" which can be interpreted in a few ways. Perhaps it's because of the nature of the sword's appearance. Maybe it's because it can take down the 'huge' and deformed souls of the hollows. But I think – and the reason probably that I chose that name for this sword – that it has another meaning. The second character, 'shin' can also be read as 'kokoro', which in Japanese is a word used for the soul or the heart of an individual (in a spiritual sense, as opposed to the organ). Enishi's heart is undoubtedly huge, and in order to protect those he holds dear, he's not afraid to fight. Kyoshingeki's release attack is "susume" which means, "advance". Probably that's something that Enishi would do right up till his final fight – fair and honest to the last.
For a while now it's been a thought of mine that Enishi's soul might have been reincarnated into Renji in the current canon (I think someone also independantly mentioned that same idea in a recent Review/PM, which was actually quite heartwarming because it made me think my mental ramblings about him weren't totally creator's delusion! Renji was a real world soul transferred to Rukongai, yet one with spirit power and how he came by it is unclear. We do know that souls from Rukongai – as Yama explained to his poor confused Seniors – get reborn into the Real World as part of keeping the balance. If Renji was once Enishi – and a shinigami of physical force and skill but not much cop at magic – that might explain a lot. Of course, Renji and Enishi are not the same in all respects – but even a reincarnation can't have all the same characteristics of its predecessor, right?
Enishi actually has another purpose in the history books of Soul Society. I won't reveal that yet, because if I do so, it also means revealing a lot more about Enishi's future than I want to give away during this story. That epilogue chapter I promised some time back will explain all – I hope that when it does, people will agree with me that his path is a fitting one for one of his nature and ability.
Onoe Tomoyuki's Final Farewell.
When I first wrote Second Manuscript I didn't really know whether Onoe should live or die. At the time I kept him alive, but I wasn't certain whether he would survive his suicide attempt or whether he would not. When I began writing this story, I knew that the matter of Tomoyuki had to be firmly settled. In a sense this outlines the change between the assassin Shihouin of the past and the Onmitsukidou Shihouin of the future as a permanent step.
This is really Tomoyuki's chance to 'move on'. Whether he is reborn in the Real World or not is up to the reader – whether any part of his spirit hears Kai's words or not, I'll also leave up to you. What is for sure is that Onoe's soul could never again be a shinigami, because all of his spirit power was lost. However, that doesn't debar him from a Real World reincarnation and future happinessand peace – it really depends on whether as a reader you think he's deserving of a second chance at life.