Sins of the Unholy
Chapter 13: Inyo
Saki and Tsuki enter the Soul Society and stick to each other like glue. Both are dressed in similar colors of blue, green and white. Saki has her arm wrapped around Tsuki's as they walk along the path. Tsuki looks around till he spots Lieutenant Rangiku with a few other squad members. Seeing her sends a chill down his spine as he thinks back to the butterfly.
They'd been gone weeks now and all of a sudden the butterfly had appeared.
"Your presence is needed in the Soul Society. Leave immediately." Toshiro's voice sounded broken as the butterfly flitted away. Saki and Tsuki had done everything quickly, packing, riding, questioning what could bring their Captain back to them like this.
"Hello Lieutenant Matsumoto." Saki pulls away and bows before the solders. Rangiku forces a smile on her face and simply nods to them.
"Thank you for coming so quickly. We're hoping you can help keep an eye on Juno while you're here." Rangiku is short as she turns to lead the two. Both move quickly to catch up and Saki reaches out for Rangiku.
"What happened? Where is Captain Hitsugaya?"
"The Captain is currently in the land of the living. We are doing shifts between here and there, our time is now." They walk the paths to Squad 10 and the soldiers with Rangiku fall in behind the three.
"What happened, Rangiku?" Asks Tsuki as he looks at the woman. He takes in her tense form and deep frown.
"Kiseichu attacked and took over Juno. She's been unconscious for a few days now, Captain was hoping to trade off our shift to another squad but with the deadline coming up the Head Captain didn't want to change anything." Rangiku comes to Squad 10 and they head to the private quarters of the Captain.
"I'm to join them as soon as I get you two set up. You'll just need to keep an eye on her as you always have. We're leaving a few squad members around for your basic needs. Captain Kuchiki of Squad 13 will be on alert if anything happens with Kiseichu." Rangiku leads them into Captain Hitsugaya's home and sighs. A fine mist of fog coats the floors and Saki squeaks at seeing it.
"It's seeping from the sword, wish we knew what to do but..." Ragiku stops as she looks at the weapons display. Kiseichu hangs with gold binds all over it. The fog falls from it and trails down the wall till moving along the floor.
"He never did that with us, weird." Comments Tsuki as they move down the hall into the bedroom. Juno lays under a few futon covers and her face is pale and gaunt. A member of Squad 4 formally bows to them before putting hands up and casting a green light over her.
"Squad 4 will send someone over every day to perform a Kaido on her. We've been able to keep her sustained this way, but getting her to wake up would help her much better." Rangiku lets the two enter the room and sit beside her. Saki becomes overwhelmed as she looks down at her Mistress. She reaches for Tsuki's hand and the boy speaks.
"Leave Lady Juno to us, we will do as we always have."
The vision of Kiseichu, bound and beaten, replays over and over for Juno. Like a frightened child, Juno cries as she watches Kiseichu look at her with dark eyes and a scared face. His lips are chapped and blood trickles over them as the chains tighten around him. She tries to close her eyes but the image plays again and Juno is helplessly locked in the loop.
"What do I do, Kiseichu? How do I stop this from happening?" She cries out as she pulls her legs to her chest and squeezes into a fetal position as much as she can. Columns of light descend down around her and expand slowly out till all combine and then consume her. Juno's tearful cries cut off and she feels as if something is being lifted off of her.
Weightlessly within the light, Juno floats. Slowly she uncurls as the light eases her worries and pulls her to lay on her back. Trying to open her eyes, she shuts them quickly as the light shines too bright.
"Do you truly want to save us?" The voice is like a whisper. Juno can feel something slither around her ankles and work it's way up her leg.
"We are one Kiseichu, we should be one. Not separate." Juno's words are broken as she stretches her arms out and keeps her eyes closed tight. The slithering works its way up along her knee then up her hips.
"Then it's time to stop the limiters. We cannot work as one if you continue to hold us back." Kiseichu's voice takes on a growl before the slithering moves along her back and up around her neck.
"This is how we feel, bound and chained. Unloved for what we are. We are not the enemy, the enemy will do much worse than what I will." It slithers up to her throat and wraps around tight.
Tsuki holds Saki as she cries. The bedroom has cleared out and the two were left to watch over their bedridden Mistress. Tsuki adjusts his glasses while his right arm stays tight around Saki as she cries into his shoulder. She'd kept up a brave face as Rangiku had explained what was needed, but as soon as everyone had cleared out. She'd crumbled.
"How could it have gotten this bad? She was fine before all of this." Saki's choked words are muffled but Tsuki gets the idea. He looks down at Juno, who lays as still as when they'd first arrived.
He thinks back to that moment when he'd stood before Captain Hitsugaya 35 years ago. Toshiro and a few of his squad members had spread out among Sakahone in East Rukongai. They'd begun to wrangle people who had little to no spiritual pressures about them.
Laying his eyes on him the first time, Tsuki had not been impressed by the Captain. His white hair threw many off as well as the Captain's Haoiri. His height was a few inches taller than what the rumors had spoken of. Wrapped around his throat was a torn green scarf that looked out of place for the pristine lines of the Captains uniform.
"We have gathered you all here, because you have little to no spiritual pressure. I am in need of people who can mind a house but also be willing to work under the banner of the Gotei 13, specifically my squad." Toshiro's words were sure and strong as the small group of people chattered. The squad members fanned out behind him and Tsuki spots a woman just behind the Captain.
"You will be well taken care of, provided with food, clothes and a place to lay your head. But you must be willing to leave this place for one outside of the Soul Society and Rukongai." Many agree to the Captain's offer, conferring only momentarily with the woman.
When the Captain comes to him, Tsuki is at a loss for words. It's the woman who speaks up first.
"Would you like to come with us? We have another around your age." She's kind as she lays a hand on the Captain's arm and steps before him. It's out of the ordinary, most lower than the Captain level don't intervene with the higher ups.
"We promise, no harm will come to you." Her smile was wide and Tsuki looked at the Captain then. Seeing how he soffend looking to the woman, watched as the love that was between them flourished in a small moment.
Tsuki and the others had hated the travel out, the long journey was tedious and everyone had been fitted with limiters, no matter the power level. He learned while walking the grounds that Captain Hitsugaya and his wife, Juno Ryuzaki, had been given the land for their home. They'd learned of Juno's frightening power and a few had rejected the offer and left. But many had looked at the heads of the household and declared their service.
"Lady Juno, please wake up." He whispered into Saki's hair as he worked to get himself up and then helped Saki up.
"Let's take a look around, I'm sure the Captain has a spare room we can use."
"Inyo, all things must be in balance." Kiseichu's voice is calmer as Juno finds herself bound but still within the light. Her eyes are open and she can see Kiseichu floating above her. He doesn't look at her as he sits cross legged. His sword form lays across his lap.
"We must become balanced and to do that, you must lose the limiter Juno. Free us so that we can do as we have always needed." Juno feels the bindings around her slowly begin to release her. Slowly sitting up, Juno takes a deep breath before moving to get on the same level as Kiseichu.
"You know what problems that will cause. We have done all we can to keep us contained. We will destroy him if we do this." She moves closer to him and reaches out for the sword at this lap. Kiseichu pulls it away from her, holding it close to his chest.
"We will destroy him without balance. Would you believe in him so little to not show him our true nature. We've waited long enough." Kiseichu draws his sword and looks over the blade. It's in his Han form, he twists and turns it looking it over like a shiny new toy.
"We miss our true form." Running his hand along the blade it cuts into his skin drawing black blood. He lets it trail down his hand and arm coating his kimono. Juno winces as she looks down to her own hand and sees the blood.
"If we do this...What would we do after? We will be cast out."
"We will be free, please Juno. Let us be free."
Saki buzzes around the small home. Between sitting at Juno's side and sitting at the living room window. Saki eyes the fog wearily. She glances down to the limiter she wears and frowns. The etchings in the band are so delicately made, the vines and snowflakes so detailed it brings tears to Saki's eyes.
After they'd furnished and made the house presentable. They'd watched as Juno and Toshiro wed only a few weeks later. Holding the wedding on the grounds, most of the Captains and lieutenants had attended. The old Head Captain had smiled down on them as everyone watched Toshiro lead his wife down the aisle.
Saki walked just behind with Tsuki, they'd both been dressed in black and white with accents of blue and dark green. Toshiro stood without his Zanpakuto, dressed in a black formal kimono. His obi was dark green. He'd stayed arm and arm with her all night, showing a side of him full of smiles and laughter that no other person had ever been permitted to see.
Juno dressed in a black and white kimono, the gradient of black went up into the white of the top. Gray flowers were etched into the kimono while the dark green obi she wore matched Toshiros. Her hair had been pulled up formally with a gold kanzashi pinning the locks. The snowflakes that hung by her ear jingled as she laughed at the antics of the reception.
After everyone had left, Saki had helped Juno to undress and the older woman had been nothing but kind words and excitement. At that moment Saki knew she'd always been in Juno's service. Even as she bowed to Toshiro as he'd come to be with his wife. Saki had bowed formally and stepped out into the hall to see Tsuki standing and waiting.
Even now as she looked up at the boy before her, sitting at the low table thumbing through a book. Saki knew that no matter what was to happen, whatever was to come of this, Saki and Tsuki would stand by their family.
Comments, Questions, Concerns
Hello all!
Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Between my love for Toshiro and Juno, I love Saki and Tsuki. Of all the characters I've created over the years they are my favorites. I wanted them to be close to Toshiro's initial height for stuff in part 2.
Thank you all for reading!
