"Please everyone, these children have experienced a great deal of trauma. The situation is delicate and I will be caring for them personally for the time being."
"This must be quite a severe case," a timid voice interjected. "Will the orphanage not suffice?"
"Did you find them at a slave farm?" said another.
"They were at a breeding farm, yes. The conditions were unspeakable and I fear they might have been raised in darkness since birth. I will conduct the standard physicals for orphans and administer the Gift test when the time is right. Socialization may take a long while so please give them space for the time being.
Naturally, a division full of field medics and hospital staff was ready and willing to drop everything and help. Their captain having just returned after a sudden journey with two huddled children in tow. I blinked and rolled over in bed, eavesdropping as Retsu gently dissuaded her subordinates from bargaining into our new room with clothes, medicinal soups and kind words. It was almost eerie how her speaking was so calm and kind-hearted her manner of speaking was with them after I had seen how violent and merciless she could be.
The travel had been largely uneventful. We rode with haste to keep the three days journey down to one. Even with someone with Unohana's skill we were all in unfamiliar, dangerous territory. I spent the whole journey cradling Gin who wrapped in two layers of blankets, huddled under my cloak. Despite how much I yearned to take in the daytime world for the first time, my eyes were in pain from even the most overcast sunlight. Though it could not burn my flesh, it would be years until I could withstand it for long periods of time.
I had hoped that I could adjust by the time we reached Seireitei, so that I could at least see the Court of Pure Souls I had read about. But of course after more than a decade in darkness my eyes could not be fixed overnight. Instead I was finally able to remove my hood once we arrived somewhere in Unohana's manor and the thick drapes had been thoroughly shut. I had not slept at all the whole ride, fearing too much to keep Gin secure and protected from the light. There was barely a moment to appreciate my new surroundings before I was fast asleep on an impossibly soft bed.
It seemed the commotion outside had moved away from the door. Gin was sleeping soundly next to me. Only the faintest glow could be seen behind the drapes, but I stack a little pillow fort around him anyway before going back to sleep
-:-:-:-
When I finally awoke Unohana was there at a desk doing paperwork by candlelight.
"G'morn….night? What time is it? Where's Gin?" I mumbled seeing that the pillow fort was empty.
"You slept for two whole days, it's nighttime, and Gin's under the bed." She said gesturing downward with her quill.
In hindsight the room was rather ordinary, but as someone who had been living in caverns my entire life I was shocked to see smooth walls, new furniture and long drapes that went floor to ceiling. Then I saw it. A simple, four-tier bookcase filled to the brim, calling out to me.
I leapt out of bed so fast, my foot tangled in the covers and I landed face first on the carpet. Gin giggled and clapped from his hiding spot under the bed. Before Unohana could help me up I was already on my feet scrambling towards my goal. These books were nothing like what I had in the cave. They were beautiful and gilt with uncracked spines and newly printed pages that smelled incredible. I immediately started making a pile of ones I wanted to read and suddenly became embarrassed at my frantic behavior.
I turned and Unohana was hiding a laugh behind her hand.
"Well, I was going to ask how you would like to pass the time until we sort things out, but I think you answered my question already."
"I uh...sorry are these for me?"
"If you would like them then by all means. I think they're just here for decoration. No one has used this room in decades. These rooms are meant for the Captain's family and I have none to speak of"
Books as mere decoration? Humans were and always will be strange.
"Here, before you crack into those, give this a try." Unohana set aside her paperwork and produced three vials of blood from her cloak. I approached with my stack of books, cautiously setting them down and picking up the closest vial.
"Wait, already? Did you…?"
"As I told you before, as the Fourth Division captain and head of the hospital I can easily help with your problem. Don't worry, I tested it on a fresh cadaver, not a living soul."
That was somewhat reassuring, and made more sense as to why she agreed so readily after what she had read. The method the folio described involved injecting a living human with dhampir vitae. The infection would rapidly consume all blood in the body, rendering it into dhampir vitae, but it killed all test subjects instantly. A similar method was used long ago to turn humans vampiric, but in that case there was a chance they would actually survive. I supposed there was a possibility that it could work on a corpse if decay hadn't set in.
I swirled it around and the pearlescent vitae glow was present. It certainly didn't look like the ordinary bottle of human blood I had tried long ago. I drank the thing in one mouthful and with wide eyes I looked down at the vial and then Unohana.
"This is...incredible?!" It was basically the same as the cold tiny bottles, but now that it was harvested fresh it was even better than before. I didn't think my situation could become any better, but somehow it had.
"Oh what a relief. I was worried I'd have to try to pull some strings and have to test some criminals with life sentences. I had to use some of your father's blood, but I harvested as much as I could from the test subject. I will have to see if we can replicate the results using this 'second generation' blood."
"Thank you. For everything. I don't think I've had the chance to say it yet." I said, clutching the tiny bottle. Her dedication to take care of one of my most immediate concerns somehow made me realize how helpless I would be otherwise. Even if I had managed to kill everyone in the cave and escape with Gin and Cirucci I couldn't imagine things would have turned out this well for me.
Unohana was quiet for a moment; unreadable.
"If I had only come to their rescue sooner. They truly were incredible, Sousuke. You will never have the chance to know your parents. Hueco Mundo will never know what strong, honorable leaders they would have been. And I have to live with that burden."
"How did you even manage to escape from that place?" I had to know.
"I was sold Sakisabe when I was still a child, he made me use my Gift to heal the mothers of the breeding farms after cutting their bellies then kill and harvest vitae from babes that were unsuitable. The only solace I had was when you parents would bring me to the surface during the daytime when no one could bother us. Your mother showed me the art of the sword. Whenever either of us were injured, Ava would have me use my Gift and reassure me that it was meant to help people, not torment them. Even when you were in her belly she found the time and strength for me."
"Bram tried to join in training, but I was just too small for his combat style. I wanted to learn Ava's beautiful two-blade style, but there just wasn't enough time. As soon as they set off for war they insisted on bringing me and the count transferred my slave collar to her control. But once they had enough distance from House Sakisabe they sent me with some trusted allies to escape to Seireitei so I could have a future far away from the approaching war."
"I owe them everything I am today and when it was time for me to use everything I had learned and come to their aid I was just too late. I will do anything to make it up to you." She stopped a moment then said. "Sorry if I am rambling on. I have never been able to tell another soul here about the caverns."
"You can come complain to me about the old days all you want as long as I can do the same to you." I said with a grin. The old days huh? It was really hard to fathom that all of it was now just gone.
"Even though I was there when you were born I keep forgetting you are much older and wiser than you look, Sousuke. I still have a mountain of paperwork that piled up during my sudden departure." She said, rising and taking her paperwork and vials. "I'll continue to make sure the staff don't bother you. Take some time to rest and acclimate and we'll figure out where to go from there."
-:-:-:-
For the time being I was content to settle into my new room and spend all my time delving into piles of new books. It seemed Seireitei had better printing technology and could produce significantly more books with newer information than I would have ever hoped to find in that save. Some days I was paralyzed by all the literature I could choose between. I read deep into the history of the Order and their relations with my country.
The Court of Pure Souls was the capital of Seireitei and was the home of the Order's base of operations and the Shihouin royal family. Queen Yoruhiru had no power as a monarch, the title was tradition alone, but she served as captain of the Second Division. Over centuries the governing power of the country had shifted from the royals to the hunters. The family only managed to hold their position as their bloodline had been blessed with Gifts. It seemed like humans had their own noble houses, but it seemed only those with the ability to defend the land from vampires were able to avoid fading into obscurity. It seemed they were just as plagued with clans and noble houses as vampires were. I spent some time researching division captains over the centuries and naturally most of them were related to nobility and even the royal family in some way.
There were thirteen divisions in total with different specialties. Vampire hunter recruits came from all over the country, from noble families and orphaned street children alike. After training at the Academy some hunters were placed in permanent residence to protect the towns and villages of Seireitei from vampire attacks, but more than half remained in the capital and mobilized as needed.
Even though I was left alone I still searched for a good hiding place for my vampire texts. It seemed like there were enormous gaps in Seireitei's knowledge of vampire history and what I had dismissed as crumbing old tomes were now valuable goldmines of information unknown to the Order. My greatest surprise was a collection of Aizen tales, some of which I'd never read before. At first I was ecstatic, but I became quickly disappointed that his character wasn't quite the same in human tellings. They portrayed him less as a dark protector of the weak and forgotten and more of a cruel and ruthless monster written as a tale to frighten children. When I ran out of books I'd have to ask Unohana if there were more Aizen tales out there, hoping this was just an outlier.
It took me a few months to work my way through the folios of research. Partially because sections had become worn and faded with time, and partially because I could not stomach some of the gruesome details. It was becoming more and more clear how Gin's mother had been driven to madness down there. There were some useful notes on dhampir including a suggestion that consuming nutritious human food would expedite maturity.
Slowly I started acclimating to human food. Eating solid food was a bit strange so broths and soups were my preference for far longer than I care to admit. Unfortunately, proper vampires gained nothing from food so Gin was on a steady diet of regular human blood from the hospital. I was still relieved as he had been consuming a great deal of my vitae since birth and it was too soon to tell what it would do to his development.
While I read all day Gin was more than happy to dig into the chest of toys the fourth division had gathered for us. It was a good thing there was a fairly steady stream of new distractions as Gin would eventually tire out of playthings and start to climb furniture and curtains until something new and shiny came along. I tried to read him new picture books but he only cared about the ones that prominently featured foxes.
While I was happy in my little paradise I still itched to finally see the outside world. Since sunlight was still a pain I waited until a night with a clear full moon. I read that Curses were strongest during the full moon and I would have to rely on my illusions to stay safe.
I locked my door from the inside and fed Gin a bit of my blood to make him fall asleep. I turned invisible and took a closer look outside my window. There was a good amount of ivy and after years of sneaking around the caverns it wasn't a difficult climb down.
The paths around the manor and hospital were well lit with lanterns set along the path and mounted against the buildings. In a town of nothing but people who hunted creatures of the night it only made sense to erase the shadows they could hide amongst. I smirked to myself at the thought since it did little against vampires like myself. I moved carefully, avoiding crisp leaves and sticks on the ground, following the path until I emerged in some sort of market square.
I became so entranced I almost lost control of my illusion.
Lights.
Music.
Laughter.
All things I had been deprived my whole life suddenly unfolding in front of me like I had never imagined. Academy students in their white, crimson and blue uniform mingled with hunters in their black cloaks emblazoned with the Order's crest. A small band of performers filled the air with light, jovial music. Incredible scents of food I had never sensed before wafted through the air. I walked unseen by the bustling, warm taverns, shops of items I had only seen sketched in books, stalls of fresh produce and hot foods prepared on the spot. There were even trees and small flower beds I could spend hours in studying the plants and blooms I had only read about.
I was utterly enchanted. I had decided then and there that I would find some way to be able to live among them. The students laughing at some shared joke at the food stall, the lovers swaying side by side to the tune of the street performers, the hunters sharing tales of their adventures and days gone by. To them it was likely an ordinary night away from the stress of their line of work, but to me it was a whole new world I wanted to wrap around myself like a blanket.
For months I continued my secret escapes on the full moon. I was enjoying a particularly warm autumn night with a gorgeous harvest moon hanging huge and golden in the sky. I had taken in my fill of sights for the night and was slowly retracing my steps. Then a simple phrase pierced through the din of the crowd and stopped me in my tracks.
"Ah, Captain Kuchiki it's so good to see you are well!"
No.
I slowly turned and there he was. Ginrei Kuchiki. The face from my mother's vision, the man that had slain my father with his black moustache and neat kempt hair, wearing his white captain's cloak, drifting among the tavern patrons like a great white heron. His arm was in a sling, but otherwise he was healthy and stood tall alongside his attendants and subordinates.
I panicked and scrambled behind a planter full of flowers.
No.
He was alive?
It was only then I realized I had never asked Unohana exactly what happened that night when the Dhampir Rebellion was brought to an abrupt end. For some reason I just had assumed she had killed him if she managed to break away and come save me.
"Captain please join us! We have a room in the back!" Exclaimed some young hunter.
"Hmm, just for a while. The medics finally let me out of the hospital this morning. I'd prefer it if you don't drink me right back in there."
The hunters shared a laugh as they moved inside. I had to follow them and eavesdrop. I tried to move inside the tavern with them, but it was so packed together I would certainly bump into someone and blow my cover. It took a great deal of climbing and shifting along the back alleys, but I finally found a window to their private room and sat vigilantly listening in the shadows.
"Pray you never have to cross blades with a dhampir. Even weeks of starvation and moments from death she managed to take Captain Unohana's blade and run it straight through my heart. Even if it was a foolish move made in desperation, it was the perfect position to take her head"
"She disarmed Unoahana?!"
"I didn't even know that was possible. She's a beast."
"I don't quite understand why Captain Unohana was sent, but if she had not been there I would have certainly met a terrible end in that damned country. She healed the wound around my heart completely and stabilized me enough that I could make it through the journey home. A commoner she might be, but her Gift is an asset we cannot ignore."
"That's not what you were saying a few weeks ago!"
"So no more talk of the savage butcher maiden of Division Four?"
"That was then, this is now. On my honor as a Kuchiki I must atone for my previous transgressions against our fourth captain."
I want to scream at Unohana. Why didn't she leave him for dead after he killed mother and father?!
I was furious, I had to get back to the manor. I broke out into a run down a dark path I knew was a shortcut. Suddenly I slammed into someone and tumbled backwards, losing control of my illusion. It turned out to be a surly hunter hooded under his black cloak, the smell of alcohol emanating all around him. I turned to run but he grabbed my arm so hard I yelped in panic.
"What's the matter kid?" He summoned a handful of Gift fire and got a good look at my very visible face. His eyebrows furrowed at the sight of my fangs.
"Any vamp in a palace like this in the middle of the night is up to no good." The fire in his hand reshaped into a blade as I screamed and tried to wrench myself from his grip. Even in my darkest moments in the cavern I never felt terror like I did in that moment.
No.
Not like this.
Worry not. A voice said.
As the blade came down it crashed into a disk of black energy that emerged from my chest. Before I knew it I was suddenly above my body, looking down. The man screamed as the hand that was gripping me suddenly burst into black flame. My hand raised and an inferno of flame so dark it barely illuminated the night around us came forth and swallowed him. There was nothing left but ash on the wind.
Make haste. The voice returned. I felt cold everywhere as I gathered myself. Juhabach, the mysterious shadow from my dream, must have made good on his word to protect me, but the result was so dire power was so catastrophic and terrible I didn't know how to feel.
I worked up a slapdash guise of invisibility as I ran back. However I was so distraught by whatever had just happened that I climbed the ivy recklessly and scrambled into a window of the wrong room. That realization only came to me as I looked up and saw that the room was not my own, but significantly larger and filled to the brim with even more books and jars of curiosities. Panicking I started to open the window again when I found I couldn't move a muscle. I was frozen solid in place.
"Who are you?" A calm voice questioned. I shivered as I felt my veins thrum suddenly and the voice asked again.
"...Wait, what are you?"
-:-:-:-
After some maneuvering I was now seated across from a man with ebony skin and violet hair braided into rows. A strip of white cloth was tied across his eyes.
"Alright now talk. I have never once sensed blood composition such as yours. What are you?"
"I...I uh…I don't understand. You can just sense blood?" I stammered clumsily. My head was still spinning from my anger from the market square and my brush with death.
"I can. That is my Gift. I can manipulate any and all vitae at will."
"That's an amazing feat, are you at Captain?" I asked, hoping to divert the topic.
"Stop dodging the question," was his only response.
"I…" I wondered if I should ask for Unohana. I was still within the Fourth Division manor. This person probably worked with Unohana to some extent, but I couldn't gauge if he could be trusted with my secret. I decided to play the helpless child angle. I learned from my Aizen tales that it was best to speak in half-truths.
"Captain Unohana saved me from a breeding farm in Hueco Mundo and brought me here to keep me safe. I'm sorry for disrupting you, I was just exploring and came back in the wrong window."
"You're lucky Retsu already informed me that she brought two vampire orphans from Hueco Mundo. I just never thought one would come tumbling through my window unannounced."
Relief washed over me and with a clearer head I finally had a chance to think. Then it hit me.
"Wait you're...Kaname Tousen?" Among all the portraits in my book of captains past it was hard to miss the one who covered his eyes like that due to his blindness.
"How do you even know that name?"
"I've been studying the history of the Order and the succession of captains. You were the Fourth Division captain before Unohana. You're….supposed to be dead."
There was a pregnant pause, but I pushed through anyway.
"It would seem neither of us is supposed to be here."
He hesitated a moment then spoke.
"Yes, I was the captain of the Fourth Division. I was infected in combat. As my vice-captain Retsu gracefully took control of the situation and helped me hide away during my frenzy. The grave that bears my name is empty."
"But you're from one of the Shihouin branch families. How did she manage that?"
"That's not important right now, child." He nearly spat. "If anyone finds out she's harboring vampires, no matter how charitable her reasons may be, the punishment would be death. A very slow, public, humiliating death. The nobility are always looking for reasons to crush the growing influence of commoners in the Order, so don't give it to them by sneaking around and putting her life on the line."
"I understand, sir," I said solemnly. I had been so selfishly confident in my Curse that I had never considered how devastating the consequences would be for Unohana.
He dropped his hand and the freezing sensation on my body faded.
"Let me examine your hand, I sense that you're hurt."
I hesitated, but slowly raised my left hand with the burn scar. He cradled it in his large, leathery hand.
"I can only heal wounds and ailments I understand. This is something very different from an ordinary burn. You had best ask Retsu to care for it while you confess to her what you've been doing. Her Gift can heal more thoroughly than mine."
"What's the extent of her power? Could she...for example, save someone who's been beheaded?"
"She had a strong wound healing Gift, but she cannot not raise the dead."
"I see…" It was not as if she could have actually saved Mother then. I suddenly felt foolish for doubting her for even a second. If I had confronted her in anger I would sound like nothing more than an ungrateful child for everything she had done.
"Hurry back to your own room, I won't tell Retsu of this meeting if you promise to tell her the truth and stay out of trouble. For her sake and your own."