"You've got to be kidding!"
"Do you have a problem with that order, Misato Kuchiki?" Instructor Hideki Kuchiki folded his arms into the sleeves as he glared down at his grand niece, his long black moustache bristling with suppressed distaste. It was a look that'd been fixed firmly on his features now for the past several hours as the sun set over the Seireitei. Once the fighting had calmed down to leave behind many battered and bruised students, he had ordered them to stand outside at attention and wait there until night fell.
The point where they were forced to stand was well-chosen as part of the punishment. The scents and smells of dinner time wafting out down the line of Class 1 combined with the lack of food since breakfast was making for a group of very disgruntled and slightly repentant students. Kaien next to Rei at the end was particularly annoyed, making strange whining noises as his stomach accompanied him with its rumbling. Rei herself had to resist reacting to her own hunger as she stared directly ahead, looking surprised at the new orders Kuchiki-sensei had given.
"No, sensei…"
He nodded, turning his back on her and marching down the line until he came to a halt in front of Rei. "As I was saying…until Kuchiki interrupted. You'll be heading out into the Seireitei tonight on patrol duty. You'll be splitting down into three teams to cover the areas indicated on the maps present to your team leaders. You're to be on guard until daybreak when you're to return to the main entrance. Your duties are merely to report any disturbances and break up any problems encountered. And don't even think about attempting to slack off. You'll be under surveillance the whole time."
"As for the teams…they will be as follows. The first team will be led by Hideo Shihouin along with Seijourou Arai, Azumi Matsumura and Toushirou Hamasaki. The second will be led by Kaien Shiba supported by Yugito Kosaka, Kaoru Ishino and Kumiko Nomura. The last team will be led by Rei Mikihara, supported by Misato Kuchiki, Soujirou Matsumura and Toushirou Katsura."
"What…?!"
Kuchiki-sensei's gaze snapped around on Misato again at her outburst. A few moments of disagreement and then they were ordered to march off and sent out from the Academy. It was cold too as they came to the cross roads where they needed to split up.
"Looks like this is where we part ways then. Catch you later, Rei." Kaien raised a hand in farewell as he called for his teammates to follow him off. Yugito cast a glance over from him to Kaoru at her side. She clapped Rei on the shoulder before turning to head off into the night. "I'll be seeing you back after all this, Rei-chan. I'll look after Kaoru but make sure you look after yourself. Considering your teammates, you're going to need it."
--
"When Kuchiki-sensei said you were in charge, he didn't really mean it..."
Rei shook her head, trying to ignore as Misato continued to complain right behind her as they advanced through the silent streets, illuminated only by the lines of lanterns hanging along the sides of the path and casting long shadows of the four as they went. Rei's left hand was tight on the sheath of her asauchi, right hand flexing and ready in case they were attacked. Maybe it was a silly thought, this being the Seireitei, not the filth hole of the Rukongai where she'd been brought up. Muggers and bandits, wandering rogues and people just wanting to kill someone didn't walk around the domain of nobles.
As she walked, she mused to herself, turning over the events of a few moments ago in her mind. Why she'd been given command, she wasn't sure. Possibly because she'd been one of the few who didn't get involved in the fight. Possibly because Misato had been at the heart of the punch up and Kuchiki-sensei was particularly cruel in his punishment by making her have to follow behind a peasant girl, one of commoners' blood. The last option made her snort. Maybe Kuchiki-sensei had seen some potential in her as a leader and this was the first real test to see how she handled power. As if... It was probably more a combination of the first two.
Well the other two had yet to start complaining. She looked over her shoulder to assess her team, something she expected a leader was meant to do. Right behind her while maintaining her distance, looking around cautiously despite her constant mutterings was Misato. Despite how much the girl's boasting had irritated Rei, it seemed that there was substance to back up her obnoxious confidence. Though she was not the best at physical combat, her kidou prowess was far beyond that of any of the members of Class 1. Though she had only shown a little of what Kuchiki-sensei had allowed them to try out, she had the feeling that the Kuchiki clan had taught her far more than that prior to her entry into the Academy.
Behind Misato came the light-haired figure of Toushirou Katsura. He had seemed fairly unremarkable so far from what she'd seen of him during their classes. He was just...average. Average in their studies, average in practical combat skills... He was even plain in appearance. If she'd passed him in the streets, she wouldn't remember him. Maybe that was a useful quality in some cases...but she supposed at least he didn't have anything to complain about either. Not of particularly high birth, he didn't have a major axe to grind against her being there in the academy.
It was quite a contrast with the last member of the team. Tall and broad, cool eyes regarded Rei from beneath messy black hair. If not for the look of cold indifference on his features, she'd almost call him handsome in a rough-cut kind of way. He bore some of family resemblance to Shiro, that much was clear. Soujirou Matsumura, bringing up the rear, was a powerful presence as he followed the others, fists clenching and unclenching. Though they hadn't sparred personally, Rei had witnessed both Soujirou and his twin sister in action when it came to hakuda and both lived up to the reputation of the Matsumura clan and their expertise in close-quarter combat.
All together, they were a very well-rounded team and ready for action if they ran into any. Had Kuchiki-sensei planned for them to run into danger? Considering the other teams as well, those too were arranged for dealing with any type of threat. Or perhaps he was just being cautious... I must be over thinking this...
There was movement ahead. Rei raised a fist, calling them to a halt. The others came to a stop at once, even Misato obeyed the command without making a sound. The students were all on edge, hands ready on weapons in an instant. They had trained tirelessly for the majority of the week and it seemed the others had seen some conflict outside the dojo, but both the weight of responsibility and of the imposing darkness was gnawing at their nerves.
Light spilled out of a doorway and voices could be heard from within. A group of four or so youths came stumbling out, smelling of alcohol and looking slightly dishevelled despite their noble clothes and features. In spite of these things, it was the fact they carried sheathed katana at their sides that drew her attention. Rei's thumb flicked her asauchi loose from its sheath, right hand ready, resting on the tsuka. She could hear the sounds of the others readying their weapons as the leader of the drunk group stumbled towards them, the light falling onto his handsome face as he finally noticed the group. He looked slightly older than them, tall and well-built, judging by Rei's quick assessment. He blinked, seemingly recognising them...or one of them.
"Misato...?"
"Kenji...?" The Kuchiki girl's voice sounded from behind Rei and she turned around to look at her. The expression on the other girl's face was more surprising than the fact this guy knew her. Instead of the usual arrogant superiority, there was an embarrassed almost...girlish look there. It was perfectly reasonable to see it on a teenage girl's face...but it just seemed out of place on Misato's. Even with the eyes of Rei, Soujirou and Toushirou on her, she seemed to ignore them as she walked forward, tucking her hair back behind her ears and straightening her academy uniform.
"What are you doing out here, Misato-chan...? And wearing something like that...? You joined the academy then?"
"I'm out on a night time exercise. Very important." Rei averted her gaze to snort at the blatant lie though Misato ignored her. "And...of course, Kenji-dono. You always spoke so highly about those that manage to get though the academy. I thought it might impress you..."
"Yes yes... It is quite impressive indeed. But then your parents were always pressing you in that direction since you were young. Still...even then it is quite something."
Misato flushed, lowering her gaze. "You're too generous, Kenji-dono."
The older boy waved a hand in a casual gesture before walking past her. "It's getting late now, Misato-chan. I must be getting back and I wouldn't want to hold you up on your important mission. Goodnight and good luck to you."
"Thank you, Kenji-dono!" She inclined her head in a slight bow as he walked off, followed by his crowd of people. There was silence as they moved off, leaving the team behind once again. Another moment and then Soujirou and Toushirou began to snicker to themselves, Rei herself feeling the corners of her lips twitch in amusement. Misato seemed to take longer to come out of her daze before whipping around to face them, features returning to their usual aggressive glare. "Not a word... If you say anything, I'll rip out your throats."
Rei forced her face to become serious again with an effort. She brandished the map Kuchiki-sensei had given her. "Let's...carry on. We still have some ground to cover before we complete our rounds. We should get a move on."
"Tch... Right." Misato seized on the change of subject immediately and they fell into step, continuing to move off into the night. It was almost an hour later before Rei called a halt for a brief rest. They squatted down on short walls lining the street except for Misato who seemed to think it was too uncouth for one such as her. They all waited in silence for a moment, catching their breath before Rei looked over at her.
"So...that guy, Kuchiki-san...?"
"I thought I told you to shut your mouth about that. We're forced together as a team but that doesn't make us anywhere on the same level. Don't think you can talk to me as if we were blood-kin. Bloody peasant scum..." She spat on the ground and Rei had to focus herself not to snap back. She'd only been trying to make conversation, something she found hard enough to do in the first place, considering her background.
"Now now, Misato-chan. There's no need for that kind of talk now..." Soujirou spoke up in bored tones, turning his attention on them both. "Though...I'm slightly curious too. Who was that boy who turned you from your normal bitch self into some giggling school girl?"
"Giggling school...girl...? I..." Misato stammered slightly, entirely missing out the 'bitch' comment. "And that's not some boy, Matsumura. He's a man...more than you'll ever be. But it's none of your damn business so...go to hell."
The two boys began to laugh again. Soujirou seemed to be about to say something more when suddenly he froze, on edge in an instant. Rei felt it too. It was hard to describe...except as a killing intent. Her right hand drifted to her asauchi again, head whipping from side to side, looking for the source. There was movement around them...above them. Rei leapt aside as a blade slashed down where she had been standing a moment before, cracking the cold flagstones beneath.
She dived forward, rolling and drawing her blade in a wide arc, parrying the next strike as it came towards her. She whipped around, combat senses beaten into her in the arena forcing her blade to slash in a guard, knocking aside the next attack. She narrowed her gaze, focusing on the sword in her opponent's hand as he lunged forward again. She moved the asauchi to cut it off but suddenly it seemed to flicker, curving around her guard like a whip and opening her shoulder. A cry escaped her lips as blood splashed across the flagstones. She staggered away from the man, one hand clutching at her fresh injury.
The four team members backed up, resting against each other and facing outwards with drawn blades as another two figures dropped down, clad in black, faces obscured by masks. They were good...and they seemed to have been waiting out here to ambush them. Who the hell...were these people...?
"So...it seems that your skills learnt from being in the arena make you a reasonable combatant...for a peasant girl." The man's voice was condescending as he approached. She tensed up, raising her asauchi, eyes focused on the katana resting across his shoulder. "But...against a real swordsman, your attempts are futile."
"What...?" A gasp escaped her lips. The leader had suddenly vanished, appearing right before her and swinging his sword down from his shoulder. Her eyes could trace the path of the blade, cold realisation striking her that she wouldn't be able to stop it in time. She could see it start to curve again like before, this time stabbing forward to pierce through her skull. Then another body wearing the uniform of an academy student interposed itself between her and the blade. There was a clash of metal and the leader leapt away, eyes widening in surprise as Soujirou Matsumura rested his asauchi across his shoulder in the same way the leader had been previously.
"Now that's not very fair... Using the Matsumura Tremor Sword technique on someone who's barely had any formal sword training. Well...maybe her attempts are futile...but how about mine, Shousei-kun?"
"Soujirou...!"
"Did Oji-sama finally get tired of waiting for Yamamoto-sama to act and decided to take matters into his own hands...or your hands, anyway?"
"Shut your mouth, Soujirou...!" The leader, Shousei tore the mask from his face, revealing a face contorted by rage and disgust. Despite that, looking from one to the other, she could make out a resemblance between this boy, no more than a few years older than them, and Soujirou...and Shiro. So...the Matsumura clan were after her now...? For being involved in the death of one of their own and for humiliating them in front of the other clans in that something as simple as a slave revolt caused this much trouble for them.
"Stand aside now, Soujirou. Do that and I'll forgive your insolence this night." Shousei raised his blade, advancing on them. "Let us kill that little harlot and then the matter will be done."
"I don't think so unfortunately, Shou-kun... Kuchiki-sensei assigned her to my team and while that's the case, I have that certain duty to fulfil. Honour-bound and all. You understand that, don't you?" Soujirou was smiling now and despite the fact he was on their side, Rei felt taken aback by the sudden killing intent she felt radiating from her teammate.
"You stupid bastard..." Shousei's voice was venomous as he glared daggers at her kinsman. "The pride and honour of the clan is all that matters. Yet you'd choose your own selfish pride over your own family? If you're going to do that...then you'll die with her. I'll see to it personally."
Soujirou grinned wider, widening his stance as the other Matsumura came flying at him, blade slashing. Almost simultaneously, the other two assailants who had accompanied him came flying forward, their own katana cutting for their flesh. Behind her, Rei could hear Misato shouting the words of some kidou spell while Toushirou readied his asauchi. Her own blade rose, held before her as she lunged forward, taking the enemy head on.
--
Shiro stood on the rooftop just out of sight, overlooking where Rei's group were suddenly facing off against some youths from his former clan. He'd known that the group would be jumped by older students. It was Hideki Kuchiki's favourite punishment to send students, who had given him trouble early on, out into the Seireitei on a 'night time patrol'. During that, they'd be ambushed by a team of older students who would either beat some sense into them and drag them back or manage to stumble back after which the older students would be punished for losing to their juniors. They were meant to be armed only with bokken so no one get seriously hurt...and members of the Matsumura clan were specifically chosen not to be on the team sent after Rei Mikihara. And the supervisor meant to be overseeing them was absent too. It had been bad enough as it was...
And now here three of his kinsmen were, attempting to kill her, armed with live blades; zanpakutou. So far, she'd managed to get away with light injuries and surprisingly, both the Kuchiki girl and Soujirou Matsumura had stepped in to assist her. But judging by the fluidity and ease by which the three assailants were moving, victory was far from guaranteed. A frown appeared across Shiro's brow as another blade cut Rei, her self-taught defences leaving too many openings, which the more experienced enemies were exploiting. Enough of this...
He took a step forward, ready to leap down from the roof to put a stop to this fight. Then he felt a chill run down his spine, a presence that made him tense up with sudden caution. Two presences... Two very familiar presences...
"Shiro-niisama. You don't think you should be stepping in on the girl's fight like that."
"Indeed. If Otou-sama stepped in every time we were in danger of dying, we never would have been trained to the...high standards that we have reached, eh Shiro-kun?"
So...they were both here. Shiro's fists clenched and unclenched but he resisted the urge to turn and look at his younger brother and sister, last seen on the battlefield of the Matsumura clan estate during the civil war. They'd found him standing over the body of their oldest brother, Shiro's last kill in the conflict that had torn Soul Society apart. When it had come down to charging the 'war criminals', presiding over the winning side, the Gotei 13, he'd pushed for lenient punishments for them both, unwilling to see more of his own blood spilt...but they'd still never forgiven or forgotten him.
...and they'd sworn to kill him one day. And now little Tsuneo and Midori were here and their killing aura was stronger than he'd ever felt from them before. He inclined his head over his shoulder, not letting Rei out of his direct sight for a second. "If you say so... Care to tell me what you're doing out here? Little children shouldn't be wandering around without their parents."
"There's no need to be so mean, nii-sama. We only came to see you...and see how our students get on. They snuck out and we're always so curious what they get up to. I suppose at least it wasn't tavern wenches and alcohol." Shiro felt a hand on his shoulder, a gentle feminine touch that felt like claws on his body. "But for now, let's just sit back and watch, Shiro-kun."
Another hand rested on his other shoulder. "And I don't think we should start a fight here, onii-sama. If we release our reiatsu, I reckon quite a few people will die... All those noble families sleeping in their beds, not knowing what's happening until it's too late."
Shiro let his hands relax. He'd been running through all the ways he might be able to take them both down before they could react or fight back but evaluating them, feeling their strengths and how they'd grown since he'd last seen them... He spat, not bothering to reply as he kept watching Rei fight down below. "Tch..."
Good luck, Rei...
--
Soujirou seemed to be holding his own. Rei fought side by side with Toushirou, blades flicking left and right to parry attack after attack from one of the masked assailants. There was an explosion and the third attacker went flying, his chest smoking from where a bolt of white lightning had struck him. Misato strode forward, blood streaming from a thin cut across her face, a face now contorted in anger. Rei had seen her annoyed but this was a whole new emotion. It seemed this night was revealing many different sides of the Kuchiki noble girl.
"Hadou #4! Byakurai!"
She raised her hand again, firing another stream of explosive energy as the masked assailant attempted to get to his feet again, reaching for his zanpakutou. He was lifted off his feet, crashing into the wall of a building and collapsing against it. Misato touched a hand to her face where she'd been cut, raising her asauchi. The man raised his hands in a guard right as she swung her blade. The blunt edge cracked against the side of his face, knocking him unconscious. Looking over at her, Rei revaluated her opinion of her classmate. She'd already considered her powerful...now she seemed scary.
Rei was forced to return her full attention to her own assailant as he lunged forward, katana flickering at her in a slightly slower version of the technique Shousei had used. She raised her asauchi in a guard, this time charging forward at the same time, moving deep into her opponent's sword range and shoulder charging him. He leapt away but she struck too fast for him to get out of the way as she cut across his gut, her blunted weapon cracking against him and hurling him back. She spun on the spot, whipping her asauchi around in a flash. It smashed him across the face, taking him out of action in an instant with the sound of breaking bones.
And that just left the leader, the one Soujirou was facing. She pivoted around to see how he was doing but the younger Matsumura boy was staggering back, asauchi slipping from a blood-soaked hand, his other clamped at his shoulder to attempt to staunch the bleeding. An uppercut and Soujirou fell backwards, blood flying from his face, collapsing at his feet. Shousei raised his zanpakutou as Toushirou made for him, blade slashing down. The Tremor Sword, as Soujirou had called it, swept out, punching through his gut and dropping him to the ground in a rapidly-spreading pool of blood.
"Shit..." Rei lunged for him, cutting down for his neck. He blocked, driving a knee up into her gut and then punching her hard across the face. She was knocked off her feet but managed to move into a side flip, landing on her feet and slashing again for his face. He spun aside, moving out to her right blindside and drawing his zanpakutou across her flank. She let out a gasp of pain as he followed through with a kick that sent her sprawling down on the cold flagstones.
Shousei spat, flicking the blood off his blade. "You little bitch...and you others. A traitor to his own blood, a Kuchiki and some other peasant scum… I'll just have to kill you all and rid Soul Society of the kind of filth dragging the proud clan names into disgrace."
He came again at Rei, faster, his blade flickering as it curved towards her, aimed for her heart. She started to move her arm up into its natural defence before remembering how it had failed the past two attempts. Her left hand came up, holding the end of the tsuka as Kurogane-sensei had shown her. She made a sweeping motion, an anticlockwise circular arc before her. There was a clash as her asauchi met his zanpakutou, the blade suddenly becoming still, locked against hers.
She drew back for a thrusting stab but he leapt forward again, parrying aside her attack and moving in close, kicking her hard in the thigh and then leg snapping up to hit her under the chin. She flipped over, landing face down as a bolt of lightning shot past Shousei's face. He raised his blade, blocking the next burst from Misato's hand, whipping around and tripping her, inverting his zanpakutou and stabbing down.
A fist shot out, gripping the blade and stopping it dead. Soujirou glared through a mask of blood as he forced the zanpakutou away from Misato's chest even as Shousei lashed out, catching him across the face with a foot and then slashing across his chest as he rolled away.
"Pathetic…" Shousei stabbed his zanpakutou down into the ground as he looked at the four downed students. "Truly I'm doing Soul Society a service by ridding them of such weak future protectors."
Rei clawed around for her asauchi, feeling the tsuka slick with blood as she gripped it, stabbing it down into the ground and forcing herself to her feet. Her muscles shivered but some drive or will compelled her to rise, to fight back if the other consequence was death. She drew back her asauchi, ready for another thrusting strike, letting her rage boil over and her vision to burn red as a snarl escaped her lips.
"What do you think you're doing…? Just lie there and accept your fate like the filth you are, Rei Mikihara…"
She ignored Shousei's words, didn't hear them as she charged. His sword shot out but she was faster than before, racing past it to drive her asauchi for his body. His eyes widened in shock but even then her blow didn't fall. A pain exploded in her gut and she looked down to see a second wakazashi appear in his other hand, driven into her body. A cry escaped her lips even as she took a pace back, drawing back her sword-arm.
"You test my patience, bitch..." Shousei struck, both blades cleaving for her flesh simultaneously. Then suddenly he stumbled. Soujirou, unable to get to his feet, had crawled forward, whipping around and driven his legs on either side of Shousei's one trapping the ankles while the other leg lashed out for the back of his knees. Even as he stumbled, a rush of wind shot past Rei's face.
"Hadou #1! Shou!"
Shousei's blades diverted from their course towards Rei even as his upper body was thrown back as if by some invisible force. Pulled into a crouch, Misato had her arm levelled at him, her eyes narrowed from the focus of her solid invisible punch of a kidou spell. Her gaze met Rei's and she knew it was her turn.
A scream burst from her lips, not one of pain but a cry of exertion as she drove forward, her whole body behind her asauchi in a stab, stabbing into Shousei's body and lifting him off his feet. The blunt tip failed to penetrate the skin but Rei kept running forward, carrying him with her as she forced him backwards until he crashed into the wall of the building behind him. He folded over, leaving cracks along the wall where he'd struck. Still…his chest rose and fell and he'd only lost consciousness. Still alive…
Not enough…She started forward, picking up the boy's dropped zanpakutou. Soujirou and Misato made no move to stop her, either unwilling or unable to. The blade was heavy in her hands as she raised it above her head. Shousei had tried to kill her and in her world, it was kill or be killed. Yes…this was the way things worked…
Then hands reached out and caught her wrists. She struggled to swing down but the grip on her was firm and wouldn't let go. She looked around to find Toushirou there, stopping her. He shook his head. "Don't do this… It'll only cause more trouble later for you…and you shouldn't be killing a defenceless person like that."
"But he…"
"No." There was a firmness in his voice now and Rei felt compelled to stop suddenly. "Drop the blade."
Her hand opened and the zanpakutou clattered down on the ground. With a heavy sigh, Toushirou stepped back, releasing her and returning his hand to the wound in his gut. She hurried over to him, looking closer. "Are you…alright?"
"No… We all aren't. We need to get back as soon as possible for we all bleed out. Right?"
Misato nodded once. Soujirou spat on the ground but didn't disagree. Now she'd stopped moving, Rei herself could feel herself getting weaker. Yes…they needed healer assistance and fast. Leaning on Toushirou and supporting him at the same time, she started to stagger off, Misato and Soujirou reluctantly doing the same though from the way they didn't complain as much as Rei expected, she found something different in the way they treated each other suddenly. That was…interesting…
'All they needed now was a few more near-death encounters and they'd all be best friends', she mused ironically as they all made their slow way back to the academy.
--
"Oh… Shousei lost?"
Shiro's face remained impassive as he watched the four hurry off, inwardly both greatly relieved that Rei had managed to survive and impressed that the four had managed to pull together to defeat the last enemy. In his day, such an alliance would have been scorned, each noble house preferring to die alone than live as a united front.
Now they were gone, Shiro turned to face his younger brother and sister. They'd grown up from the teenager appearance they'd borne almost 1000 years ago and now looked in their mid 20s.
Tsuneo had grown up in the image of the typical Matsumura male; tall and broad, thick muscles from a lifetime of combat training and the dark hair hanging low just above cold brown eyes. He was clad in a simple shihakushou with a happi over it, concealing the zanpakutou at his side. He was almost the image of their deceased brother, Ichiro, in his youth.
Midori was slim and pretty with an innocent look on her face that belayed her murderous spirit beneath. Her slender hands were clasped before her in a girlish posture, wearing a black yukata that emphasised the toned curves of her body. The blade at her side looked almost out of place as she looked up at her older brother, smiling pleasantly. It was unnerving…
"So what now…?"
"Oh…nothing, nii-sama. Like we said, we were just here to see how they got on down there. Now it's over…I suppose we'll just leave. Unless you have something else to say…?"
"What are you two planning…? What are you and the clan doing…?"
"You haven't changed, Shiro-niisama. Still very…to the point." Shiro turned his gaze on Tsuneo as his brother continued. "You know the feelings of the clan…and of those who were cast aside after the civil war. Not all were taken in by the Gotei 13 like you were…"
"Nothing rallies people like the justice of vengeance for spilt blood. For some, the war never ended…will never end until this justice is done. And for others…they just hate the world as it is now and wish to see it all burn…"
Shiro turned away from them, folding his arms. "You know I won't stand by and let that happen. If I must, I will kill you both to prevent harm coming to those living under the protection of the Gotei 13. Enough innocent blood has been shed in the name of the clans' honour and pride."
"Oh…we know you'll try, Shiro-niisama. We look forward to it. But for now, we'll be going." Tsuneo offered his arm to his sister who took it. They started walking off across the rooftop, vanishing with a flashstep into the darkness. "Good night. Don't miss us too much. We'll be seeing you soon."
