"You still look like…crap."
Rei glared at Yugito through a bruised eye where Shousei had punched her. The upper half of her uniform had been stripped off, taken off to be washed, she assumed. It'd been soaked with blood and ripped multiple times where the zanpakutou had reached her. Her entire torso was wrapped tight in bandages to cover over the many wounds she'd taken during the night's events. Even though it wasn't the first time she'd been cut by blades, the wounds from Shousei's katana had seemed to burn more than any she'd received before.
It'd been luck that the four had made it back alive to the academy. They'd staggered the majority of the way there before collapsing on the cold flagstones. Rei had been the last to lose consciousness, the sight of running feet and a blur of red and blue hakama appearing before her. Kaoru's panicked voice had been deafening in her ears as hands ran over her, checking her wounds. She'd caught sight of Yugito's worried face before she felt herself lifted and carried. Then she'd blacked out from blood loss.
That had been two weeks ago. Despite the healing arts of the medical officers of the academy, they hadn't recovered completely and had been confined to the infirmary until Unohana-sensei gave them the all clear. And so every day, other members of their class had been detailed to bring their written and theory work to them. Today it was Yugito and Kaoru's turn…only they'd stopped to have a chat too today. Well…Yugito stopped to have a chat while Kaoru sat by her bedside, looking overly concerned.
"Well I still look a whole lot better than you, Yugito." She grinned slightly, wincing as she did. Her face still stung. "So…how's everything going with the classes?"
"Oh you know…more of the same. Theory with Kaizuka-sensei is as boring as ever. Same with Mifune-sensei and Yosuda-sensei… I'm really not liking these classroom lessons." She sighed. "At least you only have to do the work and not sit through the lectures themselves. Those are the more tiring parts of it. Even then, the written homework is hard stuff…"
"Not that you actually do it. I'm guessing you forced Kaoru-chan into doing it and then you copying it from her…right?"
Yugito's eyes widened, glancing around the silent infirmary before looking back at her. "How the hell did you know that…?"
"Well…aside from the fact you can't read or write from last time I checked…. It seems like the kind of think you'd do. And she seems like the kind who'd let you. Right, Kaoru-chan?" Rei looked over at the smaller girl who nodded slowly, caught Yugito glaring at her and gave a yelp, hiding behind the pile of folders she'd been carrying, the look in her eyes akin to a rabbit borne down upon by a wolf.
Then her glare changed to a grin as she clapped the smaller girl on the shoulder, almost sending her falling off her chair. "Well maybe I can't read and write, I can kick ass better than most of the class. Hakuda and swordsmanship… Hardly anyone capable of taking me on. Well…maybe that Matsumura girl…but she isn't really focused while her twin is in the infirmary with you."
"Anyways…speaking of hakuda training, apparently there's a new visitor coming to help out today. They didn't say anything more but…if it's someone who can teach it better than Matsumura-sensei then they must be good. Don't want to miss it so I'll catch you later, Rei-chan."
Then the pair of them were gone and she was left alone again. Well...not completely alone. Much as she had been for the many hours of the days, Misato was looking at herself in a small hand mirror that seemed to cost a small fortune. She kept running a hand across her cheek where a blade had touched her. It wasn't a very deep scar, Rei sure as hell had dozens more all over her body, but the Kuchiki girl kept sighing heavily and trying to arrange her hair to try and hide it.
Rei grinned slightly to herself, looking away. Though the other girl wasn't exactly the nicest to spend time around with, in a tight spot, they'd all managed to band together and beneath that vain exterior, she was a powerful ally to have at her side.
Soujirou was swinging his asauchi before him with his left arm, about the only part of him, which hadn't been heavily bandaged up. He hadn't said much since they'd gotten back though his presence felt less hostile these days, as if their fight in the streets had broken the ice between them that a difference in class had formed to begin with.
The last member of the fated group was down the far end of the infirmary. Toushirou seemed to be asleep...again. He had spent the majority of time sleeping since they'd been brought back. She kept glancing in his direction but somehow missing him each time, having to look again to spot him. He seemed to fade into the background like he always did. She shrugged, turning away but still remembering as his hands gripped her wrists, his voice screaming in her ears to drop her blade. And she had. Through a blood-drenched haze of killing intent, her hand had opened and she'd snapped back to her senses.
Well…it wasn't something she could make sense of but then she had other things on her mind these days. She closed her eyes again, placing a hand to her forehead. What the hell is wrong with me? Urgh…Rei sighed again. She needed to just stop thinking. It was making her head hurt…
--
Yugito gave a yelp as she was flipped head over heels and dumped flat on her back, the floor of the hakuda dojo reverberating as she crashed down on the hard wood. She started to rise but she was flipped over on her face, arm twisted and locked behind her back in a perfect restraint. After some flailing to try and break free, she tapped her hand against the floor and she was released.
Shiro gripped a fistful of the back of her uniform, hauling her upright and sitting her on her feet. Breathing heavily, she wiped her brow with the back of her hand and moved to take up a stance again but the sensei shouted for her to move back to her place in the line. Despite the fact she'd just been put down so easily, Yugito looked pleased and he inclined his head in her direction, returning her grin.
It'd been after an hour or so of demonstrating techniques. He'd been through the whole class now, sparring against each in turn to assess their skills. Yugito was last, having got to class last though her abilities had stood out more than most. The one just before her, a timid looking girl called Kaoru, had been almost pitiful. Her movements had been hesitant and she was afraid to try and hurt someone. He'd done his best to let her off lightly, using only a finger to hurl her away. Even then he'd felt slightly bad.
Naturally, the Matsumura of the class, some pretty young girl called Azumi, was one of the best, even when half distracted by her twin's absence. Soujirou… Shiro had watched him fight alongside Rei and had been impressed, surprised almost that he had risked his own life to help her. It seemed that even with clan pride, honour and courage was still bred into the future generations of the Matsumura clan.
Well…didn't stop them expressing dislike towards those disowned by the clan. Although he was here to check up on Rei and Misaki, one of Tsubaki Unohana's demands that he meet to come into her academy was that he teach one of her classes. Unfortunately, the hakuda instructor, his own niece, was just as unhappy with the arrangement as he was. Natsuki Matsumura had maintained her stern glare on him for the entire duration of the class. She'd maintained a stoic silence, only speaking to introduce him and then keeping her mouth closed.
Catching the silent exchange between the two, Natsuki strode between him and Yugito and ordered the class to leave as the bell for the evening meal rang. Class 1 filed out, leaving him alone with the instructor. The door closed behind the last student as Natsuki turned to him.
"So…"
"So indeed." Shiro folded his arms as she moved closer, looking up at him. She was a head shorter than him but the compressed lethality within her body was evident from the way she stood and regarded him. It was a different feeling from that which came off his siblings. While they had both gave off a hatred tinged by a twisted, calculated nature nurtured over a long period of time, the look in Natsuki's dark brown eyes were ones of a child whose world had been shattered at a young age and left her only with the hurt of loss for one close to her. They both stood glaring without speaking for a moment before Shiro broke the silence.
"The clan… What're they up to? Not much of a secret that the ones who attacked your students were Matsumura. And then my dear brother and sister showed up. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you, Natsuki-chan?"
"Don't you call me something like that, Ojisama. Don't you dare call me that. You may be my uncle by blood but you gave up the right to just demand things from me like that. I'm not telling you a damn thing. You can go to hell for all I care." She turned to go, her long hair swinging behind her in a dark curtain. Natsuki reached for the door.
"I'll make you tell me if I have to, Natsuki. Don't think I will just let you walk out of here without telling me something." Shiro's voice was firmer and commanding, causing her to pause momentarily. He stepped forward to put a hand on her shoulder to hold her back. Just as his hand was about to close, she whipped around and lashing out with a solid kick for his head.
He saw the blow coming but even with advance warning, it was a tough one to just evade. He leapt back but she followed through almost immediately, a perfectly smooth transition from one leg to another as she drove another kick for his torso with extreme force.
A smirk flickered on his lips as his left arm rose, blocking it, wrapping around her extended limb and sliding along to her thigh. A solid thrust into her chest hurled her off her feet. As she fell back, her other leg swept up and around, kicking for his head with the other leg. Even as he raised his striking right hand to parry her foot, she bent backwards, hands planting on the ground and hurling him over her head.
They broke apart, immediately springing back towards each other, fists flying. Their strikes were with such speeds that individual blocks weren't possible, pure fighting instinct and reflexes taking over to prevent bone-crushing strikes from landing. Each strike was perfect. She attacked high and low, seeking breaches in his defence as they opened up, moving from attack to defence as he struck back with his own.
Shiro parried a kick then ducked its return, shattering a hole in the wall where his head had been. He caught her next punch and drove a knee towards her chest but she managed to twist her arm free, springing off his raised limb and flipping backwards. He just managed to lower his arm to block as her feet whipped around with a cracking sound on impact as she turned over in the air.
Natsuki slipped around his punches, twisting inside and hammering a fist for his throat. At close range, her blows came faster and harder to block. His left hand snaked out, meeting each one before they could land before striking faster than the eye could blink. It hit her in the chest, throwing her back. Pivoting, he slammed a kick towards her solar plexus just as she managed to raise both her arms in a guard, grinding to a halt and leaving groves in the wood where her heels had dug in.
He started to push harder, putting greater pressure on his niece. She started backing up across the dojo floor, his own foot movements, trained through the same fighting art, matching hers step by step. The wood cracked underfoot from the force, leaving their footprints split into the surface beneath their sandaled feet. Natsuki's face was twisted in a snarl as her back cracked again the back wall.
She lashed out at him hard, the heel of her palm driving towards his face. He parried the strike, then the next one, pushing her arm past her and slamming her solidly against the wall. Gripping both her wrists, he pivoted on the balls of his feet and threw her over his shoulder, slamming her down on the floor. His hand swept down in a flash, closing on her throat and applying pressure.
"I want answers, Natsuki. Tell me. What are my brother and sister up to?"
"Ojisama… You murdered Otousama. You killed my father and for you to even dare come near me… To even speak to me…" Her eyes were furious as she looked up at him. Her struggles stopped, now her hatred channelled into her glare alone.
He felt the chill run throughout his body, the guilt and regret he felt whenever he was forced to think back to that day. He barely reacted as Natsuki kicked his arm aside to free herself, flipping to her feet but not attacking, just standing there, fists clenched as she looked him in the face. Tears seemed to form in the corner of her eyes.
"How could you do it…? How could you kill him and live with yourself like that afterwards?" Her voice trembled and her hands shook violently as she tried to contain the emotions rising within her. "He was my father. Your brother… And yet you managed to just go on living and serving the organisation that ordered his death."
"It wasn't as simple as that, Natsuki…"
He looked down at his feet, unable to keep meeting her burning stare. Even while looking away, he could still see her eyes imprinted on his mind. He had to fight to keep his own grief reaching his face.
"You were only a young girl when the civil war broke out. You don't know the circumstances that surrounded us all back then. It was the start of a new era in which we were bringing in a new equality between both nobles and those of lower birth in the name of defending Soul Society. Power had been held solely by the six houses and that absolute power was corrupting them from within."
"I…don't care! I don't give a damn about what the noble houses did, their corruption or any of that. I only care about the fact that my…father was a loving parent, who was the dearest thing to me…and his blood is on your hands." Natsuki seemed to be choking over her words now. She lashed out at him but it was weak strike, a gesture more than an attack as he caught her fist in his hand. Her head was bowed, her long fringe hiding her eyes from view. Her cheeks were streaked with wet lines now despite her trying to look otherwise.
"Your father…my brother was one of those chief among the rebellious nobles who refused to comply with the changes. He spurred others both from our clan and the others to keep up a prolonged conflict that left countless dead on both sides and amongst the innocent populace. The order came for Ichiro Matsumura to be terminated in order to break the alliance between the 6 houses. I was chosen because I was the best suited to fighting him."
Shiro sighed heavily, taking a deep breath. "I refused. I couldn't do it. I was relieved of my command and held in detention while two others were sent in my place. One was killed, Hitoshi Kotetsu, and the other, Asuka Mikihara, severely wounded. Both were…very close to me and so I finally came forward, burning with the need for vengeance."
"The man I faced bore Ichiro's face and fought with the same abilities…but he was a different person. He'd fallen. Using now forbidden techniques to draw in other souls, he'd become powerful but corrupted…and there was nothing left of the man I'd once called brother…and so I cut him down to save both his soul and everyone else's lives. As a result of my actions, the civil war lost momentum and eventually came to an end."
"And…that justifies what you did, Ojisama…?"
"No…it doesn't. There's not a day that goes by that I don't have to stop and think whether I could've done something else to stop the war without having to do what I did…or if I was on the right side." He dropped his arm to his side, Natsuki's lowering too. "But I do know one thing. In doing what I did, I took my brother's life…but I saved his soul before it could be corrupted further."
"Ojisama…" She took another swing at him but there was no power or control in it, simply lashing out to vent her frustrations. Natsuki stumbled forward and Shiro caught her. She didn't fight him, burying her face in the front of his shihakushou. Unconsciously, he placed an arm around her, holding her close. It reminded him of the time before the civil war when she was still a small kid running around at their waists. He patted her carefully on the back until she drew back, looking up at him through reddened eyes.
"I don't know what to think, Ojisama… I hate you. I've hated you all for so long…and yet, when I think back, I can remember something changing in him towards the end… I didn't want to think…to remember that along with the memories I had of him towards the end."
"I'm sorry, Natsuki… I didn't want to bring back the bad memories like that… But we have more than enough good memories of him before then. We can hold on to those, no matter how things ended." Shiro put a hand on her shoulder, looking into her eyes. "But now another conflict may be brewing. More innocents ready to be caught in the crossfire…and more families like ours will be torn apart if my brother and sister aren't stopped. You have to help me."
His niece's breathing was heavy and ragged as she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. She took a deep breath to steady herself before speaking, her voice hoarse. "There's not much I can tell you, Ojisama... I don't spend that much time around the family, for a long time now. It's hard to be around them and so I stay here at the Academy. It's why I took this post originally."
"But...I can tell you what I've been hearing from the few contacts I do keep. They say that Tsuneo-jisama and Midori-basama have been bringing together large numbers of reiatsu-strong children over the past decade in secret. They've been collecting them in one of the Matsumura-ke's larger retainer territories out in the Rukongai. What they're planning is not clear but I can only assume they're creating their own private force of shinigami. I can assume that's why the clan wanted Rei so badly. Her reiatsu is...exceptional."
"She's just like her mother..." Shiro mused over the new information in silence for a moment before turning away. "I'll look into it. Thank you, Natsuki."
"Ojisama..." He felt her follow him, catching him by the hand and clinging on. As he looked back at her, he saw the small scared little girl she used to be rather than the grown woman she'd become. "What do I do now...? I don't want to see more people die but I can't bring myself to oppose the clan. Please...tell me."
"Don't do anything, Natsuki. I don't want to see you get hurt. I'll handle this matter and try and neutralise this problem before it can escalate out of control...and I'll do it without having to kill any more of our kinsmen." Shiro smiled slightly, trying to reassure his niece. "I'll get to the bottom of this, Natsuki. Don't you worry."
And then he left, leaving the dojo and sliding the door shut with a snap. He sighed heavily. Natsuki... Poor girl... It was his fault for her current problems. The sound of a woman clearing her throat made him turn, finding a familiar figure leaning against the wall, arms folded across her chest. Deep sea-green eyes gazed at him through a fringe of auburn hair.
"Did you find out what you needed, Shiro-kun?"
"I did, thank you…" He yawned, stretching widely as Tsubaki Unohana pushed off from the wall, walking with him as he started for the infirmary. The young woman moved with the poise and grace he associated with his sensei, Retsu Unohana, only the auburn hair and slightly more petite features making them different from each other. Though she was two generations after his sensei, her reiatsu strength was powerful and he knew from experience that only a fool mistook her outer peaceful exterior for a true reflection of her fighting abilities.
"You want to see that girl now? Rei Mikihara? How can you think of other women while I'm here…?" She grinned playfully at him and he returned it unconsciously. Despite rebuffing her on several occasions as gently as he could, for fear of the wrath of both Unohana-sensei and Kirio, the younger woman seemed to enjoy making playful flirtatious comments or actions towards him.
"Oh very well…" Linking her arm with Shiro's, they walked on, passing by groups of students who bowed low to Tsubaki as she went. Passing through the main sunny courtyard under the sakura blossoms, they came to the large double doors with the infirmary sign printed over the entrance. The master of the academy placed a slender hand on the dark wood. "Alright then, Shiro-kun. Let's go see your girl then."
--
She felt that familiar presence again. Rei sat up in an instant, jerking awake and eyes opening to find two figures standing before her bed. It wasn't Yugito and Kaoru this time though. A man and a woman…with very powerful spiritual pressures. Shiro and Unohana-sensei.
"Hey… Relax. No sudden movements now, Mikihara-san. You'll open your wounds up again that I spent time fixing."
"I'm sorry, Unohana-sensei…!" Rei flushed slightly, making a conscious attempt to relax and failing. Shiro mock-glared at the woman as she fought to hide her laughter behind a hand and she turned away, walking off in the direction of the other patients.
"It's alright. I'll leave you and her to talk in private then, Shiro-kun."
Rei watched Shiro wave the academy master away before he turned his blank gaze on her. Even though his expression was cheerful, she caught the hint of something darker in his presence. It seemed he was as troubled as she was though probably by less trivial matters than her own mental instability. "So how are you feeling, Rei? How are your wounds healing?"
"I'm…alright, I guess." She flexed her body, feeling a slight burning sensation across her torso where her various cuts were still healing. She winced but nodded wearily, mumbling her reply. "I've been better I suppose. I've been cut many times before but never have my injuries hurt so much. The way that man's sword moved seems to have inflicted more damage than a normal cut…"
"Yes…the Matsumura-ke is proud of their sword abilities, perfected over years of cutting down enemies on the battlefield. Even experienced swordsmen struggle to defeat their style. But Misaki will teach you how to develop the abilities you already have so maybe next time you'll be able to match it." Shiro paused, considering her for a moment before smiling weakly. "Well I'm glad to see you're alright. That's the important thing."
"Thank you…" It was strange to think that someone cared, considered her well being to actually be of importance. She'd seen so much disgust or hate or antipathy directed at her, from her father as he'd walked away or her owners between the rise and fall of the whip. Even at the academy from those of noble birth, she couldn't escape them. Yet there was genuine concern on Shiro's expression as he looked at her. It was…strange.
"Was my…mother really that important to you, Shiro? I mean…" She paused to think about what she wanted to say before continuing. "I've caused a lot of trouble, for you and for others who've now had to conflict with your clan…and you didn't have to. Even my father didn't care enough to not give me away yet you fought people when you hardly even know me…"
Shiro looked reflective for a moment, considering her question. "Your mother was a very important person to me, Rei. We trained together and she served as my lieutenant for a very long time. But more than that, she was a close friend and confidant. When you were born, Asuka asked me to take care of you if anything happened to her and I'd do anything for her. You could say it's my duty to look after you now, Rei."
"Anyway…I've got to get going now, Rei. Now that I've checked you're alright and recovering, that's a lighter load on my mind. After I'd se…heard about what happened to you, I was worried your injuries were more serious than they really were." He ruffled her hair slightly, the physical gesture feeling strangely comfortable, before starting to turn and leave. "There's nothing else you want to say, is there, Rei?"
"Well...thank you, Shiro." Rei fell silent. She considered mentioning the strange bursts of uncontrollable rage that kept taking over her when pushed to her limits, wanting to ask whether it was something that happened to others or if she was just…strange. But she pushed the thought aside. He didn't need to be bothered by her own personal matters when she'd already caused him enough problems.
She shook her head, offering a weak smile. Then he left the infirmary and she was left alone again in the infirmary. After that, she'd settled down to some of her written work, willing herself to struggle through it without going mad and suffocating herself with her pillow. By the time the sun went down and the infirmary started going dark, she sighed heavily and tossed aside her work on the Human World for Yosuda-sensei.
Pushing away her table, she closed her eyes and lay back into the pillows. It had been nice, getting visits from her…friends. It was another alien concept to her. She'd never really had friends. She'd stuck by her mother for the earlier part of her life and then in the arena, there were no real friends, only comrades who could be trying to kill you the next day. But now there was Yugito and Kaoru…and maybe those other classmates, Soujirou, Misato and Toushirou. And Shiro…
Rei shook her head. Would she ever be able to live a normal life? She tried so hard to fit in, act like just another one of the students that lived at the Academy yet things just kept happening to her; her inner uncontrollable rages, the ambush by members of the Matsumura clan… But even recycling these thoughts over and over in her mind couldn't sustain her and soon she drifted off, sinking into sleep and a temporary state of peace.
