Rukia woke up gagging on the pungent scent of smelling salts.
"Gah! Didn't they abandon that stuff in the middle ages?!" She gasped, sitting bolt up right and choking. Kisuke smiled cheerfully.
"Probably, but I didn't!" Rukia rolled her eyes as her spluttering began to cease. "I noticed." Yoruichi, who thankfully appeared to have put some clothes back on, was hovering at the back of the room by the door, in Rukia's line of sight.
"I told you not to use them Kisuke. She just got a little freaked." She rolled her pretty cat-like eyes, which Rukia now noted was incredibly appropriate even if the thought made her cringe.
"So," She began, proud of her voice for not trembling. "You're a giant cat?" Yoruichi responded with another eye-roll.
"First up, let's take you down to the dining room and get you fed. We'll talk about who-is-what when you've got some colour back in your cheeks." She smiled and vanished out of the door. Kisuke stood up and offered a hand to Rukia, which she gratefully took to pull herself to her feet. The petite girl patted down her rumpled hair.
"Don't worry about Yoruichi, Miss Rukia. She just wants to avoid frightening you again. She doesn't think any less of you."
Rukia looked up into his wise, but stll young looking face. "I know." She said, looking confused. "I'm not sure how, but I felt it... Her anxiousness." Kisuke's lips quirked up in a smile and he tipped his hat to her.
"All will be explained, dear girl. Lets get to the kitchen, there is much to discuss. This is just the tip of the iceberg, after all."
Rukia followed his confident stride out of the strange woodland room, taking one last awed look behind her before gently closing the door.
(LINE BREAK)
"You knew this could happen, Byakuya."
The elder Kuchiki stretched his back even straighter at the words, his eyes narrowing a fraction of a millimetre. Not that such a movement would be missed by anyone in the room. His eyes cast around the rows of mahogany seats, staggered upwards throughout the room. A pale glow emmated from the chandeleir hovering from the ceiling, it's many tiny bulbs glitting against the crystals hanging below. Just enough light for it's twelve occupants to see in comfort.
"The monitoring system in place should have been enough to allow for a warning. However, it was not. Why has it failed to be increased as a result?"
"The death of one human-"
"-Is still not acceptable." Byakuya's face remained calm. "However, you are probably aware that it was not only my sister who has been murdered. On the previous full moon, twenty-eight humans were slaughtered. The most recent moon, in which my sister died, fourty-seven were reported. A total of seventy-five humans, thirty-one of which were children." Byakuya took a brief moment to let it sink in. "As you can see, the situation is escalating. There could be a greater number dead by the next moon, and soon the human media will pick up on the trend. It cannot be hidden forever."
There was a collective murmur around the room. A few low hisses could he heard.
"You did not care until your sister became one of them." A speaker from the far corner corner intoned. His voice was raspy and slithered like a snake throughout the room. Byakuya felt the vile flavour of distate rise in his throat.
"I was not aware the situation was so poor until I looked into it." He replied stoically.
"Enough." A figure stood from the front bench of the room, and began to walk towards where the black-haired man stood at the very front, on a small speaker's booth. He brushed his long braided beard aside, and his white hair flowed behind him.
"Elder Yammamoto, sir." Byakuya addressed him formally.
"Kuchiki. What exactly, aside from the death of your sister, did you bring the Clans here to dicuss?"
Byakuya closed his eyes and paused for a second, as if re-thinking his idea. He knew already what the result would be if he proposed his original intention."The situation has gotten out of control. The previous contract was that no race, including Were, Vampires, Fae or otherwise were to bring awareness of the supernatural to humans, in order to avoid a repeat of the centuries of persecution we faced. If the terms were breached, it would result in-"
"War." Yammamoto finished. A few faces began to nod around the room. Another murmur began. A man stood from the left side. He too, had white hair like Yammamoto, but he was considerably younger looking and his dark eyes were kind.
"We are in no fit state for war!" He choked, desperation in his voice. Yammamoto turned to look at him.
"Ukitake." Yammamoto aknowledged the younger man's outburst. "What makes you think as such?"
The younger vampire coughed into a fist several times before he could reply. "Simply put, neither side has been innocent. We have all broken the treaty a few times on occasion, especially new-borns that have little control. I would suggest that instead, we give warning of the breach and attempt to oversee that they gain a better control of their... wilder brethren, and minimize the bloodshed."
The room once again was full of murmuring. Then there came the scratchy, nasal voice from previous, once again."Numbers do not equate to ability! We are more than capable of taking on those lousy mutts!"
"Kurotsuchi, mind your manners." Yammamoto said softly. The blue-haired man walked forwards from the dark corner in which he sat.
"My apologies, Council-Leader Yammamoto." He eyed Juushiro with a spark of excitement in his eyes. "We have plenty enough soldiers ready for this cause. We have ignored the low-level scuffles between races thus far because it was of no threat, but blatant killing of humans is unacceptable!"Byakuya honed in on Kurotsuchi with his dark eyes narrowed.
"Since when did you, Kurotsuchi, care for the welfare of humans?" The blue-haired man grinned widely.
"Not all of us adhere to your cuddly, cruelty-free diet choices, Kuchiki. We cannot have the hounds threaten our food. Like a farmer having his livestock murdered by a fox... he must set a trap for the fox," His grin widened and he placed his hands close together. "And shoot it."
Kurotsuchi smacked his hands together and the sound revertebrated around the large room. A few whispers began to looked at the man with barely-veiled disgust on his face. "You seek bloodshed far too eagerly, Kurotsuchi."His grin became a sly smile.
"Isn't that what you came here for, Byakuya Kuchiki? Revenge for the little sister of that human slut that you murdered-"
"Silence, Kurotsuchi!" Byakuya's eyes remained cool, but behind the mask, a wave of fury hit him. He would have Kurotsuchi's filthy black blood pouring over the tiles one day. He would see to it.
"Just reminding Kuchiki what his wishes entail, Sir." Yammamoto turned to face the blue-haired man infront of him. His expression was stormy.
"I ordered you to be silent. Return to your seat." Defeated by authority, Kurotsuchi turned tail and did as he was commanded.
"As long as there's plenty of guts, I don't care!" The council leader fought a grimace. Elders of over eight centuries did not roll their eyes.
"Unless you have an input, please remain quiet Kenpachi." The elder replied, earning a loud roar of laughter from the man in question at the back.
"Sure thing Yama-Jii." The manic laughing died down to a rumbling cleared his throat and turned to address the remaining members of the council. "Would anyone else like to add a report, or will we commence with the vote?"
"It is all very well saying we wish to fight the Were, but what about the other races? What if they pick sides?" A low, relaxed voice rang through the room.
"Kyoraku. Explain your point."
"Well," The brown haired man ran a hand up his face to fiddle with his goatee lazily. "We know that some areas have become allied. For instance, in Kuchiki's territory, we know there are a number of others that affliate with the Were. Urahara Kisuke for example."A few gasps came from around the room.
"The Warlock? He is still alive? Kuchiki, why did you not make us aware of this?"
"He is." Byakuya confirmed. "I did not see fit to report it because he is no longer the feared magic-handler he once was. He found a mate among the Were and lives in hiding with her. His magic now consists of mere party tricks. He is not a threat."
"I've heard he takes in stray Were and trains them, Byakuya."
"It is not our business what the Were do until it violates the treaty. If he is teaching more young to control themselves, I fail to see the harm in less dangerous man-beasts on the prowl.
"Yammamoto thumped the end of his cane on the stone flooring. "Enough. This debate is no longer. We will commence the vote. All those not in favor of war?"
Five hands were raised into the air.
"And those in favor?"
Seven hands.
"Then it is settled. Inform your second-in-commands to prepare your clansmen as soon as you depart. In three weeks, as the next full moon approaches, we go to war."He thumped his cane again, and the council meeting was ended.
(LINE BREAK)
Rukia chewed thoughtfully on her mouthful of sandwich.
"So all that supernatural stuff is real?" Yoruichi nodded, taking a mouthful of her coffee. "Well, twilight got a heck of a lot wrong, didn't they?"
The older Were cracked a smile. "They really did. I wish the transformation was that nice and tidy, and vampires liked to fall in love with teenagers... But back to business, Rukia. The next full moon will be the time that you first make the change. We don't know what you'll be yet, but in the time between now and then, you'll find out."
"How will I find out?"
"We and the rest of the pack will help train you to communicate with her. The beast inside you is a piece of your soul, born from the fear and pain you experienced during the attack under the full moon. It is a part of you, but at the same time, it is it's own person. You must learn to work with it. The first change you go through will seal the bond between you, which will allow you to change at any time like I did earlier. At the same time, if you fail to make the bond, it will try to overthrow you as the main commander of your body." She said it all so casually, thought Rukia. She took a long sip of her tea as she considered what she had been told before asking another question.
"You mean, like the crazy werewolves in movies?"
"Exactly like that. The struggle between the two of you will result in destruction. This isn't often known, which is why there is a problem amongst Were. Most packs always have people from each area scouting out for newborns after a full moon, like yourself, but sometimes they are missed..." She trailed off, looking sad.
"What do you do with the out of control ones?" Rukia asked, though she was sure she already knew the answer.
"In accordance to the Treaty Of Protection- A contract signed by the leaders of all supernatural groups, they must gain control or be executed, as they attract human attention to our existence. It is the same for newly bitten vampires." Yoruichi murmured. Rukia looked up at her with a grim understanding.
"So I have one month to gain control, or I die?"
"In short Rukia, yes."
And there is the crux of it all... One month before all hell will break loose! Next chapter will include some IchiRuki interaction and meeting the rest of the pack, as well as the beginning of Rukia's training, while the vampire clans prepare for war.
Thanks for reading!