Star of Prunus Mume [Zenji/closed]

Zâbel shifted her eyes left, not daring to move her head so much as an inch, to look at the muscular arms of the Death God weighing down her shoulder. In his outstretched arms he held fast to the long staff he had just swung from overhead. That blow coming down caused her to rise from her squat to greet a release that never came. Her move had been accommodated and as the stroke of his weapon fell, only his upper arms slammed down upon her shoulder. The shock was enough to make her fall to the ground, her arms thrusting out so she might catch herself lest she fast plant in the dirt.

A horrendous scream rent the silence of the twilight field and as she raised her head the death of some nightmarish creature filled her eyes and evicted any semblance of sanity from her mind. The slight woman, barefooted and garbed in the meanest of peasant clothes, lost consciousness with one thought running through her head. But I was ready to die.

Once more she shifted her eyes left, but this time it was to look up to the Death G…, no, Shinigami, Hatayama Benkei who walked by her side. Time was moving rapidly, so many changes and herself not one whit closer to what it all would mean. Shinigami were real? They saved people from monsters called Hollow? They took spiritual aware people into the city beyond the shining walls for a new life?

Her mind drifted back to the new life that Tōzoku had promised when he had taken her into his gang and kept her mouth shut. Benkei talked a good game, however and considering his powers Zâbel was not about to object. She had been ready to die many times over the centuries, too many times to recall and yet something always happened to keep her going as her circumstances both rose and fell without end. The sight of him rushing toward her with his weapon in the air had been a welcome and she had risen to meet it with open arms.

”You won’t have to go without food”, his words broke into her thoughts and she simply nodded recalling words that he might wish to hear. ”Thank you Venerable Lord”, she murmured focusing on her bare feet trying to match the strides of the tall Shinigami and the shifting sounds of his Tabi shoes hitting the pavement. So close to accepting death, she was nowhere near ready to welcome the life he offered. She was even slightly peeved that he had denied her that blessed gift enough to question him softly as they paused at the city gates, ”Why?

The man seemed to understand without her saying more and replied, ”Your spirit is not for feeding Hollows. It will be their destruction. This I will ensure.” His words frightened her, for surely he was mad, no way would she seek to slay those monsters, and for the first time she raised her head to meet his gaze with the gray light of her eyes wide and incredulous. The man blinked, looked away and bid her to follow before stepping forward through the gates of Sereitei.

Their passage through the city streets was largely unnoticed, and she followed along with her head bowed and eyes darting to the side taking in all that they could. The lack of extreme poverty was overtly painful to see and her mind thought to reject that so much splendor could be so near to the wretched poverty of her existence. The abundance was staggering. So much food, so many healthy people, so many strong warriors with deadly looking weapons. No one even noticed! It was insane to say the least.

Her head was swimming a bit and when they came to the large wooden gate before his compound, she reached out to brace herself and catch her breath. The smells of food had been replaced by another scent, the sickening sweetness of flowers. It was not, however, this which caused her head to swim but the underlying essence of spiritual energy that was everywhere. Too many spirits, all bright and screaming for attention where before she had been deaf and blind to such things. Any slight sensations she may have experienced before were too small and too far apart for her to have even been truly aware there was anything to sense.

Benkei cleared his throat and said, ”It will pass, just keep your eyes focused straight ahead and walk toward it.” Complying, she pushed away from the gate post and chose the crest on the back of his robes as he led her inside. It was a five petaled plum flower, and she kept her eyes fixed to the star at its center as though her life depended on it. The man led her along a path past the main building toward what she could see was an inner compound of sorts. Rich gardens were all around but she was only peripherally aware.

He stopped and hesitantly she drew up alongside him to see a young man practicing with a staff in the courtyard. She was no judge on skill and was quite impressed by the intricate moves he was making which seemed like a dance to her, though unlike any she had seen before. Silently she waited for instruction on what to do next. What would her life be now?

There were several things she noticed as she watched the young man training with the staff and wondered how many others were within this compound drilling at such techniques. The details she gleaned through observation were not so terribly difficult to acquire for she had spent centuries sizing up a new community and the people within as a matter of survival. While attention to detail was crucial there was much that was translated by uncanny impressions and feelings. She just had learned to rely on her initial impressions when it came to people and places rather than to second guess herself. That always seemed to end up badly when she did.

Her mind took account of each detail, formulated an impression based on the most likely explanation, and began to compile her mental assessments. Both these men, her rescuer and the youth training in the courtyard, carried the same style of weapon. The elder, however, had not demonstrated such a range of maneuvers with his staff making her realize how much more powerful the man beside her was than she had imagined. His posture, manner of dress, the embellished nature of the staff, and air of command made it evident he outranked the youth. His superior skill then was just a given; the strongest always were in charge and displayed a more prosperous appearance.

While the youth was decked out fancier than anyone she had ever seen, at least before passing through the district closest to this walled city, his outfit was more simplistic than that of her benefactor. Certainly that word left a bad taste in her mouth for in her experience the strong gave little away to the weak without exacting a high price in return and Zâbel had as yet to hear in what aspect payment would be due. With the Tōzoku Gang it had been her growing mechanical skills that their leader had desired. This man knew nothing of her skills leaving her little information with which to guess his purpose.

The youth stopped his motions and she could see he was catching his breath after his exertions. She cast a quick glance to the man that towered over her, half expecting him to address the youth, but to her surprise he remained silently watching as before. Zâbel turned her gaze back to the youngster watching as he began going through those patterns with the staff once again. He seemed to be racing, pitting himself against the time he had moved in the previous set, and she marveled that even as he sped up he did not seem to falter in his motions at all. It was all building up to a feverish pitch, she could feel something growing and had no idea if that was real or a flight of fancy.

When blue lightning shot from his hand and cut through a target some distance away, she yelped and staggered back a step or two. ”Sorcery”, her mind blurted out the first superstition it could grasp in order to explain what she had just witnessed. Countless other tales about the Death Gods filled her mind, everything from these witch abilities to their being demons that dragged people off into the night and were never seen again. None of these things were reassuring in the least and she grew afraid.

The man’s voice cut through her timidity and it was just like she was back in the gang listening to the leader go off on some guys for a botched raid. During such times survival demanded she not draw attention to herself, put on the face of outward calm, and get ready to run if things got heavy. Outwardly she appeared more stoic than her earlier yelp would credit, but inside she was wondering that if the youth could shoot lightning from his fingers then what could the man in charge do? There would be nowhere to run. Zâbel knew she had to figure out her place and do it quick if she was going to make it through this place in one piece.

Stilling her fears, Zâbel relied instead on watching and listening and trying to avoid anyone’s ire. Filing the youth’s name away for later, she clasped her hands before her as she was introduced and orders were given for her bath and successive tour. Zenji didn’t appear to be pleased by the news, either because he felt he had other things to do or that it was herself that he found objectionable. Attired as she was in veritable rags, patched pants, no shoes, baggy shirt and poncho over all, and kerchief to cap her hair, she looked more than out of place. That she carried all her possessions with her in the torn pack upon her back was probably the obvious assumption to anyone who could see. To be surrounded by such splendor and then to be confronted by the sight of her in the midst of such beauty? Yeah, it was likely both reasons but definitely because she was a blotch amid the gardens.

The elder dismissed her to Zenji’s care and as soon as the man’s back was turned, the smile on the youth’s face was replaced with a sneer of disdain. That was all the proof she needed to sign off on her speculations with regards to her welcome. His words made it clear, from the way he called her girl, that there would be a double set of rules here. Those that occurred in the light of day and those that went down when the departing Death God was not around.

Trudging along behind Zenji, she knew enough to keep her mouth shut lest his attitude change include a beating with that staff of his. Rather than dwell on her precarious status, she thought instead of the bath to come. It had been a while since she had bathed or washed out her things so at least this would be a blessing. She thought about telling him she had a name, but kept her mouth shut. Would she be Zâbel anymore or would they give her a name as Tōzoku had done?

The youth seemed rather petulant but then her protective defenses were on high alert at all times; it was no more than she expected. If the Death Gods just swooped in and took people away, it only figured they would assume total and complete authority over those souls. No one she had ever known escaped and she, like so many in the Rukongai, assumed death was the fate of the missing. Only now did she suspect that slavery might actually be the aim and as far as her suffering was concerned it looked like it was only beginning. His mannerism and obvious disdain was but a piddling thing compared to the sense of dread filling her mind.

She knew about servitude for though she was a member of an outlaw band many years gone by, her life had been one of captivity and her death master to the capricious nature of its leader Tōzoku. Once they reached the wing of the Main Estate, having quickened her pace as soon as he barked, her eyes went wide at the mere mention of being disrespectful to Uncle. Stupid she was not!

Bowing her head, she hardly dare look up to see the man to whom she was being foisted upon next. Upon hearing being cleansed and dressed for a ceremony later that evening did not put too good spin on what he future would hold. No one made a young girl wash and dress up in pretty clothes for anything good. Soft spoken and warm words would not fool her and she kept her eyes riveted upon her bare feet until after Zenji had left before daring to look up and say, ”Yes, Lord Yoshihisa. Right away.”

Following the man inside and through the building, his words did not lose their tone now that they were in private. Such was the way of men who wished to appear one way but were actually quite another when they got you alone. But not this one; at least so far. She was not very trusting, especially of the word adopted. In her experience it was just another way to say slave.

She was a bit more relieved to be handed off to the man’s wife, a woman who seemed to be practical in that she was not so overtly pleasant. Her words were very straightforward and informative which is how Zâbel preferred to communicate. There was a lot to appreciate in facts without any sugar coating to make it more palatable to digest. Little time was wasted, however, in that not only Zâbel was scrubbing to get the filth off her body, but Tomoe did as well. No doubt it would have taken much longer if she had to get rid of some many years of filth on her own. Perhaps it hadn’t really been years, she pondered but could not say for certain. Such things hardly mattered when you had given up on life.

Finally she was clean enough to soak in the tub, and it came none too soon for the washing and combing of her hair had been painful as could be. She dared to suggest they just cut it off at one point but Tomoe had rejected that outright as though this was a war she would never back down from. The ache in her scalp was atrocious and the water felt so good she was tempted to just drown and let darkness come.

Tomoe being a woman of experience knew better than to permit that to happen and hurried her out of the bath and set her to drying off. Seeing the finely made robes she was to wear made her back stiffen and Tomoe swatted her on the back of the head as though she could read her mind. ”Forget those heathen outside girl. No one is going to use you in such a filthy manner here”, she said, proving once more just how experienced she was with these foundlings. The look of astonishment on Zâbel’s face must have been comical enough for Tomoe chuckled lightly as she assisted the girl into the pink robes.

Five petaled flowers were woven into the material all over with tiny stars in each center and it caused her to marvel at the craftsmanship wondering how that had been accomplished. What was both wonderful and unwieldy at the same time, however, were the tabi and zori upon her feet. Directing the girl to sit, Tomoe then went about putting her hair up on her head in a coif with two plain wooden pins to hold her bun in place. Then she pinched her cheeks hard and laughed about getting some color in her for now and promising food enough to make her skin color up on its own. Zâbel smirked at the notion, forgetting herself in the process, thinking that there was not that much food in the world. There just couldn’t be.

Eventually she was fit to be seen and led out to rejoin the man who nodded approvingly. Then together they would lead her outside to join Zenji once more. Yoshihisa called to his great-nephew saying, ”I think she will pass, don’t you Zenji?” Zâbel was a bit dubious if that one would ever find her anything but a bother.

Looking at the youth, Zenji, her new cousin she amended mentally, she expected him to argue a bit with Yoshihisa...Uncle she reminded herself. His manners obviously prevented that from happening and it gave her just a bit more information in sizing up how things would be. Respect, at least for the elders. That was a justifiable attitude and she wholesomely agreed with such things, but it made her all the more skeptical of how the youth would treat her once they were in private.

Uncle patted her on the head and handed her over to Zenji and a feeling of dread washed over her as Aunt and Uncle departed to leave them to their own devices. It was only after they had turned to leave that she thought to bow to their retreating forms. She would have to step up her game, do everything perfectly if she were going to avoid retribution. Quite unsure of what her life was to become, it was crucial to her survival to do everything right. ”Thank you Zenji-san”, she said and moved toward him a bit hesitantly. Her shoes would take a bit getting used to so her steps were short paced to keep them from flying off her feet.

She noticed that he didn’t seem to have that cramp in his face from when he first laid eyes on her. This didn’t mean he was going to be friendly, however. In her experience people didn’t really make friends unless they wanted something. ”I will play close attention so that you do not have to repeat yourself. I expect that you have matters of importance to tend to”, she offered in an attempt to commiserate with him over what must be a distasteful chore to the youth. She wasn’t sure why she thought of him that way, as someone younger than herself for she had no knowledge of souls that were born here. Perhaps it was all the obvious elders in this place that put that notion into her mind. She would need more evidence before a true conclusion could be made.

Before they took off on their tour, however, she looked into the coy pond and smiled. ”Oh how beautiful they are”, and forgetting herself with those words she smiled brightly for the first time in a long long while. Stepping back from the pond’s rim, she folded her hands before her and sobered a bit. ”I do not mean to intrude. This must be your special spot”, she added having seen him admiring the fish from before. ”Please, I wish to learn my place here so that no one is bothered. What is this ceremony Yoshihisa-sama spoke of?”, she inquired hoping to learn as much as she could.

She nodded in response to learning about the pond and wondered just how big this estate might be that a whole pond could belong to just one man. Vowing not to throw a shoe, she hastened forward to trail along after Zenji.

His words took her back a pace though. ’Peasant’, she thought, wondering what that was until he explained about those who were reincarnated as opposed to those who were born here. Her mood soured when she heard him speaking of the blessing this conferred on those most fortunate ones. She supposed that empathy, charity, and sharing these blessings were not part of their inheritance. Otherwise they would do more to help the peasants than just cherry pick one to keep as a pet from time to time. Adoption...gee thanks.

This talk of purification didn’t sit well with Zâbel. She’d already bathed, what more could they do? Her eyes went to the walls wondering how fast Zenji was and if she could find an opportunity to escape. She would have to stay alert and see how this might be managed. She didn’t want to stop being herself. She was Zâbel and that was all she had, why did they want to take even that away from her? No longer a peasant but instead a noble. She would cease to exist if she didn’t get away from here before that cleansing ceremony.

The rest of his words concerning duties and enshrinement as a maiden blew over her head. She was to die tonight and didn’t understand why all this fuss just to end her life. Benkei could have just as easily done nothing, the hollow would have eaten her, and she would be cleansed. No fuss, no muss. She’d thought Tōzoku, the leader of her former gang, had been a ruthless individual. At least he wasn’t twisted like this bunch. With him you knew what he wanted and that you had no choice but to comply. He never dressed it up with the promise of anything good to come. This was sick.

She trembled, not realizing this was her reaction to the flash of his spiritual power in use while he checked her potential. Absorbed with inner turmoil, she accompanied him silently until they came to the main part of the estate. There appeared to be a number of large buildings and she gazed at each taking note of which way they had come. That would be useful when it came time to escape.

Zâbel couldn’t help but cough as he spoke of tranquility and meditations and tea ceremonies. What a side show it all was turning out to be. But when they came to the library his words seemed to finally breech the mental fog she had shrouded herself within. He spoke of one day being allowed access to the library and then directed her gaze to a raised portion of the estate claiming her future work would be performed there.

She was to have a future? Even as they moved toward her future duty station, she frowned back at the library wondering about the wealth of knowledge she may gain access. Secrets and spellcraft? That promise of education blew away the last vestiges of the panic she had created inside. There was true wealth, she instinctively understood, and longed to enrich herself there as much as possible. What had he said? She would have to prove herself worthy.

It was a bit of a miracle that she hadn’t passed out because she couldn’t recall how long it had been since she had eaten. She had been quite ready to die earlier in the day and found unlooked for reprieve. She had feared her death had only been postponed only to find she had been a frightened child and as they climbed the small rise, the cumbersome shoe tripped her up throwing her onto the pacing stones of the path. Desiring nothing more than to just lie there, she knew weakness would get her killed. She had to be worthy and was quick to apologize even as she pushed herself to her feet once more.

Weaving slightly as she stood and tried to adjust her garment and brush the dirt from its pink fabric her words came out panicked and attempting to explain. ”Forgive me Zenji-san. I have not eaten in a long while and am not used to moving with shoes on. I will learn. It will not happen again.”