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This article, Kaede's First Trial, is a short one-shot featuring some of the history of Kaede Saitou and Rosuto Shiba; with the latter as the point-of-view character.
"How did this happen? What was the point?"
The thoughts hit Rosuto like a tonne of bricks! It wasn’t like Kaede to so easily let her thoughts be known to him, yet there it was. He normally had to annoy her all evening for her to drop her guard. Though he couldn’t really say he blamed her in this case. Her mother was lying comatose and no amount of healing was going to bring her out of it. Only time would tell. It meant that Kaede was going to be catapulted into a position she was neither fully ready for or actually wanting: Queen of Heisekai.
Suddenly Rosuto felt a very human chill creep up his spine…
“Rosuto,” Kaede said. “You’ve never told me about your family.”
There was a reason for that. But again he caught the meaning of her words by reading her thoughts; tell me of your family so I may take my mind off my own. So Rosuto sighed. He kicked off the wall on which he’d been leaning and instead pulled a seat over so he was on a level with her. Those blue eyes where bloodshot from tears while those same tears had dried on her cheeks.
“I’m the second of four children,” Rosuto began slowly, “born to then Captain Dastan Shiba and Aiko Shiba. My brothers Meian and… in fact let’s just skip that part-”
“Wait! Tell me.”
He rolled his eyes in irritation but ended up telling her anyway. Meian and he had been rivals in everything they done growing up; the reason being that their father, Dastan, expected one of his sons to surpass him. But in their childhood Meian was the golden child. He excelled at all he done and garnered much of their father’s attention; enough so that Rosuto himself rarely had a moment with his father just themselves two. Meian was the heir… and Rosuto was just the spare. He’d spent much more time with his mother but all children needed a father-figure as a role model to look up to. Without that Rosuto explained he spiralled down a path of mischief and trouble which, ironically, served to drive an ever greater wedge between father and son; who saw the behaviour as unbefitting of a noble of the Shiba family. And of course Meian picked right up on that by emulating their father. It had almost broken their mother's heart.
“I hated my brother… Still do actually. Things got better when my sister Kireina was born.”
His smile was affectionate and the memories Kade no doubt sensed in his thoughts were filled with happiness and fulfilment. Kireina and he where always at one another’s side. Kireina adored her older brother and Rosuto looked after her in a way Meian had never done for him. If she needed help he provided it, if she needed a foundation to stand on he gave her one and if someone hurt her Rosuto insured they suffered long. It was the way they did things and Kaede could tell that those early years had helped save Rosuto from his own hatred.
“You mentioned two brothers.” Kaede noted.
The smile vanished from Rosuto’s face.
“Yeah, I suppose I did. His name was Rōnin. After he was born my mother passed away and my father disappeared, never to return. Two months later Meian declared that he was too busy to babysit and instead passed the duty off to a relative. That evening she was found dead and Rōnin was nowhere to be seen.”
“I had no idea! I’m so sorry.”
He waved it aside.
“Meian and I never saw eye to eye after that again. He refused to accept responsibility, citing his duty to the Gotei 13 as an excuse, and Kireina was needed to separate us on more than one occasion.”
“Maybe he’s still-”
“My lady, we have a situation! It’s Lord Kōhai!”
Rosuto felt the shift in Kaede’s emotions immediately. It was like she had changed places with someone else. Before she guarded her thoughts more closely he did catch one beneficial fact however. This Kōhai man was a viper not to be trusted. He’d also attempted a coup some time ago. Was he trying to start another?
“What is it?” Kaede asked.
“Lord Kōhai has declared you unfit for rule. He’s made a declaration of rebellion and, I’m sorry to report, he has gathered many supporters.” The young messenger was breathless. “He’s leading them here as we speak!”
Rosuto got to his feet and strapped on his Zanpakutō and Zanku; his face betraying nothing.
“What are you doing?” Kaede asked him.
“I’m going to put down a traitorous dog.”