Bleach Fan Fiction ❯ BLEACHed Elements ❯ Elements ( Chapter 2 )

Title: BLEACHed Elements
Author(s): SanadaSayuri & Deragonmaji
Disclaimer: No money is made off this work of fiction. Bleach is not mine. If it was, I would be rich and I wouldn’t be writing this, now would I?
Summary: Four months after the events of BLEACHed Blitzkrieg, the Winter War against Aizen is at a standstill. Serieitei is on constant alert and stretched thin as the Shinigami work to repel attacks from Hueco Mundo in both Soul Society and in the Human world. In the meantime, the fragile threads of peace in the human world is unraveling, while humans with high spiritual awareness are getting killed off. Is Aizen the mastermind behind all of this conflict? Only Ichigo can get to the bottom of this mystery, but the actual question remains, can the combined efforts of the Spiritually Aware humans and the Shinigami keep Ichigo alive long enough for him to get to the bottom of everything and hopefully end the conflicts?AU
Pairing: Byakuya/Ichigo
Note: Sequel to BLEACHed Blitzkrieg

SanadaSayuri: Hey there! Sorry about the long wait, but Deragonmaji recently started school, and I have been working as a tutor and babysitter as my family’s personal daycare. Not only that, my house recently burnt down, and school starts on September second and my inspiration for this story seemed to have dried up for a bit even as my muses threw new plot bunnies at me. There’s no real excuse, but real life usually does come first for most everybody.

Deragonmaji: SanadaSayuri got it into her head when we were writing BLEACHed Blitzkrieg to try to be at least one chapter ahead, but with BLEACHed Elements, we came up short, and as she said, real life comes first. With me in school, and SanadaSayuri babysitting, going to her own classes and dealing with the aftermath of the fire, updates will be few and far in between. Please be patient with us.

SanadaSayuri: Neither of us are trying to get out of updating, but you have to admit, waiting a month or two and getting a well written chapter is better than having a poorly written chapter that was cranked out over the course of a week. Of course, that’s just asking for inspiration to dry up suddenly, but hey, who doesn’t get sudden dry spells?

Chapter 2

“I apologize,” Ichigo said calmly, “With the world in its current condition and mother in the hospital, I will be unable to contribute to Seireitei’s war efforts.”

Yamamoto nodded gravely. Better than anyone, the aged Captain-Commander understood what was at stake. If he wanted Kurosaki Ichigo to be Seireitei’s political weapon, the boy would have to first be allowed to hone his abilities and have the freedom to use those abilities as he saw fit. There was more than enough time to mold the boy into Seireitei’s weapon. Let the child come into his full power and let him come to Seireitei on his own time.

“I understand,” Yamamoto said, “In either case, we will gladly accept what you can give. Every little bit helps.”

Ichigo nodded as his cell phone rang. The Substitute Shinigami pulled out his cell phone and glanced at the screen. The furrow between his brows deepened and he looked up at the screen and said, “Excuse me for a moment,” and stepped out of the room. Had he looked back, the orange haired teen would have noticed the calculating gleam in Yamamoto’s eyes.

~*~*~*~

Ichigo, Rukia, and Byakuya entered a small but comfortable restaurant and were immediately escorted to a table in the back where four people, two women and two men, were seated, all clad in the uniform of the Elements. The four Elements rose to their feet as the three shinigami approached the table. After a round of handshakes and introductions, the group sat down and accepted menus from a blank faced waiter. The table was silent for a while as the occupants made their selections and gave the orders to the waiter. Once he had left, small talk was made. It was not until after a server had delivered their food and left that the tone of the conversation changed.

A dark skinned woman with dark hair set what seemed like a shapeless lump of silver onto the table and channeled some energy into it. A shimmering web of silver and pale blue energy flared outwards and settled into the shape of a dome over the table and flashed briefly before vanishing. The only way to tell that the dome was still in place was by the faint rippling of the air.

“Kurosaki-dono,” a pale haired man said, “When this war began, you commissioned the Elements to look into several incidents of suspicious nature that occurred during the previous war and during the brief period of peace that we recently had. Our investigations have uncovered something… Troubling, to say the very least.”

“Has it anything to do with the attacks on the World’s Nexus during the war?” Ichigo asked, “Or is the information related to the military organization known as the Black Serpents?”

“It has to do with both,” the other woman said, “Our investigation shows that the previous war was likely orchestrated by a single person, and that person might be the founder of the Black Serpents, and may have ordered the attacks on the Nexuses.”

“While the Black Serpents were founded by the person we believe masterminded the war,” the other male Element said, “The Black Serpents are led by two others. We have a description of one of the two leaders, but oddly enough, there were no matches in any of the databases that we searched.”

The dark haired woman said softly, “While we have found the engineers of the previous war, we have yet to find a motive for targeting the spiritually aware or even the World’s Nexuses.”

Ichigo frowned and Byakuya said, “If you can provide a description of your suspect, perhaps Soul Society can assist in identifying them.”

The four Elements exchanged looks, and the pale haired man looked uncertainly at Ichigo, who nodded. The dark skinned woman reluctantly reached under the table and lifted up a leather case from which she extracted a large envelope and placed it on the center of the table.

Byakuya took the envelope, opened it and drew out the papers. A picture fell out and fluttered to the table, and the three shinigami stiffened at the sight of the face. Byakuya’s fingers tightened on the sheaf of papers in his hand as dark eyes stared at the impassive face of Tousen Kaname.

“Oh my god,” Rukia breathed, “Nii-sama, Ichigo, what does this mean?”

Ichigo leaned back in his chair and cursed quietly under his breath as the four Elements leaned forward, their eyes intent.

“Kuchiki-dono, Kuchiki-san, Kurosaki-dono,” the pale haired Element said, “Do you recognize this man?”

“We do,” Byakuya said shortly.

“And?” the man pressed.

Byakuya pressed his lips into a thin line, set the papers down, and picked up his fork. Rukia cast her eyes onto her plate and did the same. The eyes of the four Elements turned toward Ichigo who sighed.

“This information…” Ichigo said slowly, “is troubling. The implications that it brings up is even more so… What we need at the moment is more evidence.”

The four Elements straightened in their seats, their eyes attentive and their faces impassive.

Ichigo suppressed a smile at the behavior and carefully choose his words as he continued, “What I need is for the Elements to dig deeper into the matter. Find out as much as you can about the comings and goings of the three suspects. I need to know how far this situation extends, how bad it is, and any links from the previous conflicts to the conflicts of today. I need to know how long this plan has been in effect and why the World’s Nexuses and the spiritually aware are being targeted.” Ichigo gave Byakuya and Rukia a brief look before turning to the Elements, and his eyes hardened as he said, “You have done well thus far, but we all seem to have stumbled into something much more far reaching and important than we originally thought. In the end,” Ichigo said gravely, “the well being of the Living Humans and the Shinigami may well hang in the balance.”

~*~*~*~

The luncheon ended on a much more pleasant note, ending with a comparison of the day to day lives of shinigami and Elements, both of which were military organizations. When the group parted, and the three shinigami were safely ensconced in the relative privacy of the car, Byakuya and Rukia brought up a topic that had been regulated to the back burners by recent events after the younger Kurosaki’s surprising request was made, almost two weeks ago. To be truthful, it had not been anyone’s intention to put of the discussion for as long as it had been, but the recent events had made it near impossible to bring up any topics of even relative importance, even if it concerned the younger Kurosakis.

“We have been meaning to speak with you on a matter of importance,” Byakuya said, “however recent events have made it difficult to discuss anything of even relative importance.”

“Hm?” Ichigo glanced at his husband and asked, “And what would that be?”

“You are aware,” Byakuya said, “that initially, Soul Society had intended for you to play a fairly significant part in the upcoming war. However, recent events here in the Living World led to a change of plans, and you were forced to withdraw from the War against Aizen in favor of this Human’s War. As a result, there is a large power gap that needs to be filled.”

Ichigo’s eyes narrowed at Byakuya’s tone. The Substitute Shinigami knew that it was merely the way the man spoke, and he did not intend to insinuate that the teen was running away from his responsibilities, but the teen could not dislodge the feeling of resentment that the man’s tone invoked.

Seated between her two brothers, Rukia bit her lip as she watched Ichigo’s reaction. Better than anyone, she knew Byakuya did not always intend to sound as condescending as he did. It was merely the manner in which he had been taught to speak, and Ichigo, by this point, was so used to picking out hidden barbs from the words of others that he did so almost automatically, whether or not he was off the political scene, although it could well be said that Ichigo was rarely ever NOT on a political scene. Things were at a point where attempted assassinations were becoming increasingly common, and Ichigo, everyone knew, was being worked to the bone, and warnings from his family had stated that when exhausted, Ichigo could and usually would become hyper aggressive. Rukia could only hope that this conversation would not shatter the fragile peace that had been built by the two since their wedding.

“However,” Byakuya continued, “we have found a candidate to partially take up your place, provided we shuffle about the ranks somewhat to provide her with a vice-captain or captain for support. The only problem is how her family would react, especially considering her age, and most of the captains are wary of her brother, who has proven capable of defeating two captains.”

Ichigo couldn’t help the quirking of his lips. “Am I so terrifying that Soul Society sees the need to ask me for permission to train my sister? Why not ask my father? He’s our legal guardian after all.”

“Kurosaki-taichou told us to ask you,” Rukia’s lips quirked. “Something about his not wanting you to kill him if he allowed Karin to learn the shinigami arts without your input. Your father is terrified of you where your sisters are concerned, you know?”

Ichigo gave a long suffering sigh. “Just give her what she wants then. Karin might as well learn to take care of herself. The same with Yuzu if she wants it. At the very least, if she learns some Kidou, she can distract a hollow long enough for her to get away and get help.”

Byakuya and Rukia blinked. That certainly had not been the reaction they had been expecting. Then again, Byakuya thought as he watched the teen rub his eyes, with everything that was happening, Ichigo was probably much too tired to muster any other response than the cool logic that made him so formidable in the conference room.

“Are you tired?” Rukia asked, “You’ve been working non-stop since the war broke out. Why don’t you sleep for a bit? Nii-sama and I will wake you when we reach the airport.”

“Speaking of which,” Ichigo glanced at the two nobles, “Are you sure it’s alright for the two of you to not be helping out with the war effort in Seireitei?”

“We are,” Rukia said, “We’re protecting a precious commodity, a human shinigami with the strength of a captain and may later become a political force to be reckoned with in the future.”

“The Sotaichou insisted,” Byakuya added softly.

“So you’re both coming to ” Ichigo asked. “Did you pack appropriate clothing? I’ve seen what you call appropriate daily wear, Rukia, and I can guarantee that it’s not suitable for the climate in ”

Rukia and Byakuya exchanged amused looks. Who was taking care of whom here? Certainly the walking target sign that seemed to draw assassins like flies to honey was not trying to take care of two shinigami who were much older than he was?

Byakuya said lightly, “Your sisters and mother helped Rukia select a suitable wardrobe for a desert climate. Your father and the Ishida heir and patriarch assisted me in doing the same.”

“Don’t worry, Ichigo!” Rukia said, smiling, “We won’t embarrass you! I promise!”

Ichigo snorted. “It’s not embarrassment that I’m worried about,” Ichigo muttered. “Whatever, do as you like,” he leaned back against the seat and closed his eyes, “Just wake me up when we get to the airport please.”

~*~*~*~

Rukia's eyes widened as she set her gaze on the airport. 'Are those things even capable of flying???' Her eyes widened in alarm at the thought of them plunging from the sky. Surely, those big, bulky lumps of metal couldn't do something as fantastic as flying, right? Right!?

Little did Rukia know that much the same ideas were not so happily floating through her brother's head. He too was questioning the rationality of boarding something that (appearance wise) had no hope in hell of getting off the ground, much less staying a flight.

Ichigo, however, was oblivious to his companions' distress. He thought nothing of forking his bags over to the correct person, getting his passport checked, and walking to the terminal. The two behind him decided to follow his lead, so as not to draw suspicion, and made plans on how to get the strawberry alone so they could question his sanity. Or lack thereof.

Ichigo strode through the terminal, and boarded the plane. Rukia and Byakuya, on the other hand, stood just outside the loading dock. Their eyes held the exact same glint. No. Fucking. Way. The deathberry, finally, took notice of his family’s absence. He rolled his eyes and went to fetch the two wayward Kuchiki. He directed them to their seats and buckled himself in.

Byakuya and Rukia's eyes widened comically when the ever popular 'FASTEN SEATBELTS PLEASE' sign was lit up. They quickly strapped themselves in, and waited for their imminent deaths.

Aside from their overall freaked out thoughts, nothing could be said that the two were acting anything out of the ordinary. In the confines of their innermost thoughts, however, told a completely different story.

Byakuya was questioning and apologizing for anything he had done, did, and will do ever again. Rukia was, in turn, vowing to burn her beloved Chappy collection to bits if only they would survive the ordeal.

The plane jerked into motion, gradually picked up speed, and took off down the runway.

The two nobles’ Inner Kuchiki was screaming in terror. But the worst had yet to start.

~*~*~*~

Several hours later, the large aircraft gently touched down. Ichigo sighed as he got up and stretched his legs. He turned his head to look at his husband and sister-in-law and blinked in shock. It was all Ichigo could do to not burst into laughter on the spot.

Kuchiki Byakuya and Kuchiki Rukia were sitting ramrod straight and staring wide-eyed at the headrests in front of them. Their eyes were bloodshot and their almost stricken expressions were highlighting every line in their faces.

Ichigo let his gaze trail down to where they were holding the armrests in white-knuckled grips. "Umm... You can let go now, you know..."

Byakuya's eyes flicked to rest on the substitute shinigami. He coughed lightly as he remembered where he was and schooled his face into the usual impassive expression. Rukia, meanwhile, was blinking her eyes rapidly to get them to focus again, while looking rather sheepish. The two released their death grips, carefully prying their fingers from the sorely abused plastic and cloth armrests, and their postures relaxed slightly, though Ichigo could see that their shoulders were still tense.

“We’ve arrived, safe and sound,” Ichigo said smirking, “So if the two of you can move after sitting like statues the entire way here, we’d best disembark.”

“I never want to do that again,” Rukia said shakily.

Ichigo raised an eyebrow. “You can survive a fall from 300 feet but can’t take sitting in a plane at an altitude of 2,000 feet?”

“It is a large, seemingly unwieldy piece of metal,” Byakuya said, “I… Ahem… Rukia has every right to be… apprehensive.”

Ichigo gave the noble a look that said very clearly ‘I don’t believe a word you’re saying,’ and shook his head. “Well, we’re back on solid ground now, so get up and let’s get to that hotel, freshen up, and make our way down to the meeting.”

~*~*~*~*~

As the three disembarked, and Ichigo’s quintet of bodyguards picked up their luggage, Byakuya privately swore off traveling by most human means. He would much prefer to go through the Senkaimon and meet Ichigo in the hotel as he had previously than to go through the ordeal of an airplane again, thank you very much. He glanced at his husband and resisted the urge to Senbonzakura the infuriatingly amused smirk off the teen’s face. Hell would freeze over before the noble admitted that he thought it was unfair that the Substitute Shinigami had been the only one out of the three shinigami unaffected by the flight.

At the same time, Rukia swore mentally that she would never set foot in another human contraption again, and do all her long distance traveling via Senkaimon. She glanced at her brother-in-law and fumed. It wasn’t fair that not only was Ichigo the only one unaffected by the deathtrap with wings, but that he actually had the audacity to gain amusement from her brother’s and her suffering! Oh, how she would make him pay!

~*~*~*~*~

The two shinigami would regret their dark thoughts when moments after leaving the airport, several shots shattered the windshield, and the car careened out of control as their driver slumped over, dead, and a crimson stain began to spread on Ichigo’s side, even as their own gigai took damage, not only from stray shots, but from being flung hither and thither as the car spun and swerved and finally slammed into a stop by hitting a wall, flinging the three passengers painfully forward against the seatbelts.

“Ichigo!” Byakuya could only wad up his jacket and press it against the wound, aghast by how quickly the fabric was getting soaked with blood. “Hold on! Rukia, call for an emergency response team!”

Ichigo smiled wanly, “Just my luck huh?” he said weakly.

“Don’t speak,” Byakuya said, “Save your strength.”

“Yeah, yeah, the usual drill…” Ichigo’s smile was strained, and Byakuya could only wonder at the boy–no, not a boy, he’d been through too much to be a boy–the young man’s strength, to make jokes (Badly thought out and badly timed jokes, admittedly, but still jokes.) even as his young life poured out of a tiny hole in his body.

Byakuya had never been happier to see the black and blue uniforms with a white armband sporting a red cross of the Elements’ Emergency Response Medical Team than when Ichigo finally passed out from pain and blood loss.

~*~*~*~*~*~

“How was it?” a smooth, male baritone asked.

“The shinigami’s gigais had received some damage and were frightened and confused, and the boy was all but dead from blood loss when the Humans’ Emergency Response Teams arrived.”

“They didn’t sense you?”

“No. They were more concerned about keeping the boy alive.”

Pale lips curved into a sinister smile. “Good. The less the boy can do to stop the war process the better. Even more so since he’s all but withdrawn from the Shinigami’s War and is temporarily out of the Human’s War. Push the war process among the humans faster. Wipe out as many of the remaining spiritually aware as you possibly can before the boy and his allies realize what’s happening.”

“As you wish my lord.”

A quiet chuckle rang through the vast white hall as the man on the massive throne watched the white clad subordinate leave. “Everything is going according to plan… It’s only a matter of time…”

~*~*~*~*~*~

“He’ll be alright,” Byakuya said into the communicator. “The Elements’ Healers were able to heal him, and he’s sleeping right now. Kurosaki should be out of the hospital in a week.”

“A week?” Hitsugaya said on the other line, “Kami only knows how much damage the humans can cause in a week!”

“He needs to regain his strength before throwing himself into another fight. He has not been getting enough rest lately.”

Hitsugaya sighed. “I know, dammit! But just after Kurosaki formally withdraws from our war and is en-route to a conference that could stop the human’s war before it gets too far and he receives a near fatal injury? It’s no mere coincidence. It seems like someone is trying to keep House Kurosaki out of the war in both worlds.”

Byakuya was silent as he considered it. The information that the Elements had shown them the other day made the possibility seem plausible.

“In the meantime, Kuchiki, try to keep Kurosaki out of anymore trouble if you can help it. In the end, he might just be our only hope of surviving this war.”

“The boy is trouble on two legs,” Byakuya said, “and it’s difficult enough just keeping him alive.”

“Nevertheless, that’s how things stand.”

“I know,” the noble said absently as he turned to look unseeingly through the window into Ichigo’s hospital room, “but it seems things will be getting difficult.”

“What makes you say that, Kuchiki?”

“Just a feeling.”

“Should we be worried?”

“Aren’t we already?”

“Good point. Have you spoken with the Sotaichou yet?”

“I intend to report back once Kurosaki wakes.”

“He won’t be pleased about the latest attempt.”

“I doubt anyone in Seireitei with even the most remote ties to him would be pleased.”

“He seems to attract assassins quite often doesn’t he?” Hitsugaya asked. Byakuya did not answer, recognizing a rhetorical question when he heard one. “In either case, it’s up to you what you do where Kurosaki is concerned. I’ll leave you to it and pray that the idiot doesn’t get killed.”

The line went dead. Byakuya frowned as he closed his communicator and put it into his pocket. He watched as Rukia sat beside the teen through the window, and his frown deepened. If in fact, Aizen was behind this conflict, what advantages would this grant him beside the obvious of forcing a powerhouse like Ichigo to concentrate somewhere else? If Aizen was behind this, than he had already gained the advantage as Kurosaki had already withdrawn from Seireitei’s war efforts, what more could be gained by killing the teen?

The teen stirred and slate grey eyes narrowed. Irregardless, Byakuya had a duty to his new family, and he would protect his young husband. At the moment, the teen was one of Seireitei’s most precious commodities, and he would do his duty by him, both as a shinigami captain, as his elder by many years, and as the strawberry’s husband. Byakuya placed a hand on the doorknob and pushed the door open. As he moved to sit in the chair nearest the window at the foot of the bed opposite his sister, he stubbornly ignored Senbonzakura’s quiet whispers that his pledge to protect the teen stemmed from something more than simple familial duty.

~*~*~*~*~*~

TBC…

~*~*~*~*~*~

Ichigo: Why am I in the hospital again?

SS & DM: Uh… Because?

Ichigo: Because what?

SS: Um… For plot purposes?

Ichigo: Somehow, I don’t believe you.

Rukia: Ichigo! Learn to take care of yourself!

Ichigo: They’re the ones having people shoot at me! –points at SS & DM–

DM: It’s your own fault! You’re the one who wanted SS to write you as a politician!

Byakuya: We have said this before, Kurosaki. Assassinations are a part of life in the field of diplomacy and politics.

SS: But it doesn’t matter! Something is stirring in Kuchiki-taichou’s heart of stone, and it’s growing… I’m so happy!

Byakuya: … And that would be?

SS: um… er… Rukia! Help!

Rukia: They can’t tell, nii-sama, or it would ruin the story.

Byakuya: --reluctantly-- Very well. I will not pry.

DM: --points accusingly at SS-- And you made the last part of the chapter sound like a one sided version of my OTP. (Or at least, it does if you squint…) How mean… Poor shorty…

Hitsugaya: Who are you calling short?

DM: Er… --points at nothing in particular–Look! A monkie! –dashes away–

Hitsugaya: …

SS: --sweatdrops–Um… Ok… In the meantime, Deragonmaji and I would really appreciate some feedback! So please clicky that pretty button below and leave a review!