Bleach Fan Fiction ❯ Daydreams Come True ❯ Byakuya Kuchiki ( Chapter 18 )

Tite Kubo owns Bleach. I just borrowed the characters.

 

I don't know if any of you were awaiting this featured character, but for some reason I need to include him now. This chapter takes place just before Ichigo and the others are fired from the canon. As I stated earlier, there is a certain amount of overlap in these chapters.

 

This chapter is dedicated to an unnamed Airport Domestic Terminal, as most of it was written there while I was waiting for my (delayed) connecting flight. Thank all that's merciful, I had my laptop.

 

Byakuya Kuchiki

 

He knew when his well ordered existence started to implode, almost to the minute; when his firm grip on affairs and events within his life became unstable and the unexpected and unwelcome became more of a constant than a temporary and unsolicited episode. It wasn't when he went into the human world to retrieve his errant sister; it wasn't when he had Renji Abarai forced on him as his assistant-captain; it wasn't when the ryoka had invaded Soul Society. It began much earlier than any of these events. It began when Rukia did not return from her supposedly routine mission to despatch some low grade hollow.

 

If he examined his life closely, he would acknowledge that it had begun earlier: the day he had foolishly kept a deathbed promise to adopt Rukia into the noble Kuchiki family. Emotion had brought him into this mess, logic would enable him to confound his enemies and recover the lost dignity and pride of the nobility.

 

Unwillingly because of the pain it always brought, he remembered the woman who had changed his life thrice; the first time by causing him to fall in love with her; the second time by dying too soon and the third by requesting him to find and take care of her sister. The five years they were married were a treasured memory, one he contemplated less often, due to his inability to change events and the sharp pang the memories triggered.

 

Looking at Rukia encouraged the recollections of his married life to take over; so much did she resemble her sister, but only her face, shape and voice were like Hisana. The personality, the mind and the stubborn nature were so different, that Rukia's presence often jarred on him. As looking at her forced him to remember his lost love, he did not look at her, always avoiding eye contact, or looking just over her shoulder when he talked to her.

 

She had been his sister, longer than Hisana had been his wife; that thought galled him even more. He had lost so much and gained little in return, except for a person who regularly brought his noble family name dishonour. All the lessons she had been given in correct behaviour were regularly ignored. He had prevented her from obtaining a seat within the 13th Division, but he had feared that one day this mistake would be noted and she would be advanced. Now that her execution had been confirmed, he need reflect on that no longer.

 

He sat in his office, his head bent over the paperwork; a man active on important business to any observer, but he wasn't reading the words; he didn't even know the subject of the document in front of him. Consumed by his thoughts, his eyes mechanically scanned the words, not registering their meaning as he pondered his next move.

 

For a brief moment he wished he had accepted the offer made by Kenpachi Zaraki to execute Rukia, quickly. Then the waiting would be over and he could commence restoring the family honour, expunging the stain that Rukia's actions had made on his name; but the offer was unacceptable. Due process must be followed; all the niceties should be observed to indicate that he did not flout the rules or accepted behaviours that were required of shinigami.

 

Sighing quietly, he rose to his feet, realising that he was not spending his time usefully by brooding over matters. Maybe he should inspect his division to make certain everything was running smoothly. Leaving his office and carefully locking the door behind him, he walked, with the dignity he had carefully trained his body to display at all times, toward the training ground. Abarai had promised to train some of the least co-ordinated shinigami today, to ensure that their standards had improved. He did not wish to be discomfited if the Captain-General or any captain came to observe his division. He fully intended to visit the training ground, but found he was walking toward 4th Division, a place he had been visiting with increasing regularity. He stopped, frowned briefly and decided that instead he would visit Captain Aizen. He wished to discuss his assistant captain with a man he respected, to try to gain an insight to his character.

 

He could visit Abarai's previous captain, but talking to Captain Zaraki did not always make sense. Instead of participating in the conversation, he might issue yet another unwelcome challenge to a fight, and after his earlier thoughts it was not a palatable proposition. While the fight would enable him to test his mettle, he did not feel in the right frame of mind to participate in a physical competition with the captain of the division that loved to fight. His recent, very short, altercation with the noisy human, who had tried to defend Rukia, had reassured him that he could still alarm even a shinigami as supposedly skilled as his assistant captain, but it had been no competition. The boy was a simple child with limited skills and too much confidence.

 

From what he had observed, Captain Zaraki would not be content to stop until one of them was severely injured, or dead. Until now he had refused every challenge from the captain, even after the incident when the execution offer had been made. It had been a remarkable coincidence that he had had known the sentence and been there to make the offer, immediately after Byakuya had informed Rukia of the verdict. He had reacted badly to the offer, feeling raw with emotion that he would not display. If Gin Ichimaru had not been there; if he had not intervened; would he have fought the Captain of the 11th Division? Considering the matter, divorced from the experience, he knew that the fight would have taken place. While he was confident he would be able to best the captain without any difficulty, it would be wrong to participate in anything that might smack of attention seeking. A fight between two captains, even in fun, might be too inflammatory and draw unwanted attention to him at this time. For now, it would be best if he maintained his decorum and allowed the execution to take place as planned, before he delved further into other matters.

 

With a puckered brow, he dismissed his thoughts. Thinking in this manner was unproductive and futile. He was close to 5th Division's headquarters and knew that the decision to make this visit was rash and not like his normal behaviour, but he felt he needed to understand his first adjunct better.

 

Abarai caused him some disquiet. He didn't worry him, but the ferocity with which he enforced the arrest of Rukia caused him a moment's hesitation. He had been briefly taken aback to register that his sister knew Abarai, but it had seemed irrelevant at the time. The actions of his assistant captain had seemed a little out of place in the simple apprehension of a person who had remained too long in the human world. His threats to kill her and the attacks on the two boys who had turned up to defend her had seemed unwarranted. The quick dismissal of the Quincy had seemed fierce, but the reaction to the human shinigami had almost made him raise an eyebrow. It appeared that he knew of this boy, or had some grudge against him, though as to what the grudge might be Byakuya did not know, nor did he want to. The desire to kill the boy had seemed extreme and for a moment when he had rallied, there may have even been a very small chance that the boy would prevail in the battle. Perhaps it was time to visit the Captain-General and make representations that he would like his assistant captain to be replaced by someone who was more emotionally stable. Abarai could only bring his division and the noble family name of Kuchiki into further disrepute by his association with both.

 

Approaching the door he heard voices within the office. Listening closely he recognised Souzeke Aizen's pleasant tones and the drawl of Gin Ichimaru voice conversing.

 

“The kid is here, Aizen, just like you described.”

 

“Why did you doubt me, Gin? Don't I always provide you with the correct information? I am unhappy that you choose to …,” Aizen's voice cut off abruptly as if he was aware that someone might be near.

 

With no further reflection, Byakuya knocked on the door. Within seconds, the door was drawn open and he was greeted by Captain Ichimaru, wearing his usual grin. The seemingly closed eyes did not concern him, as it was beneath his dignity to consider the physical peculiarities of other captains, otherwise there would be far too many to think about.

 

“Come in, come in, Captain Six. How nice of you to visit, not me of course, because you've come to visit the good Captain Aizen, surely on some important matter. I was just about to leave having come to see if the captain had any further thoughts on how to handle the ryoka's. Interesting that they should turn up now, with your sister being under sentence of execution. Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to say that. It just slipped out while I was thinking about co-incidences and your sister and her being such friends with your assistant captain, or so I've been told. Very close friends; intimate friends once, if idle gossip is to be believed. I heard a rumour that the ryoka are friends of your sister also, but that can't be right, can it? How did they get here? Why would they come here, unless that other rumour is true that one of the kids is very `familiar' with your sister? Ignore what I'm saying captain. My tongue is running away with me. The ryoka, your sister, the alarms, your vice-captain and the breach in security. It's all very worrying and unrelated, isn't it, but of course, you won't allow it to concern you, will you?” The flood of words that escaped Gin's mouth disconcerted Byakuya. It was almost as if he had known exactly which words would provide the most impact and unwanted introspection. Gin was surprisingly well informed about matters.

 

“Greetings, Captain Ichimaru. I trust I find you well,” he replied, ignoring all the remarks and unasked questions.

 

“I'm just fine captain. No ill-effects after killing, no, sorry, failing to kill that ryoka boy earlier. I don't know how I came to miss that. I must have been thinking of something else at the time, maybe worrying about the upcoming execution. It's always disturbing when one of our own goes wrong. Who would have thought a member of a noble house could go so bad? Anyway, I must say my farewells as there's a lot I should be doing right about now. That's the life of a captain, isn't it? Busy, always busy, keeping a vigilant eye on our assistant captains,” Ichimaru indulged in a lengthy pause before adding, “and the rest of our subordinates. Do you think your sister would like me to visit her? I'm sure I could fit a visit in sometime before the execution to say hello, or do I mean goodbye, possibly both? I'll talk to you later Captain. I'm sure there's something I forgot to mention.” With these parting words, Gin Ichimaru moved past Byakuya and closed the door behind him as he left.

 

Byakuya kept his face impassive. For all the casual nature of the comments, many of the words Ichimaru had spoken had been barbs that found their mark. He had been ignoring the co-incidence between the arrival of the ryoka and the arrest of his sister in the human world. The observation about his sister and her relationship with his assistant captain unnerved him; for all that he maintained his stoic appearance. It had not appeared like friendship when the arrest had been made; something other than friendship had been apparent that he had ignored until now. The mention of the familiarity between his sister and the ryoka caused his gorge to rise and he tried to suppress the feeling of nausea that it roused.

 

When he had first mentioned the mission to his assistant captain, he had been startled by how eager he was to participate, as if he wanted to see Rukia and was pleased that she would be returning to Seireitei, but that had changed overnight, Renji became surly, and the underlying violence in his mood was unsettling. Thinking back to that night, he remembered that Abarai had been even more animated than normal. He appeared on edge in a mixture of fury, anticipation, sadness and something else that seemed like regret. Byakuya had ignored the odd mix of feelings, assigning the strange reaction to being in the human world and the unusual nature of their task. It had been an expression of his standards, to conceal his reluctance to take the action, but it was important for his family honour that he reclaim its errant member and bring her to justice. Rukia had been startled to see both of them and her slow response to the threat was unusual. He could sense little power in her and had grudgingly come to the conclusion that she had indeed given her powers to a simple human. That memory disgusted him.

 

Refusing to allow his disciplined mind to linger over these unpleasant thoughts, he thought he heard his name and noticed that Captain Aizen was observing him quizzically.

 

“How may I assist you Captain? It is rare that you come to visit me, not that your visit is unwelcome. I am always delighted to converse with a brother officer.” Aizen's eyes creased at the corners as he smiled. “May I offer you some tea?”

 

Protocol demanded that he accept the offer of tea, as this was meant to appear as a purely social visit. “Thank you. I find the offer of tea welcome.”

 

He waited while the captain busied himself with pouring a fresh, steaming cup of tea into a pretty flowered cup. “My assistant captain purchased these cups for me. She insisted that I have something fine from which to drink my tea. Sweet child that she is; always thinking about my welfare, while she pays such little regard to her own.” He chuckled indulgently.

 

Byakuya accepted the offered tea with a polite nod of his head. “The cups are quite attractive. It is good to hear that you have cultivated a positive relationship with your subordinate.”

 

“I think it is imperative that we nurture our people. We are here to mentor and guide them, develop them into efficient shinigami who can meet any hurdle with confidence and efficiently defeat hollows, or other threats to Seireitei. I think my continued close friendship with Captain Ichimaru is an example of the effectiveness of my policy. But you didn't come to speak of that, did you?” Aizen's language sounded passionate, but his tone was composed and his expression unworried.

 

Byakuya listened to the words and wondered exactly what the man was trying to say. His policy didn't work in all situations, otherwise why did Renji transfer to 11th Division? Sipping his tea, he savoured the aromatic blend.

 

“I failed with Renji and I regret that failure. He never let me get close to him, always ready to question orders, and trying to handle situations that he didn't comprehend, with violence. I was saddened when I had to request the transfer to another division, but I thought that Captain Zaraki would probably understand his need for aggression, as he experiences the same urges. I am not implying that there is anything wrong with the way he administers his division or trains his people. The Gotei 13 needs to be diverse to meet the needs of Seireitei. I hold all the captains in high esteem for their contribution to our way of life and I am proud to be one of their number. Forgive me; I have again spoken without considering the reason for your visit.” Aizen's composure remained but his eyes behind the glasses displayed remorse.

 

“I wished to speak of Abarai. He refuses to explain why he was expelled from your division. It would be beneath my position to try to force a clarification from him,' Byakuya did not wish to provide a lengthy explanation for his visit.

 

Aizen's face became melancholy. “If it had been any other person, I would have refused to provide this information, but as you are his superior, and it is necessary for you to know the background, I will regretfully tell you. When he joined this division, I welcomed him with high expectations, as he had graduated from the academy with impressive marks and a few bad reports about his womanising, but the latter was not my concern. For the first few months he appeared to be settling in well. He is friends with my assistant captain and I believed that he had found his place in Seireitei.” Aizen's mouth turned down and he sipped his tea before he continued.

 

“I received reports that Renji was fighting, inciting others to violence for no good purpose. I was forced to gently reprimand him but it had no effect,” Aizen shook his head. “I tried. I spoke to him, provided him counselling on anger management, tried to interest him in other, less violent activities that would provide an outlet for his passions, but he is so headstrong that none of my suggestions seemed to be accepted. I should have tried harder, but it became too difficult and morale in my division was suffering. It wasn't one case of insubordination that forced the transfer. All my attempts at reshaping Renji into a member of my division were unsuccessful and the months passed. I spoke confidentially with Captain Zaraki and the Captain-General and the transfer was arranged. It is fortunate that there are no lasting ill feelings and despite my concerns, 11th Division seemed to have suited him. I believe Ikkaku Madarame is instrumental in his training and success, a man I know little about. I understand that Renji is now a fine shinigami and an efficient assistant captain, even if he is still subject to allowing his emotions to control his actions on occasions.” Captain Aizen glanced at Byakuya. “I'm sorry if that does not provide the information you require, but that is all I believe I can tell you. Perhaps you should consult with Captain Zaraki, or not. I heard you had a recent altercation with him, through some misunderstanding I am sure.”

 

For some reason this chance comment struck Byakuya as strange. Ichimaru would have related the incident to Aizen, but the tone of the voice sounded very controlled at the mention of the interaction between Zaraki and himself. It almost seemed like Aizen was trying to filter out an emotional response to the incident. Deciding that no further facts would be forthcoming, he finished his tea and rose to his feet.

 

“Thank you for the tea and your time, Captain Aizen. You have provided much for me to consider. Abarai will develop in time, and possibly manage to gain some emotional stability.” He nodded politely and walked to the door.

 

“I regret that your family has to experience such an unfortunate incident. It will be hard for you until the execution occurs, but I am sure that your family honour will not be smirched by this trial,” Aizen's words made Byakuya pause. He considered responding, but instead left the room, his back straight, his composure unflustered.

 

Walking swiftly along the street, he sorted through the details provided. There was nothing concrete, no single event which forced the transfer; not one major incident of insubordination. It was strange. The final comments were meant to be comforting, but for some reason it had the opposite effect. He wondered how long it would take for the shame of the execution to be forgotten and acknowledged that would never forget that his actions had brought the family into this situation. As restitution he would endeavour, for the rest of his life, to restore the good name and increase its power.

 

Thinking about matters, he decided to speak with his assistant captain, discover how the training was progressing and try to gauge his emotional state. He'd appeared on edge earlier, when the verdict of execution had been delivered and later had looked nervous when he encountered him after the Captain's meeting. Nervous was not the right word. Guilty, desperate, shaken? A combination?

 

Again his steps had taken him to 4th Division. It was futile to pretend that he had not sought an excuse to visit and talk with this captain. No expression on his face or tone of his voice would divulge his undisclosed affection; for this was not the time when these matters could be revealed.

 

The sweet and calm expression that Captain Unohana habitually wore soothed his troubled mind. Being in her presence was like drinking a refreshing draught of crystal clear water. Unlike the passion he had felt for Hisana, the feelings he'd developed for the captain contained admiration, respect, tenderness and appreciation of her demeanour, intelligence and poise. She did not inspire the intense sexual urges he'd felt for his wife, but that was not expected, nor indeed wanted. He had found himself seeking out her company more regularly and she did not seem unhappy to see him while her lowered eyes drew his approval. It was rare she would enter into the discussion during captain's meetings unless asked a direct question, and her contributions were always valuable. Whether her affections were engaged, it was not possible to deduce, as she treated everyone with the same mixture of courtesy and openness.

 

Entering the division he formally requested an audience with the captain, a request which was immediately granted, and he was escorted to her office. On entering, he noticed that she was standing with her back to the door as she looked out the window. Hearing him enter the room, she turned and smiled when she recognised him.

 

“How pleasant of you to visit me, Captain Kuchiki, when I know you have so many demands on your time.”

 

“I wished to express my appreciation of the work undertaken by the member of your division who was assigned to my unfortunate sister. The guards have told me that there was no need to remind him of his duties and he was always prompt and efficient,” Byakuya had speedily formulated this reason for the visit as he walked to the office. It was weak, but would probably serve.

 

Captain Unohana smiled sweetly at his remarks. “Thank you, captain. I appreciate your kind words and consideration of others during these difficult times. May I offer you tea?”

 

He did not feel like tea having only recently drunk some with Captain Aizen, but he welcomed the excuse to spend more time in her company. “Tea would be welcome.” He sat in the chair she indicated as she made the tea.

 

Placing the tea and some small cakes on the table she graciously served him and offered him a cake, which he declined. Sitting in her chair, facing him she asked, “I trust you are well, captain?”

 

“My health is good. And yours?”

 

“I am well except for the feeling of anxiety caused by the reports of the ryoka that Captain Ichimaru encountered, and I'm curious about the alarm that interrupted the captain's meeting. If we have intruders there may be injuries and even deaths,” she looked at him closely and after a brief hesitation said, “I heard that you informed your sister of the sentence of execution. May I extend my sympathies for what must be a very painful situation?”

 

Hearing her mention the matter stunned Byakuya. Until now she had avoided any mention of his sister, but then he acknowledged that he had raised the matter. He did not wish to discuss this while he was still dealing with the complex and disturbing information provided by Ichimaru. “May I have some more tea?” he demurred, draining his cup and trying to change the topic of conversation.

 

Showing no reaction to his request, Captain Unohana poured another cup of tea and again offered a cake.

 

Deciding to accept the offer this time, he took one and bit into it. It was very sweet, a little too sweet for his taste, but he finished it.

 

The 4th Division captain also bit into a cake and an uneasy expression crossed her face. “This cake is far too sweet. I apologise for offering you something that is not palatable. I will provide something else.” She stood as if preparing to go to the door.

 

“Please, do not bother, it is of no importance. I did not come here to eat cake,” he said without really considering his words. After he spoke he realised that perhaps he should have thought about the words a little more carefully.

 

“Of course you did not. You came to enquire after the health of your sister. You do not feel you can ask her directly and being a caring brother, you are worried about the stress her sentence of execution is causing her. She is behaving in an exemplary fashion and has shown no signs of hysteria. I hear she is very introspective and spends long hours sitting quietly. Unfortunately I am forbidden to offer her anything other than the most basic assistance. I devoutly hope that the decision is overturned and she is released. The punishment does not fit the crime, not that I believe she has committed any crime.” As she spoke she leant forward, earnestly, appearing to be offering comfort to the man sitting opposite.

 

To say he was startled at her words, was a mild reaction. None of the thoughts she had ascribed to him had even crossed his mind. At no time had he thought to question the harsh sentence, caught up as he had been by the shame of adopting a criminal into the family. Concern for Rukia's health had not featured in his thoughts. As the silence lengthened he realised he should respond, but did not wish to say anything that would cause Captain Unohana to question her belief that he was a caring brother. “The rules must be obeyed by all who live in Seireitei. Your compassionate words and reassurance on the subject of my sister are yet another example of your kind heart.” He saw a smile cross her face again as she accepted his compliment. Wanting to stay longer he tried to think of some excuse to delay his departure, but none came to mind. Bowing to the inevitable, he rose. “Thank you again for your hospitality.”

 

“Please, visit me again. It is always pleasant to converse with….”

 

As she spoke they both felt the building shake. Instinctively they went to the window and looked out and noticed that part of the sky seemed to be aflame.

 

“The ryoka!” Captain Unohana exclaimed.

 

Byakuya's lips thinned. The ryoka indeed; probably here to rescue his sister from her rightful punishment, as suggested by Captain Ichimaru. Thinking about the comments made by the captain regarding his sister, and her possible relationship with his assistant captain and one of the ryoka stiffened his resolve and heightened his determination. The attempted rescue would not be allowed to succeed.

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Author's Note:

 

I'm not certain if this is an unconventional pairing, but it appealed to me.

 

An especial thank you to the people who have reviewed. The support is appreciated.

 

Next featured character? It won't be Isshin, or Tatsuki, or Renji. But who will it be? Chad (at last?) Matsumoto (poor woman, after that Gin chapter she must be feeling pretty bad), Captain Ukitake (maybe not yet), Yumichika (heh, heh), Tosen (blimey).

 

Please review.

 

MS