Bleach Fan Fiction ❯ Twisted Fate ❯ prophesized ( Chapter 10 )

DISCLAIMER: Me No Own Bleach! (though I soooooooooooo wish I do)

 

A/N

Please excuse my errors, grammatical or typographical, just finished this chap, and I was so excited to post another chap, after, um, lets see, almost two years????? Anyway, hope you like this next installment. It's basically more of a background building chap.

Hope you guys would like it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 10

(Roots)

 

 

 

Renji sighed and stretched out his tired arms as he slouched back in his chair. One of his hands was trying to rub the stiff ness from his nape. He looked once again at his still blank computer screen and rubbed his face in his hands. His eyes were now red and teary from hours of sitting in front of his computer He looked to his left and saw the opened folder with sheets and sheets of paper lying haphazardly atop his desk. He sighed once more and leaned back on his chair and closed his tired eyes.

 

There was nothing there. Even after a month of searching and digging, his efforts came up exactly the same.

 

Zilch. Zero.

 

There was nothing dubious or out of the ordinary about Rukia. She was exactly as she had told him.

 

He cursed silently and dropped his throbbing head into his hands which were propped on his desk. This was getting more and more frustrating every minute.

 

She was clean. There was nothing suspicious going on in her life. She was working at the Karakura City General Hospital as a surgery intern exactly as she had told him. Lives in a modest apartment a mere twenty minutes walk away from the hospital. There were no known living relatives. Her aunt who also happens to be her guardian had died almost three years ago, leaving her a comfortable sum of inheritance that got her through the rest of med school and during her internship.

 

He even tried hacking thru the hospitals computer network just to find something more about her. Now he knows almost every known disease and the corresponding intervention, not to mention those downright inhumane procedures such as sticking a tube down someone's ass, but still nothing about Rukia.

 

She was as clean as a whistle.

 

He looked at the strewn papers in his desk once again. He had been going over the said papers for weeks now that he already knew each word by heart. He needn't need to read it to know what was being said about Rukia Lee.

 

Her parents died in a plane crash when she was three, and was taken in by her mother's sister who was known to be an old maid. Went to school in different exclusive and prestigious schools all over Karakura town in her youth, then moved to Tokyo to study medicine at Todai.

 

Not much was said about her aunt. Renji knew her name to be Unohana Lee, another well known cardiologist in Tokyo. Renji could very well imagine the driving force behind Rukia's chosen profession. It had to her aunt.

 

Renji looked into his watch and sighed once again. It was already a quarter till four in the afternoon and in about an hour his she devil of a boss would want to hear something new from him about the said girl.

 

He took out her picture from under all the files and papers on his desk and delicately traced the outlines of her somehow familiar facial features on the photograph. Somehow the small nagging part of his brain tells him that he knew her. Knew her even before he actually met her. He had tried to rack his brain for something to pin her to, an occasion or an event where they have met or where he has seen her. But he just couldn't, for the life of him, remember where he has seen her before.

 

He sighed once again and slumped back into his computer. He would at least try to uncover something to appease Yuroichi. Maybe a dirty little affair or something, well, not that she seems to be the type to engage in any salacious affairs or anything, but still, something to throw in Yuroichi's face.

 

Or at least something to save his ass from being whipped by his temperamental and crazy boss.

 

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Byakuya quietly smelled the tea in his cup, his eyes closed as if savoring the aroma perfectly. He did not even bother to deign a reply or give his two cents about the matter being discussed. His face is relaxed, his posture straight and proper.

 

Truth be told, his head was already aching as if a thousand anvils were pounding on his temples. He hated these meetings. Always have. But it was his role, his responsibility as head of the clan. No Kuchiki ever shrinks out of their responsibility, as his father had drummed into him. So he attends these meetings, religiously as any responsible and conscientious Kuchiki clan leader should.

 

But by gods, this has got to be the worst, nastiest and most god awful society meeting ever. He could hear every tick and tock of the watch on his wrist. Sense every movement and breath of all the occupants of the small but stately meeting room.

 

He sipped his now tepid tea, keeping his eyes closed, giving the impression of relaxed nonchalance. But in his mind he could see each and every aspect of the room. In his mind, Byakuya have always called this the throne room. From the opulence of the curved carvings on the wall, to the thick carpeted floors, down to the rich oak rectangular table is the very essence of wealth and royalty.

 

But right now, not even in the confines of the high backed antique chair, nor the lavishness of the room could diminish the tension and anger coming from the occupants of the room.

 

It did not help that the problem and predicament at hand involved him and his family. It did not help that he was now in the center of everyone's mind and attention, waiting for him to…to do what exactly, to perform magic and make someone appear out of thin air???

 

His hand unconsciously clamped harder on the tea cup when he thought of the current state that he and his family is in. The Kuchiki is a proud and powerful clan. He would not let this incident drag it down the slums. He would make sure of it. He will ensure that the family name and all that it holds dear will not be besmirched, whatever it may cost him.

 

As he set the cup down, he silently eyed the other occupants of the table. Although no two person bore the same expression, he knew that all three of them were seething in ire, in different and varying degrees it may seem, but equally pissed off nonetheless. He propped his elbows on the table and decided to give his stand on the matter at hand.

 

“The wedding will push through.” He said in a clear voice and watched as all three reacted to his announcement. He saw the current head of the Shiba clan scoff and fold her arms in front of her chest, as if not believing it. While the younger Shiba heaved a deep and shaky breath. He didn't know if it was from relief or anguish, and he didn't care anyways. The matter of the wedding has been vetoed since time immemorial. It was destined to be. And it will happen; he would make sure that what is destined would be.

 

He looked to his right and fought off the urge to furrow his brows and scowl. Aizen Sousuke, the current head of the Society sat there quietly, fingers drumming on the table, a small indiscernible smile on his face. Personally, Byakuya had never liked the man. He knew that behind those kind and soft brown eyes, lies a man without any conscience or remorse. A crafty and heartless bastard.

 

Byakuya looked straight at Aizen and waited. His hands itched to slap the smile off Aizen's face, his fingers itching to erase that irritating smile on his lips, but fought the urge to do bodily harm to anyone in the room. Violence would get him nowhere he was sure. Still he waited on bated breath for the reaction from the man he hated the most.

 

Aizen smiled and leaned back on his chair “Yes it will” he said amiably. The knowing smile never leaving his lips, his posture relaxed.

 

“It should” he further added, with much more seriousness and malice.

 

Byakuya did not miss the cold glint in Aizen's eyes and the threat under those softly spoken words were as clear as the cloudless sky outside. The message was received clearly. Byakuya understood the ramnifications of his failure, what it would mean and what it could do to his one and only sister. His blood run cold as he thought of the methods that Aizen would use just to get Rukia. He knew that if he didn't find Rukia soon, then Aizen would make sure she is present for the wedding.

 

“And how could you be so sure that she would be there to attend her own wedding?” Kuukaku said hotly while banging her fists on the table. “You had a month to search for your errant sister yet you have not uncovered even a trace or a sniff of her!”

 

Byakuya remained impassive, he knew how temperamental Kuukaku is and just continued to sip his tea. Out of the three Shiba siblings, Kuukaku was the one who always felt and reacted first without even stopping to think about the matter at hand. Then again, Byakuaya thought that that at least was better that plunging headlong into battle with even thinking about anything like the youngest Shiba, Ganju. Containing the urge to take a long and deep frustrated breath, Byakuya held his unscrutinable facial expression and remained silent. He would not even consider replying when she is at this state. Doing so would just a waste of time and effort. He knew that Kuukaku's limited brain cells would not be able to process how logic and reasoning works. Intellect clearly does not run in the family pool of the Shiba's.

 

“Don't you dare sit there and girlishly sip that stupid tea as if nothing is amiss! We need her here to fulfill the prophecy, so I suggest that you stop toying with your perfectly manicured and girlish fingers and go and do something!” Kuukaku was fuming, having failed to get the reaction she would have wanted form the stoic Kuchiki head.

 

Byajuya's eyes slanted and glinted dangerously at Kuukaku, but even before he could utter a vicious reply, Ulquiorra was already there by his side, hand on the hilt of his sword “I suggest you refrain yourself madam”

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“And I say how dare you speak to the Shiba clan head so disrespectfully, servant” Kaien said, with emphasis on the word servant, his own sword drawn and pointed towards Ulquiorra's neck. Kaien may not totally agree with the SS and their ways but Kuukaku was still his elder sister, not to mention, the head of their clan.

 

Ulquiorra's eyes looked sideways to Kaien, his stance never faltering, “I suggest you choose your battles wisely, boy”

 

“Enough!” Aizen said coldly before Kaien could even strike at the Kuchuki right hand man.

 

Byakuya watched through half closed eyes as his sisters betrothed tried to regain his temper and composure. And although Kaien's eyes still held that dark glint, his sword lowered and with one last withering look at Ulquiorra, he sheathed it back and sat.

 

Byakuya focused on Kaien. The boy was the best bet among the three Shiba siblings. He at least has brains enough to listen to reasoning and think logically. And yet Byakuya could not help but dislike the young man. Because whether he likes it or not, the prophecy would have to be fulfilled and Rukia would have to live a life according to the SS laws.

 

“Everything will happen as is said in the prophecy. The moons glow will be claimed by the darkness of the night, either in unity or in sacrifice, then light would fade to give way to the path of the shadows. And then we shall reign triumphant.” And with that the current head of the SS walked out the room. “By the way…” he said with one last look at the others “If I were you, I'd start looking for our moon”

 

Byakuya stood up quietly, not even sparing a glance towards the Shiba sibling, and without any formal farewell, he left the confining room, followed closely by Ulquiorra. His head's throbbing had gotten worse. There was nothing he would want more than to come home and find Rukia there, safe and well.

 

“Ulquiorra”, he said quietly “find Rukia at all costs. I want her home for her birthday and grand societal debut. Do not let me down”

 

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