It was Abarai Renji who had opened his eyes through defying him, and fighting him, with a hope and determination that had never run through Byakuya's own body. Renji had built a wall in his way, one that he could not scale. Dug a ravine to prevent his retreat, and encircled him with a feeling of emptiness. A want for emotion. He had been made to realise that he was arrogant, conceited, stubborn and very much alone. And Kuchiki Byakuya, for no reason he could comprehend, wished more than anything to remedy that. More than ever he wondered: how?
As he watched from the window of 4th squad, Byakuya came to see that those people he watched going about their daily business below were living and breathing, and appreciating their lives as he had not done. He would have thought of them as ants, as less than human before all of this. There was a spark between them, he observed, an eagerness and happiness for everything around them. Byakuya wondered what that was, why they felt it. Would Renji be able to explain it to him?
And as the weeks drew on, and Aizen's grip on them all became excruciating, unpredictable, even frightening, although the noble would not admit it himself, Byakuya glared out of his own office window. He thought he saw something different again in the people below him, a desperation to hang on to those around them. They were making the most of the time they had together. Who would Byakuya share that time with?
He saw the strain in everyone. Without three Captains, the Gotei 13 was stumbling, it was limping. Renji became the responsible Fukutaicho he had never really been before, and every day Byakuya looked at the man he had grown to love and wished that he was not noble. Renji became the Captain's goal in life but he was out of reach. Byakuya could not have Renji to share this time of trouble with. Everything in his world seemed to forbid it; his family especially. The Taicho was so repressed, so mixed up in habits and formality that he had decided quite early in this secret admiration, that he would not be able to do anything about it. He would not pursue it, but suffer in silence as his punishment for years of neglecting those around him, and even himself. If they became equal, he promised himself, in status, then he would be able to admit his feelings and be rejected gracefully. Would Renji even think about loving him?
He knew such a situation would never come around. Renji would always be on a pedestal to Byakuya, and to the Kuchiki family, in a gutter. It was simply not meant to be, the noble told himself, pulling away from his musings once again and turning his attention back to his paperwork. He really did think too much. Instead he looked over the hard-working form of his Fukutaicho.
It was late, he smiled gently, yet here Renji was, dutifully finishing his own paperwork, and half of the paperwork of 3rd squad on top of that, voluntarily. "Abarai-kun." he whispered, but he was heard. "Hai, Taicho?"
"You may leave, I shall finish this," he replied, looking back to his desk in a final way. He gave no space for Renji to argue and the Fukutaicho quietly succumbed to it.
Creeping out of the office, Renji slid the door shut silently behind him and Byakuya listened to his steps as he faded into the darkness and shadows. It was a cold night. But Byakuya knew he would see Renji in the brightness of the morning.
There were clouds on the horizon.
Byakuya awoke at the same time as he usually did.
He, as always, got dressed, put his kenseikan in his hair, ate breakfast, and headed to his office.
When he arrived, Renji was already there, which was rare. Even if he had become more responsible, he never came to work before Byakuya did. "Abarai-kun, Why may I ask, are you are here this early?" he asked, hiding his curiosity.
"Couldn't sleep, that's all." Renji said tiredly.
Byakuya sat down at his desk, where a pile of paperwork was laying already.
They weren't even halfway through the day when Rikichi, Renji's 'fanboy', came into the room. "Taicho, Yamamoto-sou-taicho asked me to give you this."
He handed Byakuya a letter. When he had read it, he stood up. "Abarai-kun, Rikichi-kun, we need to go."
"Eh?" Renji looked up from his paperwork, and Byakuya felt that odd feeling he always felt when
he was looking at his Fukutaicho. He turned his gaze away from Renji, and went out from the office.
He heard his two subordinates follow him.
They arrived at First Division soon after that, and there, they met Hitsugaya-Taicho and
Matsumoto-Fukutaicho. "Kuchiki-Taicho, do you know what is going on?" the white-haired captain asked.
"No." Byakuya answered bluntly.
"You are probably wondering for what reason it is that I have asked you all to come." said
Yamamoto-sou-Taicho to the assembled squad members. "We are here to appoint new captains to the divisions 3, 5, and 9."
"Oh?" Matsumoto said, surprised.
"As the new captain of ninth squad, we have chosen Hisagi Shuuhei, and as his lieutenant, we
have picked Kira Izuru."
"What?!" Hisagi yelled, shocked. The only reaction they got from Kira was the thump as he hit the floor unconscious.
"And the new Fukutaicho for the third division will be Kuchiki Rukia." Yamamoto continued.
"Eh?" came the response from said shinigami.
"Her Taicho will be Tsumaya Ren."
"EH?" Renji was surprised, just as his captain was, though, Byakuya didn't show it.
"That was certainly a surprise," a female voice said. It was a girl, she seemed like she was the
same age as Byakuya. She had long brown hair, eyes like sapphires, she wore the black shinigami robes, but her sleeves were yellow, her big blue butterfly-obi reached down to the floor.
"What the hell are you doing here?!" Renji shouted straight over the room, pointing at the girl.
"How rude, Renji." the girl, Ren, said.
"Silence!" Yamamoto-sou-Taicho said. Renji and Ren instantly became quiet.
"The sixth divisions new Fukutaicho will be Rikichi."
"Ah?" Rikichi gasped. Byakuyas eyebrows twitched.
Renji shouted "WHAT?!"
"And the new captain for the fifth division will be... Abarai Renji."
Renji (and Byakuya) looked at Yamamoto with pure shock.
Abarai Renji was not at all pleased. Right at the top of his list of "situations not to get yourself into" was being a Captain of the Gotei 13. Right under prostitution- but he was pretty sure he could have at least attempted to cope with even that eventuality.
He was given a box for his things, even though all he really had on his desk was a calligraphy set and overdue paperwork. He sighed, it wasn't the he didn't feel honoured, it was just that his recent brush with his Taicho in battle had made him re-evaluate his strength, to question his responsibility as a Fukutaicho. Renji was so lost in this thought that he didn't register the faint thrum of cloudy reiatsu that signaled his Captain's bad mood, nor the way it changed to a rapid pulse as the Captain entered Renji's office.
"Renji," Byakuya attempted coolly from the doorway. "I will take that paperwork off your hands, there is no need to take it with you." The Vice Captain smiled and looked up. He would miss working under Byakuya-Taicho, yes, there would be nobody to take his paperwork off his hands for him where he was going. "Arigato, Taicho."
The noble floated forwards and gathered it up, hiding the way he was secretly so angry. He went to the door and paused. There was something he hadn't said. Renji frowned seeing him stop in the entrance. "Congratulations, Abarai-Taicho, the Sixth Division will miss you." And so will I.
Renji looked down at his desk, his Captain's shadow moving on. It's you I'll miss, Kuchiki Taicho.
Byakuya massaged his temples and straightened Renji's paperwork where it sat on his own desk. This was a difficult situation, he closed his eyes in thought. So many things I should-
"Ne, Byakuya-onii!" Ren teased as she waltzed in, dragging up a chair and dragging Byakuya out of his thoughts, swiveling into it gracefully she sat upright in a mock imitation of Kuchiki Taicho. This was not somebody Byakuya wished to see right now. "So, Kuchiki-Taicho's lovely Renji has flown the nest, his identical fanboy is to become the new 6th squad vice captain, inevitably sent by fate to haunt the lonely office of Byakuya-sama, whilst the Captain himself still fails to gather the courage to run into his one true love's arms and admit it. Would you like a cup of tea?"
"No thank you." Byakuya forced out, getting up to file away some paperwork, anything to put this woman off. She had always been irritatingly good at reading his every twinge, his every expression and move. Unlike Renji, part of him commented.
"Ne, Bya? Are you alright?" she said, a little concerned about the effects of her outburst. Byakuya gave her a look that screamed "Do I look alright?" and carried on filing random paperwork. Ren gave a sigh and took the paperwork off the older Captain. "If you want to be rescued, Bya-bou, a pretty prince like you has two options: you can sit around and wait for the ignorant knight-in-shining-armour to buck up his ideas however long that could take, or you can go and get him yourself." There was a fire in this childhood friend of Renji's that Byakuya recognised, and he nodded to himself.
He had to be brave, and climb up the pedestal that he had set Renji upon, instead of waiting a-top of the one on which he had placed his career as a Captain of the Gotei 13. He knew what was more important for a change.
Byakuya stood up from his chair and walked to the door.
He looked back at Ren, who was currently reading a document, upside down, just as she liked to do.
"Ren." She looked up. "Yeah?" "Do not touch a thing."
"Bu-" the door was shut. Byakuya was already outside, on his way to Renji's office.
Byakuya stopped by the door, hesitating. He did not want Renji to leave, yes. But Byakuya was not used to express his feelings. And none the less, if you'd overlook his facade, Byakuya was a very shy person.
He took a deep breath and knocked on the door. He did not know why he did so, but he felt like he had to. He got no answer, therefore, he knocked again.
And again. When he did not get an answer in the following frustrating minutes, he slid the door open.
And found the room empty.
Byakuya quietly entered the room, stone façade almost breaking. Why had Renji left without telling him?
Byakuya let his gaze travel over the room. Then, he turned around, walking back to his office.
Upon entering, he was greeted by a sight that was NOT beautiful.
Ren was sitting in his chair, holding an upside down piece of paper, scanning it's contents lazily.
The papers was definitely NOT in the same piles as they were before, seeing as there were seven piles of paper, instead of only two.
"Ren." Byakya said sternly.
"That was fast, Bya-pon." she said, not looking up from the papers.
"What did I tell you before I went?" Byakuya could barely keep his anger out of his voice.
"You told me not to touch a thing." she answered him. "It did not go well, did it?" she questioned,
even though she already knew the answer.
"Out of my office." he said, as calm as he could.
She swayed up from his chair, then swiveled down in the chair she had used earlier. "Want a cup of tea now, then, Bya-chan?" she asked him.
"No thank you." Byakuya said, as polite as he could manage.
"Hmmm..." she tipped her head to the side. "Why not, may I ask?"
"I would rather not risk my health."
"That's mean..." she pointed out.
"That may be so, but I'm only speaking the truth."
"You want me to leave." she stated calmly.
"How did you guess...?" he asked, voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Hm... I don't know..." she said with a grin. "But I have work to attend to, so I will take my leave."
"Is that so...?" Byakuya said.
Ren stood up from the chair. "But, you know, Bya-kun... If you want help, or someone to talk
to, you can count on me." she walked towards the door. As she passed the older captain, she ruffled his hair. "Don't tire yourself out by thinking."
Then, she was gone...
Byakuya let out a sigh, of both relief that she was finally out of his sight, and out of sadness.
"Weird-eyebrows-Taicho-sama," Rukia saluted as she raced up to Renji outside the fifth squad gates. Renji grinned and said "An' for that I could suspend ya! But I won't. Anyway, shouldn't you be at third squad, Short-Ass Fukutaicho-chan?"
"Renji! Speaking to a member of the Kuchiki house in such a way is punishable by more than suspension of office!" she said in a serious imitation of her brother. She couldn't keep up the facade for long and the pair spluttered in giggles for a moment. Renji indicated that "Miss Kuchiki" should go first up the steps into fifth squad.
The whole of the squad stood in two lines in the courtyard, and bowed as their Captain came through the wide gates. "Abarai Taicho, yoroshiku onegai shimasu!" they chorused. Rukia whispered "Eh?! They're so serious, Taicho-sama." Renji smiled weakly.
At that moment, Renji could not have felt less like a Captain. Cardboard box still in his hands, his sixth squad insignia still squeezing his upper arm where it was tied, his heart missing Byakuya already and here, stranded in this unfamiliar garden surrounded by people that he was meant to be responsible for. He sighed, then got a grip of himself.
"Right then. We better start with the basics. We have no Fukutaicho, we are in the middle of a war against our own, I reckon right now my desk is gonna be full of paperwork, and I am still gettin' over this whole situation. I won't take any shit from any o'ya cos I ain't got time for it. I want us t'be a team, and I want to be able t'say I know each 'n' every one of my subordinates. But I need your help. I'm one of ya, I dunno how to be a Captain. I'll help y'all out, and you help me. OK?"
"Hai, Abarai-Taicho," barked the bank of officers at the front end of each line. It left Renji feeling a bit more sure of his situation, and the strength of…..dare he say "his" squad? "Right. Now, where the hell is my office?" he asked.
Rukia and him closed the office door behind them and Renji slumped against his new desk-eyeing vaguely the stacks of paperwork on a table nearby. The room was dark, and smelled of wax. There was a huge hole where his Captain's pinewood desk should have been, the scent of peppermints and sakura blossoms out of the window, the view of the sky. He distinctly disliked being on the ground floor but he supposed it made him more accessible.
"Renji, what's wrong?" Rukia asked instinctively.
"I wasn't ready to leave, that's all," he turned away and started to unpack his things, lining up the few objects on his desk parallel to each other. Rukia sighed "And Rikichi isn't ready to lead, and I doubt Ni-sama will know how to lead without you."
"He'll be fine. He always has been an' he always will be. As for Rikichi, Byakuya-Taicho will teach him just right. He'll do better than I will. He's more….conscientious." Renji said firmly. "I don't think it's a matter of Rikichi's skill, more Ni-sama's preference."
"And what's that meant to mean?" scoffed Renji.
"He chose you." Rukia smiled, patting him affectionately on the arm and leaving quietly.
That certainly gave him something to think about, he decided, as he checked his black ink had not spilled. It had dribbled a small way down one side of the bottle and he wiped it off with one thumb. Renji got down to the bottom of his box and found an unused candle which gave the whole box a distinct lavender-smelling twinge. It was not his. Damn! He had taken one of Byakuya's candles! He had to find some excuse to return it now, and it would be oh so awkward. Renji sighed once more, then decided he'd done too much moping about and stalked from the office on a mission to meet his officers. Maybe he could delegate some of that paperwork? And damn it he wanted his white coat!