A Night In The Woods

by Lady Kagewaki

ONE SHOT: I have always wondered about the collar Hisagi wears. This story is what I came up with to explain it. Renji is kidnapped and Hisagi rescues him against direct orders to do so. A court martial results revealing something shocking!

Shuuhei Hisagi quietly stalked the halls of the enemies territory

Shuhei Hisagi quietly stalked the halls of the enemies' territory. The old stone walls were blackened with age, but were definitely sekki stone effectively blocking his spirit force and that of the Vice Captain held captive there. 'Abarai, shit, where are you?'

Vice Captain Hisagi ran through the labyrinth of the sekki stone dungeon searching for his comrade. He had just finished killing off the last enemy in his way and was the only Shinigami there.

Renji had been taken nearly two weeks earlier. Shuhei had been worried constantly about his fellow Vice Captain since the news hit his ears. He worried more than his comrades, he was sure of it, but worst of all he could not seek the comfort he so needed. Shuhei knew he was different from the others and spent a great amount of energy hiding it.

Once he decided he was going to infiltrate this base he was relieved. He would do his best to save Renji with his very own hands. Renji Abarai, the man he loved.

Shuhei checked cellar after cellar for that wild fiery hair and tattooed body. He wished he could tell Renji to call out to him. He wished he could tell Renji a lot of things, but Kuchiki's Vice Captain was totally unaware that Shuhei had feelings for him. Very intense and sexual feelings. They would train together, drink together, and even talk about the attractive female Shinigami together. Shuhei had all his comrades convinced he was a man's man.

He wished, though, in his heart, against all logic, that someday he could reveal the truth to the one he prized above all other comrades. He wished to tell Renji about his undying desire to always be by his side.

Shuhei finally found Renji's cell and was horrified at what he saw. Abarai was hung spread eagle from the ceiling in the dank cell, completely naked. His ankles and wrists were clasped with shackles and his hair hung loosely over his face. Shuhei quickly pulled out his sword and broke the chains that bound Renji's ankles. Renji hung limply, but to Shuhei's relief groaned. 'He's still alive!'

Shuhei cut one of the chains holding Renji's arm and his body went flying towards the wall. Shuhei couldn't use shunpo to get there, but ran with motivation and jumped between Renji and stone wall. Renji groaned again, barely conscious. Shuhei held on to a battered and nearly broken Renji as he cut the last chain.

Renji just collapsed to the ground. Shuhei held his comrade in his arms and called his name "Renji, Renji!"

Renji moved his bare legs a bit, kicking away some grass and hey that littered the floor of the rancid cell. He looked up woozy and unsure of what was happening. Shuhei was shaking with emotion at the sight of his Renji, his fierce fighting machine, his strong loyal and proud Shinigami, reduced to nothing more harmful than a new born kitten.

Renji managed to say "Hey…buddy…"

"It's all over Renji. I'm here to take you home."

"Don't" Renji lamely lifted his hand "Don't let the troops…see me this way…"

Abarai was not only naked, but filthy, and beaten. Renji dropped his hands over his crotch, trying to cover himself and gain some sense of dignity. Shuhei then pulled out a spare set of hakama that he had in his back pack. Renji managed to gain some strength and sat himself up.

"Don't worry, they won't. I'm the only one here" said Shuhei.

"What?"

"I'm breaking some orders, but I had to come find you." Shuhei wanted to change the subject. "I think once we get you out of this sekki stone dungeon you'll be just fine."

Renji entered the hallway, limping. The hallway was dark, but quiet. Renji was barefoot, and bare-chested. Shuhei lent his shoulder to his friend and walked him into the fresh air, where Renji's spirit power, and much of his strength returned.

Renji could walk on his own, but only walk. They took frequent rests, but Renji was feeling better. He didn't say much, and Hisagi was worried more happened in that cell than Renji was willing to talk about. When night fell they found a place next to a natural hot spring to rest.

When they were settled, and the stars were their only light Shuhei began to work on building a fire. There was plenty of wood and Shuhei began to knock some flint together to create a fire. Renji was quiet for a while listening to the crickets. He said to Shuhei "Hey, Hisagi, you've been pretty quiet."

"Hm?" he said as he smashed the rocks together.

"Thanks, for not, well, after that. Thank you for not forcing me to tell you everything. I know it's regulation to take a report right after the incident, but I'm glad you saw I couldn't…well…talk about it yet."

"I figured if there was something you needed to say" he looked in Abarai's eyes "you would say it." Shuhei looked back down at the sparking flint stones and said "…and I would be here to listen." Shuhei felt Renji eyeing him critically. He felt he needed to deflect any suspicion of his longing for Abarai at that point. "Jesus Renji, you stink. Go soak your ass in that spring."

Renji's hair was down and he said "I will, but…"

"Mm?" said Shuhei turning around. "What is it Renji?"

"I need you to listen." Renji looked at the stars and a warm mid-summers night breeze blew his hair. Shuhei was entranced by his comrade and wished he could stop time.

"They…they did shit to me."

Shuhei didn't like the sound of that. "Yeah? Like what?"

"I need to make a confidential appointment with the 4th squad when I get back. They did some crazy shit…" Renji choked on his own words and Hisagi thought he was holding back tears.

Shuhei felt a blazing rage burn through him. He wanted to go back to the dungeon and burn it to the ground. He wanted to resurrect the men he killed and torture them to death. "…like what?..."

"Gay shit, man" said Renji, wiping his nose. "Those fuckin' fags did gay shit to me…" Shuhei just kept listening. "I'm not a homo, Hisagi" he said. "I'm not a fuckin' fag! They just…I couldn't stop 'em."

"Are you hurt?" asked Shuhei, trying to tuck away his emotions.

"No, they…no. My ass isn't bleeding or anything, but…I…"

Hisagi said "I'm sorry Renji. I'm so sorry."

"You can't say anything to anyone!" said Renji in a panic.

"I won't. Trust me I won't."

"If that got out, I'd get more than just teased. It would totally ruin my reputation and I don't think most captains are tolerant of fags. Same sex relations are against regulations, you know that. Stupid, if ya ask me, but at the same time it don't help me much."

"Don't worry man. I won't. I'll seal it away." Hisagi when back to stoking the fire with a stick.

"Thanks. I…hey…" Renji waited until he could look Hisagi in the eye. When Shuhei looked up Renji said "I knew I could count on you."

"Sure." Hisagi looked back at Renji and smiled.

Renji slowly walked over to the spring. Shuhei heard Renji's clothes hit the floor, and the water ripple as he stepped in. Shuhei got the fire going and tried to calm himself. 'Abarai is over their totally naked, more vulnerable than he's ever been, and we're completely alone in the middle of nowhere.' He felt his body respond to the desire coursing through his veins.

Renji was bit by bit getting back to his normal self. "Hey! Hisagi! The temperature is perfect!" the red head laughed and Hisagi could hear the splash of the water as Renji felt more and more revitalized.

He didn't need to turn around and see Renji's muscular body, sleek from spring water. The picture in his mind was clear enough. "Not right now" he yelled back. "I'm trying to keep this fire going. Take your time though."

Renji came out of the water stark naked, and said "I'm feelin' better, but I'm tired. I'm getting' some sleep." He dried himself off and dressed.

"Right" said Hisagi trying to hide his blushing. 'I'm still gonna have to face charges when I go back. Who knows what the prosecutors will dig up. I need to be careful!'

Hisagi looked over his shoulder and saw Renji already comfortable and possibly already asleep. Shuhei walked to the camp fire and laid down, quickly slipping into his dreams.

The next day Hisagi woke up and saw Renji was washing up near the spring. Hisagi sprung off into the woods and soon returned with something good to eat and saw a sprig of Renji's hair off beyond the camp. Hisagi leapt over to tell his friend they could have breakfast and stumbled in on Renji trying to quickly relieve his morning erection. "Whoa!" blurted Hisagi, clearly not expecting to see Renji in all his glory. Renji was embarrassed, but didn't have time to react. Hisagi immediately backed off, stumbled over a log and said "I'll go get some more grub and flashed right out of the camp."

Renji was a little embarrassed but got over it quick enough. He cooked up what Hisagi had brought and waited. Nearly two hours later Hisagi came back with some fruit and a few eggs. He couldn't look at Renji, he was so embarrassed. "Get over it" said Renji. "I had a boner and needed to you know… You get boners."

"Yeah. I know…" said Hisagi. He tossed some food on the fire and they began their slow trek back to the Seireitei.

In the middle of the night, Hisagi woke up to a few sounds Renji was making in his sleep. Hisagi rolled over and saw Renji's silhouette against the firelight and he knew what kind of dream Renji was having. Hisagi had an impulse. A strong impulse to do something he knew he would later regret. He sat up realizing that it was foolish, but he could not stop himself. His hands shook as he sat at Renji's feet and lifted Renji's blanket. A slumbering Renji slightly groaned as Hisagi stroked his friend's thigh. It did not take much to free Renji's bulging member from his hakama. Hisagi pulled the blanket over him and started licking.

Hisagi continued, and soon found a strong hand stroking his head and shoulder. Quiet groans escaped Renji's lips, but Hisagi was still trapped under the blanket. He didn't know if Renji was awake or not, but he didn't care. At this point he couldn't take anything back and as Hisagi progressed he wondered more and more about what this meant. 'Is Renji awake? Is he accepting this because he likes it? Does he like it because it's me? Or…Or what?! What am I doing!?'

As Renji's hips began to rock in the final throws of pleasure Hisagi decided to leave no evidence and swallowed every drop of what came forth. On top of the blanket Renji's eyes were clearly open and reflecting the stars in the sky. He didn't understand what had just happened. He knew who was under the blanket, and who's head was now cradled on his thigh, but he wasn't sure what it all meant. 'Head is head, right…? A tongue a tongue. If it's a guy's tongue is it gonna feel different than a woman's? Really? I mean…a tongue on my dick is a tongue on my dick…Shit, am I a fag?' Renji felt Hisagi stirring under the blanket and thought it best to shut his eyes. 'I don't know what just happened here. I can't look at him yet…'

Shuhei removed the blanket and braved a look up at Abarai. Hisagi felt relieved that maybe he had gotten away with something, but he also felt Renji was hiding. If that were the case Shuhei had wronged him and put him in danger.

The next few days were painfully quiet. As Hisagi and Abarai returned to the Seireitei they didn't speak of Hisagi's secret nor of the strange relationship they now had. There was a moment when Shuhei slipped on a cliff edge. Renji reached down and grabbed him before he fell. Renji pulled Shuhei up onto the rock next to him. It shook Hisagi up a little but Renji patted him on the shoulder. Hisagi looked in Renji's eyes for the first time since before the other night. Renji's hand still rested on Hisagi's shoulder just as their eye contact lingered. Renji broke it first and continued on their journey.

The minute Renji checked into the fourth squad building men in hoods bound Hisagi's hands and took him away. Shuhei was brought up on charges of insubordination and taken into custody for court martial.

The day of the trial arrived. The courtroom was a large dome which seated nearly 500. Traditionally the only portions of the dome which were allowed to be lit were the box in which the defendant sat and a witness stand. Both were heavily draped by black velvet curtains.

The defendant's seat was placed at the front of the room, while the lead counselor's seat was behind and to the defendant's right. The lead counselor's desk was higher than all the other's in the courtroom, and back lit so none could see the face of the man who oversaw all of the goings on in the courtroom.

The prosecuting and defending counselor's tables were next to each other, dividing the defendant's seat and the lead counselor's seat from the rest of the courtroom. The rest of the courtroom were filled with row after row of seats for those who would observe the cases held there.

There was a single isle down the middle and one on each side to allow discrete exits and entrances while a trial was in session. Witnesses would be seated in the general audience and anyone at any time could be called to the witness stand with or without their consent. The back wall was lined with hooded guards who would retrieve and escort, forcibly if necessary, any witness called to the stand. From a seat in the general audience area the back light of the lead counselor's seat and the light from the defendant's stand allowed the audience to see the silhouettes of the counselors who prosecuted or defended the defendant.

Black velvet curtains were draped on three sides of the witness stand, blocking out any view that the defendant may have of the witness. The witness stand was to the right of the defendant's stand, even further than the lead counselor's seat on the far wall. It was forward of the defendant's seat and angled so the front faced the general audience, but could not be seen by the defendant's seat. A light hung inside when the witness wanted to be identified by the general audience. There was a large spotlight on the defendant's box which made it nearly impossible to see anything else in the courtroom.

Hisagi sat on the defendant's stand and prepared himself for the examination by the council. He sat masking his fear and insecurities. He sat dressed in a formal uniform and his usual collar in a box with an amplifying device positioned in front of him. He was in a spot light while the rest of the room was draped in darkness. He heard them moving about and felt their reiatsu's. All the captains and the commander were in attendance. His friends also were there, including Renji.

The questioning began. "Shuhei Hisagi please confirm your seat and squad for the record."

Shuhei felt the heat of the spotlight, took a deep breath and said "I am the Vice Captain of the 9th squad, sir."

There was some silence, and due to the dark Shuhei did not know why. Then the council member spoke "Thank you Vice Captain. As a Vice Captain, you are aware of the Shinigami Code?"

"Yes sir."

"Do you understand why you are on trial today officer?"

"Yes sir."

"Please state for the courts your understanding of the charges."

Renji thought he'd die. It was going to be a long torturous and tedious process. He wanted to show his support for his friend, especially after Hisagi was enduring this punishment for his sake.

"Sir, I disobeyed direct orders, sir" said Hisagi.

"And…?"

"Sir?"

"There is another charge. Were you not informed?" asked the council from the dark.

"No sir, I was not."

"Lead Counselor, due to this gross oversight, I move for a miss-trial" stated Hisagi's defense council.

Renji slapped his forehead and dragged his hand down his face at the thought of dragging out this trial. He slumped in his seat and Kira chided him "Renji, sit up. You realize that Hisagi is suffering more than you, right?"

"Yeah, but it's not like he can see me, right?"

"No, he may not" said Kira, "but your captain can."

Renji looked up from his slumped posture and saw his Captain sitting in the row in front

of him, glaring at him over his shoulder. Renji slowly sat up and Kira smirked.

'This is entirely my fault' thought Renji as he started to daze. He watched Hisagi sitting at the front of the room, not showing one thread of fear. 'Brave guy. I know I'd be sweating bullets. What the hell is the other charge I wonder.'

The council then spoke privately and off the record. Renji eyed the silhouette of the of robed men huddle together to discuss something. The group broke up and an old voice said "The counsel denies a miss-trial. Counselor, please explain the second charge."

Hisagi tilted his head a little forward to focus in on this second charge, whatever it may be. "The second charge is one of inappropriate relations with Renji Abarai, Vice Captain of the 6th squad."

"Huh?" was Renji's reaction. 'Huh?' "Inappropriate relations? What the hell is that?"

Kira was shocked and his body language showed it. "Abarai!"

"What? I don't even know what they're talkin' about."

"They're saying you and Hisagi…"

"What? We're what?" 'It can't be…I didn't tell anyone!'

"They're saying you're lovers!" he whispered harshly.

Hisagi sat stunned at the front of the room. He knew that someday it would come to this, but he had hoped to go down alone and not smear the reputation of any of his friends. He gazed out into the darkness unsure if he was to respond or not.

Then from the darkness came Renji's voice "WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!"

The murmurs in the courtroom were getting louder and the head counselor clacked his wooden staff on the floor "ORDER! I will have ORDER here!"

Hisagi leaned forward and spoke into the amplifying device "I'm sorry, sir? I know we've pulled some pranks, but can you be more specific?" Some in the crowd laughed.

The prosecuting counselor said "This is no laughing matter, Vice Captain. Romantic relationships skirt on the edges of appropriateness as is, and when a clearly inappropriate romantic relationship surfaces it must be dealt with. This is not appropriate and goes against the Shinigami code. Your love relationship with Abarai is at an end."

Again from the darkness came "WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!" then they all heard stomping feet coming towards the front of the room. The footsteps ceased after a clobbering sound.

Kira lay on top of Renji trying to restrain him. He put his hand over his mouth and dragged him back to his seat. He said to his friend "Starting a brawl won't help anyone! Just sit here and shut up! Hisagi can handle himself. We all know that it's bull crap!"

'Yeah…but it isn't" thought Renji as he settled back into his seat next to Kira.

Shuhei shifted in his seat and said "I am guilty of directly disobeying orders and will take whatever punishment comes my way, however the second charge of an inappropriate relationship is false" he stated simply and with confidence that it was all true.

The counselor felt the truth in the statement, but knew that Hisagi was not what he pretended to be. "What of other officers?"

"Objection! The charge concerns Vice Captain Abarai, not other officers" shouted Hisagi's defending counselor.

"Sustained" said the lead counselor. "Proceed with the charges agreed upon, prosecutor."

"Yes sir." The counselor turned his attention to Hisagi. "Vice captain, What day and time did you leave the Seireitei in search of Abarai?"

"0500 Fire-day."

"What day and approximate time did you find Abarai?"

"Sometime around noon the next day."

"So it only took you only about a day and a half to not only travel to the site, but to track down Abarai as well."

"Yes sir, I was able to use my flash step sir" explained Shuhei.

Renji saw where this was going.

"How long did it take you to return?"

"5 days, sir" said Hisagi.

"5? But I thought it only took about a day to get to the location? What were you doing all that time?"

"Abarai had sustained serious injuries which prevented him from using his flash step. He needed to take some more time."

"These 'injuries' you speak of, when were they obtained?"

"While he was being held captive."

"What was the nature of these injuries?"

"…uh…" Hisagi's eyes looked side to side and he said "I'm not a medical professional, I don't think I can give you that information."

"Come now Vice Captain, are you telling me you spent five days in the woods with this injured man and you don't know the nature of his injuries?"

"I believe he had his medical records sealed, sir. I'm allowed to talk about it, even if I did know the nature of his injuries."

"Well, tell me this, why did it take you 5 days to get back? Or did you just take that time in paradise with your fantasy lover?"

This was not democratic judicial system and the councilmen could frame his case any way he wanted. Hisagi answered "No, sir, Vice Captain Matsumoto wasn't there, sir." The court chuckled. "Though I'd be sure to have taken more time if she were, sir."

The counselor couldn't prove Hisagi was lying outright, but was focused on discrediting him. "Hm, unusual."

Hisagi was feeling a bit cocky and that he didn't have much more to lose at this point and said "I've often thought that myself. How did they get that large. Unusual indeed…but pleasant."

The courtroom burst into the laughter and the lead counselor had to call for order again. The lead counselor said "Vice Captain, you must take these proceedings more seriously. You career is on the line and that of other officers. Do not make a mockery of the system, or the system will make a mockery of you." Hisagi nodded his head in understanding. "Please answer the questions with dignity."

"Yes sir." Hisagi looked at where the prosecutor's voice was coming from and said "To be honest counselor, I didn't ask. Renji was having a hard time keeping up with me and said he needed to take it easy. I suggested we take it slower and he agreed."

"You didn't ask about how he was feeling?"

Hisagi hesitated "Well…no…"

The prosecutor looked back to the darkness and said "Lead counselor I would like to call a witness to the shrouded stand. Vice Captain Hisagi is being impertinent."

"Yes prosecutor, please do. I'd like to get this case moving."

Captain Unohana took the stand. Hisagi could not see her, but the rest of the courtroom could. She chose to state her name for the benefit of the accused. Though she was behind a thick black curtain, Hisagi was comforted that she did not deny him the knowledge of her identity. As she sat in the light, behind the curtain, her face was calm and sweet as always, but no one was fooled by the facade. They could all sense her enormous reiatsu and knew her to be a shrewd thinker.

The counselor asked her "Please tell the court the state of Vice Captain Abarai's health when he returned to the Seireitei."

"No" she said and smiled.

The counselor persisted angrily "Captain, with all due respect, we are not playing games in this court—"

Unohana cut him off and stated "With all due respect counselor, I am not allowed to release that information. All of the medical files are sealed by a confidentiality oath."

"Yes Captain, but a court order can break that seal"

"Not when a special order has previously been put in place."

Renji inwardly groaned. What he did to protect his own reputation was being used against Hisagi. 'It makes it look like we've got somethin' to hide.'

"Well, if you can't tell us what his file says, tell us what type of things are kept in these files. Why would one seal their file?"

"For whatever reason, some patients find their injuries embarrassing or shameful."

"Well, why would that be?" the prosecutor

"Perhaps the way you obtained the injury makes you look clumsy, or frames you, wrongly, as incompetent. None of us are perfect, prosecutor, and accidents we do not have control over should not smear a perfectly good reputation."

'Maybe she can steer this in a better direction…' thought Renji.

"Or perhaps there's evidence of anal sex?" suggested the prosecutor.

Captain Unohana honestly stated "I cannot confirm or deny the specifics of anyone's case, but it is a possibility."

"Thank you, captain."

Hisagi sat at the front of the room with more dignity Renji thought he himself could muster. 'Damn, we're gonna break soon, and people are gonna be talkin' out there.' He looked in front of him at Captain Kuchiki's silhouette and felt the need to talk to his Captain. 'I've got to be true to my bud Hisagi, but I want my captain's respect too.'

The lead councilor called for a recess and Renji pulled together the shreds of dignity he had and faced the bright hallway. He was walking down the aisle towards the lit doorway when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked behind him and it was Kira and Hinamori Momo. Hinamori said "I know you guys aren't guilty of any wrong doing, Abarai-kun!"

Kira then agreed with a crooked, nervous, smile. "Yeah."

Hisagi was escorted back to a room in the opposite direction of the rest of his peers. His hands were tied with spirit rope, an ancient tradition that bound dangerous criminals. He was locked in a room with no windows and sat on a stool. He sat and stared at his bonds.

With his friends support Renji found it easier to face the questioning stares of his other peers and walked up to his Captain. "Captain Kuchiki, may I have a word?"

Kuchiki nodded and led Renji into a nearby room. Renji closed the door behind them and said "Sir, I just want you to know, what they're sayin' in there-"

His captain interrupted by saying "This forum of idle gossip does not affect your performance. Vice Captain Hisagi is on trial, not you. Until you take the stand Renji, none of this matters to me. I have a simple policy for our squad. I do not ask, and therefore no one needs to tell."

"Sir!" Renji felt truly afraid. He just imagined Kuchiki in the witness booth saying 'I cannot confirm nor deny my subordinates sexual preferences. It is of no concern of mine.' "That's not the point! I'm telling you anyway!"

"Perhaps you should think more on this, Renji. Why do you think I do not ask?"

"Cuz you care more about our performance than our personal preferences?"

"No."

Renji didn't know why else his captain didn't care to know.

"Our image as a group matters a great deal. We need to look like a competent and powerful group in order for others to believe we are. I know we have the power, but we need to project that power. As long as our reputations are kept clean, we can continue to project a solid image."

"So if you don't know the dirt, it won't sully you?"

"In essence, yes." Byakuya then opened his mouth as if to say something else, but decided against it.

Renji sensed it and said "Sir? Is there another reason, sir?"

"One more" said Byakuya. "In ancient times during martial rule before the spirit king took ultimate control, love between men was perfectly acceptable. It was honored and understandable as they shared many intense moments during battle and training. It was not a shame to love or be loved by another man."

Renji had never heard this take on history before and didn't understand where it was going. "Oh?" he said, inching towards the door.

Byakuya continued "That is the other reason."

"Ah…" 'Is my captain…is he a homo too?'

"Regardless, sir, the law today as it stands is against those kinds of relationships and I want you to know, regardless of gossip, that you have no reason to worry about. I'm not doin' anything illegal, sir." 'It was just that one time…'

Renji turned and reached for the door knob. He barely cracked the door open when he saw his captain's hand keeping it shut at eye level. He turned around slowly and Byakuya was close. Very close. His captain's other hand then gently raised Renji's chin with a finger. Renji's eyes widened at the closeness of his captain.

Byakuya closed the space between them more and gazed into Renji's eyes with unhindered desire. Renji was frozen. "Sir…"

"Sh!" Byakuya's finger pressed against Renji's lips. "I told you I don't care, Renji."

"Sir, I'm sorry…" Renji turned his head away. There was a knock at the door and Byakuya backed off.

Renji opened it and saw a court officer knocking on all the doors calling out that court was back in session. Renji looked back at his captain who had erased the look of desire and returned to the mysterious man he knew. Renji only nodded to his captain and then wordlessly left. 'I wonder if Hisagi knew about Captain?'

Captain Kuchiki graced the courtroom with his presence and took his seat in front of Renji, not sparing his Vice Captain a glance. Kira noted Renji's discomfort and asked "What's wrong, Abarai-kun?"

Renji didn't want to tell Kira what had just happened with his Captain and said "This entire thing is getting to me I guess…" Renji's mind was spinning and he was concerned about Hisagi. 'If I'm havin' this hard of a time of it he must be a mess inside.'

Shuhei Hisagi was brought out and led to the stand by the royal guard. Renji noticed they added a restraint like the one Rukia had worn during her imprisonment. Renji couldn't help but think 'That collar restraint seems natural on him.'

The prosecuting counselor resumed "I would like to call my next witness to the stand, lead counselor"

"Permission granted" said the lead counselor.

Suddenly Renji felt a hand on each of his shoulders pulling him out of his seat. His name could not be called, and he had no choice. Renji walked on his own to the shrouded witness stand and decided to give his name and rank.

The prosecutor did not waste any time "Tell me, Vice Captain, why is it that when you fought your own captain and nearly died that you did not have your medical records sealed? How is this event any different?"

Renji said "My captain is no punk. These captors of mine were a group of…" It was obvious to anyone who could see him that he was holding back some inappropriate language. "punks."

The prosecutor didn't think highly of Renji or his background and Renji sensed that the prosecutor maybe even resented Renji's rise from the depths of Rukongai to such a distinguished spot in the Gotei 13.

"I see. These 'punks' as you call them. What did they do to you?"

Renji looked at the floor of the stand. Hisagi heard Renji's words in his mind "Gay shit, man. Those fuckin' fags did gay shit to me."

"I sealed my records for a reason, sir" said Renji and he quickly followed up with "And not 'cuz of anything yer accusin' Hisagi of. He's no fag, and neither am I." After Renji lied so blatantly he wasn't sure which part of that sentence was a bigger lie. He was really confused over his feelings for Hisagi. Neither of them had spoken since they returned.

"It's curious, no Vice Captain?" said the counselor. Renji didn't respond because he didn't want to get trapped with his own words."No response?"

"It's your opinion. I have no comments" shrugged the red haired Vice Captain.

"Oh? My opinion? Well, I think you are hiding your injuries because they are incriminating."

"They weren't. End of story. I know you've got something against me, but I can't quite figure out what you've got against Hisagi—"

"OBJECTION your honor objection!" yelled the prosecutor.

"On what grounds?" asked the lead counselor.

'The grounds that I'm now framing this conversation the way I want!' thought Renji triumphantly.

"The Vice Captain is digressing from the point and is being…insubordinate!"

"Over ruled. He is answering truthfully and defending himself. Find a fact counselor or I will have to ask for your next witness."

"I would, head counselor, if Abarai would be more cooperative!" complained the prosecutor.

"Counselor please…" said the lead counselor.

"I would like to call my next witness to the stand. My next eye witness." The counselor smirked knowing he had an ace in the hole.

The color drained from Renji's face as he slowly stood from the stand and allowed the baliff's to walk him back to his seat. He was in a daze. 'Someone saw me and Hisagi…They saw us! I…I'm…I'm done for…'

The prosecuting counselor said "I would like to bring Hazar Baxley to the stand."

Renji sat in his seat and couldn't look at his friends who were finding it harder and harder to be supportive. An eye witness would surely send them up shit's creek without a paddle. 'Who the hell is Hazar Baxley?...Wait…Hazar?'

Hazar was an old man with sparse hair and sparser teeth. He wasn't quite a hunchback, but he did have a considerable bend in his back. He stepped into the light on the stand and when Renji saw stars. The shock was nearly unbearable. Hazar was one of Renji's captors. He was old, but Renji could attest to his vigor. Hazar would visit Renji daily around the same time. "That man!" was all Renji could blurt. He did so quietly and his friends shot back and forth some concerned looks.

The prosecutor began. "Thank you Mr. Baxley for coming forward. I realize that it is quite dangerous for you to do so."

"Yes, sir."

"Why would that be. Please explain your story, sir."

"Well, to be honest, I was there that day."

"Where?"

"The prison where we were holding Abarai."

"Please explain further."

"My organization found Abarai trespassing. We were detaining him until we decided what to do. His lover there," he pointed to Hisagi "came and got him."

The prosecutor said "Please note that the witness pointed to Hisagi Shuhei when indicating Abarai's rescuer…and lover."

Renji was steaming with rage. His fists were balled and shook with anger, frustration, and a bit of fear.

Kira sighed and whispered to Renji "There's no way any one is going to believe him. That's ridiculous. I'm sure it was easy for him to remember falsehoods when someone is shortening his sentence."

The prosecutor then asked Hazar to continue. Mr. Baxley said "Once we realized he was gone, that we'd been compromised we sent out some guys to track him down. I found them, but it was far, it was late, and we were outside the safety of our deathstone. We may only be simple farmers, but we aren't going to pick a fight we know we can't win."

"Fucking bullshit…" mumbled Renji.

Hinamori placed her hand on Renji's and whispered "We know. We all know it's…not true."

Renji wished he could take comfort in her words, but he knew where this was going. Then Hazar finished his story by describing how he watched Hisagi creep under the blanket, and how Renji's eyes were open. He solidified the veracity of his story by describing a scar Renji had on his upper thigh.

The prosecutor then called Abarai up to the stand again to lift his hakama leg and show the courtroom the scar. When the defense re-examined the witnesses he was sure to allow Renji to say "Of course he would know about this scar. He had me hangin' in a dungeon for a couple of weeks. This little freak is who you need to have on trial."

It all came to an end when the prosecutor called his last witness. The counselor asked for his title "Lab technician."

"When Shuhei Hisagi was brought in a medical examination was done on him before he was put into holding, correct?"

"Yes, sir."

"What did you find in his stool?"

The lab tech chuckled with a knowing smirk on his face. "Well, Hisagi-san had trace amounts of Abarai Renji's spirit particles in his stool. It was a strange finding, but we cross checked it again and again. There is very little doubt that it is Abarai's spirit particles we found."

"What would that imply, Mr. technician?"

"That would imply that Hisagi consumed something of Abarai's. There was too much in my opinion to believe it was by mistake."

"Is it possible that it was Abarai's semen?"

"In the human world it would have been proteins, easily digested and covered up. But since they are both Shinigami, the rules are a bit different. Spirit particles are not so easily destroyed. By the amount, the concentration that would be most probable." The tech smirked, knowing Shuhei's secret after all the testing.

Renji could barely breath. 'How is that possible? Why is he laughing?' He couldn't look at his friends who sat next to him.

Hisagi sat on the stand and closed his eyes. He knew why the lab tech was laughing and that this was the end of everything. 'There's only one thing I can do if they try to pin Renji for any of this. I should stop thinking 'if.' It really is when they pin Renji…'

The prosecutor smugly crossed his arms and told the lead counselor "I rest my case."

The lead counselor asked the defense if they had any questions for the prosecution's last witness. He tried finding out more about what else the spirit particles could have been, however he only dug a deeper grave for both Shuhei and Abarai. It seems there really wasn't any other truly probable answer to how so much of it could be found in that small sample.

The courtroom was stunned. Hinamori and Kira shifted their weight away from Abarai unsure of who their friend was or what the truth really was.

The rest happened so fast Renji wasn't even sure what was going on. Hooded guards came out of no where and scooped Renji up and walked him to the front of the room. Renji thought 'Damn, a fling with Rukia is really never going to happen now…'

The courtroom then erupted into chaos. Some people hurled insults at Renji as he passed, others yelled in his defense. There were those who called for a reform of the rule, and others who vehemently supported the ban on same sex partnerships. Everyone was yelling or cheering, chattering, booing, and one had the gall to spit on Renji. 'My career is over all 'cuz someone wanted to give me head…'

Hisagi stood from the defendant's stand and yelled "This is ridiculous!"

The prosecution yelled over the commotion with a broad smile "Oh? How so? We have an eye witness and plenty of spirit particle evidence. There's nothing more you can say or do, Hisagi. You're going down along with your lover."

Hisagi looked panicked. His eyes darted around from the bailiff to the various counselors. He turned to face the crowd that all pinned him as a 'fagot.' Shuhei slumped his shoulders then nodded to himself. He leapt away from the guards coming for him and towards the witness stand which was still lit up. He grabbed the microphone. "Everyone listen! Bare witness! Renji Abarai is innocent!"

The counselor laughed and the crowd ignored Hisagi's last attempts to save his friend. "I'll prove it!" he said with anger. He gripped the collar he always wore and said "The reason is…The reason Abarai is innocent" When Hisagi pulled away the black collar his baritone voice gave way to a higher pitched feminine bell "Because I'm a woman!"