Chapter 4: Waking the Rage

Even before I set foot in the Sereitei, something feels very wrong. There's something most people don't know about Byakuya and me. We can read each other's reiatsu at long distances. I've barely passed on my message to Yoruichi when it suddenly occurs to me that I have stopped feeling the pulse of Byakuya's reiatsu. I don't panic right away, because sometimes if he is very calm or if he is asleep, I don't sense him. What makes me extremely nervous now is the suddenness with which the reiatsu disappeared.

At first, I wonder if I've gotten jumpy because of what is going on with the council. They really started something today, so maybe it's just because of the high emotions. It nags at me as Yoruichi and I sit discussing strategies for dealing with the council and pretty soon Yoruichi notices.

"Renji, what's bothering you?" she asks, looking concerned.

"It's Byakuya," I tell her, "I can usually feel a pulse of his reiatsu even from here. It disappeared a while ago. I mean, it's not too abnormal, but with all that's going on."

Yoruichi nods.

"It may be that you are thinking about the council and it's making you more reactive, but just the same, you remember what I said about watching his back. Go, Renji. Find him and make sure everything is okay. The kids and I will be fine with Kisuke. No one will get past the two of us."

I flash step back to the Senkaimon and pass through to the Sereitei's main gate. As I arrive there, a teenaged boy runs up to the guard.

"Excuse me, sir!" the kid says urgently, "I've been sent from Inuzuri. One of the captains has been gravely injured. They need Captain Unohana and Renji Abarai!"

I am at the boy's side in a flash. It's a good thing too, because the guard is not taking him seriously.

"I'm Renji Abarai," I tell the boy, "Which captain has been injured? Where is he?"

"It's Captain Kuchiki, sir," the boy replies, "He's hurt really bad. He's with Michi, the doctor in Inuzuri."

I turn to the guard, who snapped to attention when I announced my presence.

"Get Captain Unohana now!"

I turn back to the boy.

"Let's go."

He won't be able to keep up with me and it wouldn't be safe for him in Inuzuri at night, so I sweep him up and carry him. He doesn't object. He's too awed by the speed at which we move. I know the way to Michi's. Everyone knows old Michi and his wife, Noa. They are one of the few sources of good medical treatment in Inuzuri and they always had a soft spot for strays and street kids. We are in Inuzuri almost before I recognize it in the fading light. I head to the edge of town and then let the boy down as we reach the door. We burst into the house together, the boy calling out for his grandparents. Noa comes out and sees me, then stops short.

"I remember you…" she says softly, "but you never did tell me your name."

"I am Renji Abarai," I tell her, "I remember you as well. You and Michi helped me out a few times when I was a child."

"You are one of the ones Byakuya asked for. Come…but don't go in. I will tell Michi you are here."

I follow her into the back hallway and wait as she enters one of the rooms. A moment later the door opens and old Michi comes out, looking worn and serious.

"Renji Abarai?" he asks softly.

"Yes, the boy said Byakuya was hurt."

The doctor sighs harshly.

"Hurt is an understatement, Renji Abarai."

He looks as though he doesn't know if he can trust me.

"I am Byakuya's vice captain," I tell him.

"That and more if you refer to him in such a familiar way."

"Yes…I have his confidence. You may speak freely."

He still looks a little uncertain, but he proceeds.

"Well, Byakuya did ask specifically that you be found. I think he would want you to know exactly what his situation is…" he trails off.

"Look, just tell me what happened. How bad is he?" I ask, my heart in my throat.

"It is bad, Renji. You need to come with me and I will explain."

He leads me into the room and I freeze when I see Byakuya. He is bare to the waist and the clothes he has are filthy and torn. His body is deeply bruised and some areas are seeping blood. There is one very odd fact. His face is free of any damage, as are his hands, except at the wrists where there are markings from ropes used to bind him.

"Michi?" I say, a sick feeling entering my stomach.

"Notice, Renji, the lack of injuries to his face and hands. Do you know what that means?"

I shake my head.

"The wounds were inflicted by Rukon people, but they were overseen by a noble," he says softly.

"What? How do you know?" I ask in shock.

"That way of injury, leaving those places untouched is actually an old way of punishing royalty who stepped out of bounds. Heavy wounds only in places that can be covered. Also, if you know Byakuya like I do, then you know Rukon people could not subdue him. He had to have been subdued by someone with strong powers and then turned over to thugs to be beaten as the stronger one directed."

"Damn them!" I hiss, the anger boiling over.

"There is more, Renji," the doctor says.

He stops and motions for me to come closer. I can barely believe what I am seeing as it is. What more…? Hell, no!

"Michi?"

But I already know and the rage is rising so fast I can barely contain it. My chest heaves with anger and my heart races. I can barely hear what Michi says.

Defensive wounds…

Signs of sexual assault…

Suddenly all of my emotion disappears and even I am frightened by the way my voice sounds.

"Is it known who did this?" I ask in a deadly calm tone.

The doctor looks very uncomfortable. My reiatsu is raging. He stares for a moment and I regain control with an effort. He looks at Byakuya, then back at me.

"You are…very close to him?" he asks.

"Yes," I say in that same frightening tone, "I am the one he entrusts his safety to. I protect Byakuya and I defend his honor. There is nothing I wouldn't do for him."

Michi nods.

"I suspect the ones who did this were local. It happened today, so they may be nearby, perhaps at a bar or other gathering place."

He turns to Byakuya and continues the work of healing.

"In case you should need it, Noa has some…alternative clothing that might be useful to you."

He knows I'm going after them.

"Just remember, Renji Abarai, if you kill them, they can't tell you who hired them."

I feel my body shaking as I move to Byakuya's side. I am thankful that he is unconscious. The damage to his body is shocking. The pale skin I touched so recently is darkened with bruises, torn. The bands sealing away his spirit energy are still on his wrists. I reach for them, but Michi stops me.

"Not yet…" he says softly.

"Why?" I ask harshly, "They…sealed away his spirit energy. I have to…"

"No…it would be too great a shock to him right now. When Captain Unohana arrives, she can heal the worst of the wounds and then we can release him. I am not a soul reaper, but I have treated them often enough to know this, Renji."

He's right. I am so out of control, I'm not thinking straight. I sit down beside Byakuya and curl a hand around his. I wonder where his uniform is. I suddenly notice that the sakura petal is gone. The markings on his neck tell me it was removed forcibly. I touch his face, but he is unresponsive. There is nothing to be done here until Captain Unohana arrives. I can use some healing power, but his injuries are beyond my limited ability. I hope she gets here soon.

"Renji," the doctor says softly, "I can care for him. Someone needs to make certain that his attackers do not escape."

I nod and climb to my feet. I stand at Byakuya's side and very slowly remove Zabimaru, then set it on the dresser near the bed.

"Are you sure you want to leave that?" Michi says, looking up at me.

"Yeah," I tell him, "I have to. I'm not acting as his vice captain right now."

I turn and walk out of the room. Noa catches me by the arm and takes me into another room where she helps me to dress in dark clothes and make myself harder to recognize. Then I leave the doctor's house and head down to the bar.

I am still so angry, I order a drink to calm myself while I listen to conversations around me. At first, all I hear are gibbering drunks…tall tales. But after a time, a voice rises into my consciousness.

"Where'd you get that?"

"Off the noble…the one the other noble paid us to rough up. He must have really hated him, too. He put up a damned good fight, even bound up. I got the scratches and bruises to prove it."

I turn slightly to watch them as they continue bragging.

"I'd have liked to take him on without the ropes. Nobles are feisty and they have the softest skin. It bruises real nice. It's a shame the other one wouldn't let us touch his face. But we made an impression, eh?"

They talk for awhile, then I follow them out into the darkened street. They walk ahead, talking softly, looking around. I wait until we reach a relatively isolated area, then I step out and make a noise to attract them. They turn and I try to look as though I didn't mean to get their attention. They fall for it and move closer, their eyes threatening.

"Hey! Were you following us?" one says, closing in on me.

The other is trying to come at me on my blind side. I turn as he reaches me and strike him so quickly he doesn't know what hit him. Almost as part of the same motion, I strike out at the second. He jumps back out of reach and turns to run. I reach him with a flash step and send him crashing to the ground. I drag him back to where the first guy is trying to crawl to his feet. I drop the guy I am dragging onto his buddy and glare down at them.

"All right," I say, my voice rough with fury, "One of you needs to tell me who hired you."

"What are you talking about?" says one of the two.

"What do you mean, who hired us?" says the other.

"Wrong answer," I tell them, striking each soundly, "You want to try again? And be aware, I will know if you are lying. I will kill both of you. Now tell me who hired you!"

They look at each other helplessly. They know they can't get away from me. The guy closest to me wipes blood from his mouth onto his sleeve.

"He didn't give us a name. He just offered to pay if we did what we were told. He was a rich guy."

"What did he look like?" I ask in a low voice.

"Looked rich like the one he brought with him. Dark hair, dark eyes. Not as tall as you."

"Be more specific, you must be able to identify him," I growl, my eyes flaring.

"How do I know? He wore a hood. His face was covered. All we saw was a little bit of his hair and his eyes."

They don't know any more. I would sense it if they did.

"Give it to me!" I order them.

"What are you talking about?" the one closest to me says.

"You know what I mean," I say, advancing, "Give it to me now or I will kill you and take it back."

"You're crazy!"

I show them just how crazy I am. As the doctor requested, I leave them alive, but neither is moving or even conscious when I get through with them. They lie on the dark abandoned street, torn and beaten to within an inch of their lives. I search them carefully and I know I was right about them when my fingers encounter the small gold chain and sakura petal. I pull it free and leave them to return to Byakuya.

When I arrive at the doctor's house, Noa welcomes me back inside and tells me that Captain Unohana has arrived and is with Byakuya. I thank her and follow her to the back of the house where I clean up and change back into my shihakushou before going back to Byakuya's room. Captain Unohana looks up as I enter. Her expression is serious, but she quickly reassures me.

"Captain Kuchiki will recover fully," she says softly, "His injuries were extensive. Michi told me that he explained the situation to you."

"Yeah," I tell her, "I know what happened. When will he wake up?"

She blinks slowly.

"I have sedated him so he will sleep through the night. He will be awake by morning."

She has done her work well. Looking down at him, you can hardly tell he was hurt. But that's just on the surface. If he was awake he'd still feel pain right now, so she has really done him a favor by helping him sleep through the night. But even though the physical wounds will heal, I have to wonder how it will be with him when he wakes up.

"Do you think he'll be aware of what happened?" I ask her.

She stares down at her hands.

"I do not know. But you should be prepared for either eventuality, Vice Captain Abarai."

"Captain Unohana, how do I help him? What do I say to him?" I ask, staring at him.

She turns and takes my hands, managing a supportive smile.

"I'm not sure what words will be best, Vice Captain. But it is usually best to simply speak from the heart. That is the best advice I can give you."

"I think we should take him home," I tell her, "He hates waking up in hospitals or strange places. It would be best for him to go home."

She weighs that for a moment, looking down as if to take the measure of him.

"If you wish it, my zanpakuto can carry us back," she says, finally.

I know it's what he would ask me to do. I know it without hesitation.

"Let's take him back."

Michi looks unhappy when we tell him, but he doesn't argue. A short time later, we are in the air, soaring over the Rukon District. Byakuya is asleep in my arms, wrapped in warm blankets. Captain Unohana glances at me from time to time, but she doesn't try to draw me out of my silence. We arrive in the Sereitei and make a gentle landing in the garden of the Kuchiki home. Unohana helps me move Byakuya to our bed and to dress him in one of his own soft kimonos. That done, I walk her to the front of the manor.

"Captain," I say softly as we stand by the front gates, "I think you will understand if I ask you to keep this incident quiet, for now. I need to find out who ordered this. The ones who actually carried out the orders have been dealt with, but there is someone else who is responsible for putting them up to it. If anyone asks, it's okay to say he was injured, but leave it at that. Don't answer any questions."

She nods.

"I understand."

After she leaves, I walk back to the bedroom and sit down at the desk across from the bed. There is one more task that needs to be done. I remove the sakura pendant and chain from my pocket and repair the broken chain. When that is done, I turn out the lights and take my place next to Byakuya. I slip the small chain around his neck and fasten it. He turns in his sleep and I pull him closer, so his head rests on my shoulder. I can't fall asleep, so I just hold him close, feeling the beat of his heart and the softness of his breath on my skin. I have plenty of time to think of a million different painful ways to make the council member who ordered this pay. And that person will pay. I will make sure of it.