TITLE: His Freedom
PART: Three Part A of Three
AUTHOR: Simply Kim
WORD COUNT: 5,651
CHARACTERS: Kuchiki Byakuya, Abarai Renji, Unohana Retsu, Ukitake Jyoushirou, Shihouin Yoruichi, Urahara Kisuke and Kuchiki Rukia. Mentions of Kurosaki Ichigo, Shiba Kaien, Kuchiki Hisana, Hisagi Shuuhei Ayasekawa Yumichika and Ishida Ryuuken
PAIRING/S: Abarai Renji + Kuchiki Byakuya. Mentions of Kuchiki Byakuya x Kuchiki Hisana and Hisagi Shuuhei + Ayasekawa Yumichika
GENRE: Alternate Universe/Angst/Drama/(A bit of) Humour
DISCLAIMER/S: I'd love to have the creativity and talent Kubo Tite does. Unfortunately, I don't, so I don't own any of these characters or the series... just this story.
NOTE#1: This is a companion fic to "His Crime" and "His Choice", thus, set in the same universe. I just had this idea before – What if there comes a time when Renji would overpower his captain? Well, stranger things have happened, thus, the idea is toyed thoroughly in this lengthy fic.
NOTE#2:Blah or Blah is for emphasis. /Blah/is for conversations over the phone or flashbacks (if any). /Blah/ is for the conscience or whatever inner voice there is talking. Blah is for thoughts or random Japanese words. Some of these words are footnoted at the end of every page (I'm beginning to understand the need for footnotes in fiction. Thank you dear friend, you know who you are. XD).
NOTE#3: The Bounto Arc didn't happen. The past scenes here are heavily manga-based.
HIS FREEDOM
The wear was showing.
Byakuya was surveying the joint operation of his division and Hisagi Shuuhei's and he couldn't help thinking that the wear of managing two different divisions was testing the captain's endurance. He couldn't help thinking that he was lucky to some extent. Izuru Kira, Hisagi's esteemed vice captain was showing signs of tear too. It was clearly seen by the sheer amount of black that lingered just below his eyes. He was sure those bags were fading after the whole Aizen episode, but now, they were as prominent as ever.
They both looked like they were going to fall over. Byakuya might've thought that way if he didn't know their capabilities. The Ninth Division captain slashed his zanpakutou in the air, followed by a loud screaming as the hollow slowly disintegrated and his brow furrowed.
Hisagi Shuuhei was one who graduated on top of his class, just like Byakuya did. He was indeed powerful, and he was someone whose bankai was better left unseen by those who opposed him. He may have been promoted, but it was a wise decision to do so. His sword was honest and straightforward. His kido was top-class. His leadership skills were definitely up to par.
Hisagi Shuuhei was born to be captain, and now, captain he was.
Just as Abarai Renji is too. He thought. His eyes sharpened as they sought and found the figure of his own vice-captain fighting alongside Kira. They almost had the same qualities. Renji may not have the blessing of having an excellent talent when it comes to kido, he may be brash and uncontrollable at times, but it was his leadership qualities that had the most potential. All those qualities need was some polishing and he would be unrivalled.
A frown touched the Kuchiki heir's brow.
His vice-captain was in a foul mood lately, but he could see the improvements such disposition was generating. It was as if unconsciously, Renji was trying to vent all his frustration onto fieldwork. His spiritual levels were increasing as if he was getting ready to prove himself yet again. But for what reason? It sure didn't seem as if he was getting ready for promotion for all the refusals Byakuya had been getting and all those small outbursts upon presented with the same question.
/"Then why don't you accept?"
"I want to be stronger, dammit – and I don't need position for that!"/
That may be so, but in this world, the only way one could prove himself was by propelling oneself up using the best of one's abilities. There was no way he could prove himself with just becoming strong and doing nothing about it...
"Kuchiki-taichou, look out!"
Roused from his thoughts he looked up and was instantly surprised at how he had been under a hollow's shadow and had not noticed. Staring at his opponent, he blinked and with quick movements, unsheathed his sword and sliced the offending creature in two.
With a silent nod of thanks directed towards Kira who had given him warning, he decided it was time to forget everything and concentrate on his mission. He was still under Ukitake's surveillance and it wouldn't do well if this incident occurred once again.
OxxxOxxxO
Renji couldn't deny that his heart jumped to his throat the moment he saw the huge hollow sneaking up on his captain. He was about to call out a warning of sorts, but Kira beat him to it. He frowned. His captain was spacing out. There was something really wrong in all of this... and he had a vague inkling that this was partly because of him.
There was no reason to do that though, after all, why would Byakuya be worrying about him when there were enough worries for himself? It was simply illogical – and it was rare that his captain was dawdling around in that department.
He sighed inwardly. While Renji was steaming after all those times his captain insisted he try out to be captain, the Kuchiki heir was zoning in and out – mostly during inopportune moments.
/"Maybe you're right; maybe I'm out to prove something to myself – something more! Maybe I'm out trying to prove that I'm a better man than you! You're always thinking of yourself! Back then you were too engrossed in your own welfare that you were actually willing to sacrifice your adopted sister because you value your promise to people who are already dead!"/
He winced. Those were the most atrocious set of words he had ever let himself speak. It was not like him to bear grudges, even though they were life-altering... well, maybe not when it came to Ichigo. But that was another story.
He shouldn't have said those words. He understood perfectly, why his captain did what he did. And now, for some reason, he was focusing on them. For what reason? He didn't understand himself. Maybe it was the deadened feeling deep inside him whenever the issue of being captain was brought up... or maybe he was trying to prove that he was nothing like his captain in any aspect...
/Maybe I'm out trying to prove that I'm a better man than you/
He slashed another hollow, its screams pleasing him almost perversely. It made him feel more in control. Maybe it was just that – proving himself to his captain and to all of Soul Society. Proving that he was someone who was a better man than his captain would ever be. He may not be the heir to a noble family, nor was he rich... but he had the skills and the heart to challenge anyone in his path.
As he said, he didn't need position for that.
Slashing another hollow, he turned towards the figure of his captain, currently performing purification rites on a writhing, screaming hollow.
And he was going to prove it.
No matter the cost.
OxxxOxxxO
"You were distracted today, Byakuya-bou."
The young Kuchiki heir was now resting in his office after working hours. He was faintly surprised at the sudden intrusion and looked up to see his childhood friend.
"Shihouin Yoruichi." He acknowledged politely.
It made the newcomer snicker in amusement. "Aah-hah..." She started, moving towards the couch that adorned the Sixth Division captain's part of the office. "You never change, still as polite as ever, little Byakuya."
"You sound just like Yamamoto-taichou." Byakuya pointed out, remembering the private meeting he had with him and Matsumoto. "And you're a thousand years younger."
At that, Yoruichi laughed, throwing back her head as she did, plopping down on the comfortable couch. "Ah, Byakuya-bou, you definitely learned something from that vice-captain of yours!" A knowing grin never left her face. "You seem to be getting real close, huh?"
Byakuya just blinked and turned back to the scenery outside his window. The reinstated captain of the Second Division gazed at him thoughtfully. She knew the young master was pretty much quiet and a self-proclaimed loner, but this time, there was something about him that seemed different.
He may have not changed his polite and courteous ways when it came to those who were at the same level or higher in stature as he was, for after all, he was the epitome of a true nobleman, but something in his eyes changed after Aizen's rebellion. If he was withdrawn before, he was even more now. He seemed to be more unsure, when before, the element of certainty was always there in the depths of his gaze and the way he carried himself. Yes, the proud air was still there but his actions proved otherwise.
She had learned from Urahara that Byakuya faced off with the arrankar Grimmjow first before Ichigo. It seemed as if he was defeated, and from Unohana Retsu's report, fatally wounded. If not for the restoration medicine the Twelfth Division came up with, he would be dead.
But she was sure; it wasn't just a case of depression nor was it just a case of depleting self-esteem.
There was something else.
"Bou." She finally said. "You okay?"
OxxxOxxxO
That was a good question.
Was he okay? Physically yes, mentally, maybe... emotionally? He just had to believe that he was. He blinked slowly before turning to her. "I am." He said after a long pause. He stared back at Yoruichi as she scrutinised him. He knew that she knew he was hiding something... but then again, it was not her problem whatever it was. He was inwardly relieved when he saw her usual coy smile, and he decided it was time to properly divert the attention away from him.
"Why are you here?"
"Ah, well, after the captains' meeting tomorrow morning, we're all going to the Ninth Division headquarters to have an early lunch." Yoruichi grinned. "We were thinking that you should come with us."
"Us?"
"Everyone except Toushirou-kun – he's hiding from Ukitake."
"Hiding is pointless." Byakuya mused.
"Tell me about it." The famed shapeshifter rolled her eyes and propped her feet on the centre table. "I told him once before that the captain of the investigation team knows absolutely everything, but nooooo, he still tries to get away!"
"Get your feet off my table."
She ignored him and huffed. "Seriously, why is it that everyone who spends a lot of time with Ukitake at some point manages to become such idiots?"
"I resent that." Byakuya glared, his pride was hurt.
"I wasn't talking about you, I was talking about Shunsui and Toushirou-kun – oh, right... you grew up under him too, you and Kaien-bou..."
"At least we are good at what we do."
"Feh, a lot of good that does, you guys are still idiots!" She declared, closing her eyes and smirking.
"At least, I'm not caught between two obsessive people."
There was a long moment of silence before Yoruichi opened her eyes to stare at him in disbelief. "Renji is really a bad influence on you, Bou."
Byakuya snorted, dishing out a sheet of paper and his pen.
"So it seems."
OxxxOxxxO
Renji couldn't sleep that night. Thoughts were turning around his head and he couldn't seem to grasp any of them.
Everything seemed... troubling. It was like Hueco Mundo spouted out another evil that he had to run over so that things would make sense once again.
"Ugh..." He grumbled, closing his eyes and plunking a pillow on his face, in an effort to repress the urge to just let go and scream. Maybe if he pushed hard enough he would die of suffocation. But it would be so uncool – what would the idiot Ichigo say? With an irritated groan, he threw it away immediately, hitting the open door of his closet with a loud bang.
He gritted his teeth.
"I need a drink."
OxxxOxxxO
Renji was brooding, and there was little the two men with him could do to appease him. With a helpless glance at his vice-captain, Hisagi Shuuhei sighed, certain that he was going to be the one burdened by this in the long run. He thought that maybe he was cursed – after all, everyone who was under him during practicum days all experienced suffering.
Kira, for some time in the past, was drowning in darkness. Momo was still in pain after everything the traitor Aizen had done. Now, Renji was brooding for some reason, and he had an inkling that it was about his captain too.
"Renji." He started finally. "Stop that dark look, you're frightening the tavern owner."
But the redhead continued brooding – it was no use talking to him... absolutely pointless. He sighed, thinking of the best way he could help his former charge. He was well into a somewhat good idea involving water torture when he felt someone nudging him. Startled, he turned to the person jabbing him almost painfully and raised a questioning brow. "Kira." He muttered, eyeing he younger man quizzically. "Something wrong?"
Motioning for his captain to go outside with him, the blonde stood up and went out first. Hisagi, perplexed, but nonetheless intrigued, followed. They were well into the street when his vice-captain stopped and faced him, prompting him to halt all movement and listen.
"I saw the roster this afternoon."
The Ninth Division captain's eyes narrowed, and he made a mental note to check on it tonight before he went to bed. "And?"
"Renji-kun's name was in it." Kira finished hesitantly. "His name was marked with Kuchiki-taichou's handwriting."
It took a few moments before the information sunk in, and his frown deepened. "So that may be the reason why he's brooding like someone who just lost his God."
The blonde nodded. "There's a good chance that's it, Senpai."
"This is interesting." Hisagi finally concluded, a small smile gracing his features. "I gather Renji doesn't know about his enlistment yet, considering the one who wrote his name on the list." He turned to he direction of his other charge and his gaze sharpened. "I wonder what happened? Anyway, he should be very careful."
Kira nodded worriedly. "Yes, one wrong move..."
"And there would be trouble."
OxxxOxxxO
"He's now an official candidate."
Byakuya just stared outside the window, possibly marvelling at the early morning scenery.
Ukitake Jyoushirou sighed as he set down the memo he got from the First Division headquarters. "His name was just added last night." He said bemusedly. "What brought this on?"
No answer.
"I don't think you're doing this to get him as far away from you as possible..."
"Freedom."
The Thirteenth Division captain was surprised at the unusual answer. "What was that?"
Byakuya turned to him, his face illuminated by the morning sun streaming through the open windows. "You asked me why I did it, and I'm answering you – it's for freedom."
"Why, you don't want him to be your vice-captain anymore?" The blonde asked curiously. The sudden clamming up told him he was looking at it from the wrong perspective. It took a few moments before an idea formed in his head. Eyes widening, his gaze turned sharp. "I honestly think you're making a huge mistake, Byakuya-kun..."
The Sixth Division captain nodded imperceptively, a small smile gracing his features.
"I know... but it's also the only way to set things right."
"The only way to set things right?" Ukitake repeated almost dumbly. It was one thing to understand what his charge was hinting at, but predicting what he would put to action next was another.
Others would say that he had been living in a box all his life, but he would say otherwise. This man was an impossible person to place into a specific category.
Byakuya seemed like cold-hearted person who didn't care about any other thing but himself and his abilities, but this wouldn't be perceived true because he was someone who protected things very dear to him. He would have protected Rukia if he had not been at a loss over what to do because the moot point of it all was the challenging of what he vowed to do.
The young Kuchiki was also someone who seemed to have better control of things, someone who seemed to understand a lot of things most men didn't...
But that also had not been true.
The Thirteenth Division captain couldn't help the tendrils of worry from wiggling inside his gut. He had a sudden feeling that what would happen next was to be something poignant and necessary...
Even if it meant that sacrifices would be made.
"Freedom... is it, Byakuya-kun...?"
Dark eyes that had seen too much stared back at him calmly.
"Freedom."
OxxxOxxxO
He could feel eyes on him whenever he was outside.
Renji shifted his weight from one butt cheek to another. There was something really eerie with the way everything around him was going. It was hard enough that he had a killer hangover from all the drinking last night, but it was another story altogether when he felt really uncomfortable during working hours. His attention was starting to slip and he was starting to feel edgy.
So the only solution he thought of was spending as much time in the office as possible – away from the seemingly prying eyes...
First, he was usually given a hard time by the local tavern owner, but lately, said old man was sent cowering in fear the moment he so much as frowned.
Second, Kira kept on shooting him weird looks, as if he wanted to say something but always decided against it, especially when his captain was around. When Hisagi Shuuhei was in the vicinity, those two exchanged meaningful looks before Kira resumed looking at him funny.
And then there was his captain. He was not someone who showed his emotions easily, but it seemed as if the Kuchiki heir was uneasy whenever he was around... which was almost always.
He didn't like it.
He didn't like it one bit.
However, as he was about to open his mouth and say something, the cat-lady came in followed by the boob-girl dragging the tensai schoolboy. And they whisked his captain forcibly – for a meeting, they said.
And he lost his chance to know what was wrong firsthand.
If he asked others, hell they would say anything good enough to pass as a decent explanation.
He sighed as he signed another paper, something his captain should have been the one doing but couldn't because of his meeting. Why was it when Renji was the one with the meetings his captain rarely did his work, but when he was in a meeting, he passed the paperwork to him?
Seriously, the world isn't fair. He sighed, shaking his head as he signed another document. He glanced at the agonisingly high-stacked papers on the table and squeezed his eyes shut.
God, I HATE paperwork!
OxxxOxxxO
He would never admit it out loud, but whenever he sat down for tea, he would always remember that fateful day when he asked his vice-captain to be captain of his own division. He could almost envision Renji sitting across him, beads of sweat on his brow as he tried to concentrate on not wincing while he took in more of the slightly bitter liquid. It made him think of the future.
He would never admit it out loud, but he had always thought of how it would be like if Renji was indeed qualified to sit across him during afternoon tea, wearing the same robes he was wearing, the captain's revered coat, and enjoying time spent with him. If he was a captain, then they would attend meetings together, they would eat together most of the time instead of him ending up alone with his homemade bento in the confines of his office while his subordinate kept company of other lower-ranked Shinigami, perhaps with the exception now of Matsumoto and Hisagi, and, probably, when they felt like it, Urahara and Yoruichi too.
"What do you say we play a game?" It was Matsumoto who was the star of the gathering. "Something really, really nice?"
"You mean scandalous." Yoruichi snickered, after taking a sip of her tea. "Something like sharing secrets and visions and stuff."
"Matsumoto, you're hopeless." Hitsugaya muttered darkly, held in place in his seat by a piece of restraining band tied to his wrist... connected to Ukitake who was sipping his tea calmly, a triumphant look still on his face.
"Aww, don't be like that, Hitsugaya-kun... you're acting like a big baby!" She drawled, staring at him from under her lashes, taking perverse glee, probably from the fact that they were on the same level now and she didn't have to restrain herself from teasing him too much.
"Look who's talking. You make Momo do your work while whining on how utterly busy you are." He fired back, shaking in complete irritation.
"Hey, I'm admiring the beautiful morning sky!" She protested. "One should never let go of the opportunity to do such, isn't that right, Kyouraku-taichou?"
Shunsui raised his mug in supplication, eyes glittering in merriment. "Ah, sou, sou! It's absolutely a must!"
"You should lighten up some, Toushirou-kun!" Ukitake interjected before the boy could let out a scathing response. "You're so uptight sometimes..."
"Ukitake-taichou..." He started, his shaking becoming even more noticeable, much to the amusement of almost everyone in the room – almost being the keyword.
Byakuya thought this type of conversation was absolutely pointless.
He sighed inwardly. He shouldn't get too irritated over something like this. It was simply the lure of camaraderie that pushed him to endure this so far, but he felt like he was being tortured. He was used to intellectual conversations and the calm of his spirit. This was something new, but he should push himself to accept this change or he would never be able to conform to the new type of government in Seireitei.
But as exasperating as everything was, that even if Abarai Renji's presence would only aggravate things, he still wished he were still here with him.
"How about you, Byakuya-bou?"
He blinked slowly, setting down his cup gracefully before tilting his head to one side, prompting Yoruichi to repeat her question.
"Who do you think is much more irritable, Ichigo or Hitsugaya-kun?"
Byakuya raised a brow. "No one is more irritable than Soi Fong-fukutaichou when around Urahara."
With that, amidst the round of laughter that ensued, especially from Urahara, he stood up and bowed before stepping out the door.
He had wasted his time enough.
OxxxOxxxO
Renji was surprised when he heard the door open.
With a start, he looked up just to see Kuchiki Byakuya enter the office, his long black hair swaying healthily down his back, standing out against the pristine whiteness of his coat.
"Taichou..." He murmured softly, and winced at the sudden flinch that shook the Sixth Division captain's shoulders.
"Renji."
It's not 'Abarai-fukutaichou' He thought, relieved. It must've shown on his face because the moment Byakuya turned around and saw him, the corners of his lips quirked up minutely. "Ah, I thought you would be off the whole afternoon?"
"I was bored." Came the simple reply.
"Won't you be even more bored here while dealing with paperwork, taichou?"
His captain gave him an unreadable look before turning away and moving straight to his office. "Place half of the remaining papers on my desk. We have to finish all of them before we are off from today's duty."
OxxxOxxxO
Byakuya signed the last of the lot and with an inaudible sigh; he set down his pen and rubbed his aching hands together, in an effort to alleviate the pain.
"Taichou, I already finished..."
Minutely surprised, he looked up to see his fidgeting vice-captain by the adjoining door, hefting the half that was left to him almost an hour ago. Silently, he nodded; patting the empty space beside the one he had just finished in supplication. With awkward movements, Renji shuffled inside and set the stack down.
He watched him squirm under his lashes, and he was again surprised when his younger subordinate didn't scurry out immediately, as was the norm. "Something you want to say, Renji?" He asked, raising a brow in question.
"Well, I want to ask you something, taichou..."
"Something about what?"
"About our conversation before... the one that started this whole thing..."
"Becoming captain."
"Ah, yes..."
"What about it, Abarai-fukutaichou?"
Renji visibly winced at the tart response. Byakuya knew he was making the other feel more uncomfortable, but he didn't want his resolve to soften over something like that. He had to execute the plan perfectly so as to avoid any lasting damage...
"Well, I want to ask why you still want me to become captain even though I have turned you down each time you ask me about it..."
"I told you before, I want you to utilise your potential..."
"You said that each time I ask this of you too... but forgive me for saying, I don't think you're being completely honest with me, taichou..."
Silence descended on them, and for a long awkward moment, the sound of the clock ticking was the only sound heard.
It was Kuchiki Byakuya though, who broke the silence first.
"How do you see yourself in five years, Renji?" He asked in his usual monotone. However, his eyes betrayed the emotions hidden inside – the curiosity and the anticipation... even a little nervousness. He knew the redhead was keen on observing such things, and he knew that somehow, most of his habits had already been synthesised by him... but he had the knowledge too, that not everything about was decipherable. Not even his late friend Kaien succeeded in breaking the code of his being. "As a vice-captain? Still doing the same job and rotting away behind a stack of paperwork? Walking behind your captain in deference to the society's norm? Do you plan on lurking in the shadows of your captain? Never acknowledged as a powerful and unique individual, but as someone else's second-in-command... the person who came only as second?"
Renji couldn't answer.
He had in fact, thought of that and he surmised that he would be better off that way. He had fewer responsibilities and fewer chances of screwing up. In the back of his mind, he had been afraid of failure... just as the fruitcake Yumichika told him before while he was still in the Eleventh Division. Apparently, he had no ambition but to remain strong while retaining his position being a vice-captain. He swore, and so he would continue counting the days until he finally defeated the one he had always wanted to defeat in battle years and years ago...
"I presume you haven't thought of uplifting your status and elevating yourself to that of someone worthy enough to stand in equal terms with the legend, Yamamoto Genryuusai Shigekuni."
"As I said before, taichou, I never want that life." His answer sounded lame even to his own ears, and he winced in distaste.
Byakuya watched the play of emotions on the other man's face. Now, self-disgust was the most prominent. He shook his head, eyes still holding on to the image Renji presented. "You lie." He pronounced with uncanny surety.
"I never lie."
"You are now... and before as well." The young Kuchiki took a deep breath. "You were the one trying on my spare coats all these years, weren't you?"
The look on Renji's face then was priceless.
And for now, it was enough.
He stood up and sauntered to where his vice-captain was rooted to the tatami floor. When he was directly beside him, he leant and whispered to his ear, gratified somehow by the sudden shiver that shook the redhead.
"Let us have tea after work."
With that, Byakuya walked away, satisfied, leaving a mystified Abarai Renji behind, gazing dazedly at him, fingers touching his ear.
Soon, the end will finally begin.
OxxxOxxxO
A several days passed and the issue of being captain wasn't brought up in any conversation. Renji thought everything was finally falling back into place. For all the companionable afternoons filled with nothing but division talk and bitter, bitter tea, he thought it was stupid of him to even think that his captain had anything to do with everything that had happened – and was continuously happening to him.
The tavern owner was still trying to get out of his way, the other Shinigami were eyeing him differently... as if they were wary of him when in fact they were all chummy before. He tried asking Momo if she knew anything, but she just smiled at him in her usual innocent way and shrugged her narrow shoulders.
A lot of good it did him.
He sighed. And his captain, he was another of his issues. It wasn't as if he didn't like the Kuchiki Byakuya he was seeing now. In fact, it seemed as if he was more sociable than before – okay, a lot sociable than before. He seemed to have this penchant for inviting him for afternoon tea. It was crazy not to pass up, and, after all, it was a chance to know more about him. However, he seemed at a loss whenever they spent time like that together. They would normally sit across each other; sipping hot, bitter sencha while making sparse conversation he was slowly losing patience in.
There was an itch inside him that he wanted to scratch and he couldn't seem to reach it at all. It was exactly how he felt when faced with such situations. The only consolation he had was the fact that his captain seemed to be enjoying himself in these types of gatherings...
He sighed again.
He had a weird feeling that something was indeed wrong. He could sense it... as if there was a hollow lurking somewhere, waiting to pounce. He couldn't put his finger on what he was, but considering the raising the hairs on the back of his head was doing, he thought that for sure he was being watched constantly. He could feel pairs of watchful eyes scrutinising him, assessing his every move... surveying him for something.
For some strange reason, Ikkaku told him just last night over sake that he should be aware of his surroundings. He said too that he should be responsible over his actions and that he should try developing himself more to impress others if he ever wanted to gain the power he needed to succeed.
Succeed in what?
He scratched his head as he strolled towards his division office. It had been a long day of patrolling and he had just finished cleaning himself up and slipping into a change of clothes. As per usual, he was going to have tea with his captain. It was such a regular ritual now that he thought he had gone crazy since he always said yes as if hypnotised...
Then he stopped, eyes alert and looked cautiously around.
Something stung his cheek, and it drew blood. He could feel the warmth trickling down his skin, the slightly gaping wound throbbing in pain. It may not be smiling wide open, but Renji knew it was deep. Slowly, he started to draw his blade, wincing as further stinging matched his every movement. By now, his arms were riddled with miniature scars, welling up with the scarlet essence of his Shinigami life.
What was causing them? He couldn't decipher the complex riddle. How could he be cut when there was nothing except...
Cherry blossoms fluttering about.
His eyes widened in realisation. And with quick fluid movements, he raced towards the main building of his division and stopped dead as he saw the most unbelievable thing he had ever seen in his whole life.
It was Kuchiki Byakuya in all his glory. His zanpakutou drawn, hilt on hand, and razor-sharp blossoms scattered about as wind blew on his long hair, jet-black tendrils wisping in the air as if alive. Blinking twice in complete disbelief, he opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off as another petal slashed mercilessly down his lower lip. He could taste the tanginess of his own blood, and his heart pumped double-time. Is this come kind of joke?
"Taichou?" He called out, his confusion making its way to his voice.
Kuchiki Byakuya didn't answer.
Kuchiki Byakuya never answered if he didn't feel like it, Renji knew – and this was no exception. Mind working, sorting everything out, he hadn't the time to do anything as the fluttering rosy glow of the sakura clouded over him, descending with criminal intent, thirsty for the thing that kept him alive – his blood... nothing but dodge.
He was unsuccessful.
As the dust following the deafeningly booming noise dissipated, Abarai Renji was on his knees, bloody, and propped up by Zabimaru, yet unreleased. If he could cry, he would have done so. However, his tears were seemingly swept away for all the crying he did over Rukia a while back. The pain should've been something ordinary now. He thought was so used to it after all the battles fought, but somehow, he felt as if every sting was magnified by a hundred.
Dammit, what the hell is he doing?
Gritting his teeth, he straightened, his muscles screaming bloody murder as he did. But it didn't matter. He had waited for too long, and now, he was suffering the consequences. He should've squeezed honest and concrete answers for all his questions weeks, even months ago... even if it meant... He glared at the serene features of his captain.
"What is the meaning of this, Kuchiki-taichou?" He voiced out his query, adopting his battle stance, waiting for anything that he would be dealt with. But there was nothing. Slowly, his muscles relaxed... but his grip on Zabimaru didn't loosen.
"Renji."
Just that, his name... and then came a huge gust of wind before he once again heard the familiar words of a zanpakutou being released. "Chire... Senbonzakura"
And the flying blades masquerading as breathtaking sakura petals rained down on him. With quick movements, he managed to get away, only to be greeted by the sight of his captain in such close range. They were face-to-face, one filled with much confusion and the much-needed will to survive, and the other seemingly a blank slate, eyes the only ones signifying the presence of strong undecipherable emotions.
And Renji dodged again, narrowly escaping Senbonzakura's deadly strike. His shoulder was bleeding now though, and as always, he didn't know how or when he was hit. It was probably when he dodged from being attacked at such short distance. However, he couldn't be too sure – after all, his captain's blade, when released, is almost invisible to the naked human eye.
A frown marred his brow as he concentrated.
He was not human – not anymore.
Eyes narrowing into indiscernible slits, he slashed his zanpakutou in the air, ending perpendicularly to his side. With a low growl and renewed determination, spurred on by the will to remain alive no matter what the cost,
"Hoero, Zabimaru!"
TSUZUKU
A/N: I have decided to halve the third part because it's gonna be too tedious to edit such a long fic for me all at the same time. There is still some stuff in the latter part that needs some more scenes to be particularly believable. ; Hope you enjoyed reading this part, and you would look forward to Part B of this story as well. Feedbacks are greatly appreciated!