Chapter 4: The Doragon Nikki
It was late at night and Byakuya had already felt Renji's reiatsu pass over the area several times, but he couldn't bring himself to return. He kept poring over the few small details that he had…the stranger who stabbed him with his zanpakutou, the dragon marking, the mention of awakening…first by the stranger and then in the archive, and now the strange behavior of Hyourinmaru.
Hyourinmaru said I am the scion…scion of what? Or who?
There is a connection to dragons…and Hyourinmaru is a dragon spirit.
But how does the Spirit Link fit into all of this?
He sighed heavily, wincing with guilt as Renji's reiatsu passed over him again. He reached out with his own reiatsu and brushed Renji's reassuringly. He was met with the expected rush of concern, curiosity and more than a bit of anger. He deserved it. He should have just gone to Renji immediately. Their marriage didn't mean that he had to give up everything, but it did require him to consider Renji's feelings at times like this. He did owe Renji some kind of explanation for disappearing when they had plans. He set his elbows on his knees and buried his face in his hands, releasing another long sigh as Renji approached. His life partner's reiatsu flared sharply and he waited for Renji to say something. When he met with just silence, he pulled his hands away from his face and leaned back against the tree, looking up into eyes that somehow managed to express both anger and relief.
"I imagine you deserve an explanation," he said softly, waiting for Renji's temper to flare in response.
He was surprised when Renji did not respond right away. Instead, he closed the distance between them and sat down at Byakuya's side. He stared off across the meadow, watching as several deer moved out from among the trees and began to graze.
"I heard about what happened at the taichou's meeting. I figured that it had something to do with that."
He was quiet for a moment.
"Toshiro came by the manor looking for you. He told me to tell you that Hyourinmaru refuses to say any more about what happened. He just says that you are the scion…and that was why he released during the meeting. He said that the scion must not be influenced by his words…so he shut down and refused to talk."
Byakuya turned to face his life partner.
"Renji…I owe you an apology. When you were simply my fukutaichou, it was acceptable for me to keep things of this nature to myself, but being that there is more between us now…I was wrong not to share my concerns with you. I will do so now, if you wish it."
Renji nodded.
"You know I do. When I was just your fukutaichou, I would have followed you anywhere and stood by you through anything. Being your life partner means that I'll still follow you anywhere and stand by you through anything…and it means that I'll trust you no matter what…and I will love you even when you make it difficult. I'm not going to lie to you. I am really pissed off at you. Not because you didn't show up when you said you would or because we didn't spend the day together, but because there is something really dangerous going on, something that has to do with that stranger, the dragon tattoo and the way Hyourinmaru acted…and instead of letting me help you, you disappeared. Now I could waste time yelling at you, but it wouldn't solve the problem or change whatever it was that made you turn away from me instead of turning to me. I think the better thing to do is just to tell you that I'll listen. Then I have to wait for you to make the next move. It is your choice, Byakuya. You can continue to bottle up what's happening…to isolate yourself and try to handle it all on your own…or you can open the door and let me help you. Maybe I won't be any more able to figure this out than you are. But the point of marriage is that you don't have to be alone in the things that happen to you…and I shouldn't have to feel like I'm being left behind."
Byakuya suddenly found himself wishing Renji had simply yelled at him.
He leaned against the warm shoulder and arm, tilting his head slightly and gazing out across the darkened meadow.
"I was down in the archive last night searching the old stories, mostly because there was something I remembered that the stranger I met said. He mentioned the Spirit Link. I didn't remember at first, but it came back to me after I left the healing center, so I was trying to see if there was more in the stories than I was remembering."
Renji looked back at him curiously.
"He mentioned the Spirit Link?" he asked.
Byakuya nodded.
"The Spirit Link is believed to be a deep connection between spirits who choose to share it, but it is very rare that one is able to actually open one. There are only a couple of very old tales that mention it happening…but the tales do not describe it or its effects in much detail. When I attempted opening the link between us, I was not certain I would be able to do so…and in retrospect, I should never have made the attempt to do something like that without first gaining more knowledge of it. Such experimentations are foolhardy and very likely to end in disaster when you consider the power involved in something like the Spirit Link," Byakuya explained.
"So when you went to the files yesterday, did you find anything?" Renji asked, sliding his hand down into Byakuya's.
Byakuya laced their fingers together and squeezed the hand that held his.
"Not much…just a couple of vague references. I was going to take another look after you were asleep last night, but I…became distracted…" he said softly.
"I distracted you, eh?" he said, leaning in and giving the noble an affectionate kiss.
Byakuya met his lips warmly, noting that the night was quickly losing some of its chill.
"Does that surprise you?" Byakuya asked, letting a slow smile play over his lips.
Renji shrugged.
"Maybe…Usually, nothing takes your mind off of work when something has your attention like that. So…if you wanted to have another look at the old stories, why come out here instead?"
Byakuya closed his eyes for a moment and breathed in the cool night air.
"I had thought to give the matter some consideration first and to tackle the research after. I actually could use some help if you are amenable to giving me a hand with it."
"Okay…" Renji said, nodding in assent, "but I thought only the heir could go into the archive."
"For the most part," Byakuya agreed, "but there is a way to grant temporary entrance to the archive. Come with me."
They climbed to their feet and flash stepped back to the manor, with Renji a silent shadow in his taichou's wake. Byakuya led him to the archive door, then slipped a chain and pendant around his neck. He leaned forward and cupped his hands around it, focusing for a moment. The pendant flashed blue and began to glow softly.
"Another may enter wearing this charm," Byakuya explained, "but it must be released by the heir before each entrance. I've never actually taken anyone in with me, but it will take me all night to do this if I try to go through all of these myself. Come."
He passed his hand over a small panel next to the door and the door slid back, revealing a dimly lit passage. Renji stayed on Byakuya's heels as they passed into the archive and the door slid shut behind them with a click.
"This place is a little spooky, Byakuya," Renji commented, gazing down the hallway.
"It is protected by deep enchantments," Byakuya explained, "They are necessary because the Kuchiki family archive is one of the greatest collections of gathered knowledge in existence. In addition to being bearers of great power, the Kuchiki's are also dedicated historians. When something notable is found that requires study and careful safekeeping, it is usually brought here. The archive itself is more than just a storage room. It is a place where texts can be viewed in full detail…almost though one had stepped back in time."
"Really?" Renji asked, raising his eyebrows, "Can you show me?"
Byakuya nodded and led him into the first room. Renji looked at the collection of books on the long shelf and looked back at Byakuya, frowning curiously.
"How does it work?" he asked.
Byakuya picked up the newest of the tomes and turned it so Renji could see the cover. Byakuya's image looked back at him in stoic silence. Byakuya flipped slowly theough the pages until he found one that suited him. Renji looked down and began to read the words, but a moment later, he looked up in surprise as he found himself transported back to their wedding day. He watched, smiling, as the two of them took their places on either side of Rukia and started up the aisle.
"Damn! It's like going back there!" he exclaimed softly, "That is amazing, Byakuya. But…are we really traveling back or is it an illusion?"
"It is an illusion triggered in the reader's mind by interaction with the text. Because you were involved in this event, because it was meaningful, the colors are sharp and things appear in full detail."
"So…if the stuff in these books comes to life, then why haven't you been able to find out what you want to know about the Spirit Link?" Renji asked.
"The old stories are not so completely drawn because we lack full comprehension of the times in which they took place. These are read in the conventional way until there is sufficient knowledge to bring them to life in our minds."
Byakuya took his diary from Renji's hands and returned it to the shelf.
"Aw…and I wanted to do some extensive research on the mysterious Kuchiki clan leader!" the redhead complained, smiling.
"Sometimes," Byakuya said, narrowing his eyes, "knowledge can be a dangerous thing, Renji."
They turned out of the room and continued along the passageway to the second door. Byakuya paused, looking in for a moment.
"This room is filled with historical documents, especially records of the four noble houses. It, most likely, will not yield the information we need, because the Spirit Link owes much more to older mythology than more recent history and, as I said, there are only a few references to the Spirit Link. These are all contained in very old myths."
"So…how did you know it was real, then?" Renji asked, scratching his head absently.
"I wasn't completely sure it was. But as the Spirit Link is widely believed to be real and there were references to it, I believed in it strongly enough to attempt it."
"Wait…you didn't even know if it would work?"
"It has never been done in known history…only in myth, but think about it, Renji. Even so, the myths are widely known…and they didn't gain the knowledge here. The knowledge is common, though the means of achieving the Spirit Link is not. This speaks to the link's power and importance in our history."
They moved on and turned into the final chamber. Renji was amazed at the sheer size of the room and how many old books lined the shelves. Most appeared to be in remarkably good condition.
"So how do you keep all of these from rotting away?" he asked.
"Enchantments," Byakuya said, stepping forward and starting down the first aisle, "There are deep enchantments that protect them from anything that would damage them. Even if the manor was destroyed, as it has been on a couple of occasions, this archive and the books within would not be affected. Also, the books and anything that enters the archive ceases to age while here. Even though time is passing, even we are not aging right now. It's a nice effect if you spend a lot of time on research."
Renji nodded.
"So where do you want me to begin? What should I look for?"
Byakuya's answer was cut off by the sudden arrival of a hell butterfly.
Kuchiki Taichou, the Karakura detail reports sensing another pulsation in the reiatsu like the others that have been sensed, but they feel that the pulses are growing in strength. They are monitoring the situation, but require an officer to come and give the area a closer look.
Byakuya sighed.
"Hey," Renji said, "I'll go to Karakura town and take care of this and I'll be back before you know it."
He pulled Byakuya close for a warm kiss and flash stepped away. Byakuya turned back to the books and spent several hours moving slowly up and down the aisles, hearing the soft whispers of the past and scanning the shelves with a curious eye. He found nothing more than he already had and was making his way back along the corridor, when a soft glow from the historical text room caught his eye. He stepped into the room and moved toward the soft light.
The glow was emanating from an old leather-bound notebook that sat almost unnoticed between several other volumes. It was attached to a set of books rescued from a fire at the nearby Kuchiki home it came from. The small set of books had been deemed of sufficient value to include in the archive, although the notebook, at first glance, appeared to be an unfinished diary of some sort. He opened the book to study the pages and suddenly found himself, carried out of the archive, across the Seireitei…and deep into the desert of Hueco Mundo.
At first, he took it to be that he had started to see the story within the text, but he was quick to notice his footprints in the sand…indicating that he was affecting the environment. If it was an illusion, then it was a masterful one. Byakuya stepped forward and looked around, reaching out with his senses to find that there were no hollows nearby. He did see a cave entrance…and a soft light led him forward into it. Inside, a row of lit torches illuminated a long passage leading downward. He moved slowly into it, mindful of the reiatsu around him. He sensed no one in the room ahead of him and no hollows nearby. The temperature dropped as he descended into the cave, and Byakuya suddenly sensed a strong presence in the room at the base of the stairs. He reached the bottom and looked cautiously into the room. His heart quickened. The stranger he had met on the trail in the Rukongai stood looking back at him.
"So you have taken the first steps," he said softly, "That is good."
He took a step toward the noble.
"You found the Doragon Nikki?" he asked, gazing questioningly at Byakuya.
"The…" Byakuya began.
"The journal…" the other said, pointing to the leather-bound volume in Byakuya's hand.
Byakuya looked down at the book and then back at the other.
"Well," said the stranger, "aren't you going to read it?"
Keeping himself positioned so that he could keep an eye on the other, Byakuya opened the book and began to read. As the words reached his mind and the illusion engaged, he was taken back to his meeting with the stranger on the trail. He looked up at the other in askance.
"What is this? What does this mean?" he asked softly.
The stranger stepped closer, until his reiatsu pressed powerfully against Byakuya's. The noble started to step back, but found himself unable to move.
"You are the scion," he said quietly, "I am glad that you have come. Many others have come to this place before you. All were disappointments. They were not strong enough…but you…you are different. Your soul is a pure and unspoiled, your power considerable. We shall see how you fare."
"Why have you brought me here?" Byakuya asked.
The other gave him a tolerant smile.
"You have been awakened…but you have not yet completed the link with your counterpart. That shall be your next task. Keep the notebook with you. You will be returned to this place when the link is completed."
"First explain what this…" Byakuya began, but the room flashed brightly and suddenly, he found himself lying on the floor in the archive with the old leather-bound book clasped against his chest. He climbed to his feet, shaking off the dizziness and slipping the notebook into his pocket. He left the room and moved back out into the hallway. As he opened the door, Renji turned out of their bedroom, headed in his direction.
"So you finally came out, eh?" he said, smiling.
"You're back already?" Byakuya said.
"Byakuya," Renji said, narrowing his eyes, "it's almost morning. You've been down there all night! I was wondering if something had happened to you…and I couldn't go in and find you because this thing only works after you activate it."
He handed the necklace and pendant back to Byakuya, who slipped them into his pocket. As he did, his fingertips brushed the notebook and a shiver passed through him.
"So…did you find anything while you were holed up in there?"
Byakuya shook his head.
"I'll try again tomorrow."
They walked slowly back to their room.
"So, what was the state of things in Karakura Town?" Byakuya asked.
"Oh…just those same weird power flares we've been noticing. There was one really big one while I was there. But when I looked for the source, all I found was a partially opened garganta, so if something was there, it went back to Hueco Mundo."
"Hmm…"
They passed through the garden doors and Byakuya smiled at the sight of the tea waiting on the nightstand beside the bed.
"How did you know I would come up when I did?"
Renji smiled and shrugged.
"Just lucky, I guess," he said, giving the noble a quick kiss.
Byakuya looped an arm around him and pulled him closer, engaging him in a much less hurried offering. Moments later, they were undressed and wrapped warmly around each other, all other things forgotten.