Chapter 4: Unexpected Arrival
Byakuya looked up as a family messenger entered his quarters within the evacuation compound, looking out of breath and wearing a worried expression.
"What is it, Miki?" he asked, frowning, "What is happening?"
"Byakuya-sama," the young man said urgently, "Tetsuya-san's Arashi just arrived and has communicated that quincies have attacked the barrier, and at least one came through! Tetsuya-san was injured in the exchange, and his mount was forced to return to warn us. The watch commander has sent a team to fortify the defenses and to find and assist Tetsuya-san."
"Do you know how badly Tetsuya was hurt? And was there word about Renji? He was with Tetsuya."
"Arashi indicated that Abarai Renji was investigating an odd spirit steed somewhere in Tetsuya-san's vicinity and he seemed to be responding to Tetsuya-san's distress. He didn't know if Renji-san had reached Tetsuya-san or not."
"Very well," Byakuya acknowledged, "Take a message to the horsemaster that I will need Ikazuchi to ride out to Tetsuya's location."
"Yes sir!"
Byakuya rose and moved into the dressing area, where he found his zanpakutou and took it from the sword stand. He slid it into the belt at his waist and hurried out of his quarters, into the central chamber. Moving past the gathering defensive troops, he made his way out to the compound entrance. He spotted the horsemaster arriving with his tall paint stallion and flash stepped forward, preparing to mount. As he began to climb on, he heard the horsemaster and the nearby messenger gasp. Byakuya looked up and spotted the strange, striped horse arriving, carrying Renji, who held an unconscious Tetsuya against him.
"Renji!" he greeted his fukutaichou in a relieved tone.
"Taichou, Tetsuya-san's been hurt pretty badly. He was awake when I found him, but he passed out a few minutes ago."
"Bring healers!" Byakuya ordered the nearby guards.
"Yes sir!" the guards cried, flash stepping away.
Byakuya approached the spirit steed, watching carefully as the beast's cinnamon brown eyes regarded him. The horse's head turned to glance back at Renji as the redhead handed Tetsuya down to his worried cousin. A moment later, the horse reared, dumping Renji onto the ground in a surprised heap, then charging out of the compound entry.
"You stupid ass!" Renji yelled, "What'd you do that for?"
The odd horse galloped away, leaving the furious redhead cursing as he climbed to his feet and brushed the dust off of his clothes. Byakuya turned his unconscious cousin over to the arriving healers, then moved to Renji's side.
"What happened out there?" he asked in a concerned tone, "I understand that the defenses were breached."
"Yeah, there were some quincies who seemed to have located the barrier and were attacking. At the time they attacked, Tetsuya and I were separated, trying to find that striped jackass. I had just found him when he told me that there was danger, an enemy approaching. I jumped on his back and he took me to Tetsuya and...this is really weird, Taichou, he used what looked like one of Zabimaru's attacks to free Tetsuya from the quincy and throw the quincy back outside the barrier."
Byakuya's eyes narrowed.
"You say that horse assisted you? Even used one of your powers?"
"Yeah," Renji confirmed, "He was talking into my mind too. And Tetsuya told me that he could be one of the horses used by the...um...the something..."
"The Kishu," Byakuya finished, giving him a shocked look.
"That's it!" Renji agreed, "The Kishu. I'd never heard of it, but..."
"Byakuya-sama!" cried the healer, "we have Tetsuya-san stabilized, but he will need surgery immediately."
"Take him to the infirmary, quickly!" Byakuya ordered them.
He nodded in Renji's direction.
"Come with me!"
Renji followed him to where Ikazuchi stood, and the two mounted the tall paint stallion. Byakuya touched his heels to the stallion's sides and he charged away from the Kuchiki compound. He carried them back the way that Arashi had come, heading out along the winding trail and back to the barrier, where they found a group of guards working at restoring the damaged section.
"Koto," Byakuya called out to the female guard who stood nearest them, "give me a report."
"Sir," the guard greeted him, "we arrived to find signs of a bloody confrontation, and there was damage to the barrier, as well as a number of quincies, attempting another breach. When they saw our group arrive, they pulled back. But they are still in the area."
"Watching and waiting for another opportunity. They don't want to face the full strength of our defenses, but to find a way to slip in at a weak point."
"They probably know they don't have a numbers or power advantage, now that their leader is dead," Renji posited.
"Most likely," Byakuya agreed, "but even in smaller numbers, these quincies are a danger to us. Koto, I want you to leave a detachment here to finish the repairs and split the rest of the team into groups of two to roam along the boundaries. We need floating guards between our checkpoints to ensure we don't give these quincies and opening to find a way in. That should prevent them from infiltrating our camp and pulling off a sneak attack."
"I'll see to it, sir!"
"Do you want me to help out with the guard duty?" Renji offered.
"I want you to return with me to the compound," Byakuya said, frowning and turning Ikazuchi back, "You need to tell me everything you can about the horse that carried you and Tetsuya back."
"Not much to tell," Renji said, shrugging, "You know he somehow got into my room, right?"
"Yes, I heard about that," Byakuya confirmed.
"Well, he also showed up when I ran into Tetsuya at the waterfall."
Byakuya's frown deepened.
"What were you doing out there?"
"I was looking for you, but came across Tetsuya instead. His damned horse surprised me and I fell in the water. Then, while Tetsuya and I were talking, we spotted that striped horse. He was watching us."
"I see."
"Tetsuya and I spotted him again while we were scouting along the edge of the barrier. Your cousin gave me a device to help me stay on the bastard and while he went back to check the barrier, I sneaked up on the horse."
Byakuya bit his lip gently.
"And?"
"Well, it was weird, Taichou," Renji explained, "I was about to jump on when I heard him say 'danger' then 'enemy.' I took it to mean he was on our side and I jumped on his back and used the device to make sure he didn't throw me off right away. He didn't even try. He ran to Tetsuya and we found a quincy had him in a chokehold. The horse fired what looked like Zabimaru's red fire blast at the quincy, just as he was trying to cut Tetsuya. Tetsuya said that the blast actually interfered with the strike and saved his life, even though he was still cut. Anyway, the horse forced the quincy back."
"It sounds like you were right about him being on your side," Byakuya concluded.
"Eh...then, as I deactivated the device holding me on and started to dismount, the bastard threw me off."
Byakuya let out an amused huff of breath.
"It sounds like your companion steed has a sense of humor," he remarked, earning a scowl from the disgusted redhead.
"That asshole is not any kinda companion! He's a pain in the butt...literally!" Renji complained, "He follows me around and he helps when everyone else is in trouble, but me? He just throws me on my ass!"
"Well, you have just met," Byakuya said bracingly, "You only need to get to know each other better."
"Hey, I don't wanna get to know that big striped freak any better," Renji insisted, "I have better things to do than be thrown off in the dirt every time he decides he wants to play games. Zabimaru and I are just fine without that little horse pie getting in our hair."
Byakuya frowned and took a breath.
"Renji, did Tetsuya explain to you about the Kishu?"
Renji shrugged and reached up to scratch the back of his neck.
"Eh, a little," he remembered, "He told me they are horse riders that protect the king. Oh, and then some weird shit about them having shield mates."
"Indeed they do," Byakuya confirmed, "You see, Renji, the Kishu are a highly skilled group of riders and defenders. They live in the royal realm and they defend the palace, as well as the five cities that surround it. There is an elite branch of the Kishu called the Tenba no Kishu, the flying riders, whose spirit steeds fledge and can actually fly."
"Flying horses?" Renji mused, his eyes brightening, "That sounds pretty cool. But why do the Kishu have other Kishu for sexual partners? What's that about?"
"It comes from the old ways. You see, in the earliest days of the royal military, the royal family and high nobles were forced to send sons and daughters onto the battlefield to fight for the safety of the entire monarchy. They wanted to be sure that the ones who fought alongside their kin were loyal. So, they paired their relatives with trusted allies and encouraged them to bond sexually so that they would be motivated to protect each other more vigilantly. The Kishu were born in that era, and their leaders swiftly realized that those bonds were important to growing and maintaining a closely bonded fighting force."
"But, shield mates, don't they...I mean, don't some have families also?"
"Yes," Byakuya confirmed, "although the fighters are mated with other fighters, during times of peace, it is allowed for Kishu to have civilian families as well."
"So they can have children, if their shield mate is the same gender?" Renji assumed.
"Yes and no, because a male noble or royal shield mate is able to..."
"Byakuya-sama!" an attendant called urgently, "Sir, a royal messenger has arrived."
"A royal messenger?" Byakuya repeated, blinking curiously.
"Yes sir! It is one of them! One of the Tenba no Kishu!"
"A flying horseman?" Renji said, looking intrigued.
"Where is he, Torio?" Byakuya inquired.
"He is waiting in the council meeting chamber."
Come, Renji," Byakuya said, heading back into the compound.
Torio ran ahead of them, leading them through the central chamber, and past a set of guards to the main meeting chamber. As they entered the chamber, the two came to a sudden stop, gazing breathlessly at the man in front of them.
He stood about Renji's same height and had the same autumn colored hair, though his was mingled with bright silver strands as well. And instead of wearing his hair in a raised ponytail, as Renji favored doing, the man had his thick red mane wrangled into a long braid that fell over his left shoulder and onto his left breast. He wore a loose, light-colored, mid-sleeved top with a black vest over it, long black pants tucked into leather riding boots. Taichou and Fukutaichou stared in surprise and confusion at his familiar looking, cinnamon brown eyes, deeply tanned skin and the bold, feathery pattern of tattoos that decorated over his slim eyebrows, down the back of his neck and onto his broad shoulders, crawling out onto the backs of his lower arms as well. The man's eyes froze on Byakuya for several moments before shifting to Renji and brightening. His lips curved into a brash smile and he nodded approvingly.
"Greetings from the his majesty, Reiou-sama, Byakuya," he said in a voice several tones deeper than Renji's, but still shakingly similar.
"Erm, he does realize that the king died and has been replaced by Juha Bach's dead body, right?" Renji asked, looking confused.
"You're right about that," the man acknowledged, "But I will explain later. First things first. It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Abarai Renji...segare."
Byakuya gazed back at him in silence as Renji moved forward, studying him more closely.
"Your son?" Renji asked, frowning, "You're saying that you...?"
The elder redhead nodded firmly.
"That's what I said, Renji. I am your father," he announced proudly.
"My father?" Renji said, tilting his head and scowling, "For over a hundred fifty years, you don't give me a clue you exist, then you show up here and...?"
"Renji," Byakuya said sternly, "I understand your feelings, however, this man is an agent of the king. We are expected to show him proper respect."
"The dead king that we have to lie about to everyone?" Renji snapped angrily, "And you wanna talk to me about respect? Why doesn't he tell me how dumping me in the lowest part of the fucking Rukongai was showing me respect? How about that?"
"Renji..."
"It's all right, Byakuya," the man assured the Kuchiki leader, "I am sure that Renji has a lot of questions as well as heavy emotions about his early life in the Rukongai, and why I never came to him. I will be happy to answer those questions. I promise. But I was sent here by the king to assess the new shield mates in training."
"You keep saying that!" Renji said in a piqued tone. What does that mean anyway? There is no king to give orders. Do you mean Squad Zero?"
"No," the man said firmly, "I meant the king. Reiou. He may be dead now, but he had foresight, and he warned me to wait until now and to come to you only after Ywach had fallen. I am here, as I said, to assess the new shield mates in training."
"What? You mean Tetsuya and me? Is that who you're talking about?"
"Exactly," the man affirmed, "But let me explain. I am Abarai Katsuro, King's Samurai and Tenba no Kishu. Reiou-sama communicated to me before his death, that one of the spirit steeds from the royal realm had chosen and been named by Abarai Renji."
"What? Wait! Chosen and named? I don't remember anyone choosing anyone? And if you're talking about that striped, zebra-looking pain in the ass..."
"You mean Yakkaigoto?" Katsuro asked.
"His name is actually Yakkaigoto?" Renji mused wonderingly.
"Of course it is," Katsuro chuckled, "That's what he said you named him...when you met near the waterfall. He said something about you ogling Byakuya's pretty cousin, Tetsuya."
"Huh? Wha...HEY! I wasn't ogling anyone! I was...looking for Taichou," the flustered redhead explained, "I went the wrong way and found myself by the waterfall."
"Where you were staring at my cousin?" Byakuya asked, a very slight smirk invading his lips.
"I wasn't staring exactly, although come on, he is really cute."
"And he was naked and unaware of you?" Byakuya asked pointedly.
"Look, I'm not a peeping tom!" Renji objected, "I accidentally saw him naked and taking a bath under the waterfall, and yeah, he was cute and maybe I looked for a little longer than I should have, but..."
"Which accounts for what you told me about Arashi knocking you into the water," Byakuya said, looking more amused and completely missing the look Katsuro was giving him out of the corner of one narrowed eye.
"But go on. You said that Arashi knocked you in the water," Byakuya remembered, "Then what happened?"
"Uh, well, Tetsuya helped me out and he indicated where you were. Then, he left and I was going to find you, when I saw that stupid horse staring at me from in some bushes. I yelled at him because he surprised me."
"Is that when you named him?" Katsuro asked.
"I didn't name him!" Renji insisted, "I just...was calling him a troublemaker. Yeah, I said Yakkaigoto."
"Then, he apparently liked it so much, he accepted it as his name," Katsuro concluded, "Renji, that horse chose you to be his master."
"Don't fucking kid me!" Renji huffed in annoyance, "That shit for brains doesn't think I'm any kind of master. He's thrown me off every time I've gotten on him!"
"But you told me that he sensed the danger to Tetsuya, your shield mate," Byakuya reminded him, "He let you ride him, even though you hadn't trained together and he used your zanpakutou's power to attack the quincy that was trying to kill my cousin."
"It's pretty clear to me that Yakkaigoto did choose you," Katsuro said firmly, "And that being the case, Reiou-sama sent me personally to train and test the two of you for service in the mounted guard."
"Before he died, you mean," Renji said disbelievingly.
"Yes."
Renji stared back at him in silent confusion for a moment.
"You look a little stunned," Katsuro noted, "That's to be expected, I supppose."
"Yeah, I guess," Renji said, only slightly restraining his anger, "Who wouldn't be surprised...you two appearing out of nowhere and talking about my future like you have some right to tell me what to do! I'm not one of those noble kids, you know. I'm from the Rukongai, the lower part, you know, where if you don't fucking die of starvation, then the thieves, hollows or sicknesses usually kill you."
"Renji," Byakuya said reprovingly.
"Why don't you let me explain," Katsuro suggested.
"You know what? Keep your damned explanations!" Renji steamed, "You might have a right to come here and tell Tetsuya-san or Taichou what to do, but you can't ignore me all of my life, wait for me to build things the way I want them, fight my way to a fukutaichou's position, then just swoop in and say 'Hey Renji, tell you what. Now, we're going to tell you what you're going to drop everything and do right now.' It doesn't work like that! You can't just barge in now and make demands. You wanna have a say in what happens in my life? Then you fucking be a part of it first! Act like my goddamned father and actually be there for me for once. Then, you can start making claims on my future! I am out of here!"
"Renji!" Byakuya called after him as the fuming redhead flash stepped away.
Byakuya looked back at Katsuro with a flustered expression.
"My apologies, Katsuro. I don't know what has gotten into him."
"Sure you do," Katsuro said with perfect calm, "Renji doesn't understand who he is, and why it was impossible for me to come to him until now. I can explain to him my reasons, but I think he needs time to calm down."
"Would you like to have dinner with me while we wait for news on Tetsuya?" Byakuya offered, "I am sure that your journey was a long one."
"Yes, and I ran into a little trouble coming down. Those quincies, even beaten, are a handful."
Byakuya frowned suddenly and looked around curiously.
"What is it?" Katsuro asked.
"Your shield mate," Byakuya said, looking back at Katsuro, "I don't see your shield mate. Did he or she not come with you?"
Katsuro paused and Byakuya felt a soft shiver at the look that passed over his handsome face.
"Katsuro?" he inquired softly.
"My shield mate died in the quincy war."