Ne, Taichou...I'm coming back.
Chapter 7: Fuku-taichou
Byakuya sat down on his chair with a sigh. It has been a while since the return of his fuku-taichou and the start of the feeling of unease in his heart. He had wondered as to why this feeling keeps on pestering him throughout the day. He looked at the empty desk at the side of the room and remembered the argument that brought forth the emptiness of the place.
Genryuusai, the 1st squad captain had ordered him to not let Abarai Renji, his fuku-taichou, go to work, or anywhere in general that he will not be guarded. The initial plan was twenty four hour surveillance on the red head but Byakuya was against it. He knew that once Renji found out about the surveillance he would find means to escape the situation, giving the first squad captain reason to give Renji the ultimatum that he is currently facing.
The question now, even if Byakuya had agreed to this temporary solution of protecting the red head from the danger that he doesn't know, is why he was avoiding the red head. Byakuya sighed again. It was the least of his problems as of the moment. Hisana had enlightened him as to what is happening but it took some time to sink in. He had first considered that it was just the relief of having his vice-captain; a person secretly considers his friend, return to him. Then again, this fluttering feeling had been there even before the disappearance of the red head.
He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Still in a mental conflict, Byakuya?"
A voice asked. Byakuya didn't even need to open his eyes to recognize the voice since it was a voice that he had been hearing ever since Rukia first went to the world of the living. "Whatever do you mean, Kurosaki?" he asked with a voice that efficiently hid his inner turmoil.
Ichigo chuckled. "You know what I mean, Bya, no point in hiding it. So...where is that baboon breath anyway?"
Byakuya sent a glare his way. "I would appreciate it if you stop bad mouthing my subordinates."
"You didn't seem to mind when I badmouthed the rest of your squad the last time." Ichigo said with a teasing tone.
Byakuya sent another glare his way, more intense than the first and Ichigo knew that he had to stop or he'll be running out of the office faster than you can say 'Bankai'.
"But seriously." Ichigo said as he sat on the empty desk. "The others are eager to see him, where is he anyway?" he asked. Byakuya looked at him for a moment and decided that it would be probably fine if he told the young shinegami of his vice-captain's ware bouts "He's at the Kuchiki household." Byakuya answered calmly.
"Really now, I didn't know that the two of you had already gotten that far--"
"By the order of Genryuusai." Byakuya finished.
"Oh…." Ichigo said. He then fell silent.
A few more moments of silence passed, neither of the two men having an idea what else to bring up.
A breeze passed, carrying a small piece of paper in the room which landed on Byakuya's desk.
Both men's eyes shot open. They looked at each other briefly before they were gone in a blink of an eye.
The paper fluttered to the floor, it's message appeared to be burning with the red ink used to write on it.
The message seemed to mock the sunlight that illuminated it, giving it an ethereal glow.
'We have Abarai Renji'
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Chapter 7 is done! Hope you guys like it! Review, ne?
