Chapter 7: Darkening Dreams
Kenpachi turned in his sleep, shivering and groaning unhappily, his reiatsu hissing softly and sending uncomfortable flickers through Byakuya's sleeping mind as well. Sensing his mate's unease, Byakuya's reiatsu swirled gently around them, working to soothe the bigger man back into a deeper sleep. Oddly, as the moments crept by, instead of soothing Kenpachi, Byakuya's power caused an echo in the bond between them, and the sleeping noble received what was also passing through his husband's tormented mind.
"Yachiru?" Kenpachi called, looking around and scanning the tumbled wreckage of the area they had been protecting, "Yachiru, where did you run off to? Get your ass back here!"
He panted harshly, feeling the sting of too many leaking wounds and struggling to remember how he had gotten them.
"Yachiru!"
Kenpachi's troubled visions flickered and he saw flashes of deeply disturbing sights. Byakuya, surrounded in a huge swell of his own petals as they closed in and seemed to swallow him whole...a large group of his own fighters, screaming and attacking themselves with their own weapons...scattered warriors stumbling through the debris, and falling to the fury of the enemy's assault, and a nameless, hooded creature that made a bloodcurdling shriek that froze him in place, his arms and legs twisting until the bones cracked and shattered.
"F-FUCK!" he shouted, sitting up in bed and watching as his reiatsu shook the room ominously.
Somewhere down the hallway, the babies began to wail. Kenpachi shook his head ruefully, then realized that Byakuya was sitting up and watching him closely.
"Are you all right?" he asked, sounding as though he knew quite well that he wasn't.
"Hell no," Kenpachi sighed, "I guess this enemy's gotten under my skin a little. I don't like this fucking around they're doing. They're gathering information, but they're also screwing with our heads."
"I agree," Byakuya said softly, "I am equally concerned. But...we will talk in a moment. I am going to check in on the children."
"Yeah, I'll come with you," Kenpachi offered.
"Appropriate, since it was your reiatsu that woke them," Byakuya sighed.
"Eh, lay off, Princess," the bigger man grumbled, slipping a chilled hand into Byakuya's, "It's been a rough night."
"So it seems," Byakuya noted, "Not just for you, though. I was seeing what was passing through your mind. Your reiatsu was also leaking through the link between us."
"Figures. Sorry about that."
"It's not like you can control it," Byakuya reminded him, "and it is probably good in that it allows me to see what is troubling you, without you having to verbalize it. You are very concerned about the enemy that we cannot see. It troubles me too, Kenpachi."
Kenpachi nodded.
"It should. You got your bankai up finally, but it's still shaky and you know it."
"So, if we encounter trouble, I will simply focus more on using my speed and kido ability."
"Although nothing seems to help that much against these guys, whoever they are," the bigger man complained, "They can take out a bunch of my men without us being able to learn anything about them at all. And we're not the only division being bled by these fuckers."
"Yes," Byakuya agreed, "and what makes it more disturbing is that they seem to register the different areas of focus our squads have. They know that your men are hand-to-hand fighters who do not use flash step and kido as much, and that the second division is fast and stealthy. In fact, they haven't challenged the second like they have challenged the rest of us."
"Pretty fundamental," Kenpachi concluded, "Everyone knows about the second division's stealth, but the other squads' abilities are more varied. They want their shit together when they do decide to make their move."
Kenpachi's eyes scanned the darkened gardens.
"Has your cousin finished preparations for the evacuations you guys were planning?" he asked warily.
"Yes, he presented the final plans to the elders yesterday, and they were approved. The main focus will be on ensuring the protection of the children and getting the women and children into the compound quickly, as soon as we are aware there is an attack."
Kenpachi scowled.
"I don't like having to sit and wait for them to make a move. I feel like they're jerking us around, and if they're doing that, I'm sure they're gathering other intelligence too. It doesn't take too long to figure out that they will want to take out as many powerful people as they can."
"And because the noble families are known for birthing a large percentage of the more powerful shinigamis, as well as dominating the court of Central 46, they will target our households and gathering places."
"Your elders need to be sure that those bastards don't get wind of our plans," Kenpachi grumbled warningly, "They do and it's going to bring hell down on us."
Byakuya looked back at him unhappily.
"I have a feeling that hell will seem a paradise if their power is what our intelligence is sensing it is."
"Don't worry about it," Kenpachi rumbled softly, "They fuck with us, we'll burn them out."
The two ended their conversation as they entered the nursery and found twelve attendants feeding and soothing the throng of squalling infants.
"Hey, what the hell is up with all of you?" Kenpachi complained, "Bunch of noisy brats..."
Several of the crying babies paused and looked up at Kenpachi with widened eyes, and the smallest boy reached out for the big man, squawking excitedly.
"Come here, Yajuuro," Kenpachi welcomed him, gathering the baby into his arms and cuddling him against a warm shoulder, "My little runt. Daddy's got you."
"Da!" the tot yelled happily, grabbing at the long strands of his hair.
Byakuya picked up blue-eyed Kazuki and held him in the crook of an arm, kissing him on the forehead and whispering soothing words into his ear until he drifted off. He laid the baby in his bed and moved on to Shika's crib, while Kenpachi calmed Keiko and Kioko. The two worked their way around the room, assisting the attendants until all of the babies had drifted off again, then they exited the nursery and headed back to the master suite.
"They're loud, but they're damned cute," Kenpachi commented, "Kinda like you and me. I'm loud, you're cute."
"What an amusing observation," Byakuya yawned, smiling as Kenpachi's arm wrapped around him and yanked him in for a long, penetrating kiss.
He started to say more, but was interrupted by an equine squeal as Tetsuya appeared astride his black Arabian stallion and charged across the gardens, then sent the horse sailing over the back gate and down the forest trail.
"That's looks like trouble," Kenpachi said, ducking into the room and grabbing his sword, "Come on!"
Byakuya summoned his weapon to his hand, and the two sped along the path that Arashi had taken. They heard the stallion somewhere ahead of them, neighing and crashing through brush, and continued the chase that led them through the forest, over the cliff beside the waterfall, and into the meadow near the moonlit lake, where they found Tetsuya walking Arashi and scanning the area carefully.
"Tetsuya!" Byakuya called to his cousin, flash stepping to meet the two as Tetsuya turned back in their direction, "What is it? Who were you following?"
"I'm not sure," the blue-eyed noble answered worriedly, "You know that because of the concern about enemy attacks, I have set in place at night a net of mist I lay down that is infused with my power. If anything or anyone who is not granted permission to be here enters the grounds, I sense it as soon as they come into contact with the mist."
"Yes," Byakuya affirmed, "I was aware you had begun to use that method to protect us during the night. And...you picked up a signal?"
"Yes," Tetsuya confirmed, "There were two distinct signals. What is most worrisome is where they appeared."
"What do you mean?" Byakuya asked, frowning.
"They were not near any entrance when I first sensed them, and that means that either they reached the points they did without using any of our entrances and they did not make contact with any of the mist or that they found a way to neutralize some of my mist. I don't understand. I should have sensed them before they were inside!"
Byakuya felt a chill go through his abdomen.
"Did you catch sight of anyone? Did you see what either of the intruders looked like?" he asked.
"I am sorry," Tetsuya said, shaking his head, "I only saw a flash of white clothing."
"Damn," Kenpachi sighed, "Sounds like the same bastards that were testing the gates. It looks like they're testing the defenses of the noble families as well as the military."
"They seem to just be interested in watching, at this point," Tetsuya went on, "But we cannot take the chance of letting them attack the manor."
"No," Byakuya agreed, "It just seems that we cannot protect the full grounds. Tetsuya, I want you to pull the guards into the main courtyard and gardens. We cannot protect the more remote sections of the property. These enemies can hide too easily there. But they don't seem able as yet to approach the closer areas."
"Or they just want to watch and will invade on their own schedule," Kenpachi complained, "Damn it all to hell, I want to get them before they can do that!"
"But it is impossible to attack an enemy we cannot see," Byakuya said uneasily, "One we cannot anticipate! Tetsuya, you are going to have to be extremely careful when Kenpachi and I are away on duty."
"I have already posted extra guards," Tetsuya concurred, "And I can have a few more roving sentries if we pull everyone into the courtyard and gardens around the house."
"With all of those eyes watching, if they do get in, you'll be able to get to them quickly," Kenpachi concluded, "Although, getting to them has only ended up so far with a lot of our soldiers getting killed and none of them even making out who was doing the killing. It's a bad situation all around."
"I just hope that..." Byakuya began, but he froze as the Seireitei alarms began to wail in the distance.
"Son of a bitch!" Kenpachi hissed.
Red alert! a stern voice announced, Officer down at the western gate. Third and fourth divisions are responding. All non-committed captains report immediately to the first division. All non-committed captains report to the first division, immediately!
"That's us, Byakuya!" Kenpachi cried, breaking into a run and heading back to towards the main house.
"Tetsuya, bring the house guards to alert and prepare in case we need to evacuate!" Byakuya called out, breaking into flash steps and racing after Kenpachi.
The two captains reached the main house together, and dashed into their bedroom, where they hurriedly dressed and raced off to the first division. They were met with a scene of chaos as they arrived and slid to a stop. Healers bent over a bloodied and unmoving Chijirou Sasakibe as the captain commander looked on with devastated eyes.
"I can't get a response!" cried the one of the healers, "He's not responding to anything!"
"Keep trying!" Yamamoto ordered the young man, "Chojirou!"
Byakuya and Kenpachi remained still, watching in dismay as the healers tried, without success to revive the fallen vice captain. More captains and vice captains arrived and took positions near Byakuya and Kenpachi, waiting warily as the healers struggled for a time, then finally looked up at the captain commander through shattered eyes.
"I...I am s-sorry, sir!" the young, male healer sobbed, "There was...nothing we could do!"
"I understand," Yamamoto said in a low, stiff voice, "It is not your fault. Please, remove him to the fourth division and prepare him for ritual burning."
"S-sir?" the healer questioned, gazing up at him.
"It is what he would have wanted," the head captain continued, more softly, "It is what he deserves."
Byakuya suffered an inward shiver as the healers lifted Chojirou's limp body and carried him past the gathered officers. He felt Kenpachi's arm wrap around him and leaned against his husband's shoulder while the officers worked to gather themselves.
"Please take your places," Yamamoto said finally.
The captains arranged themselves in two lines, while the vice captains knelt at the end of the rows.
"I don't think I have to impress upon all of you the seriousness of our situation," the head captain began, "A short time ago, the western wall was attacked, and Chojirou and one hundred first division troops were fatally wounded."
He paused as several soft, shocked inhales sounded.
"The enemy then appeared in my office," Yamamoto went on, "They were dressed in white and their faces were covered. They informed me that their army will attack Soul Society in five days! I was also able to learn that the enemy has found a way to seal our bankai, so you must be very careful when you engage them. Our intelligence has indicated that our enemy is none other than a society of quincies of unknown size that appears to have thwarted the effort to annihilate them after the last quincy war. At this time, we have no information at all on where their base is located, or how they are able to penetrate our defenses. As much as I would like to attack them now, I cannot give that order, considering we do not know where to find them. We must put all of our efforts into preparation for their attack. We must prepare quickly. We do not know if they will adhere to what they have said about the five days, or if war will come upon us sooner, so I want all of you to return to your divisions, call in all of your soldiers and prepare for immediate war deployment!"
"Yes sir!" the captains and vice captains exclaimed.
"You are dismissed."
Byakuya flash stepped to Kenpachi's side as the bigger man prepared to leave for the eleventh.
"Kenpachi..."
"Looks like we'll be busy at work for a while," Kenpachi said regretfully, "Can you get word back to your cousin about the coming attack?"
"I already have, and Tetsuya is going to arrange for the children to be secretly moved to the evacuation site now, before any fighting breaks out. He'll be using his waterforms and decoys to hide their passage. They will be safe, Kenpachi."
"Good," Kenpachi said approvingly, "Then, we can focus on kicking the asses of those quincies as soon as they make their entrance! I'm going."
He bent and kissed the noble warmly on the mouth.
"You be careful, all right?"
"Don't insult me," Byakuya snapped softly, squeezing his husband's hand in parting.
He watched as Kenpachi ran out the first division doors.
"You be careful as well, my love," he whispered.
"Captain!" Renji yelled, flash stepping to Byakuya's side, with Rukia a step behind.
"Renji?"
"I sent out the recall order. The men are responding. Officer Rikichi asked for permission to continue helping Tetsuya to move the children, and I okayed it."
"Fine," Byakuya said, nodding, "He has been through the evacuation procedures with Tetsuya before, so he'll be helpful there. I want you to go ahead to our division and gather everyone for a division wide meeting in the courtyard."
"Yes sir!"
Byakuya watched as Renji flash stepped away, then turned his attention to his sister.
"Rukia, I know that you have to report to your captain, but before you go, I just wanted to tell you...to be cautious. Mind what you have learned. Be safe."
"I will," Rukia said, smiling up at him, "You be safe too, Brother."
Byakuya gazed down into her eyes for a moment longer and touched her face lightly with his fingertips.
"Goodbye, Rukia."
"Goodbye...Byakuya," she answered sadly, watching as he turned and flash stepped away.
Byakuya hurried on to the sixth division, his mind replaying the grim last moments of Chojirou Sasakibe's life and his heart pounding.
We have nothing to go on, right now. We have no way to deal with these invaders when they appear. And we know that when we do engage them, they have some way to seal our bankai. We must learn the mechanism they will use for that, so that we can protect our attack ability.
He ran up the steps and into the sixth division, where he found Renji directing arriving soldiers out into the courtyard.
"Renji, how are preparations going?"
"Well, sir," the redhead reported, "We're almost ready for you."
"Very well. Let me know when the troops are assembled."
"Yes sir!"
Byakuya walked to his desk and sat down, addressing right away the reports describing the attack on the western gate and the death of Chojirou Sasakibe. He reread the head captain's orders and prepared his thoughts for the gathering of troops. Renji appeared a short time later.
"They're ready for you now, sir."
"Thank you, Abarai."
He followed Renji to the courtyard and stood in front of the hundreds of soldiers, gathering himself as he prepared to brief them. But as he opened his mouth to begin, a cry went up by the entry to the barracks and flash steps sounded all around. He recognized one of the approaching men as a young attendant from the main household.
"Akio," he greeted the youth, "I can see that something serious has happened. What is it?"
"L-lord Byakuya!" the attendant cried, "Our cousin, Tetsuya, and the ones who were escorting the heir and her siblings have all disappeared! The children are gone too!"
"What?" Byakuya breathed, his chest tightening, "What did you say?"
"And it is not just Tetsuya and the children from our household," Akio sobbed, "The heirs of the five great houses were all taken!"
"Oh my kami!" Byakuya whispered, feeling as though the breath had been sucked from his lungs.
He stiffened and his mind raced as Akio continued to explain. He nodded as the attendant concluded and met Akio's frightened eyes bracingly.
"Go back to the household and sound the alarms. Evacuate everyone else now, while we still have a chance!"
"What about Kaminari and the other children? My brothers, Torio and Koji? Our cousin, Tetsuya? We must look for them!"
Byakuya felt a heaviness rise up in the pit of his stomach.
"We do not know where the enemy is. If we focus on trying to find them, then there will be countless more deaths if they attack us. I want you to get the evacuation underway, then gather a small group of family with tracking ability to try to find Tetsuya's trail. Was Arashi found?"
"No sir! He seems to be gone as well."
"That is not good news," Byakuya said darkly, "I am very concerned about what the enemy will have done with them. If they suspect Tetsuya knows where the evacuation site is, they will torture him to get him to reveal it."
Fresh tears leaked onto Akio's face.
"I will go and start the evacuation now!" he said, rubbing his eyes and sniffing softly, "And I will help to find the children, Lord Byakuya. I swear, I will not stop until we bring them home!"
