Chapter 8
The room that was their prison was stifling, cramped. It seemed that every breath he took, he was having to share it with the person next to him. There was no space to call his own, no space that he could just settle into and forget about the world outside. He was stuck, trapped in a cage with no hope of getting out.
Ichisaki's mind hadn't stopped churning with the woman's words ever since he had been returned to their prison, sitting on his bed with the letter opener in hand. He didn't understand why the woman wanted it, why she thought it symbolic other than to portray his father's stunning Zanpakutō. He was bothered by it, but no amount of thinking was giving him the answer.
The soft bong overhead sounded to announce the arrival of their food, and as it had done before, a square hatch slid back to allow the platform laden with food to lower in. The two mothers and Ichisaki with Rukisana stepped up to see the array of meals, being chicken, fish and vegetables over rice.
With a sigh, Ichisaki took a box for himself and went back to his bed without even looking at the others.
"What's wrong, Ichi?" Rukisana asked as she took her box and joined him.
Ichisaki shrugged, "I don't know... That woman bothers me, Ruki." He said before beginning to eat.
Isane and Nanao took the rest of the boxes and went to their beds, where Nanao began to feed her young daughter and Isane cared for Akamaru. Both the younger toddlers were all too happy to eat while their caregivers enjoyed their meals, and there attention was only drawn away from the food as the platform raised and disappeared through its hidden hatch.
"You never saw her face?" Rukisana asked quietly, plucking a vegetable from the top with her chopsticks.
Ichisaki shook his head, "No... She just circled me the whole time." He took another bite.
"I don't understand why she wants Dad's letter opener. How did she know you have it?" Rukisana asked, leaning a bit closer to her brother to keep her voice down.
Ichisaki shrugged, "I don't know. Maybe she saw it when I took it out earlier. She is watching us." He nearly whispered.
"Maybe... It just seems odd. What is she getting at?" Rukisana asked without expecting an answer.
"Don't tell Mama Isane, or Mrs. Nanao, but I think she's had encounters with Mom and Dad in the passed." Ichisaki said, this time in a whisper so his voice didn't carry.
Rukisana lightly gasped, "W-What? Really?"
Ichisaki nodded, "Yeah... She said something about Papa Uki having told her something in the past."
"What? Did she say?" Rukisana asked, continuing to eat.
"That children have no place on the field of battle." Ichisaki said, taking a bite of his food.
"Papa Uki's always told us that. For as long as I can remember anyways." Rukisana said.
"He has... In a serious fight, he won't fight a kid." Ichisaki whispered.
"I think you might be right then... I think maybe she took us because she's after revenge against them for something." Rukisana said before returning to her meal.
"I coulda told you that." Ichisaki sighed.
"Do you think she'll wanna talk to you again?" Rukisana asked after a moment to allow her to finish chewing.
"Probably, but when, I don't know. She might wanna talk to you too." Ichisaki said without looking up from his food.
"Why?"
"I think she wants us to not care about Mom and Dad anymore. I mean... It falls in line with being called the Bond Breaker." Ichisaki said, this time glancing up at his sister.
"What? I'll never stop caring about Mom and Dad!" Rukisana yelped in a harsh whisper.
"Ssh-... I didn't say you would, I'm just saying I think that's what she wants." Ichisaki snapped back.
"Either way, I'll never stop loving Mom and Dad." Rukisana said lowly.
"I know, and truthfully, neither will I." Ichisaki said.
"But then why are you giving Dad such a hard time?" Rukisana asked, stopping her eating long enough to watch her brother.
Ichisaki froze for a moment, unable to take the bite that was clutched between his chopsticks. He didn't know anymore why he was going against his father's wishes so much, why he was talking back, or going against the rules. He thought that it would help his father see things from his point of view, but now, he didn't know if it was actually working.
"I-I... I don't know anymore. I thought maybe it would help Dad see things how we see them, but... I think now I understand that all it's managed to do was make him mad at me." Ichisaki sighed as he set his food down on his bed.
"He's not mad at you... He loves you." Rukisana said, still watching Ichisaki.
"I know he does... I love him too... I love Mom... I just wanna go home." Ichisaki said with the softest of sniffles.
"We'll get to soon, Ichi. Mom and Dad are coming for us. I know it." Rukisana said as she rested a hand on Ichisaki's slumped shoulder.
Ichisaki nodded, "I do too... I wanna tell him I'm sorry."
The dark corridor seemed endless, long and without a single twist, bend, rise, or fall. They could fall asleep and continue to walk without having to worry about going astray from their path. The moment they stepped through the door that had opened near the pool, it closed behind them, cutting them off from being able to backtrack. They only had one way to go, and that was forwards.
Byakuya's thigh stung with each step, but he could walk without a limp and at length. He had certainly had worse injuries in his day, including having to slice his own wrist and leg, if at all to keep them from being taken over by a rather humorous looking Arrancar. He had been run through more times than he could count, used as a pincushion, skewered by a javelin and his hand had even been fractured when Nyruki had clutched it too tightly when she was giving birth to their twins. A throb and a sting was certainly something he could live through.
A sudden and soft touch on his arm was enough to draw him from his thoughts, looking over to see his beloved wife whose hair was still damp from their sudden swim. Her Shihakushō hung against her body, heavy from the water and the added weight highlighted the figure he loved so much.
"How're you doing?" Nyruki asked softly with a sweet smile across her lips.
"I'm fine." Byakuya said, returning that smile as he raised his hand to rest it against her cheek.
"Good." She near whispered.
Byakuya's smile briefly widened before he took his hand away, drawing in a deep breath as they all continued to walk. Light after light passed overhead, and all of them had given up counting those very lights forever ago.
"Nii-Sama! There's something up ahead!" Rukia's voice said suddenly from the front of the line, halting them all dead in their tracks, save for Byakuya whom continued until he stood next to her.
"What is it?" He asked, his brows lightly furrowed.
"Look... Pinned to the wall." Rukia pointed just up ahead.
Byakuya's eyes followed her finger until they fell on an arrow sticking out from the wall, pinning a new piece of paper in place. It was several steps up ahead, but he was still on high alert from recent events.
Blowing out a slightly shaking breath, Byakuya kept his eyes locked on the corridor as he dared a single step forward, listening, waiting for any indication that something was going to happen. He took another and again, stopped to listen, then another, and another, all the while with seven sets of ears listening for something to happen.
With one more step, Byakuya came to stand in front of the new piece of paper, but it was folded in half so he couldn't see what was on it. He would have to remove the arrow and that made his stomach flutter with nerves.
He glanced back at the others before he reached up and yanked the arrow free only for nothing happen.
He started to breathe again as he stepped back to the group and opened the paper to reveal a new riddle.
Very well done, I hope I made you sweat.
It's a fun little ride that ends with you wet.
I laughed and laughed as I watched you crawl.
All the way until you met that wall.
Oh I enjoyed it, I surely did.
But you are far from done, for that I forbid.
This is where the major fun begins.
You'll have to use your brains to save your own skins.
"She watched us that entire time?" Ukitake asked airily with his dark brows pulling down hard over his eyes.
"She can see us wherever we are. Now that we are in her domain, we can't stray from her path." Byakuya said, glancing over to Nyruki to match her barely contained worry.
"Wonderful. We're completely at her mercy then." Kyōraku grumbled as he crossed his arms and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"As if we haven't been already." Renji scoffed.
"I don't like that last line... If nearly scorching us to charcoal isn't major fun, then what is?" Ichigo asked, crossing his arms tightly over his chest.
"All we can do is continue until... something pops up." Byakuya said, releasing an uneasy sigh.
"I really hope there's no more crazy dark water slides." Renji shuttered.
Byakuya handed the new message for Renji to archive before he took Nyruki's hand and continued to walk, keeping his eyes open for any sign of a trap that was poised to cause them harm. His gut churned with nerves as he questioned every seem, every crack, every shadow that a trap could be laying in wait, but the more steps they took, the more nothing happened.
"Why haven't we come across another trap?" Ukitake asked a bit quietly, his voice bouncing off the close walls of the corridor to make it loud enough for the others to hear.
"Because I don't think we've actually come across any, Papa. I think that whole mess in that passage was supposed to happen the way it did." Nyruki said, looking back over her shoulder at him.
"I'm afraid she's right, Jūshirō. So far, everything has gone according to this Bond Breaker's plans." Byakuya said, glancing to his wife still at his side.
All Ukitake could manage was a long sigh that was laced with frustration. He felt helpless, a mere pawn in a game whose rules he did not understand. He wanted to find a fault in their logic, some hole that could give him hope that they were wrong, but there simply wasn't one. He knew they were right and all he could do was submit to it.
They all walked cautiously through the dark corridor, bathed in the low glow of the firelight, until just up ahead, the dark shadow that shielded their view broke to the arrival of a tall, sculpted set of doors.
They stopped and studied its carvings, being a frozen monster with its eyes closed that sat deep in its broad head. Its forked tongue swept from between fangs that were as long as their Zanpakutōs. It was serpent like, but on such a grand scale that the frame of the doors were not enough to contain its entire form.
However, in the center of the doors, along the nearly invisible seem and seated in the monster serpent's mouth at the end of its tongue, was a small, oblong hole that was surrounded by a defined pattern.
"What in all the realms-..." Ukitake exhaled, his eyes scanning the door to drink in every detail the shadows allowed.
"A door of some sort, but how to open it doesn't seem to be as simple as pushing." Byakuya said, taking a step closer to look at the small hole.
The others all joined him and approached the door, resting their hands on the heavy metal to feel that the body of the serpent monster felt real, despite still clearly being a firm part of the door.
"This hole perhaps? Could it be the lock?" Kyōraku suggested as he looked at the others.
Renji's eyes narrowed briefly as he brushed his fingertips down the hole and over the pattern that framed it. It was familiar, a comfort that he had known ever since he had attended the Academy.
"This isn't just some random serpent monster... This is Zabimaru." Renji softly gasped as he craned his head back to look at the massive depiction of his Zanpakutō.
"I thought Zabimaru was a baboon with a snake for a tail." Rukia said, resting a hand on Renji's arm.
"It is. Zabimaru literally is Snake Tail, but it's the snake that attacks. I assume the role of the baboon during Bankai." Renji said, never taking his eyes off the depiction of his Zanpakutō spirit, or at least a portion of it.
"Then why not show the baboon as well? Why just the snake?" Ukitake asked.
Renji shrugged, "I don't know."
"The door itself is our clue. The answer to opening it lies within its carvings. It has to be you whom figures it out, Renji." Byakuya said, glancing at his brother-in-law.
Renji softly gulped as he stepped back away from the door, scanning it in its entirety from top to bottom. There were no words, no symbols, no mysterious riddles that had been etched and left for them to find. There was only the serpent whom seemed perfectly asleep, content to dream forever.
His brown eyes shifted to the oblong hole surrounded by the tsuba of Zabimaru that wasn't quite right, but the hole was far too broad for a blade. It was large enough for him to nearly fit two fingers in, but that is when his mind clicked. It wasn't the blade the hole wanted, but rather where the baboon wielded the snake.
"The handle... The tsuba is off because it's backwards! The handle of Zabimaru unlocks the door!" Renji yelped as he drew his blade from its sheath and stepped up to the door.
He flipped his Zanpakutō around so the handle was pointed towards the hole and with both hands gently, carefully grasping the deadly blade, he slid it into the hole. It was a perfect fit and once the handle was completely inside the hole, the backwards pattern met the real tsuba with a soft click that locked the sword in place.
With his Zanpakutō locked in place, the whole length of the silver blade began to glow that familiar crimson, humming with power as they all stepped back with eyes locked on the door. They expected it to open, to swing out, or slide apart, but that red power that was indicative of Renji Abarai, instead, began to bleed over the door.
"What's going on?" Renji asked, his worried eyes rapidly shifting from his beloved sword to the door whose snake was beginning to glow.
"Prepare yourselves!" Byakuya snapped as he drew Senbonzakura from its sheath.
The corridor was filled with the sound of blades clearing sheaths as the red power flowed like a river into the snake's eyes, slipping beneath the closed lids to disappear entirely. The monster serpent was consuming Zabimaru's power until the blade no longer glowed with red, but remained dormant in its katana form.
That was until the snake opened its eyes.
The metal shot open as if the snake itself was real, exposing large, bloody red eyes with tall and narrow slits that served as pupils. They stared hard at them, shifting from person to person until that very blade that had given it its power changed its shape to that of a released Zabimaru.
"Oh shit-" Renji gulped as he stood in front of Rukia to shield her.
The segmented blade of Zabimaru, still stuck in the door, rose like a cobra from a jar, aiming the largest segment that was crowned with the largest spike at them as if it was the head. It rattled like that of the end of a rattle snake's tail and the long, tightly bound tendons that allowed Zabimaru to maneuver like a whip stretched and flexed like the fibers of muscle.
Before any of them could study the sight any longer, the monster snake lashed its stolen tongue out just as if Renji was the one wielding it, slashing the spikes on the segments into the wall with ease. Each one left behind gouges that peppered dust to the floor, leaving behind more and more as the tongue whipped from side to side with the hope of making contact with flesh instead of stone.
"How do we stop it?" Ukitake howled over the hiss of the angry snake as the tongue clanged against his still sealed Zanpakutō, over and over again.
"Can't we sever the segments?" Kyōraku yelled as he grabbed Ukitake's Shikahushō just in time to yank him clear of the end of the tongue.
"No! Zabimaru will just reform! I do it all the time!" Renji answered, needing to be guarded from the tongue's assaults by Rukia since his Zanpakutō was currently their enemy.
"Tsugi no mai; Hakuren!" Rukia called out as she punctured the floor four times with Sode no Shirayuki.
The end of the white blade began to gather ice from nowhere, spreading its cold for them to feel on their skin and build a soft layer of gooseflesh.
As the tongue came sweeping by for another attempt to land a solid strike that wasn't met with an awaiting Zanpakutō, Rukia unleashed a cannon fire of ice that blasted straight into the wayward tongue, but instead of freezing it solid like any other opponent of Rukia's, it slashed the ice away to be unharmed.
"Son of a... It even has my abilities!" Renji growled angrily, having been backed into a corner by the unrelenting strikes.
"What? Zabimaru isn't immune to Rukia's abilities!" Ukitake barked with another deflection of the whipping tongue.
"No, it isn't, but I've been practicing going up against Rukia for decades! Zabimaru knows Sode no Shirayuki as well as I know Rukia!" Renji hollered, having to press himself against the wall and turn his head to the side to avoid a particularly close swipe of the tongue.
"Then Rukia can only defend! It is up to us!" Byakuya said, completely enveloped by the pink swirling of Senbonzakura as he used it to block the strikes.
Ichigo, being the most suited of the group for all out offense, used Zangetsu's size to block multiple swipes of the snake's tongue, clanging it loudly away from finding purchase in his flesh.
"Getsuga Tenshō!" Ichigo called out with a massive downswing.
The wide arc of Zangetsu sliced the air as a trailing slash of white and blue shot out, screaming the distance between them and the snake door in only a matter of time it takes to take a breath. The blast smashed into the door with a ear splitting crash that was only amplified by the close quarters of the corridor. They were forced to cover their ears as the smoke shrouded the door, obscuring the snake and its flailing tongue from view, but with the smokescreen hiding the snake, thus giving it an advantage, all swords were poised and ready.
The smoke soon cleared, and what they all had been hoping for had not come to pass. The door was still perfect, untarnished by the fearsome blast that left nothing behind. The snake's eyes were still trained on them with its narrow slits and the tongue still hovered like a charmed cobra.
"Dammit! Now what?" Ichigo snarled as the tongue lashed out once more, heading straight for his head.
With another hard clang, Ichigo blocked the strike, but no sooner did he deflect it, the spiked whip of Zabimaru headed for the only person within its range that was just as vulnerable as Renji was.
It headed straight for Rukia.
The long spike on the end of Zabimaru sliced through the air on its course for Rukia's head, its point glinting in the low light like the point of a needle. She only had one option and that was to deflect the strike. None of her abilities would work against the blade that had trained to resist her, to build a defense against the ice queen, and it was that very thought that struck fear in her racing heart.
She raised her white blade to block the attempt on her life, crossing it across her face, but the spike didn't reach her. She didn't even feel it hit her sword. She was certain that the strike would be powerful enough to knock her from her feet, but her sword didn't even move, let alone clang.
When her eyes finally refocused, she saw why; Renji was standing in front of her, blocking her view.
Her eyes shot wide as her breath caught in her throat, her heart plummeting to her feet with the thought of what she was about to see. With the spike having been coming for her head, it would strike in the middle of Renji's chest, making him suffer a slower death than if it were to strike his head. Her violet eyes stung with building tears as she lowered her sword and stepped beside him, only to see that the strike had not been as lethal as her mind had lead her to believe.
The spike had, indeed, made contact, however, it was not Renji's chest that had taken the blow, but rather his forearm that was raised across his chest. His face was contorted with a pained grimace and his teeth grit together as the pain from the wound radiated up his arm, the spike having punctured entirely through it, only to stop a mere inch from his chest. Blood dripped from the sharp tip to spat onto the floor in heavy drops, splatting like paint from the end of a brush.
"R-Renji... Are you alright?" Rukia managed to choke out, instantly relieved that the strike had not been a lethal one.
"Get back, Baka... I have to end this." Renji said, choking back his groan as he tightly gripped his arm with his other hand.
"R-Renji-" Rukia tried.
"Get back!" Renji barked as the snake's tongue began to jerk back.
Each strong tug pulled him forward, beginning to tear through his arm where he grabbed the spike with his hand in an attempt to keep it from severing his limb. The razored edge cut into his palm to spill more blood and both of the snake's eyes were trained on him as he stepped forward.
"Zabimaru! This isn't you! I know my Zanpakutō and this monster isn't you!" Renji called up to the snake monster wielding his sword.
The snake's eyes blinked as the tongue jerked more, painfully making the puncture wound bigger and coming closer to cutting his arm off.
"Listen to me! I will not fight you! Not the spirit who's been with me longer than anyone!" Renji continued, tightening his grip on the spike to keep it from moving too much.
The snake, again, blinked its fierce eyes as its pupil slits narrowed even further.
"Please! Let us pass! Let us continue to search for those we love! Let me save Akamaru who's apart of you just as much as I am! I can't save my son without you, Zabimaru!" Renji said with a crack in his voice.
The pupils of the snake's eyes widened slightly as they continued to watch Renji, still gripping the spike and keeping the tongue from doing more damage. The redhead was unmoving, unwaivering from his spot as his glistening eyes sparkled with unshed tears.
"Please, Zabimaru... Please allow us to pass through your doors and save the ones we can't live without." Renji said, this time quieter as he gulped down a groan of pain.
"I injure you, yet you plead with me as if I your equal?" Said the snake without its mouth moving, its voice low and familiar to Renji's ears; The boy whom was chained to the woman.
Renji nodded, "You are my equal, Zabimaru... You always have been."
"I-I... I don't know what's going on. I have these urges to strike at you, to draw your blood." Said the snake, whose eyes were shaking and with pupils that bounced between slits and ovals.
"You've drawn my blood, Zabimaru! You taste it!" Renji said, daring to loosen his grip on the spike.
"I do. This tang is familiar, but... I wish for more." Said the snake with a weaker jerk of its tongue.
The sudden yank on his arm sent a fire of pain up its length, making him suck in a sharp hiss of air through clenched teeth.
"Zabimaru... Listen to me. You have to snap out of it. This isn't you." Renji said, sucking in shaky breath after shaky breath to battle through the pain.
"No... Something is wrong here. Why do I wish for you to parish? Why am I seething with hatred and disdain? All I want is to tear you apart before doing the same to the others, but there is a small voice telling me I'm wrong. Who is it?" The snake asked, its pupils having settled into being ovals as they studied Renji.
"It's Baboon, Zabimaru! Your other half! You, Snake, are only one half of a whole! You remember how we are during Bankai! I am the baboon, while you the snake! You know this!" Renji called up to the snake and locking gazes with it.
"I do, I think. You and I become one where I am an extension of you." The snake said.
Renji nodded as he gulped, "Yes! If you remember, than you know we aren't enemies, Zabimaru! Look at me! Would an enemy cover their own skin in your markings?"
"You copy my markings, etch them into your own flesh... Why?" The snake asked.
"Because you and I have a bond that can't be broken, Zabimaru. Not through anything the realms could throw at us." Renji said as his hand began to lightly shake from the pain and adrenaline coursing through his veins.
"You say words that touch my heart, but are they just words? I cannot tell through this hatred haze." The snake said.
"You know they aren't just words. You know I mean every one of them from the bottom of my heart. I'm asking you to trust me, Zabimaru, trust me as you always have." Renji said as he dared to let go of the spike entirely.
With his hand off the blade, the snake moved the tongue until the tip was a breath away from Renji's throat, causing the others whom could only watch to gasp with fear that Renji's gamble was turning out to be a win for the house. He remained perfectly still, his eyes locked with the snake's as he ignored the pain in his arm and allowed the tongue to move it for him. He didn't resist it, leaving him completely at the snake's mercy, but without even looking directly at the tongue, he could see the ultra subtle shaking.
"R-Renji... Forgive me for my actions. I was blinded by this hazy fog cast upon me by this Bond Breaker, but now I see. A test of bonds was to open this door; A bond of blood that I spilt." Said the snake.
"There is nothing to forgive, Zabimaru. Our bond is deeper than blood. You and I... We are one and always will be." Renji said as he resisted the urge to gulp and risk puncturing his own throat.
"Yes. I am Zabimaru and I shall howl at the moon."
Slowly, the tongue of the giant snake began to pull away from Renji's arm, withdrawing the long spike from his flesh. The blood poured from the enlarged wound, splattering on the floor as if he had poured a glass of water and the moment the spike was completely gone, he cradled his arm to his chest and tightly gripped the wound to stem the bleeding.
However, his eyes never once broke from the snake's as they began to glow with the familiar red that was his reiatsu, creeping down the familiar markings back to his trapped Zanpakutō. Its blade began to glow like it did before as it retracted back into form, no longer hovering like a charmed snake in and of itself.
The moment the segments met each other, the blade flashed a searing red, returning to the silver katana before it slipped from the hole and clanged to the floor at the base of the door.
"Renji!" Rukia yelped as she sprang forward to his side as Renji dropped to his knees, still clutching his arm to his chest.
Renji hung his head and closed his eyes as he started to breathe again, not realizing he had been holding it while he watched the snake. His lungs burned for air that helped him to battle passed the pain in his arm that was require all of his focus, so much so that he didn't even register that Rukia had wrapped her arms around his head and brought him to her chest.
"Are you alright, Renji?" Rukia asked in just above a whisper as she caressed his slightly messed hair from the sweat that had built over his forehead.
Renji nodded, "Yes."
Finally opening his eyes, Renji sat up, noticing then that he was surrounded by all the others with Ichigo already examining his arm. The doctor had rolled up the sleeve to get an unobscured look at the nasty wound that ran a clean line nearly to his arm's edge. He realized then that if he hadn't tightly gripped the spike, then he would have lost it.
"You were damn close to losing it, Renji." Ichigo said as he pulled his black case from his Shihakushō.
"I know, but I had to risk it. Battle wasn't gonna win this one." Renji said, leaning against Rukia as he watched Ichigo work.
"How did you know?" Byakuya asked, kneeling beside him.
"When I noticed the strikes weren't going around your Zanpakutōs to land a blow. When I wield Zabimaru, I can arc it around in a curve to bypass my opponents defenses." Renji said lowly as Ichigo threaded a large curved needle with thick thread.
"Only something you would know. This was a test meant for you, Renji; Not us." Ukitake said as he grasped Renji's arm to hold it up while Ichigo began to stitch.
Renji hissed hard the second the needle punctured through his skin, but he soon battled passed it as he focused on taking long and deep breaths. Each time the needle made another pass to close the wound, the pain spiked, but with each draw of breath, the pain ebbed for a blissful moment.
"Do you think we'll all be tested like this?" Rukia asked, still softly caressing Renji's braided hair.
"No. It makes no sense to test us all in the same manner. We would know what to do from here on out." Byakuya said with a glance at Nyruki.
"Not only that, but we would become proficient at it. It would no longer be a test, just a nuisance." Ukitake added.
"I think it's safe to say that each barrier we reach will be different. No one puts this much thought into a plan, simply to fall flat now. The next test will be different and perfectly tailored to one, if not more of us." Kyōraku said, still standing and with his hands hidden in his sleeves.
"I agree, Shunsui. We must be ready for anything." Ukitake said as he looked up at his best friend.
"I don't quite understand why this Bond Breaker wanted to put Renji's bond with his Zanpakutō to the test. What would she gain by severing it?" Nyruki asked.
"A little over a decade ago, all our Zanpakutōs were tricked into rebelling against us and we were forced to battle. It was my uncle's Zanpakutō spirit that caused the rebellion and forced me to act." Byakuya said, releasing a low sigh.
"I know that, but why try again if it didn't work before?" Nyruki asked with a mild crinkle in her brows.
"It wasn't about trying again, it was about breaking us down to our cores." Renji said, watching Ichigo work as he expertly stitched the wound closed.
"Breaking our bonds... All our bonds." Ukitake said, releasing a slow sigh.
"Without our Zanpakutō spirits, or those we love, we would be shells." Byakuya added.
"We would be alone." Kyōraku near whispered.
None knew what else to say, as the Captain of Squad 8 was right. If their bonds, all of their bonds were to be broken, they would be alone and without cause, or purpose. They would no longer know love, what it felt like to be embraced by those who have wormed their way into their hearts. None wanted it to be that way, where they had nothing in a land of emptiness with only themselves for company. They wouldn't let it, no matter the cost.
With one more stitch, Renji's forearm was closed as Ichigo bit the thread and severed it, having already stitched the knot so the wound wouldn't open again.
"That'll work. Mind ditching your sleeve?" Ichigo asked as he cleaned off the curled needle on his Shihakushō.
"Not at all." Renji said before easily ripping off the torn sleeve, leaving the whole of his left arm exposed.
Ichigo took the fabric and began tearing it in a single strip, managing to turn the sleeve into a single makeshift bandage that he wrapped around the freshly closed wound. He wrapped it just tight enough so that the bandage wouldn't shift and risk catching on the loose end of thread, tucking the end behind itself to secure the bandage to Renji's arm.
With his wound tended to, Renji finally rose to his feet with Rukia's help, with what help she could provide her 6'2 husband.
"I'm starting to think this Bond Breaker wanted you to come along to keep us alive, Ichigo." Renji said with a light grimace as he gently rubbed his arm.
"I'm starting to think you're right. So far, since we've gotten here, at least one of you have been injured in some way." Ichigo said, crossing his arms once he had put his black case away.
"Mine was by my own hand. Should I have just taken a breath and slowed down, I could have broken the knot without using Kidō." Byakuya said as he subconsciously rubbed his thigh where his still sore injury was.
"But you couldn't have known what was at the end of that slide, Byakuya. You did what you could to ensure you were prepared for what was to come." Ukitake said.
"True, but the fact the I injured myself inadvertently is more than a little embarrassing." Byakuya said with a slump in his shoulders.
"I would've thought you would've been used to that by now, Byakuya. Remember the time your son kicked your family jewels at the park?" Nyruki started to lightly chuckle.
Byakuya groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose, "How could I forget? The mere thought makes my... uh... region ache out of sympathy."
"And rightfully so." Nyruki chuckled more.
"Please tell me what happened. Pretty please with a cherry on top." Ichigo grinned.
Byakuya groaned again.
"Well, it was a beautifully sunny day when the twins were two-" Nyruki began.
8 years ago
The sun sat perfectly overhead in the cloudless sky, warming the air to a perfect degree that was comforting and soothing. The cool and gentle breeze rustled the trees in the wide open park near Squad 13, spreading the little pink dots of the cherry trees all around like a Spring snow.
The small toddlers ran around in crazy circles trying to catch them for themselves, giggling and laughing as their mother and father watched from the large blanket they had spread over the lush green grass. Their joy reached their parents and neither could resist the gentle smile at the sight of their twins playing the day away.
"To think that two years has already gone by. They've grown so fast." Byakuya said, watching his small son and daughter playing with their handfuls of cherry blossom petals.
"Tis the nature of children, My Dear. They can't stay small forever." Nyruki said as she softly rested her hand over his on the blanket.
At her touch, he looked away from his babies to admired how the sun's rays reflected off his wife's pale skin. Two years had already gone by since they had wed, two years since their beautiful children were born. He couldn't believe that so much time had already passed him by and he could remember each day, each moment spent with his family that he couldn't fathom living without.
As he focused on her eyes, content to fall into their golden depths, he was suddenly tackled by a tiny soul with jet black hair and golden eyes like his mother.
"Daddy! Pway wiff me!" Giggled a little Ichisaki, splattering his small handful of cherry blossoms all over Byakuya's chest.
Byakuya chuckled back as he feigned falling over onto his back, completely overwhelmed by the tiny two year old.
"What is this? I have been overpowered by the most powerful being known to exist!" Byakuya laughed, pretending to cower at his son's playful attack.
The small boy chuckled as he sat on his father's chest, "I got ooo, Daddy!"
Nyruki lightly laughed as Ichisaki's twin sister, Rukisana, came over and sat down in her lap.
"What am I to do now? Have I met my end by this small beast?" Byakuya continued as he acted out his defeat.
Ichisaki giggled, "My Daddy woo fight back!"
Byakuya grinned mischievously, "Why yes he would!'
With a wailing squeal of glee from his son, Byakuya grabbed ahold of his baby boy and rolled to his side, tickling him furiously to elicit ear splitting squeals and laughs that drew the attention of the others in the park.
"Daddy! No faiaw! Ooo not tickwish!" Ichisaki laughed as he curled up into a ball to defend against his father's unrelenting attack.
"Exactly! Always know your opponent!" Byakuya laughed as he continued to tickle his boy.
Ichisaki, completely consumed by his father's playful assault, began to flail in an attempt to get away and have his father chase him. His loud giggles continued as he rolled over to face his father, still trying to grab ahold of Byakuya's far larger arms when his small leg swung back and launched forward.
In that very instance, Ichisaki's small foot landed hard against Byakuya's groin, smashing his manhood so hard that his stomach instantly curdled. He yelped as he curled into a ball and all the giggling stopped, his whole body shaking from the hit that made his head spin. The park had suddenly turned abnormally quiet, but Byakuya didn't give a damn as he used all his will power not to throw up.
"Daddy? Aw ooo ok?" Ichisaki asked quietly, beginning to cry with the fear that he was in trouble.
Byakuya groaned as he started to breath again and popped open an eye, "Yes... I'll be fine." He groaned out.
The stunned silence of the park was soon broken as Nyruki and little Rukisana started to laugh out loud, covering their mouths to try and hide their smirks from the man of the house whom glared at them with irritation.
"This... isn't... funny." Byakuya groaned again as he buried his face in the blanket.
"Yes, it is, My Dear."
"I cannot express how happy that makes me." Ichigo said, covering his mouth to hide his laughter.
"You just wait until you have small ones and they kick you where it counts." Byakuya grumbled as he lolled his head back to glare up at the tall ceiling.
"I wish I could've seen it!" Ichigo laughed as he slapped his knee and continued to laugh.
At Ichigo's laughter, Byakuya couldn't stop the soft creaking of a smile from spreading across his face. He remembered that day clearly, as if he was looking at a photo that was forever etched into his mind. Sure, the pain from being kicked in the groin by his child made his stomach flip, but he couldn't bring himself to hate the memory. His children, his son and daughter, they were his world, his sole reason for existing and without them, he felt empty and as cold as he was before Nyruki came into his life.
With them missing, held captive against their will by someone seething with hatred, his heart ached with that pang he loathed. He wanted his babies back, safe in his arms where he could protect them. He didn't need to ask to know Nyruki felt the same and no matter what obstacles stood in their way, he would fight, if at all to be granted the gift of making more memories.
"I hope to make more memories with my children." Byakuya said after a few moments as his eyes turned sad, distant.
"We will, Byakuya." Nyruki said in nearly a whisper as she rested a hand on his upper arm.
"She'll try, but I know for a fact that our bonds with each other are stronger than she can fathom." Ukitake said with a reassuring smile.
"I hope you're right, Jūshirō." Byakuya said lowly.
"I know I am," his smile briefly widened, "Come on... Lets press on." Ukitake added after a moment and taking a step towards the opened door.
The group all turned to follow down the corridor, all with silent guesses of what could happen next. They feared what awaited them down that corridor, but would face whatever it was head on and without hesitation. All were willing to lay down their lives to save their children and that, was something the Bond Breaker could never plan for.
