Hooray another chapter complete. I'm really starting to enjoy writing these chapters now that it is getting so deep into the story line.

Also when you guys read this chapter my reading week will be coming to an end but I assure you I got a lot of work done with it, and my brand new laptop was of great assitance.

Well enjoy the chapter!


Traitor

As soon as Byakuya saw the face recognition dawned on him as to why he had recognized his voice. Down on his knee's in front of this royal leader and with his hands restrained behind his back was Daiki Kuchiki.


Byakuya's minimal reiatsu flared the instant he saw Daiki's face. Byakuya was so weakened though that as his reiatsu began to flare out of control his face went white and he passed out. Before either Renji or Byakuya could fall to the ground they were each caught by another. Ginrei had caught Byakuya under his arm's, and he was slowly lowered to the ground where his grandfather began to heal him and restore his reiatsu using his own. Renji was now being supported by the new stranger.

"Is he okay Ginrei? Please tell me he's okay!" Renji yelled becoming frantic when he noticed Byakuya's amount of blood loss. He struggled free from the stranger's grasp in an attempt to go to Byakuya's face but before he took more than a single step he fell down and soon passed out.

The last thing he could remember was being rolled over by the stranger and him saying something along the lines of 'The same stubbornness'.


When Renji awoke he was lying on his back in his and Byakuya's bed at the Mansion. Things were still foggy in his mind as if though he had been drugged. He looked over and found that Byakuya was lying next to him as well. When he saw the bandages over his shoulder everything came rushing back with vivid clarity.

"Holy Shit…Daiki Kuchiki" Renji questioned to himself. It all seemed like a dream and yet he knew it was real. The scary Zanpaktou, The Royal Stranger, and Daiki Kuchiki.

"Ah Master Renji! Oh good You're awake." Renji's thoughts were interrupted by his and Byakuya's personal servant.

"Hitoshi? How long have we been in bed?" Renji asked. It still looked to be about midday but He wasn't too sure about the length of time he had been resting.

"You and Master Byakuya have been asleep for almost a full day sir. You're injuries have healed nicely, but the man from the Royal Guard said that due to the effects of the zanpaktou wielded by the traitor you needed much rest." Hitoshi explained.

"Oh ya that zanpaktou. Wait…A royal guard member saved my life? Why is he even in the sereitei?" Renji asked aloud to himself.

"Yes sir. The man will not tell the house members or the elders anything until you and Master Byakuya awaken. He has been keeping to himself since he assured your safety." The servant explained.

"Wait…He's still here?" Renji asked in confusion.

"Yes sir. He was given access to a private guesthouse on the other end of the gardens." Hitoshi told Renji.

"Alright Hitoshi thank you for the information. You may leave. I will wake Byakuya myself." Renji dismissed the servant with ease. Since living with Byakuya he had become accustomed to certain aspects of a noble life. Hitoshi bowed and closing the door behind him he left the couple alone.

Renji leaned over Byakuya and nuzzled his face into his partners neck. Slowly he kissed his way up to Byakuya's lips. Lightly he nibbled on them trying to stimulate Byakuya into wakefulness.

"Ugh…Renji?" Byakuya opened his eyes slightly. "Wait…when did we…"Byakuya started before his eyes came into focus. Suddenly he bolted upright, knocking Renji off. "Sorry…"

"It's fine Byakuya. I understand it's a lot to remember. Just relax a little okay." Renji said comforting Byakuya as he began to remember everything. His reiatsu began to flare again as he remembered all of the events that had happened when he was conscious.

"Bastard!" Renji stared in shock at the words that had just come out of Byakuya's mouth. "He will pay grievously for his crimes…Renji are you okay?" Byakuya asked Renji in concern when he looked at his partner to find his face frozen in shock.

"Uhh…ya I'm fine…Just a little shocked that you let that word come out of your mouth is all. I guess Ginrei was right when he said I was going to be your influence. Not too sure this is what he had in mind though." Renji said chuckling at his partner as his face reddened. He was not used to slips of the tongue and Renji had just pointed out one that was very inappropriate.

"Hmmm…Lets just forget that shall we?" Byakuya said with a very mischevious look in his eye. Renji knew something was in store for him if he said no so instead he nodded his head in agreement. "Good. Now it's time we get up. I do believe we have been asleep for a while thanks to Seiryoku."

"Seiryoku?" Renji asked in confusion. He had never heard that name before.

"Yes Seiryoku. It is the name of that zanpaktou we were attacked with. It was an artifact of the Kuchiki clans' but it went missing about 3 months ago. We had no clues about its disappearance and now I know why. The one in charge of the security of such an artifact was Daiki." Byakuya said with his eyes narrowing at the name of the traitor. "I am very glad that our Royal guest showed up because if Daiki had released that zanpaktou in our prescense we likely would have been drained of all of our reiatsu and our spirit centers would have shut down resulting in either death or the permanent change into human form." Byakuya explained while Renji listened intently about his would have been doom.

"Wow…That's crazy." Renji said as he absorbed it all. "Now that you've brought it up though, I think you would appreciate knowing that the royal member is still here. In fact he apparently was waiting for us to awaken." Renji informed Byakuya of the current situation.

"Well He will have to wait a little longer. We have a traitor to deal with. Come Renji let's get ready." Byakuya said getting out of bed and heading to bathroom in order to get ready for the rest of the day they had left.

Once they were all washed up they headed to the council room. Somehow all of the elders had already gathered without the need for a meeting to be called.

When Byakuya entered the room everything went quiet. Ginrei stood and approached his grandson.

"Byakuya I see you are on your feet again." Ginrei said approvingly.

"Of course Ginrei with a traitor threatening my family and stealing from my clan I will not rest. Which brings me to why we have gathered here today. Where is Daiki being held?" Byakuya asked in a dead cold tone. Renji knew no one could deter him from his objective now that he was in this mood.

"We have him placed in the old Kuchiki Dungeons in the woods under heavy lock and key. We have been waiting for your command regarding his sentence." Another Elder Renji didn't recognize spoke up.

"Lets go then. It's time the traitor recognizes his foolishness in attacking my family." Byakuya said turning on his heel and obviously expecting everyone to follow. Both Ginrei and Renji were quickly behind him. The rest of the council of elders followed at a respectable distance.

It took about 15 minutes to arrive at their destination. It was deep in the woods branching off of the Kuchiki estate. The building looked old and run down, but when they entered and headed down a flight of stairs it was completely different.

They must be keeping it so run down looking to prevent unwanted guests from wandering in. Renji thought to himself. Inside it appeared like any other building in the Seireitei except that it had the Kuchiki crest on everything. It also appeared to be made out of reiatsu suppressing rock. Good thing to with all that power that Daiki seemed to have.

At the end of a hallway they came to door that had no window. There were two guards posted outside the door each wearing black Shihakusho with the Kuchiki crest on each sleeve and bearing regular Katana. They had obviously been trained in the form of hand to hand combat and other styles that didn't use spiritual powers.

The guards both bowed their heads and opened the door using a special key. They door opened on silent hinges and sitting there on the barren floor with eyes covered, and hands tied, and wearing a simple Yukata was Daiki Kuchiki.

"We are here today to pass judgment on you traitor. Do you have anything to say?" Byakuya said in a dangerously cold tone. Daiki though did not seem scared, in fact he was smirking.

"You think you can pass judgment on ME? Haha, you really are a fool Byakuya. Let me tell you a little secret though. No matter what happens to me your mate will continue to be hunted until both him and his spawn are dead. It really means nothing to me whether I die because the legacy does not end with me." Daiki laughed at Byakuya.

"Well let me assure you Daiki that no one will ever reach him. As far as your death…it's not going to happen. As a traitor of the Kuchiki clan you will receive a much more painful sentence." Byakuya said calmly but Renji could tell underneath the calm exterior he was ready to kill. At this point it was obvious that all of the elders had gathered behind them and had somehow already understood what the sentence was.

Byakuya walked into the cell and grabbed Daiki by his tied hands and dragged him from the cell. As Byakuya walked towards the middle of the crowd of elders Ginrei spoke out.

"Daiki Kuchiki you are here by stripped of your noble name, you are to be erased from all of our records, you will be stripped of all power, and your spirit centers are to be permanently sealed. After that you will be dumped in the worst of the Rukongai sectors. A befitting punishment for one such as yourself." Ginrei explained in a neutral tone, but slightly snide at the last part.

With that everyone gathered around the now cowering Daiki. He may not have been afraid of death but to become that which he hated the most, a mutt of the rukongai, he was terrified. All of the Elders as well as Byakuya placed their hands onto the traitor and something odd happened as Renji watched. A blue light began to flow from the prisoners body. Renji thought that to be impossible because of the rieastu suppressing rock but apparently not.

All of the power was slowly drained by the clan from Daiki's body and he passed out. A guard stepped forward to hold him up while the elders finished the sealing of his spirit centers.

When everything was done Byakuya gave orders to the guard to have the now powerless prisoner dragged off to the rukongai.


With everything done they all left and went their own ways. The elders headed out to their respective homes or rooms in the mansion. Ginrei said goodbye to Byakuya and Renji and left as well. With everyone gone they headed back to the mansion on their own.

Byakuya had been quiet the for the entire walk so when he finally spoke up as they neared the entrance to the gardens of the Mansion Renji was shocked to hear his voice.

"I hope you will forgive me for not killing him." He said quietly with his head low.

"Forgive you? There is nothing to forgive Byakuya. Like you said he received a punishment worse than death." Renji said surprised by the apology.

"I know but as a threat to my partners life I should have killed him." Byakuya said looking up into Renji eyes.

"Byakuya now your just being foolish. I am happy for what you did and you up held both of our honor's so there is no need to apologize." Renji said reaching an arm around Byakuya's shoulders and giving him a squeeze to reassure him. "That asshole got what he deserved. I don't know if you were to busy to notice but the look of terror on his face as his sentence was read out was priceless. He is likely to commit suicide with a sentence like that."

"He will not succeed if he tries. The guard that was sent to haul him off will be watching over him for the rest of his life. He will not get out of his shameful life so easily." Byakuya said finally straightening up. He finally seemed to understand what Renji was saying.

They finally entered the gardens and were greeted by the main house servant. He bowed low and waited for a command from either of the two.

"Have the house staff prepare lunch in the gardens for three people today." Byakuya said obviously expecting the servant to leave right away. He did not though.

"I will sir, but first I have something for you to hear about." The servant said bowing his head even lower.

"Very well speak up and be quick about it. I am not in the mood for patience." Byakuya said in an irritated tone. Renji laughed slightly causing the servant to jump from surprise.

"Y…Yes sir. The Royal guest has been asking for you all day and when he discovered that you had left already he seemed irritated. He went out to the private training grounds and has been there all this time. Everytime a servant tries to approach and offer tea he has raised his spiritual pressure effectively scaring them away. Even the guards are keeping their distance. The barrier to the training grounds is being pushed to its limits by his oppressive spiritual pressure.." The servant finished his message and awaited a response.

Byakuya took a little bit to respond during which time the Renji noticed the slight quivering in the servant. This man from the royal guard had obviously scared him as well. "Thank you for the news. You may continue about your duties and still make sure the table is set for three. Renji and I will deal with the guest."

The servant bowed deeply again and left.

Byakuya lead Renji to a more open area of the gardens where the training ground was. As they walked Renji asked Byakuya about the royal guardsmen and what he wanted with them.

"I do not know Renji. All I am sure of is that the last time anyone from the spirit kingdom visited was over 500 years ago and it was on official business. This is neither official nor proper, and I too am wondering what someone like him would have to do with us. Alas we shall find out soon." That was confirmed as they approached the edge of the training grounds.

There was a heavy seal surrounding it to prevent the leaking of spiritual pressure so that you could train at any level including Bankai without causing harm to those nearby. Yet as they got close both men could feel the reiatsu leaking out in oppressive waves. Now Renji could tell why the servant was so scared. Even for someone at captains level this was a lot of pressure. It was in fact very similar to Ichigo's very own spiritual pressure. And as far as Renji could see the man had not even release his Zanpkaotou yet. In fact he seemed to be practicing in hand-to-hand combat.

The man was exactly as Renji remembered him. Tall, short red hair, and he was covered in black waving tattoo's all over his body. He was currently in the middle of the field with his Shihakusho shrugged off his shoulders and hanging from his waist exposing his extremely toned body and black tattoos. The rest of his outfit and Zanpaktou were off the side folded beneath a lone tree.

Renji waited on the sideline as Byakuya entered the training ground. That amount of spiritual could cause damage with his powers locked away. The man didn't notice Byakuya until he was standing only five meters away from him. When his did finally notice he froze in a high side kick. His eyes darted around and finally settled on Renji who was now sitting under a tree at the end of the training grounds, as far away as he could get form the spiritual pressure without losing sight of the two men inside of it. As soon as the man saw Renji though his spiritual pressure plummeted and came back under control.

The man slowly stood up and brushed himself off. He looked to Byakuya and with a smirk he gestured towards his pile of clothes.

"Let's see some of your power shall we? Hand-to-hand combat no rules." The man said and waited for Byakuya to oblige.

Of course Byakuya couldn't turn him down. No matter how confusing the situation seemed as servants of the Royal Family the noble's had to oblige all orders and whims. So he walked over and taking off his Haori he folded it, but before he could place it on the ground next to the others man's Royal garments Renji walked up and offered to hold it as well as everything else including Senbonzakura now that the spiritual pressure had subsided. It pleased the sword very much to know he was not being placed on the ground next to an unfamiliar zanpaktou. It made both Renji and Byakuya smile when they heard his voice in their minds say as much. This left Byakuya now in only his Shikhakshou and his Kensaiken in his hair.

With that done Byakuya shrugged his Shihakusho down exposing his chest and the very few scars he had attained just before and during the winter war.

"Make me proud Byakuya." Renji said with a big smile on his face. Regardless of whether his partner won or lost, it was going to be an interesting fight.

"You know I won't go down easily Renji." Byakuya said with his own little smirk. "Go sit down and relax. When we are done here we will go have lunch."

With that Byakuya walked to the middle of the grounds and faced his still smiling opponent.

"Are you ready?" The man asked.

"Of course." Byakuya replied calmly. With that they lunged at each other.


So did I do good? I know...I know I left it on a cliffie. But in only a week you will see the results of the battle so no big deal.

As I said before I am really starting to enjoy writing these chapters. I hope you are all enjoying it as much as I am.

As per usual reviews are really appreciated! (In fact the last chapter received so many reviews the I finished this chapter on Wednesday! So that's proof for encouragement!)