Chapter Nine: Meaningless Battles

"If we desire to secure peace, one of the most powerful instruments of our rising prosperity, it must be known that we are at all times ready for war."

-George Washington

The mortal world, it wasn't one he walked very often but it was one that he could deal with while he was dealing with his current mission. The reminder of the side trip he'd be taking during the effort was enough to send a grin curling over his face.

Kenpachi was dressed in a wife-beater, jeans, boots, and a leather jacket. It was a simple enough way to blend into the mortal world, in one of his pockets sat the item that allowed him to return to his spiritual form and leave the gigai when he found his target.

They'd paused long enough to grab the blue haired Quincy kid, who was currently offering Yachiru muffled protests and curses as she carried him while he was tied up. He couldn't waste the time reasoning with the guy if he wanted to have a chance at fighting the apparent demon that had killed the other squad captain.

Finding him had turned out to be easier than he expected thanks to the help of his lieutenant, the pink haired girl following from not far away while carrying the hog tied Ishida along as if he were as light as a teddy bear. She'd wormed her way into coming along and when they needed to find this Sesshomaru person she'd thought to just ask some of the passerby and they'd gotten eventually to a mansion on the outskirts of the city. Apparently he was some sort of vaguely famous businessman.

"Wow, he has a really big house Kenny!" Yachiru was staring at it curiously. "You think he'll wanna play?"

Ishida groaned.

"I'll make sure he decides he's up to it." Kenpachi returned, still smiling some at the memories of how quickly the clown captain of research had gone down. Not that he'd ever considered him the most powerful, or even vaguely close to high, soul reaper, but he was a captain and this fella had taken him down in an instant.

"I wonder if he's home." Yachiru pondered, hopping around and starting to run toward the door before it opened. "Oh someone is here!"

Sesshomaru stepped forward but didn't yet exit the portal of the door. Eying the unlikely visitors to his home, he could smell that they were like the other soul reapers he'd seen masked in false bodies in the past. "Do your people care to lose more of their soldiers? What do you desire from me?"

"Well, he talks big anyway. Looks like a bit of a pansy though." Kenpachi observed, eyeing the tattoo's on his face skeptically. "He's wearing make up. At least he doesn't have the boa anymore."

"I think it's sorta pretty!" Yachiru chimed in, running toward the sidelines so she wouldn't get in the way but could still watch. Ignoring Ishida's muffled protest when she dropped him next to her in the flower bed.

Sesshomaru paused only a moment to go back inside, returning with a single of the famed swords crafted from his father's fangs. The Tensaiga was all that was required for creatures formed from the netherworld. "Another pest shows itself...do you speak for your people, or are these suicidal decisions wholly your own?"

"All me." Kenpachi activated the small medallion that allowed him to return to his spiritual form, settling a hand on his hilt and grinning like a Cheshire cat. "I haven't had a good challenge in ages, all those losers Aizen enlisted weren't worth an ounce of my time."

"Yay, I get to watch Kenny play!"

The girl was second on Sesshy's list to kill when he was done with the idiot that had come to challenge him. "Do I have to expect to slay a line of fools come to try to prove themselves?"

"Prove myself?" Kenpachi laughed at him, drawing his own ragged zanpaktou. "I just wanted a bit of fun. You seemed like a fight worth enjoying, had to worm my way into getting here, but I've seen your work. Hope your sword remains sharp."

There wasn't a vocal reply offered to the larger man, Sesshomaru had appeared behind him and the Tensaiga was pressing harshly against his sword, sparks flying around them from the single strike. Yachiru squealed like a fan girl and failed to notice that Ishida had gotten himself slightly disentangled and pulled out his cell phone.

ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo

There was a chill in the air that wasn't the result of normal weather, ice had curled across the ground in a fragmented path that had just missed the woman running from the encounter with Sestran and Kagome. The boy was so young to wear a captain's uniform it had left Koridomi (Midoriko) underestimating what he was capable of. She'd barely missed getting caught in that torrent of icy pain but she couldn't move away faster just yet, she had to lead as many people away from Kagome as possible so that Oyikko (Kikyo) would have her chance to finish the girl.

With them trying to breed her, it was in their best interest to finish her off quickly. Before she could continue the blood holding the curse of their poor fate, or she could turn against them to offer further insult. For whatever reason, they had been lying to her, so if she died and saw what they said was true, she could be added to their ranks...

Though it was becoming increasingly more difficult to dodge the lines of ice as her body was numbing from the chill so nearby, it wasn't an easy path to mislead a captain. She seemed about to take the strike from the latest slash of Hyōrinmaru but a line of lightning cut through the line of cold, the electricity close enough that the hairs of her arms were standing on end when she blinked at the change.

Hitsugaya was staring at the arrival of the Prince with widened turquoise eyes, his sword settled at his side in it's released state as he immediately realized his attack had been blocked by the Prince. He didn't bow but instead glanced between the women attacker and his liege in silent invitation of an explanation.

"I want her alive Captain." The prince wasn't even looking at him, instead he was staring at the bruised, burnt, and bloodied woman. The comment worked as well as any other for an excuse. "Take her to the prison and have her completely restrained."

"I won't..." She'd started to protest but it was cut off as lightning curled from the sky a second time and struck her hard enough that the damage left her unconscious.

"You'll find I'm no longer in the mood to argue. Hitsugaya, stay with her yourself or leave your lieutenant but one of you will be with her at all times. Is that understood?" Sestran's eyes were following off toward the forest where he felt the release of Byakuya's Bankai. "Where is the eleventh squad captain, he was suppose to be with you."

"Kenpachi left saying he had another mission." The boy replied as he lifted up the knocked out woman dutifully. "What is happening?"

"We seem to have our fair share of old enemies in recent years. This one predates even your General Commander. I'll need to speak with him before I can tell you more. Where was the eleventh squad captain going?" He frowned a little, he hadn't heard of any trips to the mortal world that would require that level of the military involved.

"He was retrieving a Quincy boy." Hitsugaya was being the perfect soldier, but he was paying attention. He'd never once witnessed the Prince lose his temper personally until then. Descriptions of others didn't do justice to the real thing, why the royal family needed a group to protect them at all was what he was questioning.

The prince didn't answer, vanishing away toward the four courts after staring at the woods another moment, he apparently wanted to pursue Byakuya and whatever he was fighting, but something else had kept him.

"Kenpachi is being an idiot again..." Hitsugaya guessed as he summoned a hell butterfly to send to his lieutenant before starting the run to the prison to get the woman put behind bars the way he'd been requested.

ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo

The rain of soft salmon flowers was deceivingly peaceful for what lay beneath them, the ground had been soaked red with the blood of the victim of Byakuya's vicious attack. There were fragments of bone, all scared from the infinite number of ways Senbonzakura was able to approach. It was best Kagome was still out when he called the sword back to him and picked her up, she would be cross with him for what he'd done to the woman she'd called Kikyo.

Protecting her was his priority though, with or without the orders of the prince, he wouldn't back down just because she had asked him, that woman had obviously been out to hurt her. The idea of it was enough to make him lose his temper slightly. The wounds to his leg and back stung, worse when he was forced to remove the arrows and fresh blood poured from both, though it wasn't anything he couldn't endure. He lifted the still fainted Kagome and while his flash steps were more sluggish than usual, began the final trek toward the destination.

By the time she woke up she was laying on a couch in the log cabin where they apparently had been coming for a vacation. It was painful to consider what she'd been told by Kikyo, worse when she didn't know who else could have known or what else was being hidden from her. Though her own concerns were set aside when she settled her eyes on Byakuya.

He'd removed the upper half of his kimono as well as the coat that marked him as a captain. He had different pants on and likely had already bound the strike he'd taken to his leg. His back though looked like it had taken damage beyond an arrow. There was a cross like cut that curled from the entry point and she was fairly sure it reached deep enough he was lucky it hadn't pierced a lung. It was the worst she'd seen him sense that first time she found him in the alley.

"Byakuya..." She sat up, staring at it horrified, he'd taken the hit for her sake.

"It'll be fine." He answered automatically, charcoal eyes turning toward her. He had a glass of amber liquid that smelled vaguely of alcohol and there was a first aid kit next to him on the table. "We heal quickly."

He didn't flinch when she touched the side of him. Though the pain did make him take in a short sharp breath. Then he realized what she was doing and reached up to stop her but it was too late, a gentle glow had already enveloped him. He could feel the wound closing, but it wasn't painful, there was a comforting breeze that curled around him and sealed away anything unhappy.

Her healing magic was more holy than the kido of the soul reapers, it was likely something some people could become addicted to in that short moment where everything was just right with the world.

"Kagome...you shouldn't be using your powers." He commented, he wanted to stop her from it, but he couldn't bring himself to react with coldness. "But thank you."

"I can't just look the other way." She answered with a sigh, sitting down again but closer to him. "You saved me again, I can't stand to watch you suffer because of me."

Her eyes were on her lap and it was obvious she was on the edge of tears by the slight lift of pitch in her voice. She blinked slowly at him when he lifted her chin with a single finger. "Kagome. You cause me no suffering. These wounds, they are nothing. The pain I would feel at your loss would be immensely deeper. You must be more careful."

She offered a very small smile at the tender words and touch, he reached for her very little but it always meant so much when his hands were the ones taking the path. "I just...Kikyo...what happened to her?"

"She will not be bothering you again in the near future. Though by her own words I wonder if slaying her body here does anymore than return her to Hueco Mundo." Byakuya answered, moving from the table to sit next to her on the softer cushions of the couch instead.

"You killed her?" Kagome blinked slowly. "I...was trying to stop you. Kikyo..."

"Was doing her very best to kill you." Byakuya reminded, he didn't feel any remorse for having leveled the full extent of his sword on the woman. Perhaps if she did return somehow it would give her pause in approaching his future wife ever again.

"Yeah but...what if she's not lying?" Kagome frowned. "What if all this and I'll end up just like them?"

"Who?"

"Kikyo and Midoriko."

"She could have been lying to hurt you." He pointed out. "Either way we can research it once the prince retrieves us. Perhaps he will know more."

"I just don't know." Kagome sighed, reaching over and taking his hand to hold, his strength was something she could use a bit of. "What did she mean when she said you'd seen it? Me becoming unnatural or whatever? What happened to the soul cleanser in the tunnel back then?"

Byakuya watched her, she didn't even look up at him, as if she was afraid to know the truth. He wasn't completely sure he wanted to tell her, the other times he'd tried to explain to her she'd forgotten, would it just happen again?

"I've told you before, but once I explain you forget about it." He finally tried to see if without directly answering she'd remember this conversation. "It was a show of power, much as Kikyo said, but I cannot tell you where you seem to recall."

Kagome blinked slowly, her mind was a little foggy when she tried to remember, they had similar conversations before. As if it was a cursed dejavu but it was all too blurred to pick out the details. He wasn't hiding anything at least, he just couldn't let her know without her forgetting...that didn't make her feel any better.

"We'll figure it out." Byakuya promised, tugging her closer and settling an arm around her. He had questions of his own as to her past, this Inuyasha in particular, but those things could wait. He didn't want to cause her anymore stress than she was already under.

It was difficult to be as worried when she had his arm around her, when he'd saved her again today, when his very presence helped to calm her and his words reassured so easily. She closed her eyes, holding onto the short moment of peace. Her life never seemed to hold the sensation for long so it was better to soak it in when she had the chance.

So much had happened and it'd only been about a year sense the well had closed. She felt bad but she did care about Byakuya, she couldn't walk away and hurt him just to make herself feel better about Inuyasha's fate. It was as if everything had just fallen apart and all these battles that had nothing to do with her were pulling apart the fabric of her life.

"Kagome? Are you all right?"

The question wasn't why she opened her eyes, it was the feel of his breath on her cheeks, he'd leaned in close and was watching her critically.

It was easy, much too smooth of a transition to lose herself in that ashen gaze. They were so rarely able to be close that it was a moment she couldn't help but enjoy despite her other issues. Her eyes slide shut a moment after they widened when he leaned forward and kissed her, his tongue barely parting her lips as his fingers curled into her hair. It was unexpected, but she didn't want to think about everything else just then.

End Chapter

I like Kagome/Byakuya kiss scenes. The Sesshomaru and Kenpachi fight finally started! So much stuff happening all of a sudden. omgs!

-Aura

To my reviewers:

Veil - Cliffhangers galore!

Ayjah - I try.

Mistress - Wow! Don't think that! Good thoughts! Much better for my karma!

Sugar0o - yeah Inuyasha irritated me often as well. He's a jerk a lot.

Kathy - Lol. Everyone hates Kikyo. Her stealing Byakuya would go possibly more poorly for her than her last experience with him. He might torture her more.

Tsukiei - Well, Kikyo is a bitch, so yeah, I liked killing her off. Kagome is finally getting to enjoy her fiance a bit there!

cluster - Thank you. I'm very happy with the way I destroyed Kikyo. Bankai is also always the awesome. Just gotta get to the Endscape release now...