Chapter 10: Opposing Forces
Renji stared in disbelief at the stern, angry face of his captain, feeling the awful heat of the kido blast that passed over his naked body as Bya launched himself away, just escaping the huge blast that destroyed the wall behind the bed and shattered the window.
"What the…?" he stammered, pulling his yukata around him and staring, first at one, then the other, as Byakuya sent another blast of kido fire in Bya's direction, "STOP!"
Bya evaded the second blast as well, and managed to grab his own yukata as he flash stepped directly at his attacker, aiming a well-timed kick at him as he prepared to attack yet again.
"Abarai!" snapped Byakuya, "What are you doing with that…that THING?"
Bya stood outside the room with Ichigo and Urahara standing protectively in front of him and Yoruichi a step behind him. Renji stepped out of the bedroom, tying the belt of his yukata and staring at the two versions of his captain.
"I am not a THING!" Bya snapped back, shaking with a mix of fear and fury, "I don't know who you are or how you got in here, but you had best leave."
"Abarai!" Byakuya repeated, ignoring Bya completely, "I asked you a question. I have been missing for days…and I finally manage to sort myself out and return home to find that some imposter has conned his way into my home, my life…and apparently, my vice captain, as well! I want an explanation before I simply kill the both of you!"
"Byakuya!" exclaimed Ichigo, stepping forward, "What the hell is wrong with you? What makes you think you can…"
"Shut your mouth, boy, and go back to playing with Urahara. I am here on military business. I have the task of retrieving this imposter and taking him back to the Seireitei for questioning by the head captain and the Kuchiki council of elders."
He glared at Bya menacingly.
"What are you? Are you some kind of hollow? A demented clone? What?"
"I am not either of those!" Bya insisted, "I am Byakuya Kuchiki…and you are the imposter! Now, leave!"
"What is this?" Byakuya said, sarcastically, "…some kind of joke? Who besides that fool you just fornicated with would believe that you could possibly be me?"
Renji's eyes flared and he had to struggle to force down his anger at Byakuya's cruelty.
"Look…Captain. I don't know what's going on. What I do know, is that this man is the one who was with me on the battlefield in Hueco Mundo. He is the one who was injured…and whose side I was at afterwards. I didn't leave him for a moment after he was attacked. So…"
"I was there on the battlefield," Byakuya insisted, "and after I was attacked, I was somehow transported to a location deep in the desert. It took me time to find an outpost…to get healed, and to find my way back. Apparently…that imposter somehow caused this to happen…and while I was trying to get back, he was impersonating me! Though how anyone could have been fooled by the likes of him, I do not know…"
"Kuchiki-san," said Kisuke in a low voice, "While I appreciate the seriousness of the situation, I don't take kindly to you destroying my shop trying to kill someone who is really quite harmless. I can guarantee you that this person hasn't the reiatsu to do anything like what you're describing. He is nearly without reiatsu…and only has a flash step. No kido to speak of…no zanpakutou."
"And yet," Byakuya intoned darkly, "all of you here immediately believed that he was me? Either he is an accomplished liar, or you are all as unbelievably stupid as Renji is."
"Hey!" Ichigo objected, "Don't just think you can come in here, breaking down walls and…"
He broke of as a blast of kido erupted from the noble's hands. It stopped short and disappeared as Kisuke stepped in between them.
"Kuchiki-san," he said warningly, "I will have to ask you to leave."
"Not without that imposter," Byakuya insisted, "I will see he is dealt with. It is a crime to impersonate a noble lord and captain. If you choose to harbor a criminal…"
"I doubt you could take on all of us," Kisuke went on calmly, "so just leave him here. We'll get to the bottom of who he is and then decide what to do with him."
"Captain…" Renji said softly, "Look…I know he broke some rules…but he hasn't harmed anyone. I don't why he might have done this…"
He stopped as a deeply wounded look crossed Bya's face. The noble looked from one to the other, then into the stern face that looked so much like his own.
"None of you believe me? Not even you, Renji?" he whispered.
"Why would they?" Byakuya asked, his voice sounding only a shade less cold, "Except for your body, you bear no resemblance to me. Now…it is time for you to end this charade and come back to the Seireitei with me. We will examine you and find out exactly what manner of creature you are."
"And I told you he's staying here," Kisuke began.
Bya shook his head and stepped past the two surprised shinigamis who had been protecting him. He stood quietly as Byakuya bound his hands with a kido spell and sealed away his spirit energy.
"Captain," Renji objected, "That's hardly necessary…"
"Vice captain," Byakuya said, his eyes flicking up to meet Renji's, "You are fortunate not to have charges leveled against you for aiding him in his deception. If I were you, I would be very quiet right now. Come. You will need to answer for your behavior as well, Renji."
Renji met Bya's teary eyes, then sagged and turned to follow Byakuya into the senkaimon. Bya turned to join them, but was taken by surprise as strong arms took hold of him and he was suddenly taken off his feet and out of the shop. He struggled against the one who held him, but was unable to break free.
"Put me down! Let go! Ichigo! Ichigo, what are you doing?" he cried.
He realized quickly that his objections were being ignored and the substitute shinigami was not going to stop until he had gotten to wherever he was going. Bya fell silent and clung as best as he could with his hands still bound, until Ichigo landed on the wooden platform where they had gone when Bya first arrived in Karakura Town. Ichigo set him down and raised a shield around them.
"He won't be able to find us here," the ginger-haired youth assured him, "and that hollow won't be able to get to you either."
He knelt next to the distressed noble and released the seal on his reiatsu, then shattered the kido on his wrists. Bya looked up at him questioningly.
"Why did you do that?" he asked softly, "because I know that you don't believe that I'm Byakuya Kuchiki…any more than the rest of them do…"
Ichigo gave him a gentle smile.
"Well…it doesn't really matter if you are or aren't Byakuya, does it?" he asked, "None of us called you a liar, Bya. We don't question that you have been telling us what you thought was true all along. But you have to admit…the one we saw was much more like Byakuya than you are."
He saw the look of hurt rising on the noble's face again and waved it off.
"Hey…" he said quickly, "listen to me. Who in his right mind would want to be that guy anyway? He's a noble lord! And he's a captain. The guy wouldn't know the meaning of the word fun if it jumped up and bit him. He has a stick rammed so far up his ass, they couldn't get it out if they tried. So you aren't Byakuya Kuchiki. That doesn't mean we think you are a liar. You told the truth as you saw it. You weren't trying to deceive anyone. You think Kisuke and Yoruichi would have protected you if they didn't trust you?"
Bya blinked back the tears, staring at Ichigo in surprise. His eyes lost the injured look they had had and he looked up at Ichigo gratefully.
"So…it isn't that anyone thought I was lying," he mused, "but that I just couldn't be him. But Ichigo…then…how did I get out there onto the battlefield? Why do I have all of his memories? If I'm not Byakuya Kuchiki, then who am I?"
"I don't know," admitted the substitute shinigami, "but I do know this. We're not going to just let him take you off to the Seireitei and lock you up. You haven't done anything to hurt anyone…and in fact, they should worry more about the fact that that hollow has been after you."
"It's kind of you to say so, Ichigo," the noble said softly, "but I don't think anyone but you and Renji…and our friends here really care about what happens to me. I'm not anyone important…just a nuisance."
Ichigo smiled and shook his head.
"You are not a nuisance. Now just…try to relax here. I want you to stay here while I go and find Renji. The two of you need to talk…and after that, we'll get you to Kisuke and he can try to figure out what's going on. I want your word that you will wait for me here, inside the shield."
Bya looked as though he wanted to argue, but then sighed softly and nodded.
"Okay…I won't leave. Just…well…never mind. Go ahead. I'm kind of worried about Renji. I…I mean…Byakuya was really awful to him. It kind of makes me wonder. Ichigo…I have all of Byakuya Kuchiki's memories…and even though I…or…he…was really stern, sometimes angry…I don't recall him attacking someone who couldn't defend himself…or being so vile with everything he said. It's kind of like the reverse of me. I say out what I feel, even sometimes when I shouldn't. That man…Byakuya…he does the vile things he threatens, even when he shouldn't. I don't understand. I'm really confused."
Ichigo sighed and patted him on the shoulder.
"It will be okay, I promise. Renji and I aren't going to let him do anything to you. Now…stay here and I'll be back with Renji."
Bya nodded, then watched quietly as the substitute shinigami slipped out of the shielded area and flash stepped away. He sat down, trying not to feel afraid of having been left alone. The shield, he told himself, was sufficient protection against the hollow.
"But not the Espada," he whispered softly.
He moved in close to the tree trunk and tried to curl into the branches to make himself less visible. Sighing softly, he looked up through the branches and admired the beauty of the moon. He focused on the that and the twinkling stars that peeked through the clouds, and not to think about what was going to happen to him.
He had almost managed to put everything out of his mind, when he heard footsteps approaching.
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"Where is Renji?" Ichigo asked, looking over to where Tessai and Kisuke were working to patch up the damage that Byakuya had caused.
"Byakuya arrested him."
"What?" Ichigo said, his eyes widening, "Why?"
Kisuke shook his head.
"He said that Renji knew about the 'imposter' and had to submit to questioning about their activities to determine if there was wrongdoing on his part as well as Bya's. I'm telling you…this situation stinks, Ichigo. I know that Bya is too gentle to be the real Byakuya, but the guy who came in here and busted up my shop? He was a lot more extreme even…but on the darker side. I have questions about both of them."
"Well…I can take you to Bya. I put him under a shield for safety and he said he would wait for me to come back with Renji."
"Good idea," agreed the shopkeeper, "Tessai, do you mind?"
"No problem. I have this."
"Thanks," he said, following Ichigo to the door.
They left the shop and flash stepped away.
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"Why are you so quiet, Renji?" Byakuya asked as they passed through the precipice world, "I would have expected that although you might not have missed me, you would at least be relieved your captain wasn't killed. Before the hollow attack, it seemed you were quite loyal, even affectionate. What changed?"
Renji sighed.
"I don't know, Captain. What I do know is that you don't seem the same as the person I remember, any more than Bya did. I never remember you destroying things and trying to hurt someone defenseless before."
Byakuya shook his head.
"You have no idea how dangerous that thing could have been. For all he seemed innocent and gentle, he could have been hiding his power and waiting for the right moment to use it against you."
"But why, Captain? What would he gain? He wasn't even trying to act like you. And the whole time I knew him, he never was capable of hiding what he felt…or lying. He didn't manipulate people…and he despised that kind of behavior in other people. He never asked me for anything…not information…or access to anything. He only ever wanted to be accepted…to be loved."
"Which explains the scene I encountered upon my arrival," Byakuya said dryly, "But perhaps the point wasn't to infiltrate, but to take my strength away from the Gotei 13. Sousuke Aizen would be very pleased to deprive us of as many captains as possible. Perhaps that is what the hollow was attempting to do by transporting me into the deep desert. Maybe I was not expected to be able to escape…and this hollow left behind this gentler image to confuse others so that they would not look for me. If I had never come back…he would have eventually been accepted as me, ne? So perhaps it wasn't to gain secrets or anything else, but to delay knowledge of my absence. Perhaps other captains will be targeted as well. Did you consider that, Vice Captain?"
Renji sighed.
"No…no I didn't. Captain…I understand your anger at me for not coming to find you…and for thinking Bya was you. I just…I am really worried about him. Couldn't you just let me find him? I give you my word. I will come back and answer whatever questions you have…and I'll accept whatever punishment is decided on. But Bya is really vulnerable, and I don't want anything bad to happen to him."
Byakuya was quiet for a moment.
"My apologies," he said finally, "but no. You have more information about him than anyone else is likely to. It would make you his target if he is hiding something."
"Huh…"
"What is that supposed to mean?" Byakuya asked.
"Are you being so hard nosed about this because it's protocol…or are you pissed because I went to bed with him and not you?" Renji asked.
"I won't even dignify that with an answer," Byakuya said in a low voice.
"No…you wouldn't, would you? And if I had dared to tell you how I felt about you, you would have been equally closed off. We both know that I've been head over heels for you for years. But you wouldn't give me a second glance."
"You know why I couldn't…"
"Chapter and verse, Captain," Renji said, cutting him off, "but why you'd want me to keep desiring you when I never had a chance with you is just damned cruel. And even knowing you as I do? I never thought of you as being that cruel. I guess that I just always tried to see the best in you. But now…whatever it was that I was seeing…it isn't there anymore. It's like you've lost your human side…and when I look at Bya, I see that. Yeah…I admit that's why he got past my defenses so easily. But at least I know he won't break my heart like you did. You were always too good for me and I knew it…but you didn't need to string me along and tease me like you did. If you didn't want me, then you should have made it clear long ago. But I guess it felt good, having that power over me."
Byakuya didn't respond, but merely stared at him in the darkness of the precipice world, his eyes glinting softly. Renji's lips tightened and he turned away.
"I've had all I can take of you…and your insufferable cruelty. I'm going to him. Kill me if you want to. I don't give a shit."
To his surprise, Byakuya merely watched him wordlessly as he flash stepped away. The noble stood quietly within the precipice world, considering what to do next, then turned to follow in the direction that Renji had gone. He had gone all of two steps, when he felt a heavy shock pass through his body. His legs collapsed beneath him, but as he fell, he realized that there was no assailant. Whatever was happening, was happening inside him. He tried to crawl towards the nearest exit, but only went a few feet forward, before collapsing entirely.
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Grimmjow scowled as he bent to retrieve the unconscious shinigami he had been sent to find. He stepped over the still glowing remains of the shield he had destroyed and walked back to Ulquiorra, with Bya hung limply over his shoulder.
"You just had to go and tell him," the blue-haired Espada complained, "I had plans of my own for this guy…"
"Well," said Ulquiorra, "I mightn't have said anything, but when I realized who he actually was, my interest was piqued. He happened to walk in and saw my research…and asked why I was interested in the captain of Squad Six."
"You should have kept your damned mouth shut. Now I have to watch all of this beauty go to him. He'll probably just interrogate him and have him killed."
"Ah," said Ulquiorra, unsmiling, "well maybe if you ask him nicely, he'll let you have him when he's done with him. Whatever powers he had have somehow been drained. I doubt that Lord Aizen will find him terribly useful."
Ulquiorra opened a garganta and the two stepped into the precipice world. They started back towards Las Noches, but came to a stop as they spotted a person lying unconscious in their path.
"Well, what have we here?" Grimmjow said curiously, "Is this where their senkaimon intersects our path?"
"Yes, actually."
Ulquiorra leaned over the unconscious captain and turned him over, catching his breath softly as his face came into view.
"Shit…Am I seeing double?" Grimmjow asked, his eyes widening, "There's two of them?"
"Interesting," said the fourth Espada, bending to pick up Byakuya, "I think our master will want to examine both of them closely."
"Damn…" said Grimmjow, "I knew you were going to say that!"