Chapter 10: Blood Sacrifice
"Now what do we do?" mused Renji, "I don't know about you, but I don't have what it takes to shatter a reiastu cage!"
"It won't be easy, nor quiet, I'm afraid," agreed Byakuya, stepping toward the door.
He studied the door, window and wall in front of them, brushing his reiatsu against it, testing it at multiple spots until he found one that seemed to satisfy him.
"Get under the piano over there," Byakuya told Mayumi.
The girl nodded and quickly took cover.
"Renji," Byakuya said, gathering his power around him, "there is room here for the skeletal snake. Call it."
Renji nodded.
"Ban kai," he said, his eyes growing fierce, "Hihio Zabimaru!"
The skeletal snake formed beside him and curled into a coil, waiting for the redhead's next command.
"Be ready with your attack. Mine is like the first tap on the head of a nail. Yours will drive the nail in and form a crack, then I will shatter the cage."
Renji nodded. He glanced at Mayumi to see that she was staying under cover and found her watching them with wide eyes.
"Keep down," he warned her.
Mayumi nodded.
Byakuya pointed a finger at the spot he had chosen.
"Hado #4, Byakurai!"
A bright bolt of blue light shot from his fingertip and lanced into the spot on the wall.
"Now, Renji!"
"Hikotsu Taihou!" shouted Renji.
A red fireball formed in the skeletal snake's mouth and blasted the area Byakuya had hit with his spell causing the building to creak and groan and a large crack to form in the wall.
"Hado #33, Soukatsui!" Byakuya called out.
A ball of blue fire blazed across the room and struck the wall where the other attacks had weakened it. The force of the explosion blasted a large hole in the wall, just big enough for them to crawl out of. Renji dragged Mayumi to her feet and the three raced for the opening. To their dismay, as they approached it, the hole quickly repaired itself, leaving them every bit as trapped as before.
"Damn it!" yelled Renji, "What is this place?"
"Easy, Renji," Byakuya said bracingly, "You didn't think he was going to make it easy for us, did you? I think we're beginning to get a few clues about Naoki's disappearance. But right now, we need to focus on getting out of here. I think we should try something similar to last time, but alter our approach a bit."
"Alter it how?" Renji asked, scratching his head.
"Your skeletal snake…We'll use that last. We'll climb onto the head of the snake and I will fire two spells to weaken the wall. You will need to use your fire blast a moment before we reach the wall…before it has time to regenerate."
Renji gazed at the wall doubtfully.
"Well, it's fine as long as it works and the hole is big enough, but Taichou, what if…"
"Get ready!"
The three climbed onto the back of the great snake and Byakuya used a kido spell to bind them in place. Then he turned to Renji, his dark eyes intense and determined.
"Are you ready?" he asked solemnly.
"Hell no!" grinned Renji, "but fire at will, Taichou!"
Byakuya raised his spirit energy until the air raged around them whipping their hair about and tearing at their clothes. The building and the floor beneath them shook madly. Mayumi clung tightly to Renji, her icy eyes locked on the wall ahead of them. Renji held onto Mayumi and waited for Byakuya's spells.
"Hado #4, Byakurai!"
The lightning blast shot toward the wall and as part of the same motion, Byakuya fired the second spell.
"Hado #33, Soukatsui!"
The blast weakened the wall and shook the house, bringing a shower of dust and debris down onto them.
"Now, Renji!"
Renji tightened his hands on Mayumi and the skeletal snake.
"Hikotsu Taihou!" he cried, sending the snake soaring across the room.
Red fire blazed in the great snake's mouth and burst out ahead of them as the skeletal snake carried them across the room behind it. The blast hit the wall and the three were enveloped in choking dust and debris. Then the snake hit the opening with killing force and power erupted around them. Luckily for the three, their placement down low, behind the snake's head protected them as the beast shot through the already closing hole, striking the edges, then sailing wildly out of control.
"Renji!" cried Byakuya.
"Argh!" roared the redhead, straining to bring the huge snake back under control.
He gained just enough control to bring them to a harsh belly landing in the field across from the laboratory building. All three were thrown from the snake's back and sent tumbling across the damp grass as the snake flopped, twisted and finally shattered into an impressive shower of glowing red dust.
Renji dragged himself to his feet, coughing and squinting as the debris rained down, trying to get some sense of where the others were.
"Byakuya!" he yelled, "Mayumi!"
Byakuya pushed himself to his knees nearby, coughing and waving briefly to Renji to show he wasn't injured. Mayumi stumbled into sight next, seemingly unhurt, but with blazing eyes and a burst of anger she loosed on Renji.
"You idiot! You could have killed us all! I should…"
She stopped herself suddenly, as if she had said more than she meant to, but continued to stare daggers at the redhead as he pulled Byakuya to his feet. Byakuya brushed the stray hairs out of his face, suddenly registering the loss of the hair tie that had been holding it back.
"I think," he said quietly, "that when we return home, we'll be adding a few things to your training, Abarai."
Renji laughed softly.
"Hey, we all got out in one piece, right?"
Mayumi rolled her eyes.
"You're ridiculous!" she muttered.
Byakuya studied the girl for a moment.
"Mayumi," he said, watching as she turned to face him, "I find it interesting that you are adjusting so easily to the ways of the shinigami. How did you come to find out about us?"
"Uh…Byakuya," Renji said urgently, "I think we'd best save our questions for later. The fire department just got here and look, the evil professor is over there staring at us!"
Byakuya followed Renji's gaze. Hasashi stood with the fire marshall, but his eyes kept straying to the three in the field. Byakuya felt the coldness of the man's gaze slice through him. He again had the strong feeling that this man could not be of the living world, but his senses couldn't seem to pierce the illusion to see whether he was shinigami or hollow. The reiatsu around him remained familiar, but distorted to the point of uselessness. Byakuya met his eyes with equal coldness.
"Come," he said to the others, "We had best find somewhere safe to stay tonight."
Renji turned to Mayumi.
"We need to hurry, so I'll have to carry you."
Without waiting for an answer, he gathered the reluctant girl into his arms.
"You want to go to Kisuke's?" Renji asked, "It isn't far and it's the safest place I can think of for all of us…not to mention that Kisuke is pretty knowledgeable. He might be able to help us answer some of our questions."
Byakuya nodded.
"Go on, I'll catch up. I want to be certain we are not followed."
"Sure thing, Taichou!" Renji said, pulling Mayumi close and flash stepping away.
XXXXXXXXXX
"Ah, Renji, come in!" said Kisuke, "Who's your friend?"
Renji set Mayumi down and the girl straightened her clothing and shook out her hair.
"Kisuke, this is Mayumi. She's a grad student up at the university. Kuchiki taichou and I are working there and it seems Mayumi is in some trouble and needs a safe place to stay for a day or two."
Kisuke nodded.
"No problem," he said, looking out the door, "Where's Byakuya?"
The Squad Six taichou flash stepped onto the porch.
"Ah, there you are," Kisuke said, smiling, "Come in, Kuchiki taichou. Renji said you boys found some trouble up at the university…something that appears to involve this girl. Wait, before you start, let's go into the other room and Tessai will make us some tea."
The three followed Kisuke into the next room and sat down at the table. Kisuke studied the three for a moment.
"You all look a bit rumpled. Anyone need healing?"
The three shook their heads.
"So what's going on?"
"Renji and I were sent to the university to investigate the disappearance of one of the professors and several missing students in addition to reports of reiatsu anomalies in the area."
"Yeah, Tessai and I have been keeping an eye on the reiatsu pulses," Kisuke said, nodding.
"In any case, Mayumi approached me about the disappearance of Professor Naoki and the students. She offered some clues that may help us find the missing persons. The occurrences at the university seem to be related to the myth of The Doragon Tatsujin, a spirit creature capable of stealing control of all of the dragon zanpakutous and launching a major attack on the living world. Professors Naoki and Hasashi were studying pulses in the constellation Draco and noticed some odd patterns. There is a myth that when the entire constellation flares, the Doragon Tatsujin will appear in the Valley of Dragons and will attempt an attack on the living world. This attack can only be stopped if the Doragon Scion and his Spirit Linked combine forces and go to the Valley of Dragons during the constellation flare."
"So…I take it from your tone that you believe the myth is true," Kisuke surmised.
Byakuya nodded.
"I am the Doragon Scion and I have linked with Abarai Renji."
"So you need to go to the Valley of Dragons?"
"We need to find it," Byakuya said quietly, "I have a journal that seems to track my moves and it gives clues as to what I should do next. It has suggested I look in the Kuchiki family archive. I intend to go there now to search for the information. I'll need Renji's assistance, so we were hoping that you would offer Mayumi some protection while we are gone."
"Sure, no problem…but do you mind if I see this journal of yours?"
Byakuya withdrew the journal and handed it to Kisuke. Kisuke opened the book and read the entries, then closed it and let his reiatsu wrap around it. His eyes became intent as he worked and when he finished, he handed the book back to Byakuya, shaking his head softly.
"There's an odd feel to that thing, Kuchiki taichou. I would be wary of trusting everything it says."
Byakuya nodded.
"I am plenty wary of all of the apparent facts of the situation, but it seems that I keep getting pushed forward. It's very odd. I am uncomfortable not having more information about the Doragin Tatsujin myth. The information is scanty at best, and not terribly trustworthy."
"Well, maybe I can help you with that," Kisuke offered, "I have a very large collection of varied types of information and I do have a lot on mythologies of the humans, shinigamis and even the hollows."
"I studied the human and shinigami connections," Byakuya replied, "but I do not have access to hollow writings or mythologies."
"Yeah," agreed Kisuke, "They don't really tend to extend so much into the arts, but still, I'll peruse what I have here while you're gone. And Mayumi can stay here and have tea with Tessai."
"Well, not that I don't appreciate the offer, but can't I somehow go with you?" Mayumi asked Byakuya, "Mr. Kisuke seems quite nice, of course, no offense intended, but…I really would like to stay with you."
"I am sorry, Mayumi," Byakuya said, not unkindly, "but there are very strict rules about humans entering the Seireitei."
Mayumi frowned.
"Oh well," she sighed, "I guess there's nothing to be done about that."
"Now," said Byakuya, "there is one more thing to discuss before we leave for the Seireitei. Mayumi, you said that Hasashi took you to use you as a sacrifice. Can you tell us any more about that?"
"Oh, sure," the girl agreed, "He said that when the constellation Draco flares, there needs to be a blood sacrifice to start the ritual."
"A blood sacrifice?"
"Actually, I think he said that the Doragon Tatsujin requires a sacrifice of flesh, but he wouldn't say any more than that. The creep just tied me up and left me in his lab. But he meant to take me to wherever the Valley of Dragons is."
"And he wants us to get there, too," Renji mused, "but, Taichou, if they know where the Valley of Dragons is…and they want us to go there, then why not just feed us the information?"
Byakuya shook his head.
"I don't know. There is still a great deal about this situation that doesn't make sense. I think the sooner we go back to the Seireitei and conduct our search, the better. But we must be quite wary as we move forward. The very idea that they want us to go ahead with all of this is enough to suggest they know something important that we don't."
Byakuya and Renji stood.
"Arigato, Urahara Kisuke," Byakuya said, turning toward the door, "We shall attempt to return by early tomorrow."
"Uh…Taichou, don't we have to be at the university tonight?" Renji asked.
"Not to worry, Renji," he assured the redhead, "I have sent our replacement forms out. No one will know the difference."
"Ah, good thinking, Taichou."
Hell butterflies fluttered into the room and the senkaimon opened in front of them. Mayumi watched carefully as they disappeared and the doors closed, then she turned to Kisuke.
"Mr. Kisuke, I am really worn out. Do you have a quiet place I might rest for a bit?"
"Sure thing," Kisuke said, leading her down the hall and into a bedroom. Just let me know if you need anything during the night."
"Arigato," she said quietly.
She waited until the sounds in the house faded and until it was late at night to slip outside. Hasashi beckoned her into a clump of brush. The girl brushed the white hair out of her eyes and smiled widely at Hasashi.
"So, what did you find out?" he asked her.
"They really are quite clueless," Mayumi said, "They have no idea where this is going."
"And yet," the other said, "I heard when you were yelling at Abarai Renji. You know…an illusion is only as good as its weakest point. You may want to remember that. They are already suspecting I am other than what I appear to be. And if they discover who you are, they will, most likely, kill you on sight…especially given that interesting moment in history you share with Kuchiki Byakuya. He would kill you on sight if he discovered your identity, so you had best be more careful. We need them to remain unaware of our identities and our intent until he faces the Doragon Tatsujin."
"So…do you want him to win or lose?"
"It matters very little," Hasashi said, blinking slowly, "because I have the means for gaining control over either one. I do think, however, Kuchiki Byakuya would be easier to control. Get back to the house."
"Ah, yes," Mayumi said softly, "Kisuke is going to search through his hollow texts for information on the Doragon Tatsujin myth."
"I'm frankly surprised that no one thought of that sooner."
"So you don't mind if they learn the whole truth?"
"They won't…not soon enough to stop what's happening anyway. The hollow texts have to be translated, so finding the reference and then translating the text will take days…and they don't have days. Go back. And just after they return, meet me in the Valley of Dragons. Make sure they don't figure you out before then…and make sure they follow."