Chapter 10: The Nowhere King
(Just wanted to get this out before crashing for the night. I know Janessa Wolf - Soul is eagerly awaiting this, so I wanted to post tonight. Got home from work late and have to go back early, so I am barely coherent. My deepest thanks to everyone reading and reviewing. I couldn't do this without you! You are rock stars! Love you all, Spunky)
Uryu left his bed and walked to the dressing area of the sleeping quarters he shared with Ichigo, wondering briefly where his energetic friend had gone.
Friend, yes, he admitted inwardly, and now, my lover. I didn't plan on something like that happening, but then, the unexpected is par for the course around Ichigo. There isn't a rule he doesn't break, is there? There's nothing that stops him when he wants something. He fights until it happens the way he wants it. Not that he's being selfish. Ichigo's always thinking about protecting the people he loves. I don't have the strength that Ichigo has, nor the good luck to have things work out my way.
He sighed softly and let his yukata slide down off of his shoulders and slip to the floor. His blue eyes studied the reflection of his body that wore the healing cuts and bruises from the war and what came after.
Only, a lot of the damage done to me in the war was erased when Haschwald convinced me to let him take on the injuries he had given me. I wonder of any of the Sternritters are still alive or if the last Auswhalen finished them. I guess, even if they're alive right now, they'll die soon. I don't feel comfortable asking about them. I think Byakuya might understand if I did, but…my comrades killed a lot of shinigamis. That they are welcoming me here is already a lot to ask.
He looked more closely at the bruises on his face that the angry shinigamis within the encampment had given him.
For some of the survivors here, it is too much. I understood their feelings when they were holding me down and hitting me. I wasn't afraid. My blut protected me from real damage, and I suppose those guys needed to let their rage out. Not that I'd let it happen again. The situation just took me by surprise and I couldn't react at first. Then, I felt like I deserved it. I guess I don't feel that way now, but I can't help being ambivalent. I don't hate being a quincy, like my father does. I don't hate the shinigamis like Ywach and the Sternritters did. I think the genocide brought by both sides was wrong. I want the killing to stop and I want it to stop for good.
Was I stupid to not want to be king? To abdicate? It's not like it was a snap decision, but…
Uryu froze as warm arms curled around his naked body from behind and Ichigo's breath tickled his ear and the side of his neck, making the pale skin blush.
"Are you back in your head again?" Ichigo scolded him.
Uryu shivered inside at how even the reprimand was delivered with such warmth and affection that he couldn't be angry. He couldn't summon the emotion for a nasty reply.
"Yeah."
"Wanna talk about it?"
Uryu sucked in a shaky breath.
"I don't know what to say. Ichigo, you know that this encampment is facing. Even though the Sternritters are gone, the new leader is bringing everything he has against the Kuchiki family because he knows if he can slaughter the greatest noble clan's women and children, if he can shatter their strength, then it will make the other clans fear the quincies."
He closed his eyes, shivering hard at the thought of what could happen. He barely felt the warm, comforting kiss his lover placed on the back of his neck or the fingers that laced gently together with his.
"All I can think is that I let this happen, Ichigo," Uryu confessed.
"What?" the ginger-haired man objected, scowling, "Uryu, what the heck are you talking about? You didn't let anything happen."
"Of course I did!" Uryu insisted, "I was Ywach's chosen successor! I had every right…no, I had an obligation to go into the shadows and to make sure that people were taken care of. That peace was made with the shinigamis. I should have been doing that, but instead, I abdicated. I abandoned them, Ichigo."
"Bullshit!" Ichigo exclaimed, turning his lover to face him, "Uryu, you had no obligation. Those people don't even know you! They didn't choose you to lead them. And don't fucking forget who did choose you."
"What is that supposed to mean?" the quincy youth snapped, "You think I'm not up to being king? You think I'm not strong enough? You know, I still have my goddamned Volstandig! I can show you just how strong I am, if you really want to question it!"
"Calm the fuck down!" Ichigo said hotly, "I wasn't even saying you're not strong enough. I know how powerful you are. Ywach wouldn't have chosen you if he didn't think you were strong enough."
"He knew I was strong enough, all right," Uryu mused, his body shaking softly with anger at the memory that rose up in his mind, "He knew that I had enough ability to challenge him, and that he couldn't steal my power like he could everyone else's. And…he knew just what he had to do to control that threat. Ywach was a lot of things, but he wasn't stupid. He purposely made me his successor, because he knew that the Sternritters would instantly dislike an outsider coming in and being given a place so close to their king. I could oppose Ywach, but I wasn't strong enough to beat all of them. I had to step into that trap to be in a position to save everyone, and Ywach knew it."
He noticed suddenly how quickly the anger had faded from his lover's powerful, golden brown eyes.
"It must've been pretty tough, being all alone and knowing all of them were watching you so closely. I knew when you acted so shitty to me, you didn't mean it. I was pissed, but I knew you would never really join them."
"But, I did," Uryu sighed, "And I watched while the shinigamis were slaughtered in front of me. I did nothing to stop the carnage. It was what I had to do, but tell that to the people here who lost their families, Ichigo. Tell that to the kids right here in this camp, whose parents aren't coming home that it's okay, in any way to stand by and let a genocide happen! It wasn't right when the shinigamis killed us, and it isn't right for us to kill them. I just…I want it to stop, Ichigo, but I don't know how to stop it. Maybe, if I had gone to them…"
"Stop it," Ichigo said firmly, squeezing him tightly and stopping his objections with a scathing kiss, "Those people who died were going to die anyway. It wasn't in your power to stop him any sooner, so there wasn't a chance to save them. You saved the ones you could. The people here saw how powerful Ywach and the Sternritters were. They watched as their taichos fell, one by one. Byakuya, Kenpachi, the old man, Yammamoto. If the strongest of the taichos couldn't stop Ywach and his Sternritters, then how could you be expected to stop them? Don't do this to yourself, okay? Stop beating up on yourself. You got close to Ywach and you acted when you could. And if you are feeling guilty, what kinda guilt do you think I'd have to be feeling. The shinigamis were depending on me to protect them."
"At least they had powerful people to try to defend them," Uryu sighed, "When Ywach turned on the noble lords, he slaughtered the ones who would have protected the civilians and gave power to people loyal only to him. There was chaos over there after Ywach fell, Ichigo. I was listening in. Kaiser Nacht took full advantage of that. He gathered the noble heirs and convinced them that the only way to survive was to combine their strength and name him their leader. Now, he has the noble families under his thumb. What's left of our fighters are all coming here. They'll even bring boys and girls barely grown, just to have greater numbers for the purpose of intimidation. This battle is going to be ugly and it's going to pit the survivors against each other. I don't know how to stop it."
"What makes you think that one person can?" Ichigo asked pointedly, "Uryu, whether you know it or not, you're not the only one who realizes that this battle shouldn't happen. Byakuya is smart and he cares about what happens, not just now, but in the future. He's not going to be thinking that annihilation is the only answer here. He's going to be trying to negotiate peace, because he knows both sides have suffered in this war. The shinigamis were killed in huge numbers and the quincies were completely betrayed by their king. That's not lost on him."
Uryu bit his lip gently, considering his friend's words.
"I just hope that he can make the quincies who come here listen. Nacht wants a battle. He needs to crush Byakuya and his entire family here, and he's betting everything on that, because he needs something to make the people think he's indispensable. What better than defeating the strongest of the noble families?"
"And the bastard doesn't care that both sides will probably lose a lot of people," Ichigo said in a disgusted tone. Sick!"
Uryu gathered himself and gave Ichigo a determined look.
"Well, I may not have done the right thing when the war ended. I let Nacht take control, thinking that the noble heirs would gather and do the right thing to make peace for everyone. But, I will think of something I can do now."
"You have an idea?" Ichigo asked, studying him more closely.
"I think so," Uryu posited, "But…I think I'll need you to help me pull this off."
XXXXXXXXXX
Byakuya stood on a small rise with Juushiro and Tetsuya on his left and Kuchiki Nori, Toshiro, Renji and Rikichi on his right. He nodded in Tetsuya's direction.
"Has Arashi spotted anyone outside the barrier yet, Tetsuya?" he asked quietly.
"No, Byakuya-sama," his cousin answered, "However, he can feel their power massing in the area. The hard part will be figuring out exactly where they will break through. Arashi must be careful that he is not stricken if they use the energy portals they used in the first Sternritter attack. As you'll remember, one of those hitting us is almost certain death."
"Thank goodness they can't simply appear inside the barrier," Juushiro noted in a relieved tone.
"Officer Nanao was astute enough to share an additional buffer we could place on the barrier to keep them from being able to break inside as they broke inside the shakonmaku at the beginning of the war," Byakuya explained.
"Good thing," Renji sighed, his eyes darkening as he remembered, We lost a lot of guys who were just vaporized by those things."
"Perhaps Tetsuya should have his Arashi return to the encampment," Nori suggested in a concerned tone.
"It's all right," Tetsuya assured the anxious elder, "He set rescue forms within the encampment and unlike the power that the quincies will be using, Arashi's ability is recognized, and will allow him to pass through the barrier if he is stricken by their portals or by their arrows. Arashi will be fine."
"It's good we have him out there, reconnoitering for us," Toshiro said appreciatively.
"We do want to know exactly where they break through," Byakuya agreed, "Arashi's waterforms will allow him to spy on them as they arrive, and he will be able to give us critical information about their numbers and the general pattern of deployment."
"Additionally, some of the waterforms that Arashi left can be used to send fighters out strategically, so they may be able to take the quincies by surprise by appearing when and where they are not expected," Tetsuya added.
"The older children are at the barrier with the elder guard," Nori reported, "We'll bring them in if the barrier shows any signs of weakening."
"Toshiro," Byakuya said solemnly, "I want you to stay with me. We will lead the advance guard to meet the quincy troops head on."
The others gave Byakuya a questioning look that was promptly ignored.
"Renji, you and Rikichi will lead the Squad Six soldiers who are here. Tetsuya and Juushiro, I want you ready to use Arashi's waterforms to move wherever you need to go to protect the barrier. That…"
Byakuya paused at the sound of a flash step. Ichigo appeared suddenly in front of the noble, with Uryu at his side. The clan leader met their eyes silently, waiting.
"Byakuya," Ichigo said, stepping forward, "look, Uryu and I have been talking and we think Uryu should make himself visible to the enemy."
He held up a staying hand as the noble started to object.
"I cannot guarantee…"
"Yeah," Ichigo interrupted, "we know that it'll put him in danger, but he may be able to get the quincy forces to halt the attack, if they don't start attacking right away."
"Kuchiki-san," Uryu addressed the noble, "I know that there is great danger in fighting this battle. Neither side is going to benefit really. It's all to make the Kaiser Nacht look strong. He doesn't care that a lot of people will die. He needs a victory."
"And what exactly makes you think for a moment that he will listen to you?" Byakuya inquired, not unkindly, "You are known to have fired the shot that gave Ichigo a chance to kill Ywach."
"These are noble sons and daughters!" Uryu argued, "You know what that means. They hated Ywach, because he murdered their parents and stole their lands. They're only following Nacht because he restored their titles and lands He's manipulating them!"
"And you think you can convince them of this? Standing in between the shinigamis, who you helped to defeat your own people?"
"I helped to stop a war!" Uryu insisted, his blue eyes flashing, "I fired an arrow to stop more people from dying. I don't know if I can convince them to stop, but, can't you see? I have to try! They've already suffered under Ywach. Nacht is going to bring down our whole society! Maybe that doesn't mean so much to you, but…"
He paused at the odd look Byakuya gave him.
"Ishida Uryu, I am curious," he said softly, "Why does their fate mean so much to you? I am aware of the assistance that you and your father gave Ichigo in his fight with Ywach. Clearly, you did not want him to win. But you were helping because the three worlds were in danger of ending, were you not? Why, now, are you concerning yourself with a society that both you and your father turned your backs on?"
"That's a little harsh, isn't it?" Ichigo snapped defensively, "I hope you haven't forgotten what Kurotsuchi Mayuri did to this guys' grandfather. It's a pretty damned big deal that he helped us at all. I think we should let him help us now. If we just start killing each other, we all lose! Don't you get that, Byakuya?"
"Of course I do," Byakuya answered, nodding briefly, "Look at the children who are there, just a few feet from where the fighting will be if it happens. If the barrier falls, they will have moments to run. Those children are the future of the clan. Their fates are the fate of us all. So, if you think that there is any chance to stop this fight before it begins, you are welcome to attempt to speak to the Kaiser when he appears. Just understand that I cannot guarantee your safety from the weapons of either side. I will inform the elders and fighters about what you are doing, but I would suggest you allow Ichigo to go with you to discourage both sides from attacking you while you attempt to negotiate."
"Why don't you allow Tetsuya and me to go with them?" Juushiro offered suddenly, making all eyes turn towards him in surprise.
"You and…?" Byakuya began.
"The reasoning is simple," Juushiro said calmly, "With Shunsuileading cleanup efforts elsewhere, I am the most senior Gotei officer present. I am also prepared to speak on behalf of the shinigamis and I have clearance to draft treaties for our leadership to consider. There is every reason to indicate to the quincies that we are willing to talk instead of fight. You've already indicated that you view fighting as a last resort, so what you need is capable diplomacy."
"I agree that it would be good to have Ukitake-san with me," Uryu suggested, "The information that Ywach gave me regarding him made it plain that he is a reasonable person and one who can be trusted to negotiate sensibly. And Nacht will understand that if the leadership of the shingiamis is appearing alongside me, they are serious about avoiding further bloodshed."
"Of course, he could just read it as a sign that the encampment is weak and it might encourage him to attack anyway," Renji said, frowning, "Not to be pessimistic or anything."
"I think we know that such a thing is possible," Byakuya agreed, "It is not so much pessimism as realism. We need to be prepared for anything."
"That is where Tetsuya comes in," Juushiro posited.
"But my cousin is still not able to use his powers," Byakuya argued, "How is he to assist if things turn violent?"
"Tetsuya still has the ability to harden or soften his reiatsu," Juushiro asserted, "He can fight with hakudo and sword if necessary. And what he also has is a direct connection with Arashi. If things go wrong, Tetsuya can call on Arashi to assist us in retreating safely, using his waterforms."
"The same thing could be accomplished without risking Tetsuya, if we just have you take Arashi with you."
"Ah, but then we would lose the chance that we could have to take the Kaiser down if he becomes violent," the white-haired taicho suggested, "If Nacht attacks, we can position Arashi to intercept him!"
"It's a good strategy," Tetsuya agreed, "I promise you, I will remain close to Juushiro-sama and allow him to protect me."
"Not to be rude," Byakuya said, frowning, "but what is the state of your battle readiness, Ukitake taicho?"
"Well, believe if or not, I have a completely clean bill of health, and it seems that with my reiatsu fully restored, my shikai is solid and I am strong enough to raise my bankai, if it should be needed."
Byakuya looked from Juushiro's proud expression to his cousin's slightly flushed face.
"That is a welcome surprise," he said with sincere warmth, "I know what the healers have been telling me about you, but it is…fascinating to see it in front of me."
He nodded appreciatively in his cousin's direction.
"When thus battle ends, I want the two of you to come back to Kuchiki Manor with me," Byakuya decided, "I want to look into some references regarding powerful healing gifts. I want to see exactly what the appearance of Tetsuya's healing ability means."
"Whoa," Ichigo said softly, staring out past the barrier, where the forest had turned misty and the air had darkened ominously, "I think that stuff's gonna have to wait. The quincies are coming now!"