Chapter 10
The sky was almost too perfect, too blue to be real. The clouds were entirely uniform, all being the same shape and size and they all stayed within a predetermined distance of each other. The tall pillars were white topped with golden discs that roared with fire and no matter which direction he looked, there was nothing but the platform upon which he stood.
The Royal Guard, faceless, all the same height and shape, had escorted him to the singular floating tower that hovered above a floating piece of earth. It appeared a container, a vial simply to house the one thing that holds all of Soul Society together.
The Soul King.
The room where Byakuya now stood was void of shape, of definition, save for the white curtains that hung down from a ceiling that wasn't there. He knew it was all an illusion, simply to disorient, to deceive, but that was not what he was concerned about.
The infinite white curtains curled apart, separating to reveal a suspended torso shielded in a transparent barrier the hue of violet. The torso was male, but there was no definite feature that set him apart from a gigai. His hair was black and slicked back against his skull, his eyes never blinking that were black with star shaped iris's. He had no reproductive organs, no scars, no muscle definition at all. At first glance, the Soul King could pass for an inanimate object that happened to be in the shape of a human being.
"Byakuya Kuchiki... Head of the Kuchiki clan... Keeper of the Great Library... Captain of the 6th Division." the voice echoed all around him, but the Soul King's mouth never moved, being projected from every direction, every plane of existence to bounce around like he was trapped in a cavern of such vastness, that it was never ending.
Byakuya bowed his head, "Thank you for granting me audience, Your Majesty." He said, taking a knee.
"Rise, Byakuya Kuchiki." The voice echoed, having a distinct female undertone, making the Soul King both male and female; A true omnipresent being.
Byakuya stood and locked gazes with the immortal being whom was responsible for maintaining the balance within not just Soul Society, but all other planes of existence as well, including Hueco Mundo and the World of the Living.
"There is not a single soul that is out of my sight, Byakuya Kuchiki... Not a single one that I cannot see." The Soul King said, his voice almost crushing as it came from all directions.
"Then you are aware of why I have come." Byakuya said simply, drawing in a deep breath and standing up as straight as possible.
"Yes-" The Soul King's voice hissed like a snake.
"Then you must also be aware that we owe the boy." Byakuya said, looking down at the glowing white floor that he wasn't sure actually existed beneath his feet.
"What you think you owe is not of my concern... Only the balance is." The Soul King said.
"I cannot simply stand by while his soul fades into obscurity." Byakuya said.
"That is not yours to decide, Byakuya Kuchiki." The Soul King said.
Byakuya stayed silent as he exhaled ultra slowly, turning his eyes to the floor as nerves began to build in his gut. He was beginning to doubt that he would be successful in acquiring the Blood of a Fate, beginning to think that he was never meant to save the boy's life. It pained his heart to think about, but he wasn't afforded much time to think about what to do as the Soul King's voice came rushing in once more.
"I see that... perhaps a more face to face conversation is needed." The Soul King said.
Byakuya shifted his eyes back to the hovering Soul King as streaks of light began to rush in from all around. They collected into a ball in front of the Soul King, suspended in nothing over his heart as it grew and eventually began to form into the shape of a man.
Arms and legs began to form from the mass of light, more collecting and forming long tendrils of hair that blew in a nonexistent wind. The form was entirely white, featureless, faceless, but with a massive flash that whited out Byakuya's vision, the form took on definition.
Standing before him, dressed in only enough draping fabric to cover them, was a creature so beautiful that they could pass for both a man and a woman, with long black hair that reached the floor and swept from nothing. The being was tall, much taller than Byakuya with a body accented with features from both sexes. Their hips were shapely like a woman's, but they had the chest of a man. Their legs were long, but strong and their arms were lithe with hands tipped with long and perfect nails. Their eyes were that of the Soul King's and their skin was porcelain, unblemished, utterly, entirely, perfect.
"Is that better?" The Soul King asked, still with the omnipresent voice that no longer echoed from all directions.
"I did not require a meeting such as this, Your Majesty." Byakuya said as he stayed perfectly still.
The Soul King, with movements so liquid that he flowed like a river, descended the stairs onto the glowing white floor.
"But perhaps, I did... I know what you seek, Byakuya Kuchiki... I sense it... I can see it." The Soul King said, tilting his head to the side as he took rather sultry steps closer to him.
"Then it goes without saying. I come for the Blood of a Fate to save a soul whom has put everyone before himself. A sacrifice only few have made." Byakuya said with eyes following the Soul King as he began to circle around him.
"And you would be correct... But I do not make it habit of reversing what the Fates have decided... It was Ichigo Kurosaki's time." The Soul King said.
"Perhaps, but exceptions can always be made." Byakuya said, still following the Soul King's movements.
"Exceptions?... Bold coming from the one whom was so unwilling to make them not too long ago." The Soul King said with another tilt of his head.
"Even I was able to learn." Byakuya said, squaring his shoulders.
"So it would seem... I must say, Byakuya Kuchiki, that in all of my eons, my years, my millenia, I never thought one would come to me looking to reverse what cannot be undone." The Soul King said, beginning his second lap around Byakuya.
"I came with the hope of repaying a boy whom has served you without ever taking the oath. Even you owe a debt to Ichigo Kurosaki because if he had not intervened, Sōsuke Aizen would have been successful in his plans." Byakuya said.
"Interesting point... But even if the boy hadn't intervened, Sōsuke Aizen would not have gotten passed the Royal Guard." The Soul King said simply.
"I beg to differ. The level of that man's foresight was nearly as omnipresent as you, Your Majesty." Byakuya said, still following the Soul King circle.
"Bold words." The Soul King said.
"To go along with a bold request." Byakuya said as he swallowed down a wave of nerves that was beginning to rise in his throat.
"That is fair." The Soul King said as he ended his circling to head back to his raised stage.
"Will you grant me the Blood of a Fate?" Byakuya asked plainly.
The Soul King remained silent however as he stepped back up onto his white stage, flanked by the white curtains with the vacant violet bubble behind him. He stood with his head high, his hair still sweeping in a wind that Byakuya couldn't feel and the drapes of cloth softly billowing around the unisex body.
"Tell me, Byakuya Kuchiki... When you decided to come here, to make a request that has never been requested, had you planned on being a breaker of the rules?" The Soul King asked, letting his long arms dangle at his sides.
"I do what must be done, Your Majesty. Even if that means breaking those rules I swore to uphold." Byakuya said, locking gazes with the being once more.
"Before you, Byakuya Kuchiki, those rules had never been broken and those whom dared sever those bonds were dealt with swiftly... Zaya Dejan'Ra knows all too well what happens when you dare cross the Soul King." The Soul King said with a sharp hiss in his words.
"What became of her? Did you simply execute, or did you make her soul suffer?" Byakuya asked, setting his expression harden into a stone gaze.
"She learned never to cross the throne again... She was executed, yes, but I made her float in the Blood Hell Ponds to writhe and scream in pain until she disintegrated into nonexistence... Not even her soul will be reborn." The Soul King said flatly.
"The harshest of punishments." Byakuya said.
"For the harshest of offenses... I do not take assassination lightly, Byakuya Kuchiki." The Soul King said.
"I never doubted, but if it hadn't been for my report, Zaya Dejan'Ra might have had a chance at succeeding in her plans." He said.
"Brave... Very brave, but you are correct... I do owe you a thank you for bringing that to my attention." The Soul King said.
"Does that not garnish the gift of the Blood of a Fate?" Byakuya asked.
"If we continue to debate, then perhaps you may succeed in your quest... However, I wonder just how far you would go to obtain it." The Soul King said, clasping his elegant hands in front of him.
Byakuya gulped.
"I see things in your future, Byakuya Kuchiki... In fact, I see something that you don't." The Soul King said, tilting his head to the side.
Byakuya's brows furrowed, "I do not follow, Your Majesty."
The sound of a low laugh began to emanate from all directions once more as the Soul King raised an elegant hand, palm up, that began to collect a ball of seamless light. It rose into the air where it spread wide, flattening itself where it began to show an image as if it was a screen.
It was dark, but clear, blatantly obvious that what Byakuya's silver eyes were seeing was organic, alive. Dark crimson was the dominant color, but it was broken by jagged lines of deep purple that softly pulsed with a steady rhythm. There were rises and falls in the wet landscape, but suspended in the center, attached to a long cord, was an ultra small embryo.
"I don't understand." Byakuya said, his brows furrowing as he stared at the moving image displayed in the screen of white light.
"Yes, you do... Must I tell you, or do you recognize this womb... This chamber of life that beats with a developing heart." The Soul King said softly.
Byakuya stared hard at the image and he could see in the center of the crimson embryo that a small pump was beating rapidly. He saw developing arms, developing legs and a small ball that took on the shape of a head. His heart began to hammer in his chest as his eyes began to shake, but he continued to study the womb until that one, identifying mark came into view.
Along the right side, half invisible by the folds of the womb, was a scar that he was all too familiar with.
Byakuya's breath caught in his throat, making it impossible for him to breathe. His whole body shook, his heart thundered so hard that every beat, every pump hurt and threatened to burst at any moment. It had hit him like he had fallen from the greatest of heights, only to hit the ground with enough force to shatter his entire existence into every direction. That wasn't just any womb, but his bride-to-be's, the woman he loved; It was Nyruki's and she was pregnant.
However, if the sudden realization wasn't enough to threaten to drop him to his knees, the embryo twitched, moving it just enough to expose a second heart, a hidden embryo suspended just behind it. There wasn't one, but two.
Byakuya fell to his knees with eyes frozen open, shaking as they became heavy with tears. He stared blindly at the image of his bride-to-be's womb, seeing the two developing embryos twitch and their hearts beat. He was to be a father, and a father of twins.
"Or should I say hearts." The Soul King said with a soft smile across his full lips.
At the sound of the Soul King's voice, Byakuya forced himself to breath as he blinked to bring his surroundings back into focus. He had gotten such tunnel vision, that the only thing he could see was the image in front of him. He wanted to immediately abandon his plight, to rush home and wrap Nyruki up in his arms and kiss her until neither could be kissed any more. He wanted to kiss her belly, to place his ear against it with the hopes of hearing their heartbeats, but he couldn't. He couldn't simply abandon the boy whose father he had promised to save.
Drawing in a deep breath that was still shaky, Byakuya rose to his feet and stared hard at the Soul King with the furrowing returning to his browline.
"You want to know how far I would go to obtain what I seek? I will go as far as needed." Byakuya said as he slowly, smoothly pulled Senbonzakura from its sheath.
"Oh?... You would throw away all you care for, for a boy whom your heart has no room for?" The Soul King asked, still lowly laughing.
"I was asked what I would sacrifice... What I would cast aside in order to keep a promise. I know now what that is." Byakuya said, setting his eyes ablaze as he gazed hard at the Soul King.
"Please tell me." The Soul King said, not phased by the blade in Byakuya's hands.
"If it means acquiring the Blood of a Fate, if it means saving a life, protecting my children, my wife... I would sacrifice myself without pause. I will never again put myself, my beliefs, ahead of others, nor will I risk the death of those I care about. I would cast myself aside if at all to save a boy whom I owe it all to, even if that meant leaving my wife alone to raise our children because I know, with all of my heart, my being, that she would understand." Byakuya said firmly as a single tear leapt free to run its course down his cheek.
The Soul King's laughter ebbed away, leaving only the omnipresent silence around them. He shook from the idea that he would never get to meet his children, his twins developing in the womb of the woman he loved. He wanted nothing more than to be there, to wake up in the middle of the night to calm their cries while Nyruki slept, to help her feed them, bathe them, care for them and play with them, but he had made a promise and he would be damned if he broke it.
"There is no need for blades... Sheath your sword." The Soul King said lowly as a single tear that twinkled like a diamond fell from his eye.
Byakuya only hesitated a moment before slipping Senbonzakura back into its sheath, but his heart still painful raced in his chest.
"Self sacrifice for self sacrifice... A noble concept that has been lost throughout the ages." The Soul King said.
"There are values that require to be maintained, even at such a cost... I offer myself for the Blood of a Fate." Byakuya said with a swallow that nearly blocked off his throat.
"There will be no need... You offer the ideal of self sacrifice, therefore, it is the ideal of the Blood of a Fate that I gift in return."
With a wave of his hand, the image of his developing twins vanished, but in its place, was a clear vial the length of Byakuya's hand that ended in a crisp point. It was filled with a red liquid as it slowly descended into the Soul King's awaiting palm, where the long, elegant fingers curled around it.
Byakuya blinked as he started to breathe, "You grant me what I seek?"
The Soul King stepped down the stairs and began to walk towards him, and with each step, Byakuya realized just how tall the Soul King was; He was the same height as Sajin Komamura.
"The Blood of a Fate is omnipresent, eternal, and as such, only an eternal offering can garnish such a reward... Self sacrifice is one such offering whose reward is this crystal vial." The Soul King said as he lowered his hand and opened his fingers to let the pointed crystal vial hover in his palm.
Byakuya looked at the plain vial, how the blood inside clung to the crystal, but slowly seeped down to join the pool. It's color phased, almost shifted from bright red, to deep crimson. It was almost metallic, but it was perfect, liquid and his.
He held his breath as he reached out and grasped the vial and the moment his hand touched the smooth crystal that felt as if it wasn't even there, he discovered that it was warm, radiating with an unending heat.
He had done it. In his hand, he held the Blood of a Fate.
He was comfortable, warm beneath the soft blanket that covered his body. His arms lay heavy over it, tucking the edge beneath his arms and wrapping it around his chest that ached with each breath. His head steadily thumped, but the pain he had felt when the redhead Shinigami known as Renji and the others had found him had subsided into a constant ache.
The boy drew in a long breath as he slowly opened his eyes. They ached from the crying he had done, but they could still see clearly and he was in a calm and warm room, laying in a bed.
He looked around, slowly turning his head to see he laid beneath a large window that looked out into a dying daylight sky. The room was fairly sparse, but there was a dresser topped with a bouquet of flowers and a chair nearby that was occupied.
"Hey, Buddy. How're you?" Renji asked quietly as he stood and took the step to the side of the bed.
"I... I ache." Said the boy as he shifted to push himself up.
Renji acted quickly as he helped the boy to sit up, sticking pillows behind his back to help support him against the stiff headboard that was as tall as the boy's torso.
"H-How long have I been asleep?" The boy asked as he leaned back against the cushions.
"Just a few hours. Do you recognize where you are?" Renji asked as he sat back down and scooted the chair closer to the side of the bed.
The boy just shook his head.
"You're at the Squad 4 medical facility. They treated you for your injuries." Renji said, pressing his elbows into his knees and clasping his hands together.
"Where's that at?" The boy asked with a soft, yet uneasy gulp.
"The Seireitei." Renji said.
The boy started to fidget with the edge of the blanket as he stared at them, falling deeper and deeper into his head which is exactly where he didn't want to go. He was frightened of falling too deeply into his head, so instead, he wanted to keep talking.
"C-Can we keep talking? It helps to settle my head." He said, never taking his eyes off his hands.
"Sure." Renji said.
"Y-You said those Shinigami I beat up weren't really Shinigami?" The boy asked, this time looking over at the redhead.
Renji nodded, "Yeah. They attacked a recon team last week and stole their Shihakushō. It's what lead us to the district where we found you."
"You've been looking for me?" The boy asked, still fidgeting.
Again, Renji nodded, "Yeah. We all were... Every Shinigami in the Gotei 13 has been looking for you for days."
"Am I that important?" The boy asked.
"To us?... Yeah." Renji said softly.
"Those other two with you... Do they know me too?" The boy asked, managing to look at Renji for longer than a second.
"They do. A lot of us do." Renji said with a slow exhale.
"I... I don't recognize them." The boy admitted.
"You recognized my name." Renji said.
The boy nodded, "I-It's been nagging at me, burning in the back of my head ever since I stayed with Haru and Jirō and Jirū."
"How come?" Renji asked.
"They gave me a name that sounds a lot like it." The boy said as he swallowed down the rising tightness in his throat.
"What did they name you?" Renji asked softly.
"Orenji."
Renji huffed a crooked grin, "Fitting for you."
The boy's smile only briefly appeared before instantly vanishing, "Yeah... But it started making me think of the name Renji. I didn't remember where I'd heard it, I still don't, but it was familiar somehow." He explained.
Renji nodded, "I was the first one you ever fought with."
"I fought you?" The boy asked softly, getting better at looking at the redhead.
"And lost that first fight... I uh... I hurt you pretty bad." Renji said as he looked down at his hands and picked at his fingernails.
"Is that why I don't remember?" The boy asked.
This time, Renji shook his head, "No. We're friends now."
"Oh... T-Then why can't I remember you? Why do I only recognize your name?" The boy asked, now fulling watching the redhead as he kept picked at his nails.
Renji half shrugged, "It makes sense that you'd recognize my name."
"B-But I don't recognize anyone else's."
Renji sighed heavily as he dropped his head and rubbed the back of his neck, "I know... You will though. I know you will."
"I wanna remember, Renji. I don't remember anything... nothing before I woke up in that town. My head hurts, my heart hurts... my body hurts. I haven't slept well in days." The boy said as he turned his head to look out the window at the fading day.
"I know, Bud. You've just gotta give us time. We're trying everything we can to help." Renji said as he released another long sigh.
"You're assuming there's anything that can be done... I see things... I see this boy who looks like a ghost and he keeps telling me that at the end of the seventh day, that he'll take over." The boy said as his eyes began to sting.
"Does he have black eyes with yellow iris's?"
The boy tore his eyes away from the sunset to look at the redhead covered in tattoos. His brown eyes were blank, but something about them were sincere. They were powerful, true even, and there was a trust there that flickered like a beacon in the night.
"Y-You've seen him?" The boy asked.
Renji nodded, "In a sense, yeah. He's you inner Hollow. He's the source of your power."
"Power?" The boy's brow's furrowed.
Renji sat up straight, "You're a Shinigami... A Substitute Shinigami, but you are one, nonetheless. You're a lot more powerful than a lot of us."
"I am?"
Renji nodded, "Yeah."
Renji just watched the boy slowly nod, but he remained silent as he turned his head back to look out the window. There was a distance in the boy's brown eyes, a thousand yard stare that looked through everything for a thousand miles. Sure, Renji had found him, but he was still lost.
He quietly stood from the chair and stepped from the room, closing the door behind him as softly as possible so he didn't disturb the boy inside, but as the latch clicked closed, Rukia came around the corner.
"Renji-" She exhaled with big, sad violet eyes.
"Hey, Rukia." Renji said as his hand slipped off the door handle.
"Is he awake?" Rukia asked, stopping in front of him only a step away.
Renji nodded, "Yeah, but I don't think you should see him."
"Why not?" Rukia asked with a shallow swallow.
"He's pretty messed up, Rukia. He doesn't remember anything, or anyone. He doesn't even remember when we fought." Renji said softly as he reached out and took the much smaller woman into his arms.
Rukia buried her face into his Shihakushō as she wrapped her arms around his trunk. With his much taller size, being a difference of a little over seventeen inches, he was forced to bend down in order to embrace her. He leaned over far enough to place his lips onto the top of her head before she craned her face up to his and rose onto her tippy toes.
Their soft kiss was motionless, unmoving, purely meant to comfort instead of arouse. He could feel her slight shaking against him and he could tell, because of their long life together, that she was sad and tortured about what their friend was going through. He knew she wanted to help, but there simply wasn't anything they could do. Beating him wasn't going to work, which meant that they were solely reliant on Byakuya's return, which he had yet to do.
After only a few moments, Renji stood back up, separating their soft kiss where he returned to hugging her. She clutched two fistfuls of his Shihakushō as he turned slightly to put his back to the wall, where he leaned back against it and just stood in silence until another arrived.
"Good evening, Lieutenant Abarai." Said Captain Unohana with her usual peaceful expression.
"Good evening, Captain." He said as he released his hold on Rukia, whom took a step away and sighed.
"Is he awake?" Unohana asked softly with her hands interlaced in front of her.
Renji nodded, "Yes, Captain, but-" His voice trailed off.
"I understand, Lieutenant." Unohana nodded slowly.
"How's his body doing?" Rukia asked as she crossed her arms to hug herself.
"As well as can be expected. There's still a bit of damage that needs attention, but most functions have been restored. Kon is able to talk now, but movement is still too high a bar to reach at the moment." Unohana said.
"Will it be healed in time?" Renji asked, he too crossing his arms.
"I am unsure, Lieutenant. His physical body needs much more work, much more than what time we have left. Ichigo will need to undergo months of physical therapy to return to normal." Unohana said as she sent a slow nod in greeting as a Squad 4 member walked by.
"Here, or back in the World of the Living?" Rukia asked with a quick glance up to Renji.
"Ichigo will remain here. I am not comfortable sending him home with so much work still needed to be done. I predict he will not be able to walk should Captain Kuchiki be successful." Unohana said as she glanced at the closed and restricted room.
"That bad?" Renji asked with an uneasy exhale.
Unohana nodded, "Yes. The cerebrum part of his brain was directly hit by the bullet and the most severely damaged. With his soul separated from his physical body, the damage is resistant to healing Kidō. You can't heal what is supposed to be a deceased body, so my only option should we be successful is rehabilitation."
Renji rubbed the back of his neck, "Wow-" He breathed.
Rukia softly placed her hand on his forearm, "We'll all be there to support him, Renji."
"I would recommend that. Should Captain Kuchiki be successful, Ichigo will need all the support he can get." Unohana said.
Renji released a long sigh as he glanced down at Rukia, shifting his arms just enough to cover her small hand with his. He didn't feel like they had done anything to help the boy. He still felt like there was so much more to do, but he didn't know what, like there were some secret objectives that he had yet to discover. Finding Ichigo was only one such objective and there was still so much more to do, like getting the boy to remember.
Night had fallen over the Kuchiki estate, where Isshin, his daughters and all the others from the World of the Living had found a place for solace while they waited to hear news.
For the second day in a row, Grimmjow and played soccer with Karin, this time with the accompaniment of Chad. Both men tried to best Karin in her chosen game, but both failed miserably, as her talent was just that true.
Neliel had gone for another hike with Yuzu, again with Orihime and Uryū in tow. They admired views while Orihime took photos and they had even packed for a picnic at the top of the large hill that they had ascended.
All their activities helped to keep them distracted from thinking and worrying about the boy, whom they didn't know had been found.
All but one.
Nyruki and Isshin stood in an empty room that looked out into the gardens, directly across from the small bridge. Isshin was silent, staring off into oblivion about the news. His heart thundered, thumped so hard that he could feel his pulse in his neck. His son had been found, and all he wanted to do was rush to him and hold his boy, but under Nyruki's advice, he had stayed.
"Is he gonna be ok?" Isshin managed to ask, still staring blindly at the pond with his arms crossed.
"Only time will tell. His injuries were quickly tended to, but he knows nothing. The only reason he agreed to go with Renji was because he had a small inkling that he knew him." Nyruki said softly as she released a quiet breath.
"That's good isn't it?" Isshin asked.
"It can be if we play our hand right. That's why you have to wait to go see him. If we rush him with all the people he used to know, he could suffer a psychotic break." Nyruki said, crossing her arms as well.
Isshin just nodded as he began to chew on his fingernail, "Have you heard from Byakuya yet?"
"No. I'm sorry." Nyruki said quietly.
"We have three days left, Nyruki." Isshin said as he sucked in a long, but shaky breath.
"I know. All we can do now is try and help Ichigo remember while we wait for Byakuya to get back." Nyruki said softly.
Isshin's brown eyes softly glowed in the moonlight, reflecting off the sheen that had built up steadily over time. He felt the slight trembling in his muscles, and every ounce of him wanted to ignore Nyruki's orders and go to his son, but deep down in the dark depths of his heart, he knew she was right. They had to tread carefully.
Finally blinking the shine away and coming back to his senses, Isshin finally looked over to Nyruki whom had taken on the stance of blindly staring at the pond. A hand had dropped from where they had been crossed to rest on her abdomen, staying still over the womb that housed what he knew was there. He had seen that stance before, from his late wife, Masaki, just before she told him she was pregnant with Ichigo.
"How far along?" Isshin asked, turning his eyes down to the grass.
"Five weeks." Nyruki said just as quietly.
"It's still early. Is Byakuya excited?" He asked as he leaned a shoulder against the doorframe, still with his arms crossed.
"I'm sure he will be once I tell him." Nyruki said, never once taking her eyes off the still pond.
"Ah... You just found out." Isshin said.
"Yup... How did you know?"
Isshin huffed a soft smile, "You're cradling. Masaki used to do it too when she was pregnant."
Nyruki removed her hand from her stomach and recrossed her arms.
"Masaki got so big when she was pregnant with Ichigo. That damn kid was huge when he was born." He lowly laughed.
"Yeah?" Nyruki asked, shooting him a glance to keep him talking and therefore, distracted.
"Yeah... Ichigo weighed ten pounds, eleven ounces and had a head so big he couldn't even hold it up," he started to laugh as he pinched the bridge of his nose, "He looked like a summer squash."
Nyruki started to laugh as she rubbed her forehead.
"That was eighteen years ago... I remember it like it was yesterday... Waking up in the middle of the night because Masaki had gone into labor. We didn't even have time to get to the hospital before Ichigo was ready to come out. We made it downstairs into the clinic and I delivered him myself. Masaki was in labor for a grand total of five minutes." Isshin said with a thick swallow.
"Sounds like he's always been hard charging." Nyruki said, lifting her head from her hand to recross her arms.
Isshin nodded, "Very much so, but that's my fault for being a Shiba. The girls took a lot longer," he sighed, "We were in the hospital for over twenty-four hours until they were born. They were born early though, so doctors were in no rush."
"How early?" Nyruki asked.
"Five weeks, but that's not uncommon with twins." Isshin said.
"Karin and Yuzu are twins?" Nyruki asked with the slightest widening of her eyes.
Isshin nodded, "Yeah. Fraternal twins... Two different eggs instead of one splitting into two parts. It's why they look different."
"Ah... Don't tell anyone about me, ok?" Nyruki asked with a quick glance at the man.
"I won't."
Their conversation died as both stared at the still pond with no splashes from the fish below. The air was still, only broken by the low chirps of crickets from somewhere in the gardens. The stars twinkled overhead and only the space around the moon was void of the small white dots.
They had been so lost in their head, that neither noticed that the clan advisor had approached them with his hands hidden in his sleeves and shoulders burdened with a warm robe.
"I'm sorry to disturb you, Lady Nyruki, but do you have a few moments to speak?" The old man asked with a modest bow.
Nyruki nodded, "Yes, I do."
"I'll talk to you later, Nyruki. Good night." Isshin said before stepping away and heading towards the room that had become their accommodations.
The old man waited until Isshin had disappeared into his room before stepping up to Nyruki with another bow that she returned.
"Lady Nyruki, I was hoping to speak with you regarding the issue of Isshin's son, Ichigo Kurosaki." The old man started.
"What about him?" Nyruki asked with a light furrowing in her brow.
"I know that Lord Byakuya had wished for the boy be brought here for the reforging, but myself, as well the rest of the council, are concerned with what might happen should the boy... hollowfy." The old man said with clear nerves in his words.
"I understand, but whatever Byakuya wishes will remain. Should our efforts go unrewarded, then the boy will be given the gift of being ended here amongst friends." Nyruki said softly.
The old man bowed, "As you wish, Lady Nyruki. Please understand we only voice our concerns. One loss of life is already enough."
"I agree, but my decision stands. Come the seventh day, Ichigo will be brought here."
"I will make appropriate accommodations."
The old man bowed once more before he turned and left, leaving Nyruki alone, bathed in moonlight. The fifth day was quickly approaching, and with no word from Byakuya, all she could do was speculate.
With their resonation, the fact that both could feel each other no matter where they were, she hadn't felt his spiritual pressure ever since the previous day. He had vanished from her senses, from that steady, calming thump deep in her chest, seated firmly in her heart. She hoped that he was well, that all was alright and above all, she hoped he would return soon with the Blood of a Fate in hand.