Disclaimer: Sadly, Bleach will never be mine.
Chapter 11: Waiting
If anyone had passed by and looked into Byakuya Kuchiki's office, they would see him simply sitting calmly at his desk finishing his work. It was the picture of perfect normalcy and you would never be able to tell that underneath that cool, unruffled exterior Byakuya was absolutely livid. Ever since Rukia had escaped to the human world, about one month ago, Byakuya had encountered obstacle after obstacle in trying to get permission to go to there to search for her. The elders in the Kuchiki family had been the most annoying deterrent to his efforts. They had never been happy with his decision to adopt Rukia as his sister, and the idea that she would be the next heir to the family, if anything should happen to Byakuya, had always ate away at their souls. They all seemed quite relieved to have her disposed of so neatly.
I have to find a way around those old fools, he thought angrily as he finished the last touches to the petition he was writing. He had spent almost every day in his office in Squad 6's barracks doing this same activity over and over again. When he wasn't writing, he was busy going from official to official to try to convince them in person that Rukia was still alive and needed to be found. It has been a month since she left, and she will not last much longer if I do not hurry and rescue her.
Once he was done with what seemed like his 100th request to go look for Rukia, Byakuya laid his brush on to its stand and carefully began folding it. He had thought that using his influence with the new council members of Central 46 would help him supersede the family elders, but they had their own reasons for being hesitant in granting his request. They had been concerned that if normal travel with lower ranking Shinigami could cause further damage to the barrier, then someone with Byakuya's level of reiatsu would be even more dangerous to the stability of the two worlds.
They are all fools; he fumed further as he sealed the petition. I am perfectly capable of keeping my own reiatsu under control, but they are so afraid of something happening that they are being overly cautious.
Byakuya had also argued that his reiatsu would be suppressed by the limiters all Captain and Lieutenant ranked Shinigami had to wear in the human world, but Central 46 was afraid that it would not be enough protection, so Byakuya had made a special request to Squad 12 to develop a gigai that would keep his reiatsu suppressed completely without any effort on his part. He hoped that this solution would take care of the last of the arguments coming out of Central 46.
Damn, Mayuri also, Byakuya seethed silently under his cold, calm mask, his hand gripping the paper there a little tighter. He felt his anger rise as he remembered the useless argument he had with the cold, pompous Captain of Squad 12 about the length of time he had been quoted. That man was so absorbed in conducting his own agenda that unless it was a direct order, everything else got ignored. I know that Squad 12 is busy repairing the barrier, but I also know that something so simple should not take him over a month to complete. He's being perversely unreasonable because he knows I have no other choice, but to rely on him.
Byakuya finished preparing his letter, and arose calmly from his desk to personally deliver his petition to Central 46. This one requested special permission for his lieutenant, Renji Abarai, and himself, to go to the human world to look for Rukia.
I hope that this will be the last one that I will have to write, he thought a little wearily as he left his office.
On the outside, Byakuya hoped that he still seemed unchanged and unemotional about losing his sister, but he knew that his cool front was a farce. His volatile feelings of frustration, anger and concern boiled inside of him, and left his façade of impenetrable self control weak and unstable. He felt that the slightest thing could cause this brittle shell to shatter, and all the emotions he had managed to keep carefully hidden this past month would overwhelm him.
I have to get to her, he thought urgently as he strode purposefully through Squad 6's barracks. Captain Unohana gave her up to seven months to survive if she had her reiatsu removed. I have to find her before then and fix my mistakes from that night.
Byakuya had suspected that Rukia would try to escape when she had her sudden change of heart concerning the twins. He had made it seem as if he believed her so that he could lull her into a false sense of security, and he could try to catch whoever else must be helping her. Sure enough, a couple of days after she had told him her decision she had tried to escape to the human world through the Kuchiki family senkaimon. He knew that she couldn't have carried out her escape plans all by herself because of the condition she was in, but he had not been able to detect anyone else's reiatsu besides Rukia's. He also did not see anyone with her when he finally confronted her at the gate.
I know that woman had to have helped Rukia; he thought irately, he hardly ever referred to Shihouin Yoruichi by name. She had been the bane of his existence as a child and it seemed like she was determined to be a thorn in his side even now. I cannot think of anyone else who could have hidden so completely from me, that they could get close enough to use shinten.
He felt a twinge of embarrassment at the memory impinge into the haze of anger and frustration he had been surrounded by since Rukia's disappearance. It disturbed him that he had been taken out so easily by the anesthetic that Squad 4 used. He had later learned that it had taken the whole bottle to render him unconscious, but that did not ease the shame he felt at being caught so completely unawares by such a tactic.
Rukia might have not succeeded in escaping if I had just brought one other person with me, he thought with a feeling of disgust for himself. He had decided to go alone because he didn't want any news of her disobedience to leak out. He had been worried about what type of disciplinary actions she might have faced if she had been caught trying to make an unauthorized trip to the human world. I should have brought Renji, I know that I could have trusted him, but I was so sure of myself. Maybe if I had let go of my pride I would not have let her escape.
Byakuya could taste the bitterness and regret for his foolishness rise and try to overwhelm him, so he paused to look up at the sky while he collected himself. Right when his gaze lifted toward the sky he noticed a Hell Butterfly fluttering above his head. It stayed there for a few moments, dancing in an elaborate pattern above his head, and then it fluttered toward a nearby wall.
I am still making foolish mistakes, Hisana, but I will make this one right and no one will stand in my way, he thought as he watched the Hell Butterfly disappear from his sight. I am bringing Renji with me this time and we will find her together. If Ichigo Kurosaki or anyone else gets in my way then I will definitely kill them to save her.
Byakuya had regained control of himself now, so he continued on to Central 46 as his thoughts whirled around the other culprits in this whole mess. He was sure that Yoruichi woman was one of the culprits, and if Yoruichi was involved then Kisuke Urahara had to be too.
Besides, Byakuya thought. Who else could have aided Rukia in removing her reiatsu in the human world? He is also the only one who could hide her so completely that Squad 12's tracking equipment would be absolutely useless.
When the rest of the Soul Society had realized what Rukia had done they had immediately ordered a scan of the human world to see if they could pinpoint her location, but nothing showed up on their sensors. No trace of her reiatsu could be found and any visuals they were able to get showed nothing out of the ordinary. After searching for about a week they had given up and assumed that she had not made it to the human world.
They had also questioned Kisuke Urahara about her whereabouts, the day after she disappeared, but he had simply smiled and said that he had not seen her personally, and if anything important came up that needed the Soul Society's attention then he would alert them immediately.
This whole thing infuriates me to no end, he thought angrily as he reached the outer gates of Central 46. I know that woman helped Rukia escape, and Urahara is helping her hide. If Rukia dies because of their actions, I will definitely kill them too.
I have less than two months to get to her before it is too late, he thought with grim determination as he walked to the entrance of Central 46. I will make it to her in time, no matter the consequences.
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Renji Abarai, Lieutenant of Squad 6, felt like he was going to die from exhaustion. Ever since Rukia had disappeared a month ago into the human world, he had been taking care of all the daily administration of Squad 6 while his Captain tried to get permission for them to go after her. He knew that everyone thought that Captain Kuchiki was just wasting his time because they were all quite sure that Rukia must be dead by now.
Those stupid idiots don't know her like I do, he thought angrily as he rushed to another squad meeting he had to conduct on behalf of his Captain. He was rushing because he had woken up late. Ever since Captain Kuchiki had begun his crusade to save Rukia, Renji spent most of his nights finishing Captain Kuchiki's paperwork as well as his own. His bright red hair streamed behind him like a red banner as he worked at putting it up into its usual ponytail. Rukia is stubborn and strong. No way in hell, would she ever let something like this kill her off. I just wish that I had gone to see her before she ran off.
Renji, unlike many of Rukia's other close comrades, had not gone to see her to convince her to change her mind. He knew that she would never purposefully harm anyone she cared about, and she had a strange heroic streak in her when it came to protecting those she considered weaker than herself. He had spent years with her in Inuzuri during their childhood, and he had seen this protective side of her often enough to know that she would never kill her defenseless unborn children.
I wanted to talk to Captain Kuchiki about how he was handling the situation, he thought for the five hundred sixty sixth time since she disappeared. But how do you tell your Captain that he's being an ass and going about this the wrong way? The answer is...you don't.
Renji had also been worried about what effect his support for Rukia's decision might have on his Captain. Because, in all the time that he had known Captain Kuchiki, this was the first time he seemed to be so close to losing control. Renji had been caught between the proverbial rock and a hard place, torn between supporting his childhood friend or supporting his Captain and his squad.
Since Renji had never been the brightest or most diplomatic type, walking the minefield between his two desires had driven him practically crazy. In the end, he had decided to put off seeing Rukia and help Captain Kuchiki manage the Squad so that he could take care of her. Although Captain Kuchiki never snapped or lost his temper, Renji could tell that Rukia's condition was taking a heavy toll on his Captain. His expressions and behaviors remained the same, but he always seemed to carry a heavy air of hostility and angst that followed him around like a raincloud. Anyone who got close enough to that cloud got drenched in that mass of seething frustration and anger, so many of the members of Squad 6 had taken to avoiding Captain Kuchiki altogether.
Later, Renji began to regret his decision so he had made plans to visit Rukia just before she escaped, but Captain Kuchiki had already been laying more responsibility on him by then. It was an excuse that was as lame as it was stupid, but he just hadn't had the time to go see her before she ran off.
You stupid, little moron, he thought as he rounded the corner to enter the meeting room. Why do you always insist on doing these things yourself? Why don't you rely on me once in a while?
Renji, like everyone except Captain Kuchiki, had been clueless to Rukia's escape plans. It upset him that she hadn't mentioned anything to him or asked him for help. He figured that she probably didn't want to get him into trouble.
I guess I wouldn't have been a good choice anyway, he begrudgingly admitted. Asking help from someone who sees her older brother everyday would be kind of stupid.
Renji reached the front of the room and turned to face the other members of his Squad.
"Alright everyone," he called out loudly to get everyone's attention. "I'm going to be going over our training schedules for the next week, so pay attention."
"Yes, sir!" everyone chorused in unison as they respectfully stopped their chatter and turned toward him.
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Two weeks later…
Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi, Squad 12 Captain and head of the Department of Research and Development, sat in the darkness of his private lab. The glow of the screens in front of him cast eerie shadows across his bizarre black and white face. His yellow eyes glowed with eagerness as he reviewed the data he had been able to collect while Rukia Kuchiki had still been in the Soul Society. Captain Kurotsuchi could care less about Rukia Kuchiki's life. She was just the vessel for the two interesting specimens growing in her body, but if he wanted to get them into his lab he would have to keep her undisturbed long enough to give birth.
This is most intriguing, he thought excitedly to himself as he tapped one of his five inch fingernails rhythmically on the armrest of his chair. Those two little brats in Rukia Kuchiki's womb are definitely worth my time. I'm sure I could get some interesting information from their little corpses, but I would rather have a living specimen to run my experiments on.
Behind him his Lieutenant, Nemu Kurotsuchi, approached him quietly in the darkness. She was dressed in a short shuhakusho and wore a red choker around her neck. Her long black hair was pulled into a tight braid that ran all the way to her waist. She approached him with her hands clasped in front of her as she spoke his name softly to get his attention.
"Mayuri-sama," she said meekly as she stopped a few paces behind his chair. "Captain Kuchiki is here again, requesting a status report on the special gigais that he ordered."
"Can't you do anything yourself, Nemu," he snapped at her without even turning to glance in her direction. "You know I need to stall him while I wait for my precious test subjects to get a little bigger. I can't have him interfering in their development just yet."
"I apologize, Mayuri-sama," she replied penitently, she bowed her head as she spoke. "But Captain Kuchiki is most insistent that the only thing he is waiting for is the gigais. He has finally, received permission to go to the human world."
"Hmph," he grunted in disappointment as he scratched his temple with his long nail. "I thought Central 46 would stall him a bit longer after I gave them my report about the 'dangers' of a Captain traveling through the barrier. I still need those brats to have a chance to grow a little more so that there will be more for me to test."
"But, Mayuri-sama," Nemu replied, she had a look of puzzlement on her face. "Aren't her twins dead? The reports say that Rukia Kuchiki probably died in her attempt to escape to the human world."
"Shut up, you stupid woman!" he yelled at her as he turned to glare at her. "Do you think I'm a fool?! I know what the reports said! But I know that she must still be alive because the only logical thing she could have done was go to Urahara, and I know that man will keep her alive somehow."
He turned back to his glowing monitors and waved a dismissive hand at Nemu.
"Now go and get rid of Kuchiki," he said as he turned his concentration back to studying the data on his screen. "I need him and Abarai to be able to go just in time to bring those two guinea pigs back alive. Make sure you tell him something good enough to keep him out of my hair for the next month and a half or so."
"Yes, Mayuri-sama," she replied as she bowed. Then she left the room just as silently as she came.
Thanks for reading! Things should start to pick up a little more after this chapter.
I also wanted to say thank you to everyone who reviewed! I really appreciate it!
