Chapter 11: The Waiting

I always feel a little bit annoyed when I go to Kisuke's shop. I mean, the guy's a freaking genius and always glad to help a guy out. When I was newer to the living world, he sure was a big help with making sure I dressed okay for the surroundings, had a way home, or to Hueco Mundo or wherever I needed to go, that I had all of the candy a guy could eat and that if I needed something for a mission, it would be there.

But…that damned kid…

Okay, I know in my head that he doesn't really hate my guts. But Jinta likes to be a shit disturber and he's always pushing my buttons…and once he starts up, the others all start in too. I'm the guy that everyone loves to kick around. It's in a joking kind of way, but there are time I wish they'd leave off and find another victim.

Within a few seconds of entering the shop this time, I'm convinced I was totally wrong in that opinion. As soon as his eyes find me, he gives a howl of dismay and he run and throws himself against my leg, sobbing piteously. Ururu doesn't make any noise, but tears break out on her face and she sniffs a few times.

"M-moocher!" sobs Jinta, hugging my leg so hard it hurts.

"We were so worried!" adds Ururu, wiping her eyes and looking up at me shyly.

The one I'm not expecting is Tessai. He grabs the parts of me that Jinta's not crushing and finishes the job, leaving me breathless and dizzy as hell.

"Vice Captain Abarai!" he cries, "We only just received word of your rescue! You must still be in shock. I will send for Orihime Inoue to heal you!"

I start to tell him not to, but then I feel the press of Zabimaru's tooth in my pocket and think better of it. Maybe…

I notice that they're looking more closely at me. They don't say anything right away, but instead exchange greetings with Tetsuya. We're just at the end of that when Kisuke comes through the door with Ichigo and Rukia beside him. Rukia freezes for a moment and gives me that sweet, worshipping, lit up look that she usually saves for Byakuya…not that he ever acknowledges it. But I can't help but notice as she flash steps to me and nearly drags me off my feet. She's laughing and crying and hugging and then hitting me for scaring her so bad. She's shaking all over, so I let her finish freaking out, then wrap my arms around her and hug her tightly to let her know I'm okay. I feel another arm wrap around me and find myself hugging Ichigo. He doesn't say much, but his eyes tell me just how worried he was.

"You okay?" he asks.

I nod and smile as Rukia continues to lean against me, crying more softly now. It's a while before she lifts her head and starts talking normally, but when she does, she says what's obviously on everyone's mind.

"Renji, what happened to your tattoos?"

I let out a little bit of breath.

"It's a long story," I tell her, "But don't worry. I think that they will come back, but Zabimaru needs healing. That's part of the reason I'm here."

I take the metal tooth out of my pocket and hand it to a curious Kisuke. He gives it a good once over and glances back at me.

"So…Zabimaru lost a fang?" he asks.

I shake my head.

"It's more like that fang lost Zabimaru," I tell him, "That's all that was left of him after Aizen destroyed the rest."

Rukia's face goes pale and the room goes silent.

"I'm hoping that he can be healed," I tell them, "Once he is, then my tattoos should return. It's just that he was broken and most of him was destroyed by Aizen when he was trying to get information out of me…oh, and when Captain came and broke me out of there."

"What? Byakuya?" asks Kisuke, stunned, "Renji, we told him that if he needed any help, we would help. He just…?"

"He just made it look like hell and damnation was coming down on the place and busted in and grabbed me," I explain, "As we left, Aizen destroyed what was left of Zabimaru. But Captain had recovered a piece of him after the attack and, luckily, he kept it."

"That is lucky," Kisuke agrees, "Okay, as soon as Orihime arrives, we can have her take a look at your zanpakutou and you. But…I guess there's more?"

I let him know there is, but get across the point that I don't want to discuss it in front of the kids. So Kisuke changes the subject and we eat dinner, then he sends the kids off to bed. Afterwards, Orihime arrives and settles down with Zabimaru and Kisuke, Tetsuya, Rukia, Ichigo and I meet in Kisuke's sitting room. We gather around and I try to get my thoughts together as everyone waits. I have no fucking idea where to begin. No two ways to slice it…this will be weird!

"Ah, this actually started before the battle where I was captured. Captain and I were assigned to destroy an outpost where some creepy scientist on Aizen's payroll had set up some horrid experiment with a drug he concocted. It was supposed to have been used on the members of some of the noble clans."

"Well, that's not very nice," mutters Kisuke, "I'm sure your captain was real downhearted about having to destroy something like that, ne?"

"Oh, Captain was happy enough to destroy the place before he ever knew the nobles were the main target, but once he did, I thought he might bust something. We moved in to set the charges, but the attack our comrades used to cover up what we were setting up were a little too good. A blast went off near us and as Captain killed the creepy scientist hollow, it jabbed him with the drug."

"Damn," mused Ichigo, "That's not good. What happened?"

I feel awfully guilty now, but there's nothing for it. I need answers and everyone here is trustworthy, so…

"Look, you guys cannot tease Captain Kuchiki about this…really. He's probably going to absolutely kill me for telling anyone, but…I really need your help, so guys…please don't tease me about this?"

They look at each other and then back at me.

Shit.

I'm not sure I can do this. I wonder if I shouldn't just tell Kisuke, but I know he'd tell Ichigo. The two have been romantically entangled ever since Kisuke saved his life and helped him gain his shinigami powers so he could go and save Rukia. And what Ichigo knows, Rukia will know. And Tetsuya is Byakuya's relative and a really upstanding guy. I know all that, but I still feel really on edge about this.

"Okay," agrees Kisuke, "We're all grown ups here…or something like that. Why don't you just tell us what happened?"

"Okay, but I'll kill you if you make fun of me over it. I swear!" I tell them.

I take a breath and just let it out.

"Aizen and his crack-pot scientist created something that acts kinda like a love potion…but it's a lot more creepy than that."

"Wait, Byakuya got shot up with a love potion? Really?" Kisuke says, biting his lips to keep himself from smiling.

Ichigo looks surprised but maybe less amused and Rukia looks disgusted.

"So…a love potion," Kisuke prompts me, "What's the creepy part?"

"The creepy part is that if the person who is given the drug doesn't have sex within several hours, the drug attacks their mind and turns it into mush."

"Ouch!" says Kisuke.

Yeah, now he knows why I told them not to laugh. But now, they're all looking at me funny, and I know what they're wondering. I decide not to fuck around.

"Yes…I had sex with my captain."

You could hear a pin drop. No one knows quite what to say. What the fuck are they going to say anyway? Kisuke and Ichigo are avoiding each other's eyes and Rukia is glaring at me like she wants to kill me. I mean, she knew…and…

"To keep him from losing his mind," Kisuke says, trying to look serious.

"Yes. In any case, the drug wasn't just about making noble borns horny. And when Aizen captured me, it wasn't just because I got in between Captain and him. He knew we were going to be sent and knew that if he threatened my captain, I would do anything I had to, to protect him."

"So, he wanted to capture you. Why?" asks Kisuke, "Cause you would think that if Byakuya was the one who got drugged, he would be the one to talk to."

"My thoughts exactly," I tell him, "but he kept asking me lots of questions about how I was feeling and if I sensed anything about Captain's emotions. It was that, that made me think there's something else going on here."

"Sounds like the one receiving the victim's 'affections' gets more than pleasure, ne?" Kisuke asks.

He's all business now. I wonder why that scares me so badly.

"Uh, yeah…in more ways than one."

"Huh?"

"I'm pregnant."

I thought it would be bad to be teased, but it's so damned quiet now that I can hear the sound of blood rushing in my ears. I start to feel dizzy and sick to my stomach.

"You've been checked out by fourth division?" he asks.

I nod and the sick feeling gets worse.

"Hey, uh, Renji…you're looking kinda pale," says Ichigo, "You okay?"

I bite my lips and try to think about fresh lemons. I don't know why, but it seems soothing.

"I'm okay. Just a little sick to my stomach and dizzy."

"Normal for pregnancy," Kisuke acknowledges.

Damn it! He looks way too serious now. If I wasn't going to throw up before, I am now.

"Renji, I have to ask you something. Did you have any time you couldn't account for in Las Noches? Any periods when they knocked you out? Drugged you?"

"Yeah…yeah and no. I was unconscious some of the time."

I swallow hard and meet his eyes squarely.

"That's why Captain Kuchiki and I decided I should come to you."

"Where is Byakuya?"

"In the Repentance Center. For rescuing me without proper clearance."

"Good old head captain," Kisuke sighs, "But I would have thought that he'd use some noble privilege or something to avoid actually having to serve time."

"Our council felt the same," Tetsuya says, nodding, "But apparently, Lord Byakuya had his own priorities. He sent me to look after his interests until he is released in thirty days."

"And you want me to examine you and see if Byakuya fathered this baby…or if someone else did, ne?"

"That's about it," I tell him.

He nods.

"Okay. I'll just need to get blood and reiatsu samples."

Oh crap…

"Yeah, uh, Kisuke, I think I need to…to, ah…"

"Aw, it will just take a sec, Renji. Just hold still."

Yeah, right. Like that's gonna happen! I get onto my feet and start backing away.

"Don't tell me you're afraid of a little needle!" Kisuke objects.

"Okay, I won't tell you. Look, can't we just do a reiatsu…"

"Sorry, buddy," he says apologetically, "To be conclusive, we need both. Just close your eyes and don't look."

I hear flash steps and Rukia and Ichigo try to grab at me. Fight or flight kicks in and I choose to shove past Ichigo and get the fuck out of there. I would feel bad about the way I'm acting, but it's like my body is acting on reflex and won't stop. Too bad Ichigo is as fast as me, and he's damned good at hanging on. Then, Tetsuya steps in and does whatever it was that Byakuya did before to incapacitate me.

"What the fuck was that!" I yell, "Do all of you damned Kuchikis know how to do this? What? Were your guys once jailors or something?"

"I was a jailor…of sorts," Kisuke says, moving in close and trying to hide the syringe in his hands.

Gods, I feel really pathetic throwing up and passing out at the same time, but at least it means I don't have to spend as much time waiting on pins and needles. When I wake up, I am alone in a bed in one of the guest rooms. I can hear soft echoes of voices nearby, but at this point, I don't really give a damn what they're saying. All I can think about is how important these tests are, and what they're likely to mean.

I'm still considering that when there is a soft tap on the door and Rukia pokes her nose in. She smiles, seeing I am awake and comes to sit down beside the bed. We don't say anything for a while. I can feel that she's reading my mood. And when she's done with that, she moves on to trying to make me feel better.

"You and needles!" she sighs, shaking her head.

"Yeah…pretty pathetic, I know."

"You threw up right on Kisuke."

Okay, maybe I shouldn't, but the bastard did just make me bleed…

Can't help laughing…

Rukia hits me on the arm and climbs onto the bed. She and I sit, leaning against each other and looking out the window.

"So, why were you pissed at me before?"

"Before? Before what?"

"Baka! Before, before…you know! When I said I slept with your brother? You were the one who thought I should make a move, as I recall. What? Did you change your mind?"

"Of course not, Dummy!" she says, hitting me again, "I was just angry for a moment thinking that it…it just seemed like it couldn't be real. I know I shouldn't have even thought that, but…"

"But it just seems so 'out there.'"

I'm suddenly starting to get why Byakuya loves looking at the full moon. It's so damned pretty, hanging and glowing in the night sky. And it has this odd energy that makes me feel wild inside when I look at it. Of course, Byakuya looks at the same thing and it makes him more placid.

And all of a sudden, I understand why Byakuya and I just work as a couple. Two very different people who love many of the same things for our own unique reasons and in our own unique ways.

"What are you thinking?" Rukia asks, squeezing my hand.

"I wonder what we'll do, assuming that this little guy or gal is his, you know? I'm a little scared thinking about it. I mean, this kid's noble and I'm not. I don't know that I could even learn to be."

"I did," she reminds me.

"You weren't having his kid. Maybe it's different. Damn! I hope it doesn't get him in trouble or anything. Rukia…"

"Shut up, Baka," she says, kissing me on the cheek, "I am sure that, assuming this baby is Byakuya's, you two will work things out. You've been captain and vice captain for how long without killing each other?"

"We did try, you know…"

"Yeah, I remember."

She snuggles up to me and I close my eyes, just resting against her and feeling that old comfortable sensation of soul closeness. I'm just really starting to relax, when someone taps on the door. As I get up to answer it, the door opens. For some reason, getting up at that moment, or maybe that way, doesn't agree with me. My legs wobble and collapse beneath me. Someone…Ichigo, I see after a moment, catches me and lets me slide to the floor. And as I look up at Kisuke, he smiles widely.

"Congratulations, Renji," he says happily, "You are not giving birth to a hollow or traitor. This kid is noble…and most definitely Byakuya's."

My vision is foggy and I can't move an inch. I manage to smile and then everything goes black for a while. When I wake up again, it's late at night and Rukia has fallen asleep in a chair next to me with her upper body rested on the bed. I carefully lift her and pull her onto the bed, then curl around her. We used to sleep next to each other sometimes in the Rukon, and for some reason, I'm really craving that old closeness. She wakes up a little and chuckles sleepily, then we drift off to sleep and don't move again until morning.

And still, when we wake up, I have no idea what Byakuya and me are going to do.

But I know what I'm hoping for.