Chapter 11: No Time for Despair
(Whew! The mental logjam is over! I hate writer's block…Thanks for your patience. Enjoy the chapter!)
Snakey looked around Kanaye's hidden laboratory in disgust, his angry eyes flaring in frustration. He wanted to tear the place apart, but he knew better than to leave any sign he had been there. Everything he moved within the room, he carefully replaced as it had been, when he was finished with it. Every cabinet and drawer he opened, he also closed, and whenever he heard the slightest sound, he took cover quickly.
There is no one to save our asses if we get into a bad way here…
He chuckled inwardly.
Not like we're not in a bad spot already, what with Renji crippled, Senbonzakura dying and that creep Kanaye doing…whatever it is he's doing!
He froze at the sound of footsteps, then took cover in one of the low cabinets that had a grate he could look out of. He started to relax as he spotted Senbonzakura enter the room, followed by Chimpette. But as quickly as he started to move, upon seeing that Kanaye was with them, he stopped short and crouched, watching carefully.
What is wrong with them? he mused, staring at the odd, dazed look in their eyes.
They didn't speak, but followed Kanaye silently into the room, watching as the secret door closed behind them.
"My apologies for the way I overtook your minds," Kanaye said, touching Senbonzakura on the chest, "But you were growing too suspicious and you were taking too long. This may not be as effective with you being unwilling, but it is the only way to give me the power to break out of here, once and for all!"
The samurai's legs gave way and Kanaye caught him and laid him on an examination table, then carefully employed the restraints. Snakey caught his breath softly as the strange being repeated the actions with Chimpette. He moved to a locked cabinet, then opened it and removed something. Snakey's eyes went wide as he realized what the item was.
A…zanpakutou?
He swallowed hard, feeling the fury of the spirit within the weapon.
"Yes," Kanaye said softly, "I have found a way around you. If you will not do as I tell you, then I will simply detach from you and use these two instead!"
"N-no!" exclaimed Chimpette, suddenly seeming to break free for a moment, "You can't force us to help you! We won't give you our powers!"
"In a moment, you won't have a choice," said Kanaye solemnly, "I will grant that you have a strong will to still be resisting, but soon, you will see that there is only one path out of here. Your master is weak, and he cannot combine your powers to use your divine attack. I told you I would only detach you from him to break through the wall, and in return for your help, I would keep only Senbonzakura after. He has no master, with his own master having died when the soul bond shattered. I will free you to return to Renji, once we are out of here."
"Y-you…you…" panted Senbonzakura deliriously, "I…feel the betrayal in your…words!"
Kanaye gave him a chilling smile.
"Rest easy, Samurai," he said, smirking, "You are about to learn what it is to be truly mastered."
"No!" cried Chimpette and Senbonzakura together as Kanaye touched several buttons on the console in front of him.
Snakey cringed as an odd, purplish light flashed around the two and they started to thrash about in their bonds. He stared in dismay as Kanaye lifted the zanpakutou he had seen before and inserted it into a slot in the machine that was hooked up to the two manifested spirits. A shrill scream sounded in Snakey's stunned mind, and he realized a moment later that it had come from the other zanpakutou. Kanaye smiled and watched for several minutes, then turned off the machine and withdrew the zanpakutou from the slot. He gave it a dismissive glare and smiled as the blade cracked and shattered. He dropped the broken blade onto the floor.
"You see," he said in a low voice, "I don't need you anymore. I only need the power these two wield, and the shinigami body of Renji Abarai's unborn baby. With that power, and being a blood relative of the king…I will have the power I need to challenge, and kill him!"
Snakey turned away, shivering inside as the words replayed themselves in his head. He curled up in a corner of the cabinet, tears in his eyes as he tried to think of something to do. Some time later, he heard Kanaye say something garbled, and he peeked out. Senbonzakura and Chimpette were standing with him, smiling and looking as though nothing had happened.
"You will not speak to Renji Abarai of what has happened," Kanaye said to them, "Act as though you still respond to him. I need him to stay calm for a bit longer. Tomorrow, I will age the child inside him, and then I will be done with him. Go now…and do what I told you to…"
Snakey listened until he was sure they had left, then slipped out of the cabinet. He stole forward into the open and looked towards the door, trying to decide what to do next.
"I have to get Renji out of here…" he said softly.
"Then…you are going to need my help," said a soft, feminine voice.
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"My Hajime," whispered the king, lifting himself and admiring the noble's bare and moonlit body, "My heart aches at how much you have endured...and what you have yet to face. But…my love, you have been hundreds of years in the making, a masterpiece crafted slowly over time and meant for this one fate. I cannot tell your waking ears, but I will whisper the truth into your heart. And that truth is…that I was advised by my father against making you."
The king paused and kissed his lover's soft lips.
"He had a lover as well…a strong, devoted lover like you, who he crafted over hundreds of years and brought to the place you are now. His lover passed the tests and became his samurai. But as strong as they were together, they met a stronger force…and as he lay dying, my father warned me of the dangers of taking a lover as my samurai. Being young, I listened to him. I resisted the urge to make you with these hands. I married a woman and made a family with her, all to obey my father's wishes. It wasn't until the ancient sakura intervened that I crafted you."
He sighed softly and closed his eyes.
"She said that my life was already intertwined with yours. Your making amounted to fate, and you would save my life more than once. I know you blamed yourself for the crumbling of my marriage, but it was not your doing. I did not listen to my heart…or rather, I could not listen over the pain of losing my father. And for him to have been brought down in the end, by the hand of his own samurai, I feared making myself vulnerable to you. That is why I delayed in making you. But the truth is, waiting as I did…denying you, marrying another…it put us on the path to your self-sacrifice. My wife's jealousy and her actions to protect Kazuhiko's claim to the throne happened because I clung to my father's words instead of listening to my heart. I married her instead of making you. So this time, I will do as my heart dictates, and honor you with the place that was always yours. We will be married, yes, but that is not the place of which I speak. I speak of that place where the power over the three worlds is housed and the root of creation is remembered. You will be made guardian of that place…and the one that controls it. It is a position that requires perfect faith and trust between us. And where what happened to my father colored my thinking before, your sacrifice and your return have taken the blinders from my eyes. I could trust no other this way, but I will trust you. I will trust you with everything, the very existence of the three worlds, Hajime. We have waited forever, it seems…for each of us to grow and change. But now we are ready. Let us take the next step."
He gathered the sleeping noble into his arms and carried him out onto the balcony. He flash stepped down and entered the King's Gardens, then enclosed them in a protective cage. He carried Hajime to the healing pool and stepped in under the waterfall. The splash of water on his bare skin woke Hajime, an the noble started to smile up at his lover. But a moment later, it registered what was happening, and his eyes went wide and uncertain.
"Look at me," the king directed him gently, "Look into my eyes and trust me completely."
"I trust you," Hajime whispered back.
The king set him on his feet and they faced each other under the soft fall of water. Still looking into his lover's eyes, the king invoked his power and caused their spirit forms to fall away, revealing their core power. Hajime gasped, and then screamed as the flames of the king's power wrapped around his whole being and made him feel as though he was melting into nothing. He lost all sense of where he was and what was happening as the king's power encircled him and slowly rebuilt him. Fear welled up inside him…fear of being engulfed, of disappearing into the king's swell of power and never emerging. And some part of him realized the extreme danger of what the king was doing, but even as the fear tore at him and threatened to undo his sanity, the king's words came back to him and steadied him.
"Look at me. Look into my eyes and trust me completely."
"I trust you."
Despite the danger and the horrid pain, I feel the love in his hands. He isn't doing this to destroy me, although we could certainly be destroyed. My lord is strengthening me, so that I might serve his needs more perfectly. I will trust him with everything in me. Nothing will shake my resolve!
He relaxed into the seething heat and blinding power of his lover's hands, his mind going calm again as the king crafted him. Slowly, the air cooled around them and Hajime felt the return of his spirit form. It wrapped around his core power and closed it away as the king's form shut away his power as well. They stood facing each other as the water bubbled furiously around their feet. Hajime looked down onto the surface of the water.
"I look the same," he breathed, "but…"
"But," said the king, "Your spirit form is the focus for greater power now. You will need time to adjust, so you will use that time to assist Byakuya in the Seireitei. But you will sense when the time has come for you to be tested by my zanpakutou, and we will meet here at that time."
Hajime nodded in understanding, then tried to take a step and collapsed into the king's arms.
"My apologies, my lord," he sighed, breathing in the king's warm, earthy scent, "I…"
"You have nothing to apologize for, Hajime," the king said, kissing him, "That you can stand at all right now is a testament to your strength. Rest now. When you wake again, it will be time for us to say our goodbyes for a time."
"But…my lord, I don't want to sleep. I…don't want to…miss…our last moments together, before…"
He trailed off, his eyes closing and his head dropping lightly onto the king's shoulder as the monarch smiled and lifted him. He carried the noble back through the gardens, and into their bedroom, where he set Hajime back in bed and wrapped his body warmly around the noble's, resting his head on a pale, bared breast and listening to the soft, proud beating of his lover's heart.
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Byakuya stood quietly with Chiasa in his arms, under the branches of the ancient sakura, the tree from which his first ancestor had been made, waiting as Takeo moved to join him, carrying a sleeping Kisho and followed by Takeshi and Chisaki, each of them holding the hand of one of the little red-haired twin girls and trailed by a pale and forlorn looking young Hajime. They surrounded Byakuya and waited as the king appeared with Akemi on one side, and a weary looking elder Hajime on the other. They stopped as they reached the tree, and the king embraced the elder Hajime briefly.
"I will miss you," he breathed in the noble's ear, "I look forward to when you can return to me."
"I will not say goodbye," answered Hajime, somehow managing a smile, "I will only say that I love you, and I will miss you as well, my lord."
The two exchanged a kiss of parting, then Hajime embraced Akemi and then moved to join Byakuya and the children. They watched as the power of the ancient tree opened a doorway, and stepped through to find themselves at the top of the cliff near the waterfall at Kuchiki Manor. Byakuya winced inwardly as a memory suddenly returned.
"Too bad that doorway's only one way. It would save us a hell of a lot of walking if we could just use that. You're about to pop, I think. Are you sure you're up to this?" Renji asked.
"Bite your insolent tongue, Abarai," he snapped, "I am fine."
"In any case, he won't be walking," said elder Hajime, approaching on the back of his white stallion and leading another white horse along, "This is Willow, my Moonfire's mate. She will carry Byakuya to the spirit dimension."
"Are you all right, Dad?" Takeo asked softly, and Byakuya realized that all of the children were looking at him.
"I am fine," he assured them, "Come."
They were uncharacteristically silent as they passed through the forest, listening as the wind whistled softly through the trees and the cicadas and birds sounded around them. They came out of the forest and entered the gardens, just as darkness fell and the lights in the gardens came on. Byakuya made a soft, wounded sound and froze as he took in the surreal environment. His mind shot into the past, his heart breaking all over again as he remembered.
"Come, Renji, let's go home.."
They flash stepped away and closed the distance quickly. In no time, they were through the gate and entering the new main building. They walked through to the gardens and Byakuya caught his breath in surprise.
"Renji…" he breathed, enchanted at the sight.
The garden was a sea of light and color. Flowers were everywhere and cherry blossoms danced all around. The small decorative lights twinkled and danced among the blossoms. He found the sight too beautiful for words.
"I hope you don't mind," Renji said, taking my hand, but Yoruichi and I thought it should look special for us."
He answered the redhead with a long sensuous kiss.
"It's perfect, Renji," he said, watching his lover's eyes light up when he saw how happy the surprise had made him, "It's beautiful…"
"Not even close to as beautiful as you," Renji said, touching his hand, "Happy first anniversary, Byakuya."
He followed Renji down the hall to their bedroom. As they entered, he found himself surrounded by lights and flowers everywhere and a sea of sakura on the bed.
"For later," Renji said, kissing him and leading him into the dressing area.
"Dad!" called several worried voices, breaking into his reverie.
Byakuya took a steadying breath and realized that he stood leaned against the elder Hajime, his face turned away from the gardens.
"It's all right," elder Hajime assured them, "He was just taken by surprise by the decorations."
"They should have taken them down," muttered Takeo, frowning.
"You must understand," said Hajime, "The situation is precarious. What the head captain knows, he will have entrusted to captains and vice captains alone. And they will have been sworn to secrecy. No one has yet informed the staff."
"But…Rikichi…"
"Rikichi was badly injured in the valley," Byakuya said, recovering himself somewhat, "He and Hotaru have been at the fourth division and Rukia went directly to the valley when I told her what had happened. I haven't yet informed the elders. I wanted to get us all back home first. So do not blame the staff. They do not know."
"I will go and speak to them," said elder Hajime, "Takeo, Takeshi and Chisaki, will you please put the children to bed?"
He watched as the children walked slowly across the gardens, then were met on the walkway by their attendants, who hustled them away to their bedrooms. An attendant gently took Chiasa from Byakuya and carried her to the nursery.
"That must have been very difficult for you," acknowledged Hajime, "Perhaps you should go and check in with your division while I have this dismantled."
"No," said Byakuya, shaking his head gently, "It is difficult…but…I do not want the decorations removed."
He stepped forward and sat down at the patio table as a servant appeared and laid out tea for the two.
"We have everything ready for when Master Abarai arrives," the servant assured him.
Byakuya took a calming breath.
"Renji is not coming home tonight," he said, his voice trembling slightly, "He is…missing. He disappeared on a mission."
"Oh!" said the servant, her eyes widening in shock, "Lord Byakuya, I'm so sorry! We will…we will remove all of this at once!"
"No," the noble said, shaking his head firmly, "because even though he is missing, it is still our anniversary…and we will honor it."
"Y-yes, Lord Byakuya," the woman said, tears filling her eyes, "I will inform the others."
"Are you certain that this is what you want?" elder Hajime asked softly.
"I need this," Byakuya replied quietly, "I need this to help me keep breathing."
He looked around to make sure that they were alone.
"Hajime, the truth is…I…learned something when I was examined here in the Seireitei."
He paused, noticing the look of knowing in his ancestor's eyes.
"You know?" Byakuya whispered, "You know I am dying?"
"His majesty knew," Hajime explained, "and he told me. That's why I am here, in part. But Byakuya, that doesn't mean that this is over. His majesty also told me that the doorway will open again, and that I will engage the demon."
"But we do not know when that will be, so it was necessary for you to be here for the children in case I…cannot be."
"Do not speak that way," Hajime said, shaking his head, "You are talking to a man who died and returned. You will not convince me that all is lost. You must not lose hope, Byakuya. If you give in to despair, you will drag your children down into it with you. I am sorry. I feel responsible for what happened, and I will do what I can to help you…but you cannot give up. You have to fight harder than you ever have before."
Byakuya took a shuddering breath and nodded.
"I will," he swore softly, "I swear I will fight to my last breath and beyond. And when that door opens, nothing will keep me from him!"