Chapter 13: Invasion
The head Elder glared down at Yoruichi, using every bit of his height to tower over her. His eyes darkened and his lips curled into an aristocratic sneer.
"As I said, this is a clan matter. You, of all people, should understand that clan matters are resolved within the clan. We do not require, nor do we welcome outside interference. If you choose to interfere, then you do so at your own risk."
Yoruichi's eyes flashed dangerously and the air crackled sharply around her.
"I have been close to Kuchiki Ginrei and Kuchiki Byakuya for many years. I am well acquainted with the Kuchiki clan and the nature of relations between the clan council and its leader. Whatever Kuchiki Byakuya has done, he remains your clan leader and as such, it is your duty to accord him the respect due all clan leaders! If you refuse to honor his rights, we have no choice but to defend them to the best of our ability. You have refused to honor a direct order from Soutaichou to release Byakuya. You have refused his own sister the right to be at his side during this very difficult time. You and the rest of the council have violated the very foundation upon which your council was formed."
The head Elder snorted derisively.
"What do you know of the council? Our council was formed to make certain that the honor of our clan is not tarnished by the transgressions of leaders who choose to violate the ideals upon which our clan's honor rests."
"Your clan's honor should not rest on refusing to grant your leader basic rights accorded to everyone!" Yoruichi hissed, her eyes flashing.
"Our clan leader must bear the responsibility of representing us to the rest of Soul Society, and as such, he must adhere to our rules of decency and proper behavior. While I admit that Byakuya is not the first to appreciate the qualities of some of the peasant class, he is our clan leader and must hold himself above such base actions. Yet he chose to dally not just with a peasant, but two…and one of them male, and his own subordinate! I think you can imagine why our council voted to confront him about his transgressions. He acted far outside the realm of proper behavior. He did so repeatedly, and despite corrective action taken by council, he continues to defend his atrocious behavior by daring to describe it as love! He will not listen to reason and he will not yield to punishment, so we must act as we see fit to halt his damaging behavior."
Renji stepped forward, his eyes blazing and his hand on a humming Zabimaru.
"By 'corrective action,' do you mean beating the hell out of him? Attacking me and beating me nearly to death? And what more have you done to him here?" he shouted, "You have no right to treat any person that way…and you certainly shouldn't treat your clan leader with such disrespect!"
The Elder turned on Renji with a hand raised. Abarai Renji raised Zabimaru. The Elder paused, then lowered his hand. He looked down at Renji disdainfully.
"I do not need to answer to you, cur," he said calmly, "You are nothing. I cannot imagine why he endured such pain to defend his love for you. You are beneath him. And yet, he was willing to bear terrible pain and pay a horrible price simply because he refused to turn away from his scandalous relationship with you. He defended his sin to the point where he gave up everything just to avoid saying that he would end it. Do you understand? It was already over and Byakuya knew it…and yet he refused to say the words that would have saved him from…"
He stopped and smiled grimly.
"All of this is pointless. The matter is ended. Byakuya is finished with you. Leave!"
"What were you saying?" Renji demanded, "What did you do to him?"
"I already told you. Byakuya is in seclusion and is not receiving visitors. Now, go before I have you forcibly removed!"
He turned and strode back into the building. Renji glared after him. Yoruichi shook her head.
"Well, we knew they weren't going to make it easy for us. There is no other way. We'll meet with Ichigo and the others and we'll plan our assault on this place."
"Yoruichi," Renji said, his voice tinged with fury, "What about what he said…about Byakuya paying a horrible price? What do you think they have done to him?"
"We know that they beat him badly. Hanatarou said that the wounds he suffered were awful. But he healed Byakuya before he was forced to leave. I think they have taken some action beyond that. We need to figure out what they have done. Hanatarou…I think we'll need you to slip in and see how he is."
Hanatarou nodded.
"I can slip in, in an hour or so, after the sun goes down."
"Good," Yoruichi said softly, "With what you described before about his injuries, I wonder what action they could have taken that was worse. Now, let's go back to the Kuchiki manor and start work on our plans. I sent a message for Ichigo and the others to meet us there."
They turned to leave. As they started down the stairs, Renji looked around, his brow furrowing.
"Hey," he said, causing the rest of the group to stop and stare at him, "Guys…where is Orihime?"
XXXXXXXXXX
Inoue Orihime wasn't sure what gave her the courage to move, but she didn't miss the moment when the head Elder's back was turned away from her as he squared off with Yoruichi and Renji. As soon as she saw the opening, her body seemed to move of its own accord and she slipped around behind him and into the Kuchiki Council Hall. She fully expected to be caught and thrown out immediately, but luck was with her and the entry turned out to be empty and silent. She ducked into the shadows, taking a quick breath and listening to her heart pound as she came to terms with what she had just done. She knew she had to move, but wasn't certain which way to go. She looked to the left and spotted a large meeting room and several smaller conference rooms. To the right, there was a long hallway and a set of stairs. Fearing the openness of the large stairway, she ducked into the darker hallway.
She was pleased to find that the hallway seemed rife with small alcoves and recessed entries perfect for concealing her from anyone who came along. Once or twice, she ducked into one of these as a servant went by, but she was mostly alone in the quiet hallway. She smelled food cooking and an idea began to form in her mind. She needed to be less noticeable. As things stood, she was aware that she stuck out like a sore thumb. She followed the smell of food to its source, pausing outside what appeared to be the kitchen door as she gathered her nerve and prepared to enter.
Just as she found the courage to move again, the door suddenly opened and a boy dashed out, plowing into her and taking them both to the floor in a tangled heap.
"Oh!" the boy gasped, jumping to his feet, "So sorry, I…wait…Who are you?"
Orihime blinked. The boy was staring at her raptly.
"Um," she said, catching her breath, "I'm the one who should say I'm sorry. I was looking for housekeeping. You see, it's my first day…I've never been here and I got a bit lost…and…"
The boy's face brightened into a friendly smile.
"Oh…I took you for a visitor! I didn't know you were on the staff. Here, I'm going that way anyway. I can just show you! Come on…um…um…"
"Oh…Orihime," she said, giving him a shy smile.
The boy's smile widened.
"Welcome Orihime, I am Makao. I work in the kitchen."
"It's nice to meet you, Makao," Orihime said, still smiling, "I don't know anyone yet, so it's nice to meet someone friendly like you!"
Makao's cheeks reddened slightly.
"Come this way, Orihime," he said, motioning for her to follow.
He led her down the hallway even further and they turned into one of the dark entries. Inside the room was a storage area with a variety of uniforms for different types of staff. He led her to a rack of clothing marked 'Housekeeping,' and helped her select a uniform in her size.
"You can…uh…put it on in that little dressing area over there," he told her.
Orihime blinked. Makao blushed.
"Maybe I'll just…ah…um…I'll just wait outside," he stammered.
"Thanks," Orihime said, smiling, "I'll be right out!"
She slipped into the dressing area and quickly changed, hiding her own clothes so she could retrieve them later. She looked around the room and located a broom and dustpan. She took these and returned to the hallway after stopping to look at herself in a mirror to make sure she would pass for a servant.
"You look great!" Makao said when he saw her, then he blushed, "I mean…uh…this way."
"Oh, that's okay!" she told him, turning away from him, "I remember where they told me to go now. They said to go directly to clean the conference rooms! I'd better hurry right over there and get to work. Thanks for your help, Makao!" she said, waving as she turned to go.
"Oh," he said softly, "okay. See you later, Orihime. Don't forget, dinner is served from four-thirty to seven. I have my break at five-thirty. Maybe…I'll see you there."
"Maybe," she smiled, "Bye, Makao…and thanks for all your help!"
She turned and dashed back down the hallway. When she reached the end, she ducked into the shadows and waited until no one was around. Quietly, she moved toward the stairs. She knew that the room Hanatarou had found Byakuya in was at the top of the staircase, four flights up. She turned and started up the staircase, but stopped in surprise as she realized she was not alone. Two guards stood at the base of the stairway, gazing at her. Smiling, she stepped onto the stairs.
"Where do you think you are going?" demanded one of them, a stocky young man with dull brown eyes and hair…and an unfriendly expression on his face.
He spotted the uniform, broom and dustpan and backpedaled slightly.
"Oh…housekeeping," he said in a bored tone, "Go on."
"Thank you," Orihime said merrily, starting up the stairs. She had made her way to the second story when she heard voices. At first, she did not attempt to hide her presence, but as they drew near, she recognized the voice of the head Elder.
"…If it was up to me, I'd revive a few of the outlawed methods. I think we've gone too easy on him. We haven't truly broken his defiance. By sealing his spirit away, we have only delayed the resolution of this."
"Really…you know the old methods are far too dangerous. I know we do need to control him for the good of the clan's reputation, but we can't risk killing him…at least not until another is born to the family with comparable power."
As the Elders grew near, Orihime looked around frantically and found an unlocked door. She opened it and stepped inside.
"Can I do something for you?" asked a solemn voice.
Orihime whirled and found herself facing a man who looked similar to the head Elder. He had the same pale skin, black hair and dark eyes, but he looked a little less stern and more curious. He studied her for a moment and then nodded.
"Ah…go about your duties," he said, turning back to the document he was reading.
Orihime breathed a quick sigh of relief that turned into a silent gasp of despair as the head Elder's voice sounded outside the door she had just come in and the door handle turned. She fled to the back of the room and busied herself sweeping the floor and bending to clean an imagined scuff from the polished floor. She tried to keep her face in the shadows as the head Elder entered with another Elder. The man at the desk turned to her.
"Leave us while we speak," he said softly.
She nodded and tried to walk as normally as possible past the others. They appeared not to notice her as she passed them and returned to the hallway. She leaned against the wall, breathing a sigh of relief. She could still hear the voices of the Elders gathered within the room she had just left. She sidled closer to the door and listened carefully.
"They will be coming for him," the head Elder said firmly, "We will need to be certain that they do not get into the building. Call in extra guards and place two guards in his room. Also…we should remain close by in case there is a chance they could reach him. If they do, we will be forced to kill them. Most of them will be no problem. We need to focus our efforts on neutralizing Shihoin Yoruichi and Abarai Renji. Of the ones I encountered today, they are the most powerful. Of course, they could bring others. Soutaichou still cannot order troops to assist them, because legally we are still negotiating…but that doesn't mean he'll stop any who decide to come after Byakuya."
"I don't know why you worry," said another voice, "Even if they find him and somehow manage to get him out of the building, they cannot wake him. We are the only ones who can."
"And under no circumstances will we do that."
A chill went through Orihime as she thought about what she had heard. If the Elders were the only ones who could wake Byakuya, then…if the rescuers killed any of them…they might never be able to wake the noble.
When the time comes, you might be the only one who can help me. Do not forget that.
"Could it be?" she whispered.
She continued up the stairs with new urgency.
XXXXXXXXXX
Hanatarou slipped out of the shadows and ran to the back of the Kuchiki Council Hall with Abarai Renji and Kurosaki Ichigo at this back. Ichigo took hold of him and flew into the air, carrying him up to the window he had used to enter before. Hanatarou peeked through the glass to be certain that no one was with Byakuya. The noble lay facedown on the mat in the center of the room. There appeared to be no one else in the room. He carefully pried the window open and slipped through, leaving Ichigo hovering outside the window.
Hanatarou crossed the room and knelt next to Byakuya reaching out to gently shake him awake. The youth gasped sharply as a red mist rose out of the noble's body and moved ominously in his direction. His eyes widening, Hanatarou backed away. The mist hissed as if alive and hung in the air above Byakuya, spinning and swelling warningly.
"Oh no!" exclaimed Hanatarou.
"Hanatarou, what's going on?" asked Ichigo from outside the window.
The youth backed toward the window, carefully watching the mist that hovered threateningly around Byakuya's motionless body.
"He's unconscious," he told Ichigo, "but there is some kind of dangerous mist that is keeping me from getting close enough to even tell how he is."
Ichigo thought for a moment.
"All right, Hanatarou," he said finally, "Come on out. We'll just have to deal with that when we get all of us in. Renji is ready down here. He's going to take out the wall with his skeletal snake, then we can get him out."
"No," said Hanatarou earnestly, "You don't understand! We can't move him. We can't get near him as long as that mist is around him. Stay where you are. I will try to figure out a way to neutralize it."
"Damn! We don't have time for this! We need to get him out of here…and we need to find out what happened to Orihime. If they have her, then we need to find out where she is! I think we should…"
"Shh! Get out of here, Ichigo!" Hanatarou hissed, "Someone is coming!"