Chapter 13: Beneath the Mask
Renji followed the Byakuya into his quarters and waited quietly as the noble closed the door behind them. And as he watched, he began to see a hundred little things…a hundred things so minute that someone who wasn't looking closely would never even notice. But Renji was probably the closest person to Byakuya now, and with that honor came responsibility. The only question left in his mind was what exactly had happened to his captain. Was this Byakuya, under the influence of a drug or enchantment, forced to act more like a hollow? Was this Byakuya made into a hollow? Or was it a clever duplicate and Byakuya was now somewhere else? If so, then where was he?
There were so many unanswered questions, and there was only one way that Renji Abarai was going to find the answers.
So when Byakuya turned to face him, he was immediately met with a binding kido that threw him back against the door, then a second binding spell. And before the look of fury on his captain's handsome face could shift to anger, Renji had disarmed him and sealed his powers away.
"Abarai!" the noble hissed viciously, "What in the devil are you doing! Unbind me at once!"
Renji's lips tightened.
"No," he said quietly, "because I know it was you now. You were the one."
"What are you talking about, you fool!" snapped the enraged noble, "You don't know what you're talking about! Untie me, now!"
Renji gazed at him sadly and solemnly sounded the division alarm. He dragged the bound form of his captain away from the door as several officers burst in and slid to a stop.
"Captain Kuchiki!" one shouted, "Sir, what's happening?"
"He's the one," Renji said calmly, numbness flooding his body as he came to grips with what he was doing, "He is the one who has been draining shinigamis…killing people. I don't know if he is really our captain, or if this is some kind of duplicate and our captain is missing."
"This is insane!" Byakuya snarled, his eyes flaring with rage, "Arrest Vice Captain Abarai and release me at once!"
"Don't listen to him, guys," Renji warned the other squad members, "Think about it. Our captain has never been present during any of the alerts when the creature attacked. We know the thing that was attacking people took strong shinigamis unaware. And it makes sense, because they would never have expected Captain Kuchiki to attack them. Look, I don't want to believe this any more than you do. But the proof is there. And once we go to Captain Unohana, you will see that I am right."
"Ignore that fool and release me now!" yelled Byakuya, thrashing about within his bonds, "Let me loose or I'll kill you all!"
Renji met the eyes of the other squad members and breathed a sigh of relief at the support he found there.
Thank kami I am not the only one who sees it. I don't know what I would have done if they hadn't believed me. But now, we have to figure out if this is even really Byakuya. And if it's not…we have to find him…
XXXXXXXXXX
"I have news that you should find pleasing," said Aizen, stepping into Byakuya's room, carrying a tray of food, "I, myself, find it a bit annoying, but it is also intriguing. It makes me wonder. You were harboring a secret crush on you vice captain. Is it possible that he was panting for you as well, Byakuya?"
Byakuya remained leaned against the window, looking out into the desert with dark, unreadable eyes.
"What are you babbling about, Aizen?" he asked in a bored voice, "You aren't making any sense."
The leader of the hollows set the tray down next to the bed and watched for a moment as Byakuya turned and took the tea from the tray, but left the food.
"Come now," said Aizen disapprovingly, "How are you supposed to keep yourself fit to serve me if you do not eat?"
"I am exerting little to no energy here," said the noble, turning back to the window and sipping at the tea, "And in any case, I have no interest in being useful to you."
"You would rather I killed you, then?" Aizen asked calmly.
Byakuya glanced back at him.
"Yes," he said quietly, "I would rather die than live in worlds led by you."
"Hmmm, not a very positive attitude," noted Aizen, "But you haven't been here very long. Perhaps you will come to be more accepting as time passes."
Byakuya didn't answer, but only sighed and rested the side of his face against the cool glass.
"Now, on to what your vice captain did that was so annoying," Aizen said, seeming not to notice Byakuya's continued apathy, "Do you know that he actually arrested my clone hollow?"
Byakuya did not turn, but his breath caught softly, his eyes widened and his fingers tightened on the teacup.
"I was not completely surprised, of course. We talked before about him being the closest to figuring things out, but I must admit that I didn't think he was smart enough to figure it out so quickly."
"Didn't you hear me before?" Byakuya asked softly, "I already told you that it was not intelligence that would lead Renji to the truth, but heart. Renji knows me. He probably knows me better than anyone else."
Aizen smiled.
"Except for me, that is."
"What?"
"Well," said Aizen, "I have watched you for a great deal of time and know just aboiut everything there is to know about you. In addition, unlike your vice captain, I know you are in love with Renji Abarai."
He paused for a moment.
"What do you think he will do now, Byakuya?" he asked, "You see, there appears to be some confusion about whether the clone hollow is a fake or whether it is you, but that you have been corrupted somehow or made into a hollow. What conclusion do you think your devoted vice captain will make?"
Byakuya sighed.
"It hardly matters, but Renji will not be convinced it is me. He may think so initially, but as Captain Unohana conducts her examination, if she cannot make a conclusion, she will defer to Captain Kurotsuchi. And no matter what Kurotsuchi says, Renji will then turn to Kisuke Urahara for answers. He will find his way to the truth…but it will take time."
"Yet, you think that he will come to the truth eventually?"
"So what if he does?" Byakuya said quietly, "Simply because he believes it was not me, doesn't tell him where I am or how to find me."
"No," said Aizen, "but if what you say is true, then the same heart that leads him to the truth about the clone will eventually lead him here, ne?"
Byakuya closed his eyes and went silent. Aizen regarded him searchingly for a moment, then smiled again.
"I find the two of you intriguing," he said, fixing his eyes on the noble, "And as I told you before, I have a weakness for love stories."
"Would you leave me alone," Byakuya requested, narrowing his eyes, I grow tired of your incessant chatter."
"How rude," Aizen chided him, "And just as I was about to offer you a chance to return home now."
Byakuya let out an annoyed breath.
"You have no intention of letting me go, Aizen. I am not stupid, nor am I naïve. And while I am in love with Renji, I will not work for you, simply to be able to return to him."
"I didn't ask you to do a thing for me."
"What?"
"Well, what I had in mind was a little more of a romantic wager, Captain."
"A…romantic wager?" mused the noble, "What do you mean?"
"Oh come now, Byakuya. You are from the Kuchiki family, and we are all aware that the Kuchiki family is caretaker of the largest store of knowledge in the three worlds, next to the Royal Archive in the king's palace. And in all of those books upon those shelves, I am sure you must have encountered many, many stories and myths about the miracle of true love…that confounding force that makes all things possible."
"And what if I have?"
"If you have, then you will truly appreciate what I am about to suggest."
"I find the idea of me appreciating anything you would suggest, but as I have nothing better to do and you refuse to go away, go ahead and make your suggestion," the noble said dryly.
Aizen laughed softly.
"What do all fairy tales have in common, Byakuya?"
"A wicked witch," the noble offered, "Is that the part you will play? Or will you play the fairy godmother?"
"I think you are pointing out the antagonist and the protagonist and his or her helpers. The protagonist always seems to have someone to help. Here, that would be your Renji."
"So, I begin to see. You want to use Renji somehow?"
"Not in the way you are thinking," said Aizen thoughtfully, "Byakuya, you know I have a deep interest in how things work."
"Because to be one who manipulates, you must know in intimate detail about the things you will manipulate, ne?"
"Of course," Aizen said, a bit too pleasantly.
"You already said you know me, but you have not examined Renji so much, so he will be harder to manipulate," suggested Byakuya.
"Oh, I don't know about that so much. I know what I need to know about him. He is not, after all, the variable that I am trying to test here."
"What?" said Byakuya, frowning, "You do not plan to manipulate us with some kind of game?"
"Of course I will manipulate you. But it is not the two of you I am testing."
Byakuya arched a fine eyebrow questioningly.
"Then what are you testing?" asked the noble.
"Why, I am testing your assertion that you are in love with Renji Abarai, as well as the strength of his love for you."
"And you are doing so because…?"
"I told you. I am in a holding pattern here. I have little to do but wait as the pieces fall into place for my rise to power. I must find ways to amuse myself…and I have an inquiring intellect. I haven't examined love closely, Byakuya. But anything that could take someone like you and cause him to so sweetly court his vice captain, who he once nearly killed…that is interesting to me. And so, I will make you an offer."
"Ah…I see. What do you want, Sousuke Aizen? Because I don't believe for a minute this is as simple as you make it sound. You are not simply letting me go, are you?"
"Not precisely," agreed Aizen, "I will allow you to leave Las Noches and return to the Seireitei right now, if you wish."
"And what is the catch?"
"Byakuya, you cut me to the quick. But, I must admit, I am going to place an obstacle in your path. Isn't that what a good antagonist does in any really enjoyable fairy tale? Cinderella had to return by midnight, the beast had to make the beauty fall in love and the fabled mermaid had to make her prince fall in love without being able to speak. You too, shall have an impediment."
"And that will be…?"
"I will send you back. But you will be wrapped in my illusions and unable to interact with any person."
"And since this is a wager," said Byakuya, "I assume I will have a task?"
"Very good, Captain Kuchiki. Yes, you will have a task. Your task will be to help Renji see through the illusion. He has one week in which to reveal you, or you must return to Las Noches, where you will remain until I am king and have used you to bring the hougyoku to life. Now, doesn't that sound like a beautiful fairy tale in the making? Or at least, a lovely opportunity for you?"
"It sounds like a cruel trick," muttered Byakuya, "However, having suffered the dreariness of this place and your company, I think I will accept your wager, Sousuke Aizen."
"Good," said Aizen, his smile widening, "Then, let us get you ready for your trip home, ne?"
As much as Byakuya wanted to go home, he couldn't help but feel an awful shiver inside as Aizen drew his sword and held it before him.
"Now remember," said Aizen, "You have one week to get Renji to shatter the illusion, or you will be transported back to Las Noches. You may not interact with any person or the wager is off. And you may not use your shinigami powers or zanpakutou to assist you either."
"You must really fear you are going to lose," commented Byakuya, "or you would not bind my hands so carefully."
"Well," the leader of the hollows said, smirking, "I don't want to make this too easy. I went to some trouble to capture you. It would be a bother to have to do so again."
"So you really do not believe that Renji's heart will make him see me?" asked the noble.
Aizen sighed.
"I lost my faith in true love long ago, Byakuya. But if you and Renji do manage to shatter my illusion, then perhaps my faith in love will be restored as well. So…in a sense…even if I lose, I also win."
"A necessity for you when you engage in such games?" Byakuya asked.
Aizen laughed softly.
"Well, if I don't get something out of it, it's hardly worth playing, ne? And even if you lose, you still had the chance to see your true love one last time. So, even if your fairy tale ends tragically, still, you will have that."
"Hmmm…" mused the noble.
"So," said Aizen, "Are you ready to go home, Captain?"
"I am ready."
"Very well. Shatter, Kyouka Suigetsu…"
Byakuya was surprised that he was unable to even feel the effect take hold. But he was distracted as the leader of the hollows opened a garganta and gestured towards it.
"You…are not going with me?" asked the noble.
"I can observe you at any time while you are under my power. I will know if you violate the terms of our agreement, so play your cards carefully, Captain."
"Oh, I fully intend to," said the noble, stepping out of Las Noches and into the precipice world."
Aizen watched him leave, then closed the garganta and moved closer to the window, breathing in the lingering scent of sakura.
"Interesting," he mused, "As much as I require you for bringing the hougyoku to life, I am tempted to want to see you succeed, Byakuya."