Chapter 14: Waiting
Byakuya walked quietly toward the first division, hands bound and surrounded by secret mobile corps. He kept his exterior calm, but inside, his mind was spinning.
How can I be having Aizen Sousuke's child? How? It's not…
But given that Sousuke had said that there were things he couldn't say…because the king might sense them if Byakuya was aware of them…it did make some kind of sense. As they walked, he worked through the details.
The king did not sense that this is Aizen Sousuke's child…which means that either the king was lax in his use of his powers or the council lied. I know they are not on my side, but I refuse to believe they would go so far as to lie about the paternity of my child. Every council member looked and saw the same thing. Perhaps when Yoshiaki looked, it was not at so discriminating a level. That makes sense. He wants to believe this is his child and the council was inclined not to believe it until proven. They were simply more thorough. That makes this Aizen Sousuke's baby…but that means that for the king to have sensed royal blood, then Sousuke must have a significant amount…and that means…
It made Aizen Sousuke a member of the royal family. Byakuya thought back to the long, gradual dying off of the royal family over the years. Placed against the backdrop of the king's corruption, it seemed that the king had slowly obliterated his own line. He had likely drained them first…and then resorted to draining his consorts. But as time went on, he needed to be assured of his family's continuance and so tried to conceive an heir. But if he had not been able to stop himself from draining the rest of his family, would any child of his be safe from him? It was a haunting question. It nagged at Byakuya's mind as he was led into the first division and instructed to kneel and wait for the arrival of the Captain Commander.
As his knees touched the wooden floor, he suddenly realized how odd he must have looked to everyone…unkempt and ash smudged, dressed in his nightclothes and barefoot…his hair loose and unbrushed. He didn't look anything like the person he had been. He almost couldn't blame the council for calling him an embarrassment, although they had actually done it for other reasons. He started to sink into darker thoughts, but realized suddenly that someone was standing in front of him. He looked up and met Soutaichou's eyes warily.
"Kuchiki Byakuya," he said in an unexpectedly gentle tone, "I understand you were responsible for the breach in the dimension wall…that you broke through it and fled the spirit dimension and the royal guard. They have a detachment waiting to see to your return to the palace."
"I understand, Soutaichou," Byakuya said, bowing his head, "and I will not offer resistance. It is enough for me that you know what is happening in the spirit dimension…what has happened to our king…"
The captain commander studied him intently, then nodded.
"I have suspected for some time that something was amiss."
Byakuya looked up in surprise.
"You have?"
"Yes," the elder answered, frowning, "As you know, the bond between your noble family and mine is profound. Your grandfather and I were fast friends…and because of my position as soutaichou, I was able to be in contact with him, even after he was called to join the royal guard. I lost contact with him some time ago, but at first, thought that it was merely that his responsibilities were so demanding. Still, it left me uneasy. And your choosing as consort both surprised and unsettled me. I could not oppose your choosing and I decided, in any case, that you must go to the king as called so that suspicion would not be cast on the Gotei 13. It could have caused the king to be angered and to take action against us. But I have heard of your claim that the king is corrupted. I want you to tell me what you know."
He paused, withdrawing his zanpakutou.
"We will need privacy, I think."
He whispered something to the blade and a sphere of fire rose around them. Byakuya expected to feel the sting of heat on his singed skin, but was surprised that the area around them remained cool and comfortable, despite the flames…but cool or not, he knew those flames were deadly. He remained on his knees, looking up at Soutaichou and waiting.
"We may speak freely now," he said finally.
He knelt in front of Byakuya.
"You look as though you are in need of healing. I will send for Unohana taichou once we are finished speaking. Now…I want you to start at the beginning and tell me everything."
Byakuya nodded.
"Upon my departure from the Seireitei, the royal guard escorted me to the royal palace, where I was presented to the king. At that time, he told me that the current consort, Hikifune Kirio was fading, and that when she faded entirely, he would take my hand in marriage and I would replace her as consort."
"This was as expected…except for the fading of the former consort. Did he say what caused her to fade?"
"He did not. She did later, but I will get to that. The king explained to me that it would be my job to balance his power. To do this, he said that I must be drained of all spiritual pressure and be separated from my zanpakutou. The process of transition would occur day by day and would take nearly a year to complete. Had the process been completed, I would have been rendered completely powerless and without spiritual pressure."
The captain commander's brow furrowed and his expression became troubled.
"I have never heard of this being done. The king does need a consort to balance his power, but I have never heard of the consort needing to be drained as part of the process."
"According to Kirio, at some point in the past, the king was somehow corrupted. His power expanded and grew, uncontrolled. That was when Kirio was chosen as consort. The king admitted that he would have chosen me then, if not for my young age. She was transitioned and became his consort. She was able to balance his power, but over time, she began to fade and I was chosen. After I was presented to the king and he explained my role, I was taken to his chambers so that we would conceive his heir. We were successful."
"But I have heard from your elders that the child you carry is Aizen Sousuke's…and that you seemed surprised by this."
"Yes…I thought I was carrying the king's child. I knew Aizen Sousuke was in the spirit dimension."
"How so?" asked Soutaichou, lifting an eyebrow.
"Some years ago, Aizen Sousuke and I were friends…and we drifted toward becoming lovers, but I was not able to take that step. I withdrew from him and we drifted apart. When he left for Hueco Mundo, he secreted a letter in my home. I found it, but never opened it. For some reason, as I prepared to leave for the spirit dimension, I slipped the letter into my kimono. It was after I was in the spirit dimension that I opened the letter and learned that Aizen Sousuke was aware that the king was corrupted…that this was why he was opposing him…and that Gin was behind what happened just before they left."
"So…you are saying that he was forced to do as he did?"
"Hai…Gin was ordered by the king to observe Sousuke and discovered that he knew the king was corrupted. He threatened to reveal Aizen's plans to the king unless he helped to set Gin up to overthrow the king. Sousuke went along with him so that he could build an army to brace the king. He wanted to help Kirio…and when I found a soul communicator in the letter he left for me, I called him and he agreed to come to the spirit dimension to help rescue me and to put a stop to what the king was doing. Kirio managed to steal the king's key while I was distracting the king…and she let Sousuke and his rescue team in. Unfortunately, the king discovered that they broke in and that I was involved…and he attacked me so viciously, I lost the heir. At least…that is what I surmise. Sousuke said that he could not tell me everything, because the king would sense what I knew. As I know now that I carry Sousuke's child, I believe it means that when I lost the heir, the healer replaced him with a child fathered by Aizen Sousuke."
"But surely the king would know the child was not royal…"
"He would. And that leads me to believe that Sousuke has royal blood of a significant amount in him. He may be a lost cousin…or a lost heir. I don't know…but the king believed the child to be his. Now, he will learn it is not…and he will seek Aizen Sousuke to discover exactly who he is. I do not know what he'll do when he knows."
"But you do know what he will do to you when he learns that you are having another man's child. It is a capital offense. Byakuya, he will have you executed."
Byakuya lowered his head and nodded briefly.
"He will likely have me executed here…without him ever facing me. I doubt he will want to see me, because he will believe that I did this knowingly. Soutaichou, I understand…and I accept my fate. But I beg of you…you must stop the king…and you must not let harm come to Aizen Sousuke…please, Soutaichou…"
"Byakuya," said the aged warrior, "tell me one more thing. Tell me why you sought no help from Kuchiki Ginrei. What has come of my old friend?"
"Hai…As a means of keeping word of his corruption from leaving the spirit dimension, all but the consorts live under an enchantment. I saw my grandfather…and he was not himself. He only repeated what the king told me. He…"
Byakuya paused, swallowing hard and blinking back tears.
"He told me…that I should be proud of the role I was to play. Soutaichou, my grandfather raised me to be a clan leader. He raised me to lead a military division. I know he would never be able to stomach seeing me like this…a decoration at the king's side, a body to warm his bed, a doll to be used to entertain him. I've been reduced to nothing…and I assure you, I am left without fear of death now. Death would be a relief…after what I've endured at the king's hands."
The captain commander sat silently for several long minutes, thinking. He sighed softly and slipped a hand beneath Byakuya's chin. He gazed down into the dark, defeated eyes and the fire of his anger flared all around them.
"Kuchiki Byakuya," he said in a low voice, "you are the grandson of the friend I remember…the friend who needs me to free him. I will help you. But there is something I must do. I hope you will understand. It is for your own protection."
Power flared around Byakuya too suddenly for the noble to respond. It sank down beneath his skin, flashing in his veins and sending him down into a heap on the floor. The captain commander lifted him and carried him to a bed the materialized in the center of the sphere. He set the unconscious noble down on the bed, sighing.
"I will not let harm come to you. Sleep. You are safe now. No one will approach without my leave. I will go and see to Ginrei, then we will figure out what to do about the king."
He placed a hand on Byakuya's forehead, deepening his sleep, then the captain commander's body shimmered and slowly disappeared from the sphere.
XXXXXXXXXX
"Kirio, what are we to do now?" Sousuke asked, looking out the window at the darkened sky, "He has disappeared. I sensed him leaving the spirit dimension after Kurosaki Ichigo helped him break through the wall. I know he reached the Kuchiki council hall and then was apprehended and taken to the first division. I felt his presence there. And then, it seems that he just disappeared."
"He will have told his story to the captain commander…and I remember that Soutaichou and Kuchiki Ginrei were always very close. Sousuke, I think, perhaps, he has taken action to conceal Byakuya's presence somewhere…to keep him safe."
"To keep him safe, while doing what? Will he come to the spirit dimension?"
"I think it most likely," Kirio said with conviction, "I think he will come to assess the situation, himself, and to learn what has befallen Kuchiki Ginrei."
"But we don't know what he'll do if he encounters us, do we? Because Byakuya didn't know the whole truth of things…who knows what exactly he told Soutaichou!"
"Just remember," Kirio said firmly, "Whatever Byakuya may not have known, he would have told Soutaichou that we were his allies. He will at least give us the opportunity to tell our story. But as my association with him at last meeting was more positive than your own, you should allow me to handle speaking with him upon his arrival."
"And how will he enter the spirit dimension without the king knowing?" asked Aizen, "We had to have our spirit energy sealed away when we crossed over…"
"Soutaichou is very competent," Kirio insisted, "He will be able to conceal his reiatsu. I have no doubt that he will come here. And when he does, we must be ready to take action."
"And what will we do?" Aizen mused, "Kirio, this is no longer some stranger we are talking about. This is my father…who has been corrupted and is lost, but he remains my father. I know that I was hidden from him for my own safety, but perhaps seeing me…and knowing who I am will help things."
"If he lets you speak before he kills you, Sousuke," Kirio said warningly, "He will have heard from his operatives in the Seireitei that Byakuya carries your child and not his. He will be furious and might attack first and ask questions later!"
Aizen shook his head in frustration.
"This just gets more and more confusing. How do I get him to listen? And even if he listens to me…how do I help him to regain his uncorrupted form?"
"I've been thinking about that…and I have an idea of how to go about it. It will require the use of your zanpakutou. If you can hypnotize the king, then perhaps we could use Orihime to restore him to the way he was before. We will have to be cautious to conceal her from him, because if he senses her power before he is hypnotized, he would probably kill her…and all of us as well."
"So I will conceal her using my Kyouka Suigetsu and bring her to the king. That means that I will have to reveal myself."
"Yes," agreed Kirio, "He is of the mind to have an heir and he has thought you dead for all of this time. He may simply forget about Byakuya and the false heir in favor of connecting with you."
"Maybe," said Aizen thoughtfully, but I wouldn't count on it. I will also conceal Abarai, Kurosaki and Yoruichi and bring them with us for added power…if we end up needing it."
Kirio nodded.
"So I think we have our plan."
"Yes," agreed Sousuke, blinking slowly, "And now that that is taken care if, we have but to wait for Soutaichou to arrive."
"I think we'll need to stay close to Kuchiki Ginrei. Soutaichou will come to see him, so if we are nearby, then we can intercept him."
"A good plan," agreed Aizen, "as long as he doesn't attack me on sight."
Kirio sighed.
"I will show myself first."
"Good thinking," Aizen said, smiling, "Well, that's settled. Now the only other thing we have to consider is Gin. When this all goes down, he will try to kill the king. We have to take him out before then."
"He is very dangerous. How do you think we will be able to stop him?"
"The only way to stop a snake from striking is to kill it," Aizen said calmly, "I will dispatch Gin before we go to the king."