A/N: Talk about a Hiatus! Thank you for all the lovely PMs and reviews you all have written to me
My lovely readers, you are the inspiration for this chapter. Please enjoy.
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The bit of rest she'd had made Karin level headed and better prepared to take on the new day's challenges. She'd risen early, feeling light and nimble despite the emotional rollercoaster she'd been on the night prior. It was a wonder in itself that she'd managed to sleep at all. The way she had been feeling, she was almost positive that she'd be faced with a sleepless night. However, not long after she got underneath the sheets sleep had come and whisked her away.
Karin was grateful for the rest and her subsequent early rise, as it allowed her to get a head start on the day ahead of her. She'd done jinzen and sought counsel with Kiyogetsu, who had imparted invaluable advice to her on how to handle everything from her relationship with Byakuya to the impending threat that was Yutaka. Her morning self-training had gone even better than expected, as she continued to work on her fighting technique with Kiyogetsu. Her progress with controlling the heat of the flaming petals around her wrists and ankles during hand combat was significant. She hadn't quite perfected the art, but her progress was palpable enough for her to know that she was on her way there.
For her own sanity – and his – Karin had decided to complete paperwork with some of the lower seats outside of the main office in order to avoid the awkward tension between her and Byakuya. It wasn't that she was mad at him… much. It was more so that she couldn't figure out how to approach him after everything last night. After all, she was the one who suggested that they need space; how ridiculous would she look sitting right beside him first thing in the morning?
She'd spent the last night and part of the morning going through the motions of being upset with Byakuya for not fully trusting her, understanding his perspective, and then feeling guilty for ripping into him when she knew he must have been going through a lot on his own. Kiyogetsu had listened to her rants objectively, letting her know that they were both coming from valid perspectives. She'd advised Karin to be the one to stretch out an olive branch for the noble; after the beating he'd taken last night, he'd need the encouragement. Karin could definitely see the truth in Kiyogetsu's words for certain. But knowing what the right thing to do was, and actually acting on it, were two separate things. A mix of shame, pride, anxiety, and fear kept her glued to her desk and scrawling through piles of paperwork.
Karin skimmed over and signed documents in a semi-lucid state, barely registering the words as she read. She was halfway through a landscaping proposal from the 4th division when the sound of someone clearing their throat broke her concentration. Renji stood in front of her, hands crossed over his chest. During her time in Seireitei, and even during her years growing up with the crimson haired Shinigami in the Living World, she'd come to learn how to read the 6th division Lieutenant almost as well as she could read her family members. One could even say working so closely with the redhead had made him like a brother to her in his own right. Judging by the expression on his face at that particular moment, she knew he wasn't here for bants or to sneak off with her for an impromptu lunch break; important business was at hand.
"I'm guessing we gotta get out of here, huh?" she said knowingly as she rested her paperwork down.
Renji nodded.
"Emergency meeting. Lieutenant and up only, but a special exception's been made for the Karakura crew, and Lady Shiba" he said, referring to Kukaku.
Karin let out a sigh as she stood up from her desk and walked around to join Renji.
"Do you have any idea what this is about?" Karin asked Renji as they walked towards their Captain's office.
He shook his head.
"Not really. The Jigokucho relayed some stuff about a new threat, but that's pretty vague. I assume most of the details will be in one of the debriefing papers they hand out at these meetings. When Orihime came over last night she mentioned her slumber party getting cancelled because Yoruichi had 'stuff to do'. And Ishida mentioned Nemu heading to her division really late last night so I'm assuming the 2nd an 12th division have something to do with this mess."
"Orihime was at your place last night?" Karin asked curiously. She had known the pair to be fairly good friends, but never close enough to spend the night with each other.
Renji's face visibly reddened, realizing what he had let slip out, and suddenly the dots had connected in Karin's mind.
"Oh."
"Yeah" He said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.
"This is kind of a new thing for the both of us. We were hoping to keep it under wraps for a while longer but obviously, subtlety isn't my strong suit"
Karin feigned shock. "You unsubtle? Who would have thought. What with your height, tattoos and bright red hair you're practically invisible!"
Her sarcasm earned a chuckle out of the redhead.
"You really do suit each other. I'm happy for you" she offered sincerely. "And don't worry, I won't let it get out to anyone who might tell my brother or Rukia."
"Thanks Karin" Renji replied warmly.
"I'm happy for you and the captain too. you being here has changed him a lot; its nice to see the him happy for once."
Karin nodded but didn't say anything as she remembered why she'd been dreading heading towards his office all morning. She tried to will herself to stay calm, but a twinge of anxiety hit her as the pair approached the door to the Captain's office. She still was unsure of how to make the first step towards repairing things between them, especially in the space of company. But she also didn't want to walk in their and act like shit didn't hit the fan last night.
Willing her body not to betray her inner tumultuousness, Karin let out an inaudible sigh as Renji opened the door and they entered the Captain's office.
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Byakuya had been staring out of the window backing his desk, gazing intently at the petals that fell from from the Sakura trees of the 6th Division barracks. Despite doing his utmost to seem productive, Byakuya hadn't accomplished much since he'd entered his office this morning. When he wasn't thinking about how much of a disaster last night had been, his mind was stuck on trying to figure out Yutaka's next moves and how much of a threat he would pose.
The jigokucho notifying Byakuya of an emergency meeting gave him some reprieve, because that meant that gains had been made in the way of apprehending Aizen's wayward spawn. Nevertheless, he was still unable to shake the unease he felt about his relationship with Karin. The more cynical part of him urged him to prepare for the worst, and begin composing an annulment speech. He'd clearly damaged the trust they'd established, and he was too proud a man to go through with an engagement to a woman who might now resent him. The more optimistic half of him countered that there was still hope be had. Her words last night hadn't been menacing. And surely, she wouldn't have shown him the affection she did if she had no intentions of trying to mend things.
He had tried to make himself look preoccupied, but it became increasingly more difficult as he sensed Karin's reiatsu draw nearer. He willed himself to appear as impassive as he could when he heard the door unlock, letting his lieutenant and 3rd seat enter.
"Ready when you are Taichou" Renji spoke as he stopped in front of Byakuya's desk.
"Then we will leave immediately" Byakuya said, turning around to face his subordinates. He noted the small smile Karin gave him as he made brief eye contact, and felt him self significantly relax; that was a good sign.
Karin and Renji nodded in affirmation and the trio headed to the back exit of Byakuya's office. Not wanting to leave a disorganized mess of unfinished paperwork in their wake, they stepped onto the veranda proper, before bursting off with Shunpo in the direction of the Gotei meeting hall.
They kept a brisk pace as they flew through the Seireitei at an elevated height. Karin, feeling slightly more confident, reached out a hand to Byakuya's as they flew through the air. Almost gratefully, he grasped it with his own and gazed over at her, letting his eyes say what he daren't utter. Encouraged by his transparency, Karin squeezed his hand reassuringly, and let her own grey hues relay the response that he needed.
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The hall was technically silent, but the unease in the reiatsu of those present was palpable enough that it could only be described as 'loud'. Tensions in the gotei hall hadn't been this high and ominous since Aizen Sousuke's defection. It was a bitter irony of sorts that someone from the Aizen family had yet again brought them to together under such conditions.
Yamamoto Genryuusai flexed his immense spiritual energy, forcing the other turbulent reiatsu in the room to be reigned in as he prepared to speak.
"As I am sure you are all aware now, we have come under attack by a great threat. The Son of Aizen Sousuke, Aizen Yutaka, has infiltrated the soul society. His intentions are clear: this foolhardy child seeks to break Aizen free from Muken, and further his plans to destroy balance within the realms."
Murmurs began to erupt, but were quickly dispersed as the head captain continued to speak.
"Last night, an altercation transpired between Gotei operatives and our adversary. As a result, new information on the situation has been gathered. Soifon-taichou?"
Soifon stepped forward upon her name being called.
"At around 0400 hours, Aizen Yutaka was sighted leaving the 1st district by caravan with a small entourage. My Omnitsukido alerted me immediately of this, and an offensive team was mobilised in order to detain him –"
"Why'd ya try to kidnap the fucker when ya coulda just slit his throat!" intercepted Zaraki with an accusatory roar, echoed by his lieutenant.
Soifon glared at the 11th division captain, clearly annoyed by him cutting her off.
"Not that I have no faith in your judgement Soifon-Taichou, but why did you decide to attempt a capture mission instead of just assassinating him?" this time it was Yuzu who spoke up, much to Karin's surprise. The Yuzu she used to know would normally never be open to voicing her opinion so boldly. Moreover, the fact that she was able to discuss the possibility of assassinating a former friend without becoming emotional was an impressive improvement in the ash blonde's resilience; a testament to the fact that her time as a Shinigami had changed her.
"The decision to engage our target in non-fatal combat was a strategic one. While our mission had initially been upgraded to a capture mission, during the parlay, we resigned to simply baiting him into combat as opposed to following through with the capture and detainment objective. After our experience with Aizen, a direct approach to his progeny might do more harm than good. It is fairly common enough in Shinigami for their offspring to have spiritual abilities similar to them, but as we have seen with hybrid children, that correlation tends to be even stronger. Think of yourself and your siblings, Kurosaki-san: you all have similar zanpakutou names, and interestingly enough, your brother and father all seem to have near identical abilities as Shinigami. It only stands to reason that Aizen's son may have illusion based abilities similar to his fathers. My battle with Yutaka only strengthens my position that some sort of illusion kido is the base of his strength." Soifon explained.
Nods of agreement could be seen around the room as they listened to soifon's speech. Her logic was certainly sound; simply rushing in to capture the enemy without an idea of their abilities was certainly unwise. It had cost the Gotei 13 countless lives the last time they were so presumptuous; Soul Society couldn't bare loss that great again.
Encouraged by the response, Soifon continued. This would be the difficult part she knew, as feathers were sure to be ruffled once she started speaking about the next bit behind her rationale. "Furthermore, taking out our target in full fledged combat would have potentially caused political crisis, as his entourage consisted of a few high profile individuals, whose lives would have also been at great risk during a real offensive mission"
"High profile individuals? You mean Yutaka has accomplices of noble heritage?" Ukitake asked, voicing the question in everyone else's minds.
Soifon nodded.
"My operatives identified two individuals of noble or socialite status. One was Kuchiki Chikako, and the other was Westernland Heiress, Kusakabe Umeko"
Gasps filled the room as Soifon's last sentence hung in the air. Karin felt her blood run cold at the sound of the familiar names, and she looked over at Byakuya to see his eyes visibly harden and his posture stiffen as he struggled to contain the angry wave of reiatsu that threatened to erupt from him.
"Are you certain of their identities?" Byakuya asked in a neutral tone, despite his growing ire and shock. This could be disastrous for the Kuchiki; if Chikako was truly involved in the schemes of Aizen's son, it would be scandalous enough to have the entire clan's noble status renounced like the Shiba's once was. Unlike the Shiba clan however, there would be no redemption or reinstatement for the Kuchiki's if Chikako were ever brought to trial and found guilty. Cold fury coursed through Byakuya at the mere thought of all of his life's sacrifice being possibly amounted to nothing with the new revelation. Concerning too him, was the fact that Umeko was apparently involved in this too. That could only mean that his suspicions with respect to his aunt's motives must have been correct.
"indeed. Our detainee has confirmed their identities" She said, snapping her fingers to indicate to the guards outside to bring in the detainee.
Two 2nd division members clad in their usual regalia flanked either side of a bruised and battered looking Mei as she was led into the meeting hall, wearing the typical white prisoner's robe, and limbs bound by reiryoku dampening shackles.
"This is Oda Mei, a loyalist and former accomplice of Yutaka. We brought her into our custody after our battle with the aforementioned" Soifon said, as everyone's attention was directed to the captured woman.
"Her cooperation has helped us to uncover Yutaka's plans for Soul society. Oda-san, if you would explain to our audience what your former master's intentions are." Cooperation in Soifon's opinion, was an understatement. The discarded crony had practically sung out all of her masters plans, with hardly any coercion at all. Even after more invasive probing – courtesy of Mayuri – had been performed, the woman's story was as straight as ever. The saying, 'hell hath no fury like a woman scorned' never rang truer.
Head bowed, and averting the gaze of those who watched her, Mei relayed everything she knew about Yutaka's plans.
"My original master in Soul Society was Aizen Sousuke. Myself and a select few were entrusted with the knowledge of the existence of his son in the Living World after our master was captured by your forces. It then became our new master's goal to free his father from imprisonment, and assist him in ascending the soul king's throne."
"Who were the persons accompanying Yutaka during your attempted escape?" asked Soifon
"Other than myself and the other servants of Yutaka, Kuchiki Chikako and her personal servant, and Kusakabe Umeko and her entourage"
Byakuya inwardly cursed, as the prisoner confirmed Soifon's allegations. This was not good.
"Why has your master chosen to ally himself with these people?" Asked Komamura
"It is my understanding that his arrangement with Chikako-sama was a more recent development, the roots of which I am unsure of. All I am certain I can confirm is that he does have her under his supervision along with Umeko-sama."
"How can we be sure that she's telling the truth?" asked a concerned Renji. He knew that this did not spell good news for his captain. Despite his general dislike for clans and noble politics, he knew how important it was to Byakuya to keep the Kuchiki name in good standing.
"Kisuke and Mayuri were pretty thorough with their interrogation. I watched over it myself" It was Yoruichi who answered this time. She did not want to worsen Byakuya's possible predicament, but she knew withholding information would only make his case look worse; she had to appear impartial less they be accused of collusion as nobles. Knowing the direness of the situation she was quick to add, "We can be certain that Chikako and the Kusakabe heiress are both with Yutaka and involved in this somehow. But before we jump to conclusions, it would be best to figure out how, and why"
"Kuchiki-Taichou, I'm sure you are aware of the implications these allegations have towards you, so I will not mince words" the Soutaichou chimed in. "Did you have any knowledge whatsoever of a relationship between Kuchiki Chikako and Sousuke Yutaka?"
Byakuya resisted the urge to balk at the accusation thinly veiled accusation being flung his way. Despite himself, his countenance changed to clearly reflect how irritated he was by the insinuation that he was involved in a plot to set Aizen free.
"Absolutely not" he nearly snapped. "As the debriefing reports show quite clearly, Yutaka was based in the living world, and the Kuchiki clan's Senkaimon have never been used by anyone other than myself, Rukia and Karin."
"Then what of you, Karin? Records show that your family had close ties to Yutaka during your youth." Said the Soutaichou, now redirecting his line of questioning to the Raven haired woman.
In response to the accusation, Ichigo stepped forward to reprimand the Soutaichou for trying to implicate his sister, but was stopped by Karin's raised hand requesting that he desist.
"It is true that my family were close to Yutaka and his mother during our early years, but that ended after my mother died. In hindsight, it is easy to see how he would've been strategically planted into our lives by Aizen, as a contingency plan should his original efforts fail. Aizen has proven to Soul Society time and time again that he always has a back up plan for his back up plans, so that isn't really hard to believe"
"She's got a point there Yama-jii" quipped Shunsui
"Also, Mei-san has pointed out that whatever alliance is going on between Umeko, Chikako, and Yutaka is relatively new. In the grand scheme of things if the Kuchiki clan or even my own clan were intimately involved, this alliance would have to have existed for years, decades even." Karin added.
"So what are you suggesting?" the Soutaichou pressed.
"That there is another party involved who is acting as the lynch pin of this alliance, and it certainly isn't any of my family, or Byakuya!" Karin insisted.
Suddenly, as if remembering something, Mei exclaimed. "It's Hana!"
"I beg your pardon?" asked a confused Karin. Her mind was whirring from the recent turn of events. She knew both she and Byakuya were innocent, but trying to rationalize things under the scrutinizing glare of the Soutaichou and a room full of gotei leaders was a nerve wracking experience.
"Shimizu Hana. She is Yutaka-sama's right hand, and main connection to the Soul Society until our arrival. If anyone could have made that alliance possible it would be her."
"did you say Shimizu?" asked Byakuya. Mei nodded in response.
"There was a maid recently employed in my estate with that surname. Shimizu Haruka I believe. If memory serves me correctly, it is my belief that she was handpicked by my aunt as an attendant, but later found other usefulness about the estate" he added, eyes narrowing as he realized the deceit.
Recognizing the name of the shy brunette maid who once attended her when she first moved to the Kuchiki estate, Karin's heart picked up. "Haruka? Is it possible that she could be a relative of your Hana?"
Mei shook her head.
"No, Hana and Haruka are one and the same. Haruka is a pet name of sorts. Yutaka-sama gave all of us one, to symbolize our role in his militia. Her name, when written '遥花 ' means 'flower in the distance'. Her role was to stay far behind in enemy lines as a spy and gather as much intel on the enemy as possible, much like a foreign flower gathers nutrients from the soil in a new land" Mei Explained.
"Likewise," she began more quietly, "I was given the name Junko, since I was his most obedient follower…" her voice trailed off as tears pricked at the corners of her eyes. It made for an uncomfortable view for the gotei as they watched the unfamiliar scene of yet another former subordinate of Aizen suffering through the effect of his betrayal.
"I think we've learned enough to draw some conclusions. Thank you for your cooperation Oda-san" Said Unohana as she rested a hand on the troubled woman's shoulder. "I will make sure that your wounds are more adequately tended to when this is over" she added with a smile before stepping back.
Soifon nodded in agreement and with a wave of her hands her division members carried the woman out of the meeting room.
"Now that that is settled, how should we approach bringing Yutaka to justice?" Asked Toshiro.
"And what about his powers? Ya backed out on capturin' him to understand them for fuck sakes" Shinji directed toward Soifon.
"As I mentioned previously, his abilities seem to be based on illusion and trickery. Instead of a blade he fought with a white tipped cane which was capable of launching kido-based blasts. This cane seems to be the crux of his power… his zanpakutou in other words. He also seems to be capable of high-speed flight, using some sort of reishi-based orbs as a conduit"
"Like my Reishūkaku?" asked Kukaku with some intrigue.
Soifon nodded.
"Is there anything else you can tell us about his abilities?" Toshiro inquired further.
"I believe the best person to expound on that is Kurotsuchi-taichou." responded Soifon curtly. At that, Mayuri stepped forward.
"Our second division's captain was resourceful enough to obtain a sample of our perp's reiatsu, which proved quite interesting to analyze…" Mayuri began in his usual way, pleased with the opportunity to finally share his findings. He'd grown tired of hearing about treasonous noble's and henchmen with daddy issues.
"Short version, Kurotsuchi" remarked Kensei gruffly, not wanting to hear another science drivel-laden speech.
Mayuri rolled his eyes at that, but nevertheless attempted to oblige the white haired captain. "During my analysis, I found that Yutaka's reiryoka signature was quite reminiscent of Aizen's, emitting a lesser but still quite formidable amount force. Interesting though, was the hollow-esque energies overlapping with the distinctly Shinigami base of energy; think Arrancar reiryoka, but more primitive. Given the evidence, it is reasonable for us to assume two things: First, his power's accord him a high degree of illusionary skill – particularly with respect to going undetected by normal means. Second, partly due to the first, is that he cannot be underestimated under any circumstances. His ability to hide his vast spiritual strength, as well as his hybrid signature even in a realm full of Shinigami, indicates that he is very likely far more powerful than he appears."
"Mayuri and I have been using the reiryoka sample obtained from Yutaka to work on an aid to help counter his illusion techniques" added Urahara, pulling a set of small square packets out of his sleeve. "Their effectiveness is reliant on the mental resilience of the wearer. They should help to give our side the edge in combat" added Urahara.
"Excellent." Yamamoto acknowledged.
"Sounds like we have the logistics worked out for dealing with Yutaka's abilities.." Shunsui started, "But how are we going to engage him in the first place?"
"Well, Soifon-Taichou's report shows that Yutaka is headed West. Since the lands in the far west are where Kusakabe-san originates from it would make sense for us to do a detail of her homeland and prepare to launch a strike from there" offered Ukitake.
"Do you have any operatives placed that far out west Soifon, Yoruichi?" asked Yamamoto
"Since the time of Yoruichi-sama's grandparent's, the omnitsukido has had members in remote outposts in rolling rotation all over the realm. I will also personally venture to the west with a small platoon, to make sure things are set in proper motion." Soifon replied affirmatively
"Kisuke and I will accompany her. My prior experience in the western lands and Kisuke's inventiveness will be invaluable there." Yoruichi volunteered.
"Very well. Soifon, Yoruichi and Kisuke you will head out immediately to prepare our stage of attack. The rest of you stay alert and consider yourselves on constant call. As soon as we are given the word we will head westward to begin our assault. Meeting adjourned" The Yamamoto-Soutaichou said with finality. With that the leaders of the Gotei began to disperse.
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The news of a spy amongst his domestic staff was not something that Byakuya took very lightly. Even though no one could have blamed him for it, he took it as a personal failure that he of all people could have been housing a traitor to soul society. It was just another reason that proved that he was not nearly as involved in the affairs of his home as he needed to be. For years, he'd let grief avert him from home life and he largely left the running of the miscellaneous aspects of his personal estate to the elders. A grave mistake he was now realizing. Though the majority of the gotei members were supportive of his innocence, the reputation of his clan was at grave stake if there was enough evidence to support the notion that a large portion of the clan members were sympathizers to Aizen's cause. He'd explained that much to Karin, who had suggested to him that they should work towards compiling evidence to refute any claims of that nature. On their way back to the estate they had decided that the best place to start would be going through the staffs hiring history and the personal estate budget with a fine-toothed comb. With Karin and Nobuo's help Byakuya set himself to the task.
Halfway through their work, Rukia had arrived at the estate with Ichigo in tow. Despite their objections and urging for her to enjoy the first few days of marriage with her husband, they both insisted on helping them getting to the bottom of things. Rukia stubbornly remarked that though she was going by 'Kurosaki-Shiba' now, she was a Kuchiki first. And as such, any issues threatening the Kuchiki name were as much her concern as theirs.
"Shit. Even in the records dated 75 years back Chikako is claws deep in all of this as well" Karin commented sourly. She had gone through several of the ledgers, and similarly to the others she had found a compelling amount of evidence showing that Byakuya's aunt had been taking money meant for house maintenance and squandering it on frivolities for herself. Millions of Kan were wasted jewels and silks from Sabitsura, the 64th district, as well as multiple trips to the outer districts.
"During my youth I recall grandfather giving my great-aunt a significant amount of clan responsibilities in order to placate her, as she'd been embittered over their father choosing him as incumbent clan head over her." Byakuya responded as he looked over another file of hires. To his dismay, he'd discovered that his aunt had not been exclusively in charge of hiring staff members. There was a fairly equal distribution of that responsibility given to other branch members of the family over the years. In fact, Haruka had only been one of 10 estate staff members ever hired by her in the past century.
"Byakuya, Nobuo, what are 'Ashwagandha berries'?" asked Karin after a few minutes of silence. Figuring that she must have missed something, Karin decided to look over the ledgers that she'd already reviewed. She'd noticed that there was a small period of time at which the importation of 'Ashwagandha berries' was frequent.
"A type of Winter cherry my lady. Why do you ask?" responded Nobuo.
Karin made a face that. "Winter cherries? Chikako must have really enjoyed them to spend such a fortune on what amounts to only a few pounds of them in a few years. Do they taste any good?"
"Ashwagandha's are extremely rare. They only grow in the outer districts, and are only cultivated by a few families; that would likely explain the price" Reasoned Nobuo. "As for their taste, they are quite mild. A bit like tomatoes, though sweeter"
"Well I am glad that I was never apart of the clan during the Winter cherry craze" Rukia said with some contempt. "I found out the hard way as a child in Rukongai that winter cherries and I do not agree. A handful of them once had me sick for a week"
"Wow" Karin replied, making a face. "I guess even people in the afterlife have allergies"
As if a lightbulb had gone off, Byakuya made a chilling conjecture in his mind.
"Karin, when were those purchases made?" he asked, suddenly growing very tense.
Noticing the change in his demeanor, Karin quickly looked for the dates that the purchases were made.
"They were continuous for a period of about 3 years. From about 58 years ago to 55… " she trailed off.
Everyone in the room stilled as they quickly began putting two and two together. It had been common knowledge that Byakuya had been a widower for about 55 years. Known to only Byakuya and Nobuo was that it was a little after 2 years into his marriage that Hisana had begun showing signs of illness. At first it had been sporadic illness that they had falsely thought of as signs of pregnancy. She'd even had good, strong days after that, but they did not last for long as illness continued to ravage her mind, body and spirit.
"Winter cherries are part of the nightshade family. Its pretty unusual, but some people do have allergic reactions to certain species, and sometimes even the entire family." Ichigo reasoned, using the medical knowledge he had accrued during his years in school and working at the clinic.
"Byakuya, I hate to ask this question, but would you mind telling us…" Ichigo searched for words as he tried to ask the difficult question.
"Her symptoms were fever, vomiting, irregular stool, weakness, blood loss, swelling, and shock towards the end" Byakuya answered, knowing the question he was about to ask. His blood was boiling with rage so deep that even his best attempts to keep his reiatsu in check were failing. The room grew heavy as his spiritual aura spilled out and his eyes grew dark with fury.
"Those are all textbook features of prolonged exposure to a toxic allergen…" confirmed Karin, horrified.
"If Rukia-sama is allergic to winter cherries, it is reasonable to assume that the late Hisana-sama may have also had that allergy" said in a tone that was a mixture of horror and the strain of trying to withstand the violent aura that was wafting off of his lord.
"Now that I think of it, there was also a time during the beginning of my stay at the estate where I too fell ill. Though my symptoms never became that severe…" Rukia said with tears in her eyes. A quick look at the ledger for the year that she'd first arrived confirmed her fears. "Kami…" she shuddered as she stared at the page, the order for ashwagandha berries printed clearly in black ink.
Livid could not even describe what Byakuya felt churning inside of him. That witch of a woman had poisoned Hisana, made an attempt on Rukia's life, and by kami he knew if she had been given the opportunity… she would have done something equally sinister to Karin. The mere thought drew him over the edge and had him ready to take off towards the west so that he might slit Chikako's throat himself. He would be damned if she thought that he would allow her to exist freely. Not after the atrocities he had committed against his loved ones.
It was only Karin's voice yelling "Byakuya, stop!" that made him snap out of it as he looked over to see Karin trying to assist Nobuo, whose nose had begun to bleed profusely from being in such close proximity to waves of his unrestrained reiastsu. Beside them was Ichigo trying to console a horrified Rukia who sobbed uncontrollably in his arms.
The scene was like cold water doused on his flaming temper. "My apologies, Nobuo" he uttered, unable to look at anyone as he tried to keep his emotions in check.
"There is no need, Byakuya-sama. I know you meant no harm" the older man responded weakly, his body still clearly affected by the experience.
"Chikako and all involved will pay dearly for this" he spoke, this time more calmly as he tried to collect himself.
"You're damned right they will" Ichigo affirmed, equally outraged at what they had just learned.
"I think we should call it a night everyone" Karin spoke up. Seeing the emotional toll – and in Nobuo's case, physical – that the recent revelations had had on everyone, she knew that there was no point in continuing their investigations at the moment. Besides, they had found more than enough evidence to support the theory that
"I agree. I'm going to take Rukia home… take care you guys" said Ichigo as he escorted his wife from the room.
"You should lay down for a bit Nobuo. I will stay with Byakuya and make copies of the evidence we need" Karin told Nobuo. The man didn't even bother resisting as he got to his feet and escorted himself out.
"Byakuya, I'm so sorry…" Karin began as she took his hand in hers. Though it was not exactly the same, she could empathize with the feelings he was going through. She remembered being in a very dark place when she found out that Aizen had murdered her mother simply to fuel Ichigo's transition into being a Shinigami. She'd even resented Ichigo and soul society in general for robbing her of the opportunity to have her mother in her life.
"None of this is your fault. If anything, the blame is mine to bear" he uttered brokenly.
"How could you say that about yourself? You're an honorable person. The fact that Chikako took advantage of her position has nothing to do with you" Karin argued.
"If I had been more diligent…" he started, but was cut off.
" 'if' nothing. You are a loving man who did his job. Nobuo said it himself, those plants are rare. No one would have thought to blame Hisana's illness on something as obscure as that. Your aunt had a privileged position in the clan, and she used it for evil. That was her doing entirely, not yours. There is nothing you could have done differently. If you went back in time and removed her from that position, you would've looked like the villain. And you saw the documents yourself, she was so resourceful that whose to say she would not have found another way to try and hurt you and your loved ones" she insisted
"We are going to bring her to justice. But you need to be strong. So that means no more rolling in self pity Byakuya"
He took in her words, and despite himself he couldn't see the error in them. Though it killed him to know that he had been oblivious to the threat hiding in his home for so long, Karin was right. Even if he had known about the winter cherry shipments, they were so seemingly harmless that he would have never suspected them as the cause of Hisana's illness, nor would he have ever thought his relatives would stop so low.
Feeling encouraged by her words, Byakuya held her to him in a tight embrace. "What would I do without you, koishii?"
She laughed softly as she inhaled his scent. "A lot I'd imagine. You're a smart guy"
"But not nearly as insightful as yourself" he quipped with a small smile. He was still angry, hurt, at their discovery. But Karin's presence was like a soothing balm for his tortured soul.
"stay with me tonight?" she said quietly after a few moments had passed.
He looked down at her, surprised at her request.
"I thought you wanted space?"
Karin let out a sigh, her features finally portraying just how worn out she was.
"I did… but today has made me realize how much space is the last thing I need from you."
A/N: This was hard to write. After being out of the writing game for so long, and fanfiction writing even longer, trying to put this together was certainly a challenge. I probably wouldn't have even have considered writing this if it wasn't for me checking my old e-mail account on a whim and seeing all of the kind messages that people who liked this story sent me. Knowing that there are people out there who truly care about my stories and want to read what I write puts a smile on my face. Thank you all for sticking with me for nearly 5 years!
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Send me a PM or write a review to let me know what you think. :)!
Until next time,
Truthfulpen