Chapter 21: Crossed Fate
(Thanks so much to Seeing Sasha (Aww, sorry for making you cry!), Firebirdever (Byakuya will have a battle on his hands as will Tetsuya, though their troubles will differ in nature.), and MissLilly2012 (Crazy Orochi will be returning soon!) Enjoy the chapter! Love, Spunky)
Tetsuya woke to find an offering of fruit and berries that Arashi had collected and left near him. But eating made him feel thirsty. He looked around for the absent stallion, trying as he did, to sense the horse's presence. But his abdomen ached oddly when he tried to use his powers and he found that he could sense nothing.
I wonder if that is from the fall...or if something else happened to me.
He closed his eyes, thinking back as far as he could, but only made his head ache with the effort. He tried several times, taking breaks from intense thought to gaze up into the cloudy sky. But not remembering his past, it was hard to imagine what would happen now. He sighed softly and gave in to the need to sleep for awhile. He woke sometime later, even more thirsty and stubbornly disinclined to wait for his equine companion to return.
I need to be strong enough to take care of myself. I am not going to get that way by letting Arashi do everything for me.
He rolled over and climbed slowly onto his hands and knees, then headed for the nearby river. His back and legs complained, but the pain seemed less than it had the day before, and he made it all of the way to the water's edge, before needing to lower himself to the ground to rest. He heard Arashi's delicate step and looked up, meeting the stallion's unhappy gaze warmly.
Arashi.
What are you doing all of the way over here?
Tetsuya smiled up at the stallion and rubbed his face gently.
I was thirsty. And besides, I needed to stretch my muscles and work at building up my strength. If I am to find my way home, then I must try to regain my strength.
Arashi glared at him reprovingly.
But you should not push yourself so hard. You must give your body time to adjust. You were very badly injured when I found you. You had numerous broken bones that had to be mended and bleeding inside. I wasn't sure you were going to live.
Tetsuya's eyes softened.
Arashi, I don't know that I expressed how grateful I am to you for saving me.
The horse snorted dismissively.
A lot of good it did if you are just going to kill yourself trying to do too much at once. Please, Master, you must use caution.
Tetsuya smiled up at him and nodded.
I will, Arashi.
He turned back to the river, cupping his hands and gathering water as the stallion waded out, up to his knees and lowered his graceful head to drink. Tetsuya drank deeply, sighing softly at the comforting warmth of the sun that peeked through the clouds and shined down on him. He breathed in the sweet scents of blossoming trees and water flowers, and closed his eyes to better feel the gentle breeze that caressed his cheek.
Despite being lost, this is not a bad place. There is food and water, some shelter in the caves a bit off from here.
He turned his head to look up the river, towards the distant mountains.
I drifted downstream after falling. I don't know how far.
Master, Arashi thought suddenly, I heard something while looking for food outside the nearby town. I think that you should know.
Tetsuya frowned.
You look like it was not a good thing...
It was not. I heard that there was an attack on a military group near here...that several people were killed. The shinigamis are looking for the culprits. But it concerned me, because you said that you remembered being in a prison.
Tetsuya furrowed his brow, trying to remember.
Did you hear any names?
The stallion was quiet for a moment.
One. Byakuya.
Tetsuya felt an odd shiver of familiarity pass through him.
"Byakuya," he whispered aloud. "The name is familiar. I think that I know him."
But that could mean that...
Arashi, I fell from someplace upstream of here. When you arrived, you came from downstream. I couldn't have been involved.
But the ones searching near here do not know that, the stallion objected, If you were incarcerated before and they learn of it, they may accuse you, though you have not done anything wrong. And besides, what if you escaped the prison and someone recognizes you? You must move cautiously.
So you think that I could have committed a terrible crime? thought Tetsuya, Do you really think I am capable of that?
It does not matter, thought the stallion, Even if not, you may have been wrongly convicted of something. In any case, we must be careful as we attempt to find our way back to wherever you came from. If you escaped from a prison, there may be those who will seek your return to that place.
Tetsuya sighed in resignation.
You are right, Arashi. I do not know where would be safe havens for us and where we might be pursued.
He looked down at his reflection in the calm edge of the river as the stallion moved off to graze. But even looking at his own face did not seem to stir his memory. He laid down at the edge of the water, still looking down at his reflection and letting his mind wander. For a long time, nothing came to him, but just as he started to turn away, he felt a twinge of memory.
"I will make some tea for the two of you. I will be..."
The youth's words trailed off and he frowned and looked around in surprise as the reiatsu in the air around the three pulsated sharply. Tetsuya went stock still, his blue eyes intense as he read the pulsation in energies.
"Wh-what...is that?" asked the young man, his face paling, "Tetsuya-san, what is happening?"
A sword formed suddenly in Tetsuya's hand.
"Tetsuya-san!" gasped a second youth, "Tetsuya-san, what is it? Where are you going?"
"Stay here! "Something has happened to Byakuya-sama!"
Tetsuya stiffened.
"Byakuya-sama!" he whispered, "I was...trying to find him?"
His hand rose and came to rest over his heart.
"I was...wanting to protect him?"
A shiver went through his body and his mind was suddenly stricken with another pulse of memory.
"Aishiteru yo..." Byakuya whispered.
"Aishiteru yo," Tetsuya answered, laying his head sleepily on his cousin's shoulder, "Byakuya-sama, would that I could slumber peacefully somewhere until your return. I hate the sun for rising when you are not here."
Byakuya smiled at him and kissed him lightly.
"Will you then lock yourself in your inner world, where the sun never rises and the moon is always full, Tetsuya?"
Tetsuya's fingers traced his cousin's lips lingeringly.
"You are the moon that always shines in my inner world. You know that."
Tears rose in Tetsuya's eyes and dripped into the water, distorting his reflection.
"Byakuya-sama...is m-my...my lover?" he whispered breathlessly.
He looked around frantically for Arashi, but couldn't find him. Shivering with emotion, he forced himself to his feet and turned to follow the river back upstream. He stumbled and fell often, but forced himself to keep moving.
I have to find him!
Byakuya-sama!
He heard hoofbeats behind him and Arashi's wispy voice sounded in his mind.
Master! Master, where are you going? What is wrong? Master?
"I have to find him!" Tetsuya half-sobbed, "I was trying to reach him...to protect him. If I go this way, I will go back. I will find him."
You must be delirious! Master, you are still too injured. Please, please wait!
Tetsuya shook his head firmly.
"No," he panted, falling again and dragging himself to his feet, "I will find Byakuya-sama! I will!"
He fell harder, bruising his knees and bloodying his hands.
Master! Master, stop!
Unable to rise again, Tetsuya gritted his teeth and crawled forward on his hands and knees. His chest heaved with effort and his head swam as he fought his way forward, ignoring the mental cries of his equine companion. Arashi tossed his head anxiously, following as the young man struggled to keep moving.
But eventually, the strain of motion stole away Tetsuya's energy and he collapsed next to the river, his chest heaving harshly and spots dancing before his eyes.
Master...
The stallion watched with worried eyes as Tetsuya lost consciousness again, and knelt next to him, to keep him warm as he rested. His graceful head dipped and he nuzzled the unconscious shinigami with his nose, infusing him again with healing reiatsu. then deepening his sleep.
You seem possessed of this man, Byakuya-sama, thought the stallion, Who is he that you do this to yourself, trying to reach him?
XXXXXXXXXX
"You wanted to see me, Grandfather?" asked Byakuya, kneeling in front of the elder shinigami, his head bowed respectfully.
"Yes," Ginrei said, frowning and considering his words carefully, "The council has communicated several concerns, actually. And I have been asked to approach you about them."
"If this is about the search for Tetsuya," Byakuya began.
"It is, in part," confirmed Ginrei.
"I won't stop looking for him!" Byakuya said, his reiatsu rising instantly, "Grandfather, I must find him!"
"I know that you and Tetsuya were very close, but the elders agree that after two weeks with no sign of his reiatsu, after we all felt it diminish, is too much to ask. Byakuya..."
"Grandfather, I know that he hasn't been sensed since he fell. But it could be that he was badly hurt. And if he was, he could be lying somewhere, waiting for help."
"My boy," Ginrei said, sympathetically, "I understand your need to keep searching, but perhaps it would be prudent to continue on a more subtle level."
"And by that, you mean?"
"Sadao's family is devastated," the clan leader explained, "and they need some kind of closure. They are struggling to accept that he is lost, and I think that we should help them to do that by holding a memorial for him, here at Kuchiki Manor."
"You...want me to go on record as having accepted that Tetsuya is dead?" Byakuya concluded, paling.
"You needn't give up your search," Ginrei said quietly, "This is just to help his family cope, and to give the elders a sign that you have accepted the inevitability of his death."
Byakuya took a breath and let it out softly.
"I see," he whispered, "Very well, if those are your wishes, then I will respect them. I will not give up the search for him, but if you wish it, we can hold a memorial to help Sadao and his family cope."
Ginrei nodded approvingly.
"That is good, Byakuya. It will ease his family's pain and it will appease the council."
"But Grandfather, why was the council so eager for us to declare Tetsuya dead?"
The clan leader's lips tightened for a moment.
"It seems that someone witnessed a...suggestive moment...between the two of you. And given that you have been so adamant about continuing the search past all futility, it was concluded that you must have overstepped some boundaries with your cousin."
"Grandfather..."
"Now, I understand that whoever saw this, may have misconstrued things, but it did cause rumblings among the council members."
"I will just be honest with you," Byakuya said, bowing his head, "I am involved in an ongoing relationship with Tetsuya. We are very much in love, and I had intended to seek council approval for us to be wed, on the grounds that Tetsuya is capable of bearing a suitable heir. He has already borne a child, and although he is a half-blood, he is taichou level, just as I am."
"Ah...I see," Ginrei said, a troubled look in his eyes.
"What is it? What is wrong?" Byakuya asked, tilting his head in askance, "I understand that marrying Tetsuya will be..."
"Byakuya, questions have also arisen about the continued housing of the commoner, Hisana, here are the manor."
"She is a witness to the attack on my group in Inuzuri," Byakuya said firmly.
"But the attack occurred two weeks ago, and she has already given her statement on paper and in person before the council. The meeting was video recorded, so there is a permanent record of what she saw. Now, I understand that you are not eager to return her to the streets of Inuzuri, but it is inappropriate for us to continue to house her here."
"What would you have me do?" asked the heir, "Hisana, for all that she has no powers, was instrumental in helping me to survive the attack and has committed herself to bringing the perpetrators to justice."
Ginrei shook his head and sighed.
"I do not doubt that what you say is true, however, you know that the council views things with a more skeptical eye, and they have convinced themselves that the girl is merely using you to escape poverty."
"What?" Byakuya objected, "Grandfather...!"
"I know Hisana is not the type to do that, and I do understand your concerns about returning her to Inuzuri..."
"I will not let her return to that place, Grandfather," Byakuya said firmly, "She is already fragile, and her life there has been too taxing. I fear for her health if she goes back to that place!"
"Quite understandable," Ginrei agreed, "so I suggest that we house her somewhere in the upper Rukongai and provide a stipend to keep her comfortable, with the understanding that this is due to her courage and determination in defending you."
"She will need protection, Grandfather," Byakuya said, shaking his head, "I am concerned that whoever set up the attacks on Tetsuya and me will retaliate against Hisana. You know that such a thing is not baseless."
"Yes, of course," agreed the clan leader, "however, the elders are not military-savvy as we are, Byakuya. They do not see the danger when they look at the situation. Instead, they see a pattern of behavior unfitting of the Kuchiki heir."
"A pattern of...! You mean, because of Tetsuya and Hisana? But Grandfather, even though Hisana is a commoner, Tetsuya is not! And he is family."
"But not all of the elders are in agreement on the status of the mixed-blood members of the family, and adding to that is the complication of there having been a relationship between you and Tetsuya without proper procedure and etiquette being observed. On top of that, even, there has been the suggestion that your sexual relationship with Tetsuya began before he was of sufficient age to consent."
"That is ridiculous!" Byakuya fumed, "Tetsuya and I have not been intimate that way. I swear it!"
"I believe you," said Ginrei, "but as you see, we have a great deal of unrest on council, and I grow concerned that this is part of an effort to have you removed as heir."
"So, what would you suggest I do, Grandfather? You know the council members well. What would appease them?"
"Well," sighed the clan leader, "I think that you are going to have to tread very carefully, Byakuya. As I said, you should hold the memorial for your cousin and place Hisana in protective housing in the upper Rukongai. Show signs of your willingness to cooperate with the elders, and they will be calmed, and have no reason to interfere with you. As I said before, you are free to continue the search for Tetsuya, but you must do so quietly. If you wish, I can put on 'assignment' for the division in the Rukongai and you will have some leeway to search at will, for a time. But if this goes much longer and you find nothing to indicate he is alive..."
"Then, I must make peace with the idea that Tetsuya is not coming back."
"Yes," Ginrei agreed, "I know I ask a great deal of you. But, I know that you will make a fine clan leader. You are, hands down, the most powerful, and added to that, you share my Soujun's high moral standards...not that the council values that nearly as much as I do."
"I think not," Byakuya said, giving his grandfather a small smile and shaking his head.
"Very well, then," said Ginrei, nodding, "I will inform the council of your actions and we can let this go and get on to more critical matters."
"Thank you, Grandfather," Byakuya said, inclining his head, "I apologize for the trouble that I have caused you."
"Oh...no matter, my boy. It will all come out all right, I think. Just mind what I said."
"Yes, sir."
Byakuya watched as Ginrei left, then walked out of his grandfather's study and back along the walkway towards his room. He slowed as he approached Torio, who sat on the walkway next to an inconsolable Koji.
"What is it?" he asked, a sick feeling welling up inside, "What has happened? Have they...found Tetsuya?"
"N-no..." Koji managed, choking back a sob.
"Then..."
He froze as the younger attendant opened his hand, revealing a small, devastatingly familiar blue, silver and white porcelain hair clip.
"Where did you find this?" Byakuya asked in a shaking voice, taking the small, delicate clip from his hand.
"In...in the water...below the f-falls," Koji sobbed, "Th-there was blood on some of the rocks, Byakuya-sama! So much blood! And...and the council liaison who was sent, said that the signs in the area were conclusive. They say that Tetsuya-san could not have survived that collapse. They say that he is definitely dead!"