Chapter 10:
"Captain Kuchiki," Renji said when he entered the office without knocking. "I did as asked, sir."
Byakuya stood up and walked around to the front of his desk. "Did you, now? So you ate something spicy?"
"Yes, sir. I ate plenty of food and lots of spicy things." Renji's face went from a proud smile to a confused frown. "Why the hell did I do that anyway? My tongue is still tingling..."
Byakuya licked his lips. Now that Renji had been fed a spicy meal, Byakuya should be able to take a little more of his blood, which was hopefully seasoned with what he ate not too long ago.
"Renji."
"Yes?"
Byakuya motioned with his finger. "Can you tilt your head to the side a little, please?"
"Uh..." Renji tilted his head, exposing his neck. "Ok... Why am I doing this?"
"Just hold still."
"Hold..?"
Byakuya grabbed Renji's shoulders and bit his neck.
"Ow!" Renji hissed inwardly and tried to move away but there was no escape. Byakuya had a solid hold on him. "Ow, ow, ow! That hurts! It hurts..!"
Byakuya drank.
Renji's eyes started to roll towards the ceiling. The pain had subsided, leaving a new feeling in its place. A feeling he couldn't describe.
Byakuya felt Renji put his arms around him. Byakuya took his mouth off Renji's neck. "Renji... What are you doing?"
Renji took his time in answering. "I feel... very light... I don't want to fall over."
"So that's why you're holding on to me?"
"Do you mind... sir?"
Byakuya focused his attention back on Renji's neck. "Do as you wish." Byakuya started to drink again. Renji's blood had picked up a little of the spice he had eaten but it was very mild. He should ask Renji to eat a steady diet of spicy foods in order for it to really come through in his blood.
Renji closed his eyes. His legs got very weak and was having a hard time keeping his balance. If he hadn't been holding onto his Captain, he would have undoubtedly fallen over.
Byakuya stopped drinking and pulled away before he was tempted to drink more. Feeding off Renji twice in one day wasn't wise. If he drank any more, he would end up sending his Lieutenant to the sickbay.
"Thanks for the snack. That should hold me for now."
Renji was still standing there with his eyes shut.
Byakuya called to him. "Renji."
He opened his eyes. Renji looked drained. He looked weak and tired.
"Did I take too much?" Byakuya asked himself. Then he asked Renji, "Are you feeling alright? Speak to me."
Renji threw himself forward into a deep bow. "Yes, my master."
Byakuya blinked. "Master? Me?"
Renji did not lift his head. "Yes. You are my master. Shall I call you that or would you like a different title? What should I call you, my master?"
The tiny portion of Byakuya who was still the same Byakuya he had always been was screaming to be heard. It knew something was wrong and that he was becoming someone he wasn't. Seeing Renji act this way and say such things had spurred what little remained of his humanity to question this. To question himself. It was screaming for Byakuya to realize that this wasn't right and that things were getting worse. It urged him to come to terms with this and regain his senses. This wasn't him and he shouldn't be doing this. He had to resist. He had to fight these impulses and maintain who he was. He could not change. He must return to himself.
The tiny voice within him was blocked out by Byakuya's enjoyment. He liked what he was doing to some extent. What he really liked was hearing Renji call him 'master' and bow to him.
This was his will now.
"It's perfectly fine, Renji," Byakuya told him. "You may call me master, but not in front of company. Do so when we are alone. That is an order."
"Understood, master." Renji straightened up and stood in front of Byakuya. "I am here to serve you."
Byakuya smiled, pleased.
Just as Hisagi had become more submissive, Renji had become subservient to him as well.
Did everyone he bite become his servants? Could he command those he fed upon? So far it seemed that way.
If that was the case...
"Renji, I have orders for you."
"Yes, master?"
"From this moment on, when you eat, you are to eat spicy food. Have a steady diet of it." He wanted to add some flavor to the blood.
Renji placed a hand over his heart and bowed at the waist. "Yes, master. Consider it done."
Byakuya smiled again. This was surprisingly easy. "Oh, yes. And one more thing. I want you to go to the sickbay and gather up a couple transfusion bags for me to snack on later. But make sure no one sees you. Do not get caught. And only take a couple so no one notices."
Renji, still in a bow, said, "Yes, my master. I shall do that for you at once."
"Take your time, Renji. I just fed so I'm good for a while." But he had to think of future meals. He had to make sure he had enough blood to keep himself full for a while. He couldn't keep feeding off of people like this. Especially not the ones he's already bitten. He had to space things out a bit and alternate who he fed off of and when and how much he took from them. Drinking from transfusion bags would give those he fed upon more time to recover. He could just find new people to bite, but if this was how people behaved after being bitten, he didn't want to draw further attention to himself. If everyone went around giving him looks of adoration, it would draw too much attention. His victims calling him 'master' was even worse. He had to be as discrete as possible.
Besides, he didn't want an army of servants. Three was enough for now.
That reminded him; he should really check up on Ikkaku and make sure he was alright.
Hitsugaya was ready to crack. He had tried to resist his animal instincts all morning and afternoon, but they were getting harder to ignore. That coupled with the stress he already had left him distracted and restless.
He couldn't focus on his paperwork. He tapped his foot on the ground and hammered the desk with his fingers. All this activity had driven off his Lieutenant, though he could tell she was fixing to leave anyway.
He thought he had it under control, but Akon was right. He had to unleash his impulses in a healthy way otherwise they would build and build until he couldn't hold back anymore. Running around outside at night wasn't enough anymore. He had to do activity during the day as well. The nightly strolls were keeping him from transforming during the day but it didn't take care of all his instincts.
He wanted to run. He wanted to bite. He wanted to howl. He couldn't keep it in much longer.
"I can do this. I can do this," he told himself.
He tapped his foot quicker. He tapped both of them. He ran his fingers through his hair. He focused on his breathing. He pressed his hands to his head and lowered himself to the desk. He covered his face with his arms.
"I can do this. I can do this."
Oh, who was he kidding? He was losing it.
He had to unleash it. Now.
"I can't… anymore… Must… hold it in…"
He was near his breaking point. It was driving him crazy. This energy swelling within him, filling him up.
He couldn't hold back anymore. As long as he didn't hurt anyone, he could unleash it and be a wolf.
His instincts got the better of him and he jumped up from his desk. In his last moment of conscious thought, he locked the door to his office. After that, it was all instinct. Animal instinct.
The couch. Oh, how he wanted to tear it up. So he did. He jumped on the couch and took a bite out of the backrest. He chewed the fabric, loving the feeling on his teeth. He wanted more. Chewing wasn't enough. Sticking one of the throw pillows in his mouth, he started to run around the office on all fours. He shifted into hybrid form and shook the stuffing out of the pillow, swinging his head from side to side. He ran around the room, throwing and catching the pillow. He jumped over the couch, he chewed the couch, he rolled around on the couch. He jumped from the couch to the coffee table and onto the floor. He ran in circles, chasing the hem of his Captain's jacket.
He played to his heart's content.
Only once his legs started to feel weak and was short of breath did he stop. Panting, he sat on the floor feeling satisfied. He used up all that energy and felt so relieved.
He yawned and shifted back into his normal form. He looked around the room, surveying the damage.
There were holes in the couch with stuffing hanging out. Torn pieces of fabric were still clinging to the holes in some areas and laying on the floor in others. Stuffing from the pillow was everywhere. The pillow itself was nothing more than a cloth on the ground. Hitsugaya had knocked books of the shelves during his roughhousing and some of the paperwork had turned into confetti on the ground.
At first, he didn't mind the mess. He thought it was the mark of a good job. Then his conscious mind began to take over again and realized the damage.
"Aw, crap."
Now he had to pick all this up and finish the paperwork. The only problem was by using all that energy, he had none left over for the cleanup. He was too tired. Running around on all fours had left his arms feeling shaky. He couldn't hold a pen now, much less sign all those forms.
A good nap sounded a lot better to him anyway.
Hitsugaya picked himself up and unlocked the door. Then he went over to the torn-up couch for a nice long rest. He flopped down and let out a deep breath, relaxing.
He didn't know what he was thinking. With so much work to be done on top of what he already had to do, was now really the time to be resting? Playing was fun and served a purpose, but he used up too much energy. He even tore up the couch and didn't think twice about it.
Maybe he was becoming more wolf than Soul Reaper. That was a worrisome thought, but he was too tired to think. He needed to rest now.
"What did you do to this place?!"
Hitsugaya turned towards the door, hearing his Lieutenant's voice. Despite her stunned reaction, he offered no explanation. Just a yawn and settled back down on the couch.
Like a puppy upon his master's return.
Byakuya didn't have to look far for Ikkaku. He knew where he was. The problem was the sun. It had lost some of its brightness in its decent, but it still bothered him greatly. He hurried to the Division and went inside.
He found Ikkaku with Yumichika in one of the rooms, chatting and sharing a snack. He didn't know what they were talking about and he didn't care. He approached the duo and stood beside Ikkaku without a word, waiting to be noticed.
Yumichika noticed him first since he was facing him. Ikkaku noticed Yumichika looking behind him and turned around.
Byakuya tried not to react to Ikkaku's response. It was pretty out of character for him.
"Byakuya!" Ikkaku stood up with a wide smile. "You came for a visit. All this way…"
Ikkaku's demeanor reminded Byakuya of how a young schoolgirl would react upon being approached by her upperclassmen and crush. Ikkaku's eyes were shining as much as his head on a bright sunny day.
"I heard you weren't feeling well so I came to see how you were doing," Byakuya told him.
Of course, he knew full well why Ikkaku hadn't been himself lately, but he chose to put on an air of concern for the Third Seat of Squad 11. The explanation he offered up for his reason for being there was sufficient enough to quiet any suspicion.
"I'm so glad you care about my wellbeing," Ikkaku said humbly. "I don't know what to say."
Yumichika gave Ikkaku a suspicious look. "He's still not back to his old self. I think he hit his head on the way down when he fell the other night."
"Ah." Byakuya glanced back at Ikkaku's loving expression. If he was really this devoted to him then that made things a lot easier.
The possibilities were endless. He could force Ikkaku to do the same thing he was having Renji do. They were all so willing to serve. Even offering up their own blood to him. He could feast. Having these ones around should quell any temptation of feeding off of others. They would be enough to quench his thirst.
For now, he wanted to keep things simple.
"If you are feeling up to it, perhaps you can join me in my office later, Ikkaku," said Byakuya. "We can chat. Or we can do something a little more proactive and get you feeling better. What do you say?"
Ikkaku eagerly took the bait. "Yes! Yes, of course! I'd be happy to stop by. Whenever you like. I can head there now and wait for you if you wanted."
"That's quite alright," Byakuya said putting up a hand to quiet him. "I said later. That should give you ample time to eat something. You're looking a bit famished. That could contribute to your condition."
Yumichika held up the bag they had been eating out of. "He's been snacking so I don't think food is the issue."
"Don't contradict him, Yumichika," Ikkaku hissed. "Where's your manners?"
"Huh?" Yumichika gave him a stunned look. Since when was Ikkaku so concerned about manners? Yumichika was usually the one telling him. This was so out of the ordinary.
Ikkaku looked back at Byakuya. "I'll be happy to eat something more substantial, Captain Kuchiki."
"Good to hear. I'll be in my office when you're done. But don't eat too quickly. I still have things to do. Take your time."
"Yes, sir, Captain Kuchiki."
Yumichika caught the expression on Ikkaku's face as Byakuya turned to leave. He really did look like a lovesick schoolgirl. "That must have been some whack on the head," Yumichika muttered to himself.
Ikkaku stood outside Byakuya's office trying to gather himself together. He was so full of energy and couldn't understand why. He was practically shaking. He hoped he looked presentable. He fixed his collar and made sure there were no wrinkles on his clothing.
Satisfied with his work, Ikkaku knocked on the door. When he heard Byakuya's voice, he became very jittery. The excitement was back. He almost giggled out loud. It felt like he was meeting a famous celebrity in their dressing room.
Taking a few deep breaths to calm himself, Ikkaku entered the room. "Sorry to keep you waiting, Captain…"
There were other people in the room. In addition to Byakuya, Hisagi and Renji were also there.
"What are you doing here?" Ikkaku demanded.
"We share this office," Renji told him. "I have every right to be here."
"You I can understand, but why him?"
"I was asked to come here," answered Hisagi.
"Is that right?"
"Yeah. Captain Kuchiki told me to come to his office, so I did."
"He told me to come."
"I told all of you," Byakuya said firmly and everyone stopped. "Everyone in this room was invited by me personally."
Ikkaku suddenly felt less special. At the same time, his determination skyrocketed. He wanted to work even harder to become special in Byakuya's eyes. He would do whatever it took to be recognized.
"The personal invitation was given with purpose," Byakuya said from his desk. "All three of you have something in common."
He could have told them that they were all bitten by him and were now under his spell, but he didn't. Whether or not they knew they were under a spell was irrelevant. If they were not yet aware, even if it wouldn't change matters, he didn't want to expose the truth to them.
"I would like you to work for me," Byakuya continued. "You already seem quite willing."
"We are! We are! I know I am!"
Byakuya held up his hand for silence. "That is good to hear but I am not finished. I would like our business to be kept secret from all others. Only those in this room right now need know of it. Is that understood?"
They all agreed.
"Good." Byakuya stood up. "It is getting late. This is the hour when I am most awake. I also grow hungry."
All three approached the desk eagerly.
"I get hungry during the day as well. It will take all three of you combined to help sustain me. Renji has already done his part by giving me transfusion bags from the sickbay. I will be keeping these in a safe place and use them when you three are unavailable. In the meantime, I require one of you to offer your blood to me as an evening snack."
"I'll do it!" all three of them shouted while tugging at their collars.
"Enough. I've already decided who my evening meal shall be." He pointed. "You, Ikkaku. Since you have eaten last, you shall be the one."
"Yes!" Ikkaku clenched his fists in victory while the other two looked on with envy. It was as if he had just won a bet.
"In the morning, you will return here and I will feed again. All of you."
The disappointed looks soon changed to looks of glee.
"I will have need of you. I have other tasks, but no one is to do anything until I give the order. Is that clear?"
"Yes, sir!"
Byakuya walked to the other side of his desk where Ikkaku was waiting with both shoulders exposed. Byakuya put a cold hand on Ikkaku's shoulder as he leaned in for his meal. "I'll only take a little," he said more to himself than to Ikkaku.
As soon as his teeth entered Ikkaku's flesh, the Third Seat gave a loud gasp of pain. As Byakuya began to drink, Ikkaku clung to Byakuya, gripping his arm to steady himself. As he felt the blood leave his body in waves, he held Byakuya tighter.
The feeling was back. Only much stronger.
He still couldn't place it. It was intense and powerful.
When Byakuya fed, he felt…
Byakuya stopped drinking and pulled away. Ikkaku followed him, not wanting him to part just yet. Byakuya wiped his lips and thanked Ikkaku for the meal. Ikkaku was still in a haze, but he managed to bow his head slightly and stagger back, holding his neck.
Byakuya looked out the window at the night sky. "Return here in the morning. I have things to do now. Alone."
"Yes, sir." The three of them left the room through the door while Byakuya left through the window.
Byakuya plummeted a short distance before rising up in flight. He wanted to fly. He wanted to touch the moon. Those were his only thoughts.
Hitsugaya was once again in the woods using up his energy so he wouldn't change during the day. At first, it was the usual. Then, he changed his ritual when a new feeling struck him.
Hunt.
He stopped where he was and wondered why that feeling suddenly hit him. Why hunt? Why now? Hunt what? He didn't know what to do.
Then he saw something move in the darkness. After that, something inside him took over and he started to walk stealthily through the trees. Keeping low to the ground, he followed the movement with his eyes. Something was nearby.
A rabbit.
What a cute creature. A tasty creature.
Instinct drove him to act.
He lowered himself further and moved silently. The rabbit did not notice him. He stopped moving and kept perfectly still. The rabbit went about its business, oblivious to the danger.
Then the rabbit stopped and looked around, sniffing. It turned its head this way and that. Then it hopped to the side and stopped, sniffing again. After a fashion, it stopped and lowered itself to the ground, sniffing something in the dirt.
Now.
Hitsugaya pounced. The rabbit noticed him when it was cast in his shadow. It started to dash away but it was too late. Hitsugaya's front paws pinned it down, his full weight pressing into it. As it started to wriggle free, Hitsugaya chomped down on its neck and again on its back. He shook the creature in his jaws like he had done with the pillow and tossed it to the ground. It was no longer moving.
Hitsugaya felt triumphant. He caught and killed a rabbit.
Now for his prize. He started eating the rabbit where it lay. Its meat was still warm. What an odd but delicious taste. He stripped the meat off the bones and ate, leaving the fur behind in clumps. He ate the center out of the animal, leaving the head and legs.
Only afterward had he realized what he had done.
The feeling of satisfaction was soon replaced with repulsion.
He ate a rabbit!
He backed away in horror. He couldn't believe what he had done. How could he? What was he thinking? He wasn't thinking. No, he was. He was thinking like a wolf.
He was getting worse. This time he actually hunted an animal down, killed and ate it.
What if he did this with a person?
Hitsugaya ran back to his home and hid under the covers. He couldn't believe what he had done. He was disgusted. He was afraid of himself.
He had to talk to Akon first thing in the morning. He needed a cure. He couldn't live like this. Not if people were at risk.
He had an uneasy time getting to sleep that night, but when he finally did, he found that it was just what he needed.
Now rested, he could think a lot more clearly.
Having these wolf powers gave him an edge in finding the vampire lurking somewhere in the area. He could also control himself to some extent.
He hunted late at night in his wolf form. He was still in control to a certain degree. He hunted a rabbit, not a person. He was aware that he was hunting a rabbit. His rational mind just didn't see the issue because he was going on instinct, not logic. The wolf part of him knew what he was doing and it made sense. When the rational, Soul Reaper part of him regained total control and wasn't overshadowed by animal instinct, he was repulsed because a person would have never hunted something down and eaten it raw like that. He could still differentiate the two. He was still aware.
He was sure he wouldn't harm a person. Besides, wolves didn't really attack people. Those attacks were very rare in the wild. He also wasn't in a pack so he was less dangerous.
He hunted an animal down because he was a wolf at the time. He gave in to his instincts because he was in the woods at night doing what Akon told him to do: be a wolf at night and give in to what instinct dictated.
He wasn't getting worse. He was worried over nothing. Besides, he was probably really hungry after all that running around and it had been hours since his last meal. If he wanted to avoid temptation, he could simply eat a lot during the day.
Yes, that seemed like a good idea. Stuff himself to avoid being hungry enough to hunt. Problem solved.
Hitsugaya left his room and went to get some food on his way to work. He got plenty of it to avoid the hunger problem. Of course, most of what he ate was meat. That's just what he wanted. Meat and lots of it.
When he finally got to his office, he was feeling pretty full. He stashed the leftovers away for later and sat at his desk. He was so full, he was having a hard time thinking. He almost forgot about talking with Akon like he planned. When he remembered, he felt it wasn't a big deal and decided not to go visit him.
Instead, he started to work on paperwork.
Being this full was a pretty good thing. He didn't feel like hunting and he was so stuffed, he didn't feel like moving at all. He didn't get any urges at all. Not to run, not to hunt, not to bite. He was content.
This was a good idea. Now he could act like a person and not have to worry about his instincts taking over.
Byakuya made his way to the office as usual: under a thick coat. He entered the building and went straight to his office where the trio was waiting for him.
They all jumped at the sight of him. He didn't care what they had to say. He was too hungry. He threw off his coat and stood in front of them.
"I'm hungry," he told them.
"Me! Me!" Ikkaku waved his hand in the air.
"You got to do it last time!" snapped Hisagi. "It's my turn!"
"I'm his Lieutenant! If it's going to be anybody, it's going to be me!"
"Shut up, Renji! I'll do it!"
"I'll do it!"
"No way! Me!"
Byakuya watched all of them fight. He found it more interesting than annoying. It was fascinating how three grown men would fight each other over who got to get bitten by another grown man.
Were they really fighting over who wanted to get bitten more? Biting was painful. He couldn't imagine anybody wanting to have it done to them.
And yet, these three…
"I'll do it!"
"No, I will!"
"I'll be the one to sustain him! I will provide for Captain Kuchiki!"
Provision? Was that what this was about? They all wanted to provide for him? Being a breadwinner was a part of manhood, he supposed. It might be a blow to their pride if they were made to watch someone else do it for them. This could have been an ego thing. If you weren't the hunter, then as a man, what were you?
Only in this case, Byakuya was technically the hunter. They were just letting themselves be caught.
"What makes you think you have the right to be the one?" demanded Hisagi.
"When he feeds off me, I feel this… this…" Ikkaku rubbed his neck. "Closeness. Yes, that's it. That's what I feel. When he's feeding on me, I feel as if we are one."
Master and servant as one. They feel as one when being fed upon.
It was starting to make more sense now. Byakuya was starting to understand why they wanted to get bitten so badly. It wasn't really the bite, but what came after. A brief moment of pain followed by euphoria. That coupled with the sense of the two becoming one. Bonding. Like a mother giving milk to her child, they were providing Byakuya with what he needed to live.
They were driven by this sense of loyalty and purpose. It was their duty. They were utterly devoted to him. The more he fed upon them, the stronger that feeling became. This unshakable need. It wasn't just a master and servant relationship. It was addiction. Byakuya had them under a spell without meaning to cast it. It was the bite that did this to them. He didn't realize it until just now. At least, not to this extent.
And anyone else he bit would end up exactly the same. The feeling would only get stronger if he fed on them more. That's why it was slow getting to this point for most of them. They were left feeling confused after the first bite because the spell wasn't as strong. Not yet. It wasn't them putting up resistance of the spell needing time to take effect. It simply wasn't enough yet. The more he did it, the stronger his hold on them became.
This was good news. He wouldn't have to keep looking for fresh prey unless he wanted more servants to do his bidding. He could just feed off of them because they wouldn't put up a fight.
The only thing he didn't understand was how much stronger this would become. Was there a limit? A point where the spell would yield no other changes? Or was this going to get stronger and stronger with no stopping? How much more devotion would they have? What would happen then if there was no limit?
He didn't care. Not now. He would find all that out later. Right now, he just wanted to eat.
"Enough. Stop it."
They all stopped and turned towards him.
"I'm famished, so all of you will have to sustain me this morning."
At this good news, they all smiled, enthused.
"I will take a bit from each of you so you will still be able to function, but eat something after I feed off you. That's an order."
"Yes, sir!"
Byakuya pointed. "You first. Then you, then you."
They lined up in the order Byakuya gave them. Renji was first, then Ikkaku and finally Hisagi.
Byakuya drank from all of them, taking a little more than he intended, but they were still able to stand on their own feet. Shakily.
When he pulled away from Hisagi, Byakuya felt completely satisfied. His stomach was slightly expanded, he had drunk so much delicious blood. He stifled a belch and moved over to the couch to rest.
"I have tasks for all of you," he told them. "In addition to eating something immediately following this, you are all assigned something else."
They moved closer to listen.
"Ikkaku, you are to get one transfusion bag from the sickbay and hide it. I will tell you to fetch it later. Renji, you are to do the work that needs to be done, both yours and mine. I am not up to the task of late. And Hisagi, you will have two tasks. First, you will help Renji deliver all the paperwork to its appropriate place. Second, tomorrow morning, come to my home and escort me to the office. Bring a parasol or something with you to help shield me from the sun."
"Yes, sir!"
"Of course!"
"You can count on me."
Byakuya started to sink into the couch. "In the meantime, I will rest. So do all of this out of the office. I must sleep."
"Ok. We will."
Getting no sleep at night since that was when he was most active and gorging himself on blood left Byakuya feeling exhausted. He needed to sleep.
The group of three left his office and Byakuya slipped into his food coma.
Hitsugaya got a lot of work done but not the one thing he had been working on for the past few days. He still had to find that vampire.
He looked around his office, thinking. He might as well make some effort. He stood up and took himself for a walk.
He had no idea where to start. All he knew was that the vampire had to be male. That narrowed it down a bit, but not nearly enough. There were more male Soul Reapers than females.
The vampire was powerful enough to restrain a Lieutenant, but vampires were strong anyway, so that didn't necessarily mean anything. For the sake of narrowing the search even further, Hitsugaya took the vampire strength out of the equation. This meant only another Lieutenant or a Captain could have had the strength necessary to take down Hisagi.
With this in mind, Hitsugaya started making a list of all the male Captains and Lieutenants excluding himself for obvious reasons. He started to wander around in search of these men and see if there was anything off about them.
Could Ukitake be the vampire? He was often sick. Maybe…
Shunsui was another possibility, but Hitsugaya checked him off the list when he found him napping under a tree, his lower half exposed to the sunlight. Vampires couldn't go out in the sun.
Hitsugaya soon found himself in another Division. He looked up at one of the windows which had its blinds shut. Whoever was inside did not want the sun to shine through. This was odd, but nothing incriminating.
Then he saw Hisagi leaving the building along with Ikkaku.
Hitsugaya frowned. They were far from their Divisions and he knew Hisagi was a victim.
This was enough to make him head inside.
Hitsugaya used caution, unsure if he would run into the vampire or not. He was going on a hunch. If he could just make it to that room with the closed blinds…
He went to a different floor and found Renji running around with an armful of papers. He nearly ran into the small Captain on his way to the stairs.
"Captain Hitsugaya, what are you doing here?"
"I, uh…" He had to think of a logical reason for him being here. "I… was wondering about the paperwork. I waited for the delivery but no one stopped by and I can't continue without the report."
"Yes, yes, hard worker, you are." Renji thumbed through the files and handed him one. "Here."
"Thanks."
Renji rubbed the side of his neck.
"You ok?"
"Hm?"
"You seem to be working hard. Sore muscles?"
"Uh, sure. Yeah, I guess." Renji rubbed his neck again.
Hisagi had been rubbing his neck, too. In the same spot.
"You're working very hard. Captain Kuchiki must be proud."
"Yeah, I suppose…" Renji's cheeks started to turn pink. A tender smile appeared on his face. "Making him happy makes me happy… So happy…"
"Renji?"
"Huh?" Renji snapped back to himself and his smile went away. "I have to deliver the rest of these. Later."
Hitsugaya watched him rush off down the stairs, thinking. Hisagi was acting more or less the same way Renji was in that moment. Could it be..?
He turned to the office door.
Byakuya was a Captain. He resided in this building. Renji was his Lieutenant and he was behaving oddly. Come to think of it, Byakuya had made himself scarce lately.
Using great caution, Hitsugaya went over to the office door. Without knocking, he let himself in.
No one was at the desk and the blinds were closed. Hitsugaya closed the door and crawled on his hands and knees. He heard snoring and stopped. Someone was on the couch. Hitsugaya saw the top of Byakuya's head. He was asleep.
How unlike him to sleep during the day, but very common for a night dweller.
Hitsugaya crawled using the same stealth he used to catch the rabbit last night. His nighttime frolics were coming in handy.
Keeping himself low, Hitsugaya peered at Byakuya's face. He seemed to be sleeping deeply.
Very, very carefully, Hitsugaya reached with his right hand and pulled back the corner of Byakuya's lips to get a look at his teeth.
His canines were long, like fangs. On his breath was the scent of blood.
Byakuya groaned and Hitsugaya pulled away, letting Byakuya's lip fall back over his teeth.
He kept perfectly still as Byakuya stretched.
"I'm so full…" Byakuya mumbled. "I can't eat any more…" He started to snore again.
Good. He hadn't woken him.
Before he could risk such a thing, Hitsugaya crawled back to the door and let himself out quietly.
What a discovery! Byakuya was the vampire! He had to go tell Akon right away and work out a plan.
"Captain Kuchiki? Are you sure?"
Hitsugaya nodded up and down. "Positive. I saw his fangs. He has all the signs. Sensitivity to light, fangs, sleeping during the day, and there was blood on his breath. Aside from all that, Renji was acting the same way Hisagi was."
"He must be a victim as well," said Akon. "Great. With his Lieutenant in cahoots with him, it will be even harder to get to him. If Renji is like the others, he is going to be fiercely loyal to him. He probably won't let us get anywhere near him, whether or not he knows what we're up to. And since he's Byakuya's Lieutenant, he's bound to be by his side more than any other person Byakuya has bitten."
"Good point. I also saw Ikkaku leaving the same building along with Hisagi. If I had to guess, I'd say Ikkaku has joined them."
"Even better," Akon moaned. "Just what we need. A member of Squad 11 willing to do anything Byakuya says."
"If we cure Byakuya, will the others return to normal?" asked Hitsugaya.
"It would stand to reason that they would. If the vampire is no longer around, the spell should be broken. If Byakuya is cured, then that would mean the vampire is no longer around which should return them to normal. Of course, there is another way to get rid of a vampire and that's to kill it. If the vampire is dead, then it will no longer need servants so anyone who has been bitten will no longer be under a spell."
"We are not killing Byakuya," Hitsugaya said firmly. "We have to find a way to cure him."
"I'm working on it. And yours, too."
Hitsugaya scratched his head. "Maybe if we tell Byakuya that we can cure him, he will cooperate without a fuss. Then we won't need to worry about the people he's bitten."
"Are you insane?" Akon said over a shelf of beakers. "With all due respect, Captain Hitsugaya," he quickly added.
"Are you saying he won't listen to reason?"
"All I'm saying is that he might like being a vampire. His basic instincts and vampire mind might be clouding his better judgment. The way Byakuya might normally think could be overshadowed by the vampire part of him. It's probably blurred the line so much that he can no longer tell who he is anymore. Vampire or Soul Reaper. Which thoughts are his own and which will is he heeding?"
Akon walked to the other side of the bookcase and stood behind a table of equipment.
"Put frankly, Captain, I don't think Byakuya wants to return to normal at this point. He might have become so accustomed to being this way that he's come to like it. He enjoys being a vampire."
"You're saying there's no reasoning with him at this point?" Hitsugaya asked softly. He was stunned at the thought of Byakuya actually enjoying life as a vampire. He was sure it was because Byakuya was no longer in his right mind, but the very idea left him concerned.
"That and his basic instinct," answered Akon. "He's going to want to protect himself. If he thinks we're trying to hurt him… Actually, if he thinks we're trying to get rid of the vampire, he's going to defend himself. If he is a vampire and he knows we're trying to get rid of it, then his instinct will deem us a threat and he'll try to fight back in order to protect himself, the vampire. You see what I mean?"
"Yeah, I think so…" This was going to be very difficult. "Have you had any luck in getting a cure for either of us yet?"
"I'm getting close." Akon gestured to the table. "It's not an exact science which is why it's taking me so long. I can put a rush on Byakuya's. Between the two of you, he's more dangerous."
"And I hate to admit it, but if it weren't for my wolf abilities, I might not have found Byakuya so quickly. My hunting instincts and my heightened sense of smell really helped. Byakuya did not notice me at all and I think my acute sense of smell helped me find the blood on his breath."
"I guess it's good you're a wolf."
Hitsugaya folded his arms. "Yes. But not for much longer. Find a cure for both of us, but do him first. So far, I still know who and what I am. And I haven't attacked anyone. Byakuya has, so you're right. He is more dangerous."
"Then leave me to my work so I can finish this up quickly. And whatever you do, do not approached Byakuya. And do not engage with anyone he's bitten. They cannot be trusted. And if any of them find out you're on to them, they might deem you a threat and try to either kill you or turn you into one of them. Be very careful, Captain."
"I intend to."
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