Heartstorm
By Spunky0ne
(**An all new Bleach story!** Thanks going out to Yaoihime420 for some creative assistance with the plot and title!)
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As the Seireitei recovers from the devastation of the war with the quincies, Byakuya, Renji and Rikichi set out on a desperate mission to find Byakuya's missing cousin…MxM, mpreg…Byakuya/Renji, Rikichi/Tetsuya
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Chapter 1: Ghosts in the Mist
Long, jagged fangs of brilliant gold flashed across the billowing black of swollen storm clouds and it seemed as though it must have been the ringing crack of the thunder that followed which shook loose the gathered moisture in relentless, dense sheets that crashed down, out of the skies swiftly drenching the tightly locked bodies of a lone shinigami and an equally solitary quincy. The quincy's enraged green eyes glared down into the shinigami's widened blue ones and one cruel hand held the wrist of his opponent's sword arm in a bruising grip, forcing the jaggedly shattered weapon away as the fingers of the other hand dug into the gasping and writhing shinigami's slender throat.
"Your last attack was impressive," the blood-drenched quincy hissed in his opponent's ear, "but is that truly the best you can do?"
Out of the corner of one distressed blue eye, the shinigami observed the fallen bodies of the quincy invaders, entangled in the remains of the noble defenders of the hidden encampment. Lightning flashed again, illuminating the dead and the dying, and bringing the shinigami's attention to one of the collapsed members of his company, from whose pale earlobe hung three colorful beads.
Rikichi…are you still alive?
Noting the direction of his gaze, the injured quincy cackled, loosening his fingers slightly so that his captive enemy wouldn't die too quickly.
"Are you worried about them?" he asked accusingly, "Do you still think you can save them, noble Kuchiki?"
"N-ngh!" the young man in his grip gasped, his chest heaving fitfully.
"You are going to die," the quincy growled, beginning to tighten his fingers again, "and as you do, know that when you are dead, I will move from fighter to fighter and finish every one of these who still have a glimmer of life in them. I will shatter the barrier around the encampment and slaughter every man, woman and child within."
The trapped man grunted, straining against the quincy and lowering his eyes, pondering the sodden ground, the sound of the waterfall behind the quincy and the long drop into the violently thrashing river beneath the cliff they stood on. His mind connected briefly with the struggling spirit within his broken sword and although he could no longer hear the spirit's words, he could feel that there was somehow still something he could do.
I am the last defender of the Kuchiki family. I must find the strength…to protect them!
His head swam as the quincy's fingers clenched tighter and his heart raged, deep in his chest. His blue eyes closed and he embraced the tiny flare of power that still burned in him. In his fading ear, he heard another thunderclap, then the snapping of a twig that stole the quincy's attention for a moment…a moment the noble defender used to send the dregs of his power into his shattered blade as he broke his enemy's grip and shoved the blade into the other man's heart.
The quincy's green eyes rounded and his mouth opened in a tormented scream as the reeling shinigami used the last of his strength to drag his enemy over the edge of the cliff. Everything disappeared into a haze of icy blue, then depthless black as the two released each other and tumbled down into the river.
Rikichi…I hope you are still alive.
The shinigami caught a glimpse of the quincy's body striking one of the rocks at the base of the waterfall, then his own body crashed down, sinking beneath the surface as the sound of roiling water filled his ears and the darkness closed in.
Thank you, Byakuya-sama, for saving me from the mixed-blood's prison, for teaching me to fight. With this, my debt to you is finally…paid.
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Smoke and dust still billowed around the bottom of the tenchurren as a ragged group of shinigamis emerged, staggering out, into the falling rain.
"We're back," Shunsui sighed wearily, looking around and groaning as he took in the broken and tattered buildings that still smoked fitfully in the heavy downpour, "Geez, what a mess."
Behind him, the others spilled out of the tenchurren, their eyes somber as they took in the sight of their home in ruins.
"Well," the captain commander said solemnly, "we'd better meet up with our divisions. Everyone proceed to your rendezvous points. Send a hell butterfly when you have an accounting of how many are left who can still fight. We'll regroup in the morning and go from there."
The captains and adjutants broke off, heading in different directions as the tenchurren rumbled warningly, then shot back off into the sky. The pale grey eyes of one of the captains angled upward to watch the retreating craft disappear and his red-haired lieutenant sighed raggedly.
"Damn, Taicho. I thought it was bad up there."
His cinnamon-colored eyes blinked and squinted at the dark bones of the collapsed buildings all around them.
"It must've been a nightmare for the ones we left here."
"Yes," his captain agreed, following the younger man's gaze, "we have taken great losses in these battles, but…we have survived. Come, Renji."
The two officers turned down one of the dark, quiet streets and they moved ahead in silence, noting the presence of guards on every block and roaming groups of healers who crawled amongst the remains of the buildings, working tirelessly to evacuate the injured. The two men slowed as they reached the blackened remains of their division headquarters and Renji let out a sharp, disgusted breath.
"Bastards," he muttered, "They knew right where to hit us."
His captain nodded, sighing.
"They watched us for many years from within the shadows, stealing information, learning our abilities and strategies. It is no wonder that we stood little chance."
"Yeah," Renji agreed, "If not for Kisuke helping us get our bankais back…"
"And for Ichigo," his captain added, "killing the quincy king, we would not have achieved victory. But, even though we have won, it is at great cost to our society. I think that…it will be a long time before we regain our sense of normalcy."
"Yeah," Renji replied sadly, looking around at the expanse of the devastation, "if things can ever really be normal again."
Renji's breath quickened and his heart skittered around in his chest as he felt a surprisingly soft hand touch his and his captain's grey eyes sought his in a rare, direct meeting.
"Things will have changed," the noble said softly, his breath misting between them, "but we will find our equilibrium, and we will persevere."
"R-right," Renji stammered, blinking the rain out of his eyes, "We'll be okay."
"Yes."
The redhead froze suddenly.
Taicho's blushing…or is it just the rain and cold?
For one mad, beautiful moment, he was sure that the noble was beginning to close the distance between them, then a group of sixth division soldiers burst into view, just ahead of them.
"Kuchiki taicho!" the men called out eagerly, "Abarai fukutaicho! Welcome home."
"Heh, some home we've got here," Renji chuckled, reaching up to scratch the back of his neck, "Is there any part of it that survived?"
"The kitchen area hadn't fully collapsed," one of the men informed them, "so we're using the stores within to feed everyone. We've set up a shelter in the training grounds and one hundred soldiers and officers have returned. One hundred two, including the two of you."
"One hundred two?" Renji repeated, his jaw clenching, "We…lost half the squad?"
"I'm afraid so, sirs," the soldier reported, "but we were lucky. Some of the divisions lost three quarters of their fighters."
The words the man spoke were difficult enough to hear, but became almost unbearable as Renji caught sight of a moment of uncontrolled torment that struck Byakuya's fine features. He shifted his body carefully to hide the revelation from the other soldiers.
"Damn."
A shudder passed through the noble's body, then he cleared his throat softly, bringing the men around him to attention.
"Officer Ueda."
"Sir?"
"I want you to gather the survivors and any stores that are left here."
Byakuya paused and summoned a hell butterfly. He whispered instructions to the fluttering insect, then released it and watched it move over to hover next to the officer he'd been speaking to.
"This hell butterfly will guide you to my family's encampment."
Officer Ueda blinked in surprise.
"Sir, but wont that be a burden on your…?"
"I assure you," Byakuya interrupted, "you will be welcome there, and I know that those within will appreciate your protection."
"Yes sir!"
Captain and Adjutant watched as the other men headed back towards the training grounds, then they turned back in the direction of Kuchiki Manor.
"Hey uh, Taicho? You sure that there'll be room and supplies for everyone in the encampment? I mean, I know Tetsuya must have gotten the place well stocked, but…a hundred soldiers, sir?"
Byakuya sighed wearily.
"Tetsuya did prepare the encampment caves…for twice the number that reported there."
Renji's eyes widened.
"What happened to the others?"
Byakuya drew in a long breath and released it slowly.
"Some of the subfamilies chose not to leave their properties. They felt that Tetsuya's estimation of the possibility of disaster was…overstated."
"They blew him off," the redhead mused numbly.
Byakuya nodded, lowering his eyes.
"Many died needlessly."
"Shit."
"Tetsuya was able to send one communication that reached me while we were in the royal realm. The six subfamilies that reported to the encampment lost only a small number of the fighters they assigned to protect them as they fled, however, of the three subfamilies that chose to stay behind…"
Renji stared in disbelief as Byakuya went silent for a moment, the dread truth radiating heavily in his tortured eyes.
"There were…no survivors."
Renji struggled to think of something to say in the silence that followed, but what finally came out of his mouth seemed woefully inadequate.
"I'm sorry, Byakuya."
He stiffened at the sound of the noble's given name as it left his lips, fully expecting an angry or disdainful reaction, but beyond a look of surprise and momentary curiosity, his captain's face revealed nothing of what he might be thinking. His answer was loosed softly as Byakuya turned away from him.
"Thank you, Renji."
They fell into silence again, turning down a quieter street, then passing the collapsed and burned gates at the entrance to Kuchiki Manor. A soft growl escaped Renji's throat as he spotted the destroyed buildings and obliterated gardens through the skeletal remains of the fences. Two family guards bowed their heads in greeting as the officers drew abreast of them.
"Byakuya-sama!" the two said together.
"Jun, Ken," Byakuya acknowledged solemnly, "what word is there from the encampment?"
The two guards exchanged somber glances.
"We…have had no word from anyone for more than a day," Jun answered worriedly, "We wanted to leave our post to go and look in on them, but Tetsuya-san warned us not to leave…no matter what we heard, unless it came directly from you, him or from the council."
"Yes," Byakuya agreed, "you were right to remain here to keep order in the area. Do not worry. Renji and I are heading to the encampment now. We will send more guards to relieve the two of you."
"Thank you, sir!" the men answered, bowing.
Renji observed his captain out of the corner of an eye as the two moved on, leaving the road to venture into a forested area on the Kuchiki property, noting the deeply furrowed brow and guarded expression.
"Uh, Taicho, y'know Tetsuya isn't gonna have let anything happen to the family, right?" he offered tentatively, "He's damned strong."
"He is," Byakuya said softly, pausing to read the recent signs of someone's passage through the area, "I believe in my cousin's strength and his commitment to protecting the family. What concerns me…is those who would take advantage of my absence to trouble him."
"Well, you'd think they'd be more focused on the threat from the quincies," the redhead mused.
"You would think," Byakuya agreed, turning them onto a well-hidden pathway.
The pathway led the two through several lovely orchards in which intermittent sections showed signs of battle damage. They passed through blackened grasses in an open field, then passed through a rougher area leading out of the Kuchiki lands and into a wilder section bordering the beginnings of the west Rukongai.
"H-hey, are you feelin' what I'm feelin' over here?" Renji asked, frowning and closing his eyes to better sense the heaviness of the reiatsu in the area.
Byakuya nodded, pausing to scan the area with eyes and senses.
"We are nearing the barrier," he noted, an edge of tension in his usually calm voice, "It is clear to me that some kind of conflict erupted here and carried on further up that rise. Come."
Renji moved closer to his captain's side as the two ascended the hill, their bodies tensing at the sight of larger burn markings and spots of melting ice surrounded in a thick mist that even the rain seemed unable to completely dissipate.
"Tetsuya," Byakuya breathed warily.
"Rikichi was with him," Renji said, narrowing his eyes to peer into a nearby section of brush, "He used his shikai around here. That's why the mist is still so thick. He was probably using it to confuse their enemies. He and Tetsuya wouldn't have any trouble finding their way around in it, since they both have water-based abilities."
"Yes."
"Do you think they coulda…?"
"Abarai!" Byakuya hissed, flash stepping forward suddenly.
Renji moved with him, heading forward to where a body laid, encased in ice.
"What th'hell?" Renji mouthed, "Who is that?"
Byakuya dropped to his knees alongside the fallen man, extending a hand and reading the man's reiatsu traces.
"Is he…alive?"
"Yes," Byakuya affirmed, "This is not the same as the ice Tetsuya attacks with. He can also use his abilities to place a person in suspension…to keep them alive until medical aid can be given."
"But who…?"
Byakuya sucked in a worried breath.
"This is our cousin, Orochi," he explained, "He is a deadly fighter who is at the level of a captain. He is barely alive. We need to get him to the encampment quickly if he is to be saved."
Renji read the rare uncertainty in his captain's expression and his hands clenched.
"You take him on to the encampment, Taicho. I'll keep searching for Tetsuya and Rikichi and the rest of their fighting group."
Byakuya's dark eyes widened slightly.
"Very well," he decided, carefully lifting Orochi's incapacitated body into his arms, "I will return here as soon as Orochi is…"
"B-Byakuya-s-sama," panted a male voice as the brush near the two officers stirred and a young man tumbled out and collapsed onto his knees.
Renji's sword was out and pointed at the man's throat in an instant, but his captain's voice stopped him from attacking.
"It's all right, Renji. This is Shoji. He is Orochi's personal attendant and protector."
Renji lowered his weapon, looking on warily as Byakuya approached his relative.
"How badly are you injured?" he asked the attendant.
"Oh, not badly, sir," Shoji assured him, reaching up to rub a little bump on his head, "I was just knocked out for a bit and came down in the bushes over there."
He startled at the sight of his badly injured master who rested silently in Byakuya's arms.
"Orochi-sama!" he gasped, staring, "Kami, is he…?"
"He is alive," Byakuya said calmly, "Do you think that you can carry him back to the encampment?"
"Yes, Byakuya-sama!"
"Shoji-san, can you tell us what happened during the battle?" Renji asked, "Did something happen to Tetsuya and the others?"
"I-I'm not sure what happened in the end," Shoji explained, glancing down at the unconscious man he carried, "A group of quincies found the barrier and there was a terrible battle, but I was knocked unconscious before I could know the outcome. I do know there were two much stronger quincies and a dozen or so foot soldiers. Orochi-sama fought one of the stronger ones and Tetsuya-san and some of the others were further up the hill…that way."
"Arigato," Byakuya said gratefully, "Go on, now. Take care of your master."
"Yes, sir!"
Byakuya gave his adjutant a meaningful glance and one pale hand slid down to draw his sword.
"Come Renji!"
"I'm with you, Taicho!"
The two ran up the hill, chilled inside by the deep quiet that was only broken by the soft rushing of water, their way lit by a bright moon that lit the hanging mist around them. The mist grew thicker again as they reached the top of the hill and skidded to a stop, staring at the scattering of fallen bodies at the summit. The two officers swiftly assessed the scene, noting the number of dead quincies and checking the fallen shinigamis for signs of life.
"Rikichi!" Renji exclaimed, dropping onto his knees beside one of the collapsed shinigamis.
He leaned over his subordinate, loosening his clothing and examining him briefly.
"He's alive, thank kami…"
Byakuya turned slowly, his mind working as he used a kido light to study ground near the edge of the cliff. He felt a tight knot form in the pit of his stomach at the blood and reiatsu traces that marked the area in several places…and the markings at the edge of the cliff that made the outcome of the battle clear to him. A little glint caught his eye and he bent to retrieve a small shard of blue steel. He froze for a moment, staring as Renji lifted Rikichi and carried him to where the noble leader stood.
"Can you tell what happened?"
Byakuya gazed numbly at the broken shard in his hand for a moment.
"Tetsuya's blade was shattered," he related softly, "but he was still alive. There was a struggle, and he and his opponent fell."
Renji swallowed hard, looking down the length of the drop, to the deep river that rushed away from the base.
"Tetsuya breathes in the water, right?" the redhead recalled.
"Yes," Byakuya affirmed, "as long as he landed in the deep water was neither too injured from the battle or too damaged by the fall, he would survive even being unconscious in the water."
Renji glanced down at Rikichi's dirty face, then back at his captain.
"I'll get him back to the encampment," the redhead offered, "so that you can keep looking for Tetsuya."
Byakuya considered silently, his eyes following the turns of the river below them.
"No. I must go to the encampment and ensure the safety of my clan and the arriving fighters."
"Th-then, you take Rikichi and let me go and look for him," Renji insisted.
Byakuya paused uncertainly, his dark eyes troubled.
"I…"
"Taicho," Renji said more softly, "just…send a message for me to return if you need me. Please, I know you're really worried about him. I am too. Tetsuya is my friend."
"Abarai, we cannot allow our emotions over…"
"Yeah, I know!" the redhead interrupted, his voice tense, but lacking any real anger, "You also know that Tetsuya is an important part of your family's protection. It makes sense for me to try to find him."
Byakuya hesitated, only to be met by his adjutant's most disarming smile.
"I promise. I'll come back right away if you need me," Renji assured him, setting their subordinate carefully in the noble's arms, "Let me do this. I wanna help."
His smile warmed at the little sigh of relief that escaped Byakuya before he could stop it.
"Arigato, Renji. I will message you if you are needed to return."
Byakuya watched as the redhead flash stepped over the cliff edge and reappeared on a cluster of rocks at the base. Their eyes locked and Renji gave him a little nod of affirmation, then Byakuya pulled Rikichi close to his shoulder and flash stepped away.