Chapter 7: Seeing Red
Renji felt an odd little chill as he woke to find himself alone in Byakuya's large, soft bed. He sat up and looked around, frowning worriedly. The door opened and Torio entered, carrying a breakfast tray filled with hot, delicious smelling food.
"Good morning, Renji-san," the attendant greeted him, "I hope you are hungry this morning. Byakuya-sama escaped this morning before cook had finished making his breakfast, so there is a lot of extra."
Renji chuckled as Torio set the tray in his lap. He glanced at the tray's contents and frowned curiously.
"Is something wrong, Renji-san?" Torio asked, "The food is not to your liking?"
"Oh, it's to my liking, really," Renji assured him, "but the stuff on here is all to my liking. See, I remember what Byakuya always liked to eat for breakfast. He ate the same thing every day for the whole time I knew him. And the things on this tray aren't his favorites, they're mine."
"Ah," Torio said, smiling affectionately, "You're right. Byakuya-sama used to enjoy fresh spicy salmon and rice with hot spices. He drank green tea prepared the way he taught you and me to make it."
"But..." Renji said, looking confused.
"There came a day, not too long before he was chosen to serve his majesty here in the royal realm. It was a lovely spring day and he left the manor to meet you for your morning training. He normally would have stayed at work, but for some reason, he returned home, and his uniform was in disarray, burned and torn frightfully. He took it off and wouldn't let anyone clean or repair it. He folded the pieces and had them preserved in that state. He still keeps them in that bureau over there. But...ever since that day, he has eaten fresh fruit and taiyaki, which he never used to like. And he changed the way he liked his tea."
"But that's...that...it...? Are you saying what I think you're saying?" Renji stammered, giving the attendant a bewildered look, "Torio, are you trying to tell me that Byakuya really likes me?"
He blinked in confusion, his mind replaying all of their interactions since the beginning of the competition for Byakuya's hand.
"But, if he wanted me, if I was so special to him, why didn't he just tell me? I mean, if he loved me from that far back, if it meant so much to him that day when I beat him sparring..."
There was that perfect moment, when his sword broke and he kind of fell into my arms. He looked up at me with those beautiful, proud eyes and I wanted so bad for him to kiss me!
Did he...could he have been waiting for me to make the first move?
Oh my kami, I'm so stupid!
"Torio, where is he?" Renji asked urgently, jumping out of bed and upending the breakfast tray onto the floor, "S-sorry! Sorry. Do you know where he went?"
"I'm not sure," Torio chuckled, moving to start cleaning up the mess, "Here, let me get this and you should go and find him."
Renji dashed out of the bedroom and pelted through the corridors, first checking the king's library, then peeking into each of the conference rooms. He inquired of Byakuya's aged grandfather and checked the royal training grounds, then ran into the royal gardens, checking the king's healing pool and the plum and sakura orchards. But Byakuya was nowhere to be found. Frustrated, Renji returned to the palace, entering just in time to meet a king's messenger.
"Ah, Abarai taichou!" the messenger called out urgently, "His majesty asked me to find you. There is an emergency. Kuchiki Byakuya, his majesty's hogosha...sir, his reiatsu has vanished!"
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Sly, red-golden orbs watched from within the trees as Byakuya stood solemnly by a lovely koi pond in the royal gardens, his sad grey eyes gazing sightlessly down into the water.
What am I to do?
I love Abarai Renji. I love Abarai Renji and there is nothing that will ever change that. I tried to walk away, to come to the royal realm and to devote myself to duty, leaving the love of my life behind me. I thought it was something I had to do. I didn't mind so much being alone for a while. Renji was far away and I was busy with my duties here. But at some point, the ache in my heart from losing him began to swell and take over. And despite trying so hard to move on, I can only think of him. I can only love him.
I love you, Renji.
I do not know if Renji really doesn't understand, or if, perhaps, he is just aware of my love and cannot return it, so he is doing this to be kind. Renji has a gentle heart. He would never be purposely cruel. No, if he did not return my love, he would let me down gently.
Byakuya tried to push aside the truth, but his heart ached so fiercely and his mind refused steadfastly to let go.
There must be some hope for us. How could I feel so much in my heart and have it be hopeless love? Maybe…maybe I should try one more time to tell him before giving up. We deserve that last chance at happiness, do we not?
Byakuya turned to go back to the palace, then froze, staring in surprise and disbelief as he came face to face with a huge, red skinned demon that glared down at him through blazing red-golden eyes. He tried to break free of his reverie, but his body refused to move and his mind spun dangerously.
What is this creature doing to me?
What is happening?
Still unable to move, he felt a leathery hand touch his face and fell deeply under the demon's powerful spell. His legs gave way and he fell into the dread beast's arms, losing consciousness completely. The demon grinned down at him and carried him out of the king's gardens, heading away from the palace and deep into a wooded valley. He followed a barely visible trail to the bottom of a tall cliff, then launched himself into the air, carrying Byakuya's unconscious form up to a large cave in the cliff's face. The beast carried him inside and dropped the stunned noble into a nest made of twigs, leaves and dried grasses. A little, hissing laugh escaped the demon, and he leaned over Byakuya, placing a heavy seal on his powers.
"I am going to get some food," the demon said, knowing well that Byakuya couldn't hear, "Don't try to leave. You will only fall to your death. We will speak more when I return."
The demon placed a barrier on the cave entrance, then launched himself out of the cave, extending his leathery, red wings and gliding over the wooded valley. Back in the cave, Byakuya curled in sleep, shivering as worrisome dreams harried him. He rested poorly for several hours, coming awake suddenly and sitting straight up, his grey eyes panicked.
"Where am I?" he whispered, looking around.
He blinked in surprise at finding himself tucked comfortably into some kind of nest, within what appeared to be a cage. He felt an odd buzzing in the air and sensed swiftly that first, his powers had been sealed away, and second, that a thick reiatsu barrier had been placed over the cave's opening.
That beast that captured me…that red demon…it brought me here?
He peeked out of the oversized nest, peering into the dark corners of the cave and looking for the demon, but the beast appeared to have left him.
I have to get out of here!
He tested the seal that the demon had placed on his powers and found it was durably made and refused to budge. A perusal of the barrier that covered the cave entrance revealed that it too, was beyond his ability to shatter.
There is nothing to do but wait for the demon to return.
He searched the cave more thoroughly and found a little stash of fresh fruit, as well as signs that a fire was often lit on the little ledge, just outside the barrier. There appeared to be nothing else in the cave, so he returned to the nest and laid down, resting to maintain his strength and watching the cave entrance carefully.
Several hours passed in near silence before Byakuya heard a scrabbling sound outside the cave, and he saw the demon land on the ledge outside the barrier, carrying what appeared to be two dead rabbits. The demon squatted down and dropped his catch, turning his attention to building and stoking a little fire. As Byakuya watched from within the cave, the demon carefully skinned the rabbits and cooked them over the fire. He withdrew what appeared to be some kind of vegetable from within a fold of his wing, and cut it into slices that he placed on a long stick and roasted slowly. Byakuya breathed in the delicious scents of the food and his stomach rumbled noisily. As he continued to watch, the demon finished cooking the food he had procured, then he passed through the barrier he had set and entered the cave. The demon spotted Byakuya, sitting in the back of the nest and he gave the hogosha a crooked smile.
"Comfy?" he inquired in a smooth, silken voice.
"Not especially," Byakuya answered, "I prefer my own room at the palace. Why have you brought me here, demon?"
"That's a funny question," the demon observed, reaching up to scratch the back of his neck, "A king's prized hogosha asking why a demon would kidnap him…"
"I would have expected that, wanting to reach his majesty, you would have slain me in the gardens and attempted to reach the throne room," Byakuya posited, "You were already inside the gates."
The demon's expression darkened slightly, and he walked to the nest and dropped a plate of food and a little flask of water in front of the noble.
"Eat."
"Why do you concern yourself with my well-being?" Byakuya asked, "That is…"
"Hey!" the demon snapped, "Did you hear me? I said eat! Now, shut that pretty mouth of yours and DO WHAT YOU'RE TOLD!"
"Or?" Byakuya said, crossing his arm and glaring at the demon.
The demon stared at him in surprise for a moment, then orange and yellow flame exploded around his red body and his eyes caught fire. He grabbed the front of Byakuya's uniform in one clawed hand and pulled him so that their noses were nearly touching.
"Or maybe I'll rip your head of and eat you instead of that rabbit I killed! How's that?"
Byakuya closed his eyes against the heat, holding his breath until the beast dropped him into the nest in front of the plate.
"Don't make me tell you again!"
Byakuya eyed the demon stubbornly for a moment, then picked up the plate and took a cautious bite. To his surprise, the flavor was deliciously savory. His hunger swiftly got the best of him and he devoured the meat and vegetables, then took several sips from the flask. He looked over to where the demon rested with his winged back against the cave wall.
"Will you tell me your name?" he asked quietly.
The demon eyed him skeptically for a moment.
"It's Ki…"
He trailed off, coughing.
"S-sorry, just a little smoke in my breath from when I yelled at you before," he huffed, "The name's Kichi."
Byakuya gave the demon a bemused look.
"You are a demon named something that means good luck? Is that irony?" he asked.
"I caught you without being killed, didn't I?" Kichi snorted, "That's some good luck right there. So, why don't you shut up about my name and take a nap or something."
"I am not a child," Byakuya argued, "I do not need a nap."
"Would you just zip it and lie the hell down?"
"I…"
"ALL RIGHT, THAT'S IT!" Kichi roared, grabbing Byakuya and shoving him down into the soft grass in the nest.
Glowing red reiatsu flowed out of the demon's hand and wrapped around Byakuya's wrists, then snaked around a heavy cluster of limbs on the side of the nest. More bonds wrapped around his ankles, holding him tightly in place.
"You wanna argue with every damned thing I say, then you're gonna get tied up. You keep talking, and you're gonna get gagged too, so shut it!"
Kichi glared down at Byakuya, his eyes blazing as he silently dared the hogosha to speak again.
"Huh!" he huffed finally, turning away, "Good boy. Now, rest. I've got planning to do."
Byakuya started to speak, then reconsidered and only watched as the demon sat against the wall, gnawing on his food and scowling.
He is not receptive to conversation right now, but I will draw him out later, if I can. There is something strange about him…
The demon caught him staring and hissed out a little warning bit of mingled smoke and flame. Byakuya took the hint and relaxed in his bonds, waiting patiently for his volatile captor's hot temper to cool.
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"Where could Byakuya-sama be?" Torio asked frantically, "Your majesty, we have searched his quarters, the training grounds, the gardens and much of the palace. There is no sign of him anywhere or any hint of where he could have gone!"
"This is troubling," the king agreed, frowning and placing his chin on his palm, "but I am sure that we will find him."
"But what if he has been abducted?" Torio exclaimed, "We don't know who might have taken him or which way they went."
"Then, we will have to search in every direction," the king resolved, "Torio, I want you to take a message to Urahara Kisuke, telling him to start in Byakuya's quarters and attempt to trace his path. Then, I want you to lead the house attendants in a thorough search of the village to the north. Palace guards can cover the east and south areas. Abarai taichou, if you will please take a group and search the west woods."
"Yes, your majesty!" Renji said, nodding.
"You may need to take some provisions in case you are delayed and forced to camp in the woods. I want you to conduct a thorough search."
"I will," Renji promised.
He flash stepped away with several guards following. King Tatsuo watched as the redhead left, a little smile touching his lips.
Byakuya's fate rests in capable hands now. Help is coming, my hogosha.
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Renji paused for a moment as he finished the last of his packing, his mind going back to his meeting with Byakuya in the king's gardens a few days before.
"What was I thinking?" Byakuya whispered, looking down into the rippling water and feeling an unbearable weight on his heart, "He had every chance to say something, to do something, and he never did. He doesn't love me and he never will. I have to accept that."
"Aww, c'mon," Renji's voice said, startling him as the redhead appeared in front of him, "You can't have an attitude like that. If you do, you'll never convince this guy to be with you. What you have to do is take the initiative...you know, like you told me when we were training."
"That was for battle, Abarai," Byakuya said dryly.
"It's the same thing," Renji said, stepping forward as Byakuya came to his feet.
He slipped an arm around the surprised noble and looked down into his eyes, smiling.
"Just grab him and give him a big, wet smooch and let nature do the rest!"
Byakuya wasn't sure what sort of fever flashed through him at the moment, but he suddenly leaned forward and crashed his lips into the redhead's, stunning Renji into silence. They stared at each other in the fading light, then Renji broke into a wide grin.
"Yeah, exactly!" he exclaimed, "Do that to him and there's no way he's ever going to walk away!"
"I am such an idiot!" he scolded himself, "He was talking about me the whole time!"
The redhead cringed as full cognizance of his mistake struck him soundly.
"He even kissed me, damn it! It was an amazing feeling, being kissed by him too. I felt like everything around me just stopped for a moment and all I could see was his big, grey eyes. All I could smell was sweet sakura. Why didn't I…?"
"Hey Renji," a feminine voice spoke up from behind him, "You about ready to go? Your team is ready."
"Yeah," Renji said, looking back at Yoruichi through troubled eyes, "Are you going with us?"
"Yes," Yoruichi confirmed, "The king just informed me that when Torio went to deliver his message to Kisuke, he found the laboratory had been ransacked and Kisuke was missing. That's two disappearances. His majesty has ordered all guards to move in groups of two or more and the palace has been placed on high alert."
"This is awful," Renji said worriedly.
"The good news is that no one has sensed the diminishing of either Byakuya's or Kisuke's reiatsu. We can't sense them, but we can be reasonably sure they are alive. And it appears that they were abducted as part of some nefarious plan. So, we'll go out and track down whoever took them, before their plans can materialize!"
"I hope so," Renji said worriedly, "I have a really bad feeling about this. Yoruichi-san, I have done everything wrong when it comes to Byakuya!"
Yoruichi gave him a gentle smile.
"What do you mean?" she asked, "You idolized Byakuya. You became strong under his mentorship, and you've done admirably as a taichou, yourself."
"Yeah, I know all that…but…Yoruichi, I never ever told him…that it was more than just me looking up to him. I fell in love with Taichou a long time ago. I only didn't say anything because I didn't realize that he would ever love me back! And now…"
"Now, he's in trouble," Yoruichi said, taking Renji by the shoulders, "and you, Abarai Renji, are going to use everything he taught you to get him back!"
