Chapter 7:
Kensei glanced over his work to stare at Hisagi. Every time he did, he saw the same strange sight.
"Does that taste good or something?" he finally asked, watching Hisagi chew the arm of the couch.
Hisagi paused, realized what he was doing and stopped, sitting up straight. "Sorry. I wasn't thinking."
"You've been acting strange lately. Is everything alright?"
"Yup," Hisagi replied quickly.
"Whatever." Kensei returned to his work.
Someone knocked on the door and entered. "What's up, Kensei?" greeted Shinji.
"Hey." Kensei didn't look up.
"You ever get that paperwork done? The one every Captain has to sign and hand back?"
"We're just passing that one to every Division and back. It's a pain in the ass. If one doesn't sign it fast enough, we're stuck waiting and everything gets backlogged."
"I take it you've signed it, then," Shinji said with a smirk.
Kensei handed it to him without looking up as if he couldn't wait to be rid of it.
"I came looking because it was late getting to me and now I got another department chewing me out, crying about where it is."
"Well, you got it, so go." Kensei pretended to be busy.
"I get the feeling you don't want me hanging around."
"I've had to look at your face for how many decades in the World of the Living and now I have to contend with that guy doing whatever the hell that is." Kensei pointed to Hisagi rolling on the floor to scratch an itch on his back, legs kicking the air as he did. "I've seen my share of weird things but there's got to be a limit for how many I can contend with in a day."
Shinji raised his brow at what Hisagi was doing and nodded. "I see your point."
"I just don't want to be bothered right now. This paperwork is hard enough to get through without all these distract- Will you stop that?!"
Hisagi yelped and hid behind the couch, startled by Kensei's sharp voice.
Shinji hurriedly signed the document and hurried to the door. "I'll just drop this off on Kuchiki's desk and he'll take it from there."
Hisagi climbed over the back of the couch, hit his chin on the coffee table, summersaulted and scrambled over to the door in an effort to stop Shinji. "Wait! Wait, don't trouble yourself. I can do that for you."
"It's fine. I got it."
"No, wait!" Shinji closed the door and Hisagi ran face-first into it. He held his nose and fumbled for the knob. "Wait! Shinji!"
Kensei covered his ears with both hands. "Shut the hell up!" He tried to return to work but as soon as the door opened, Kensei grabbed a book and got ready to hurl it at whoever was on the other side. "What!?"
The girl flinched and hid behind the open door. "Um, bad time, Captain?"
He set the book down and let out a long deep breath, calming down. "No. Thought you were someone else. Come in, it's fine."
Hisagi caught up with Shinji quickly and advised against seeing Byakuya, insisting on taking the document to him personally. Shinji refused. "You're a busy Captain. Why not let me handle it?"
"I actually have nothing to do right now so it's no problem."
"I was going to see Byakuya around this time so I should be the one to…"
"It looked to me like you were getting acquainted with the floor," remarked Shinji. "Like a turtle on its shell. Maybe I should handle this while you sort out… whatever this is."
Hisagi clung to Shinji's arm. "I insist!"
"What is your problem?"
Hisagi had an overwhelming urge to bite him but restrained himself. "Man, is this how I made Hitsugaya feel? Now I can understand why he did that."
Shinji shook himself free and kept moving.
There was nothing Hisagi could do to stop him other than intercept them. The only thing coming to mind was Hitsugaya.
Hisagi ran out of the building as fast as he could, getting to the next Division in record time. As he made it to the next Division, he spotted Hitsugaya walking down the street and made a sharp turn to catch him. He told him about Shinji heading to Byakuya's office and Hitsugaya decided to handle it from there.
"Shinji!" Hitsugaya shouted as he entered the building. "Please wait!"
Shinji stopped on the stairs and looked over his shoulder at him. "Oh, hey. What's up?"
"You're taking that to Byakuya's?" Hitsugaya panted.
"Yeah…"
"Great. Allow me to take it to him. I still need to sign it as well."
Shinji looked at the document and then at Hitsugaya. "Is there a reason you don't want me to head to Kuchiki's?"
"What would give you that idea?"
"Just a hunch."
Hitsugaya held out his hand. "Give me the paper."
"It's ok. I got it."
"Why doesn't anyone listen to me?" Hitsugaya followed Shinji up the steps and grabbed the back of his Captain's jacket. "Shinji, I'm telling you. Stay away from Byakuya."
"Give me a reason why I should," said Shinji. He wasn't being defiant. He wanted an honest answer. He suspected something was going on and wanted to know what it was.
In his dream, Shinji eventually learned the truth and suspected Byakuya had changed prior to being informed. Perhaps Hitsugaya should tell him the truth and gain a valuable ally.
He beckoned Shinji closer. "Come here."
Shinji stepped down to the lower stair and bent himself closer to Hitsugaya's face.
"The truth is," Hitsugaya whispered in his ear, "Byakuya's become a vampire and there's a good chance anyone who gets close to him will end up enslaved."
Shinji straightened up. "Oh. I see. Well, in that case… we better get the Easter bunny here to fight him off."
"I'm serious!"
Shinji laughed. "Good joke, Captain. And they say you don't have a playful side."
"Who says that? No, wait! That's not important right now! Shinji, you've got to listen to me! I'm telling the truth. You can't go near Byakuya."
"I'll take my chances." Shinji started up the stairs again.
"Shinji, please! I'm not making this up! Listen!"
"It's ok, Captain. I'll just cross my fingers like they do in the movies to scare him off."
"That doesn't really work."
"Because vampires aren't real." Shinji reached the next flight of stairs and kept climbing.
Hitsugaya pulled at his hair. He knew Shinji wouldn't believe him without proof. What he said did sound crazy. He needed to do something else.
He looked down the stairs. There was another staircase on the other side of the building. With his speed, he could get there before Shinji reached Byakuya's office. Hitsugaya sped away to do just that.
Byakuya was heading back to his office after meeting with a few seated Squad members in a different room. He found it hard to resist but, with too many Soul Reapers in one room, he didn't want to risk it. He preferred to feed privately.
He was starting to feel famished. Renji was out on an errand and wouldn't be back for a while, leaving him to wonder what he would do until then. He needed to feed soon otherwise he would feel overwhelmed.
"Captain Kuchiki, just the man I'm looking for." Shinji came strutting up to him with a piece of paper in his hand. "Dropping this off for you to sign. Every Captain has to and, what luck, you're up next."
Byakuya turned to face him, grinning slightly. "You seem to be in good spirits."
"Captain Hitsugaya just told me a pretty amusing joke. Didn't think the guy had a sense of humor. Gotta work on his delivery, though."
Byakuya took a step closer. "You don't say." He wasn't interested in the joke. He just wanted to keep Shinji from leaving.
"Anyway, here you go." Shinji held out the document.
"Mind looking me in the eye and speaking a bit more professionally?"
Shinji scoffed. "Stickler for that stuff, huh? Alright." Shinji looked Byakuya in the eye. "Captain Kuchiki, I've come to drop… off… this… this…"
Byakuya's eyes had changed color. They were so red, like a rose in sunlight. Glowing so beautifully. Eyes should not be able to do such a thing yet his did. It was so distracting. Yet, so comforting. Byakuya's gaze seemed to caress his entire body. It was hard to think.
"Cap… tain… Kuchi… ki…" Shinji felt so sleepy. "I can't… I'm…"
"It's alright," Byakuya's voice echoed above him. He stoked Shinji's cheek with his hand. "Everything's fine. Just relax."
Shinji loved the feeling of Byakya's hand on his face. Byakuya's warmth drew him in and he wanted to get closer to him. He wanted Byakuya to hold him. He needed to feel that warmth.
Shinji blinked, part of him wondering what he was thinking. He wasn't thinking straight, that was the problem. Something was wrong. He never wanted to be in the arms of another man before. Byakuya's charisma was messing with his head.
He tried to resist. "I can't… I… I should…"
"You should rest," Byakuya told him, drawing closer. "It's alright."
He really wanted to do what Byakuya said but he was also concerned for what would happen if he did. He suspected something wasn't right. Those eyes and voice put him at ease and made him sleepy, but his will to defy the feeling left him disoriented.
Byakuya's eyes challenged his, trying to impart his will unto Shinji, urging him into a trance. He hadn't practiced this very much but he knew he could influence people with his gaze. He had inadvertently caused two Soul Reapers to fall asleep just by looking them in the eye and speaking rhythmically. He thought he could achieve the same effect if he did it deliberately, but Shinji was resisting him.
Instead of falling asleep, Byakuya's gaze left him dazed. Byakuya didn't care at this point if Shinji was fully entranced or not. He just wanted him helpless enough to bite without causing a panic.
Seeing Shinji's spaced-out expression, Byakuya deemed the job to be good enough and moved in to feed.
"Captain Kuchiki, a moment, please."
He spun around and saw a couple Soul Reapers standing behind him holding some papers. He glanced back at Shinji before stepping closer to them to speak. "Yes?" They hadn't noticed anything amiss with Shinji yet. He thought it best to address their issue so they would leave quickly and he could finish what he started.
With his back turned, he could not see Hitsugaya sneaking up behind Shinji and frantically tug on his sleeve. "Shinji, move it. Please wake up."
Shinji's eyelids fluttered and his head bobbed but he did not move. He stared off into space as soon as Hitsugaya left him alone. He shook him again and Shinji didn't respond beyond a slow bob of his head. He pulled on Shinji but he wouldn't move. His eyes were open but he didn't seem to be aware of where he was.
In his dream, Ichigo was in a similar position only he was in a full trance. Shinji wasn't fully spellbound but Byakuya had managed to render him helpless. Shinji was able to resist up to a point. It seemed he could fight back against a command but Byakuya's hypnotic eyes still managed to envelop him and, without hearing a voice telling him what to do, all Shinji could do was stand there and zone out. But, just as with Ichigo, it was impossible to get him to move. He could break him free by inducing pain but he had to do so quietly, otherwise Byakuya would notice.
Not wanting to make the same mistake as in his dream, Hitsugaya decided to do the opposite of what he had to dream Ichigo and bit Shinji on the hand. He could only hope this was a better alternative.
"Wha… Wha- Ow!" Shinji woke up instantly and held his hand. "Son of a..!"
Hitsugaya hurried around a corner.
Byakuya finished with the two Soul Reapers and sent them on their way. He turned back and saw Shinji wincing and rubbing his hand. He was awake.
"I think I wacked my hand against the wall. Ow..!" Shinji was more interested in his hand than Byakuya's eyes, making it difficult to try a second time. Byakuya pretended to be concerned but Shinji refused to look at him. "I think I'm ok. It just stings."
"I'd be happy to treat you in my office," Byakuya offered.
Shinji declined. "No, I gotta get going anyway. Where's that paper?" He picked it up off the ground where he had dropped it and handed it to Byakuya.
"Are you sure I can't invite you in?" Byakuya asked.
Shinji shook his head. "Nah, I'm good. I'll chat later." Shinji walked away, still rubbing his injured hand.
Byakuya did not pursue so Hitsugaya left after Shinji did. He hoped he had made the right choice.
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