Chapter 7: The Assassin's Circle
Kiyoshi Kuchiki knelt near the entrance to the reiatsu cage, his cobalt blue eyes intense where they peeked out from beneath dark blue tipped strands of black hair that escaped the red hair tie he wore. He furrowed a delicate brow, his lips frowning in a way that would have been natural to any other Kuchiki, but on this livelier man looked out of place. His senses extended, he read carefully the approaching reiatsu, then turned to the young woman beside him, his youthful face brightening.
"Rukia," he said, his lips turning upward, "It is Renji…and he has your brother with him!"
He caught his breath sharply and his eyes widened.
"What is it, Kiyoshi?" asked Rukia, touching his arm.
"There is…someone else with him…and the reiatsu. It is odd. It seems familiar, but at the same time…not. I don't know who this is."
"As long as it's not Tsuyoshi…" sighed Rukia, "He keeps finding us."
"Well, Kisuke's new barrier seems to be doing a good job of hiding us here," Kiyoshi acknowledged, "He has been in the area several times, but hasn't sensed us."
"Well, let's hope our luck holds," Rukia said, her eyes intense, "We've thought for years that we would never be free of this curse, but with Nii-sama alive, we can finally end it!"
They ceased talking as Renji appeared in the clearing outside the reiatsu cage. Kiyoshi surveyed the area carefully, then slowly opened the reiatsu cage. Renji flash stepped into it, carrying the still unconscious Byakuya and followed by a young boy with shoulder length black hair that bore a red braid. The two waiting shinigamis exchanged curious glances, then welcomed Renji back as they closed the reiatsu cage again.
Rukia was on her feet instantly, her eyes teary as she covered her mouth with a hand and approached Renji and Byakuya. She reached out with her free hand and touched the unconscious noble's face gently.
"N-nii…sama," she whispered, tears streaming down her face, "Renji…is he all right?"
"Yeah…as well as he can be. He's lost his powers, but he's okay physically."
"Come," Kiyoshi said nodding, The others are waiting."
They left the cage entry and moved into a larger room, where four other shinigamis and a human girl waited. Kisuke Urahara took Byakuya from Renji and laid him on a cot, leaning over him and scanning his body. Yoruichi knelt next to him, assisting as he completed a quick examination.
"Shit," Kisuke muttered in frustration, "He's a mess. His reiatsu has been pretty much obliterated. Spirit centers are barely functioning. I think Kiyoshi was right. I think Tsuyoshi attacked him with Tenrai Keibatsu."
"But the blade usually drains everything," Kiyoshi said softly, "He shouldn't have lived. I believe Tsuyoshi employed the blade with lesser skill. Lord Byakuya was lucky he didn't die immediately."
"So that's what happened," Rukia mused, "That's why he disappeared like that. And Tsuyoshi lied."
"Is my dad going to be okay?" asked a youthful voice from behind Renji.
All eyes turned to take in the sight of the youth. Ronin stared back at them questioningly.
"Oh…" said Renji, "I forgot to introduce you. Sorry. Guys, this is Ronin…Byakuya's son."
"His…son?" said Kiyoshi, moving closer.
His blue eyes flared softly and he touched his fingertips to the boy's face. A soft glow rose around the two in response.
"Ronin," he said softly, "It is an honor to meet you. I am Kiyoshi Kuchiki. Byakuya is my second cousin…which makes you a cousin of mine as well."
Ronin stared at the noble, studying the familiar pale skin and wide, dark eyes, the deceptively delicate looking build.
"K-kuchiki?" he repeated, "The Kuchiki noble family? Th-that can't be right. My father's name is Bya. He doesn't use his surname because he is no longer on good terms with his family."
"That may be," said Rukia, stepping closer and studying the boy's face intently, "but his full name is Byakuya…and he is the former head of the Kuchiki household."
Ronin paled.
"He's a noble lord?"
"He was a noble lord," Yoruichi said solemnly, "but his cousin Tsuyoshi stole a divine blade and used it to attack him. What Kisuke just discovered is that the blade stole Byakuya's power, leaving him very weak. He then seems to have hidden himself in Inuzuri to escape his cousin, and Tsuyoshi assumed he was dead."
"So…" said Kisuke, motioning for the boy to sit and sitting as well, "Ronin, why don't you tell us what you know about yourself?"
Ronin nodded.
"Bya is my father. I was born in Inuzuri ten years ago. I don't know who my mother is. Dad said that he would tell me about her when I was ready to know."
"R-ronin?" whispered Byakuya, stirring in Renji's arms.
He looked up at Renji and tried to pull free.
"R-renji…what…? Why? Why did you do that? And why is Ronin here?" he demanded.
He looked at the other faces around him and inhaled sharply.
"Sorry about knocking you out like that," Renji said apologetically, "I had to do that to keep Tsuyoshi's goons from sensing you."
"And why have you involved my son in this?" Byakuya snapped, "Ronin has no part in all of this."
"I wouldn't say that," Yoruichi said firmly, "Remember that, as your son, Ronin is the rightful heir…and will become Tsuyoshi's target if he is discovered. With Tsuyoshi searching for you, he would have found out about Ronin, if not by seeing him with you, then by asking questions about the two of you in town."
"No one has asked any questions for the last ten years!" Byakuya objected.
"Because we all thought you were dead, Cousin," said Kiyoshi, "It wasn't until the hollows attacked and your power centers began to pulsate, we all sensed you. As soon as we realized you were still alive, we set out to find you before Tsuyoshi could. After finding you, Renji informed us where you were and led Tsuyoshi away from you. But Byakuya…you cannot stay in Inuzuri any longer. Tsuyoshi is searching for you. He will not stop until he finds you…and he will find out about Ronin. You know he will…"
Byakuya lowered his eyes and swallowed hard.
"I thought that Tsuyoshi found me because Renji came near…but if what you are saying is correct, then it was my own spirit centers that attracted him."
"Yeah," Kisuke said, nodding, "Like your cousin said, we all sensed you. That's why Renji was there when Tsuyoshi showed up. It honestly wasn't Renji that led him to you."
"In any case," said Yoruichi, "Now that we are all here, it is time for Kisuke to explain what happened to Renji and why he left you."
Byakuya frowned.
"Why doesn't Renji speak for himself?" he asked, glancing at the redhead.
"It's because of something that Tsuyoshi did to him, Byakuya. But before we can tell you the details, we need to contain Renji."
Ichigo stepped forward and joined Yoruichi. Renji released Byakuya and followed them to an examination table that bore heavy restraints.
"What is this?" asked Byakuya, staring, "Why do you have to restrain him? What's going on?"
Kiyoshi moved closer to his cousin, his eyes sad.
"Lord Byakuya," he said softly, "Ten years ago, Tsuyoshi enacted a truly wicked plot against you. We all know that, prior to what happened, Tsuyoshi had always been close to you. He used that closeness to blind you as he set you and Renji up…then he used Renji against you to weaken you. None of us understood what was happening, but Kisuke and Yoruichi discovered the truth when Renji went to them, desperate for help. It was Kisuke who told Renji that he had to break up with you. If he had stayed with you…you would have died anyway…and it would have been Renji who would have killed you."
"Wh-what?" whispered the noble, wide-eyed.
Kisuke and Yoruichi set Renji in the restraints, then bound him tightly and raised a soundproof seal around him.
"I don't understand any of this…" whispered Byakuya, "What is wrong with Renji?"
Ronin moved closer to Byakuya and the noble slipped and arm around him. Yoruichi and Kisuke returned to where they waited and the group sat down together. Kisuke cleared his throat softly.
"It is time that the truth came out," he said quietly, "We haven't been able to speak it or to hope to be free of it for the last ten years, but because you are alive, Byakuya…we can escape the curse that Tsuyoshi set on all of us when he turned on you. The story actually begins with you and Tsuyoshi."
Byakuya nodded slowly.
"Tsuyoshi was a cousin…about my age. I was growing up at the manor. It was just after my father died and Ginrei felt that I was too remote, so Tsuyoshi was brought to visit me and quickly became close to me. I didn't have any friends and rarely saw other children my age, so I was drawn to Tsuyoshi and bonded with him. We remained close as we reached adulthood. He always seemed to enjoy our time together. I never had any reason to believe that he would turn against me…but…near the time of my break up with Renji, things began to change."
"Wait a minute…" said Ronin, turning to look at Byakuya, "Y-you mean that…you and that captain…"
"We were in love with each other," Byakuya said softly, "I will explain more to you later, but for now, we must focus on what happened to Renji."
"Yes, Father," the boy said, turning his head to look at the restrained captain.
"Renji has told me what happened," said Kisuke, "and I will tell it to you…and I think when I am done, you will understand how Renji was trapped…and that the situation was so bad that none of us could stop what was happening. Renji told me about your kinship with Tsuyoshi…how much you trusted him. He told us that you helped Tsuyoshi become head councilor…which played right into his hands. You see, just before Renji broke up with you, he began to notice things about Tsuyoshi that concerned him. On the surface, it looked as though the ties between you were strong, but Renji began to feel nervous about the man. He said that he mentioned this to you."
Byakuya lowered his eyes.
"Yes…actually, he did tell me that Tsuyoshi had been asking odd questions…coming to the office when I wasn't there and Renji was alone. At the time, I shrugged it off. Tsuyoshi had never done anything to hint that he was anything but what he seemed. I was to very much regret that later…"
"Renji knew that you were also close to Kiyoshi," Kisuke went on, "and he asked Kiyoshi what he thought of Tsuyoshi. Kiyoshi too, had no reason to suspect Tsuyoshi, but agreed to watch his behavior closely at the council meetings. And watching made him uneasy, but he couldn't explain why. He knew something was wrong, but he couldn't put his finger on what it was. Then…just before Renji broke up with you, something happened. Tsuyoshi enacted a plan meant to bring you down and vault him into the leadership. Renji told us that he was working at his new division one evening while you were meeting with the head captain at the first division. Tsuyoshi came to Renji and Renji said that he seemed very upset about something. Renji asked him what was wrong and he told Renji that he had discovered a plot by Kiyoshi to dishonor Byakuya and to steal Byakuya's place himself. He said that he had proof, but that he feared Kiyoshi would attack him. He tried to convince Renji to leave with him, but Renji felt something was wrong and claimed he couldn't leave, but would meet with Tsuyoshi later that night…with you. Tsuyoshi looked like he wanted to argue, but he agreed. Renji said that Tsuyoshi left his office and Renji left a short time later to meet you at the sixth division. Unfortunately, Renji never arrived there. Somehow, on the way there, he was overcome and taken somewhere that he could not identify to us. He doesn't know how Tsuyoshi overwhelmed him, or even when or where exactly it happened, only that the next thing he knew, he woke up heavily bound and had obviously been drugged. Tsuyoshi was the only one he saw, but he sensed others as well. Tsuyoshi then explained that Renji had gotten too suspicious and made it necessary to spring his trap early. He told Renji to look down at his chest…"
Kisuke rose and led the others to where Renji laid, bound and unable to hear them.
"Look, Byakuya…"
Byakuya caught his breath sharply and felt his legs weaken. His arm tightened around Ronin and he stared in horror at the markings over Renji's heart. Directly over his heart was the shape of a coiled serpent. And around the serpent were six black symbols.
"The Assassin's Circle," he whispered in shock, "Great kami…how…how did Tsuyoshi…?"
"We don't know how he learned of it or how he knew how to set it in place. But he told Renji what it was and how it worked. He told Renji that the Assassin's Circle was an ancient art, created by a man who gave the information to a clan that was a rival to the Kuchiki family. Some time in the past, that other clan sought to use it to assassinate the head of household. The attempt failed, but information was stored about it and placed in the Kuchiki family library. Byakuya, you allowed Tsuyoshi into the vault with you, as the two of you had grown up together and you trusted him. But on one of those visits, he stole the information about the Assassin's Circle and began to prepare. He chose six targets and gathered a sample of reiatsu from each. It was relatively easy to do as he often was with you. Now, as you know, the serpent in the middle represents Renji. He is the Assassin, bound by the curse to kill his six targets, then himself."
"And you identified the targets?" asked Byakuya.
"We did," Kisuke said, nodding, but back to Renji's story. Tsuyoshi told Renji that as soon as the sigils, or markings were activated, three things would act to make Renji kill. If he spoke to anyone about the sigils or if he heard them discussed, he would immediately begin seeking his targets. If he tried to kill himself or even if he died by accident, all of the targets would die with him. And if he did nothing, he would feel stronger and stronger impulses to kill. Eventually, he would kill his targets or lose his mind. He made Renji unconscious and placed him back in the ninth division. Then, he intercepted you as you came looking for Renji when he did not meet you as planned. He led you away. Renji woke and found that he hadn't been dreaming, and he came to me and warned me to be prepared, because he was going to be forced to attack me. So Yoruichi and I set him in restraints and he told us his story. Just telling us caused the sigils to activate. Renji broke the restraints and tore up a good portion of the shop."
"I was there too," Ichigo added, "And it took Kisuke, Yoruichi, Tessai and me to stop him from attacking."
"Kisuke managed to place a temporary seal on Renji," Yoruichi explained, "and we conducted a detailed study of the sigils. Kisuke had me go to the Seireitei and to look for any information, but Tsuyoshi was careful to make sure that there was no information for me to find. Kisuke planned to keep looking, but he knew that you would be in constant danger. You were going to see the sigils. There was no escaping it. You would have asked about them, and Renji would have killed you. Kisuke told Renji that he had to leave you, so that we would be able to study the sigils over more time. We set in place a plan for you to be informed ahead of time that something was happening, but we found out later that the hell butterfly was intercepted by Tsuyoshi and destroyed. Renji was forced to break up with you before we could tell you what was happening…and then Tsuyoshi closed you off from everything."
"All of us tried to reach you," Kisuke said softly, "but none of us could reach you with Tsuyoshi running things. We tried numerous times to break in and get you, but every attempt failed. Then…you disappeared. Byakuya, we didn't know he had managed to get his hands on Tenrai Keibatsu. He concocted a story to say that you had committed suicide and proved that your reiatsu had disappeared. He apparently assumed that he had been successful in killing you. None of us knew that you were in Inuzuri. No one even knew you were still alive. Some time after, I discovered a way to break the curse, but with you dead, the process wouldn't work. We sealed the sigils as well as we could and have continued to renew them so that Renji's condition stabilized. But still, any discussion of the sigils within his hearing will set him off again. That's why he couldn't tell you."
"But when your reaitsu reappeared while you were fighting the hollows, we realized you were alive and that if we could sense you, Tsuyoshi would as well. We alerted Kiyoshi and we gathered the targets."
"And who else was Renji supposed to kill?" Byakuya asked.
Kisuke pointed to a symbol of a cherry blossom.
"The cherry blossom is your symbol, and each of the others is someone connected to you. The snowflake is for Rukia, the cat for Yoruichi, the pawn for Rikichi. The owl is for me and the sun is for Ichigo. Now…I think that if we gather all of the targets in this cage and activate the sigils with Renji strapped down like this, Orihime will be able to reject them. The catch is…we all have to be here and she has to reject the sigils one by one. So…we have to keep Renji under control while she does this."
Kisuke paused as a hell butterfly fluttered into the cage and paused near him.
"Kisuke," Michio's voice said, sounding urgent, "The captain you warned us about was just here. He and his men are searching for Byakuya…and they have discovered that he was staying with Tsuneo. Noa and I have concealed Kiko, but we do not know where Tsuneo is. Please, we need help finding him or that man will hurt him!"
Byakuya came to his feet, his eyes flaring.
"He is at the school! We have to go and bring him here for safety."
"You can't leave," said Kisuke, "We have to get rid of the sigils."
"I'm not leaving Tsuneo to be taken by my cousin!" Byakuya exclaimed, "That man is the only reason I survived all of this time! I will not let Tsuyoshi hurt him!"
"We're not asking you to," said Kisuke, "but like it or not, you have no powers."
"But I do," said Kiyoshi, "Cousin…I will go to Inuzuri and, on my life, I will protect your friends."
"I'll go back too!" exclaimed Ronin.
"No!" Byakuya said firmly, "You cannot go back there. Tsuyoshi…"
"He doesn't know about me…and I know how to take care of myself. I have powers and can help Kiyoshi. Please, Dad! Tsuneo and Kiko are our friends! I want to help!"
Byakuya sighed in frustration.
"I don't want you to get hurt…"
"Dad," said Ronin, taking Byakuya's hands, "You have made me very strong and you taught me to look out for the people I care about. You have to stay here and help them, but I can help our friends. I promise I will stay with Kiyoshi and I will do exactly as he tells me too. Please Dad! I have to help Kiko! She's like my own sister!"
Byakuya swallowed hard, his gaze moving from Rukia to Renji, then back to Ronin again. There was a long silence.
"I swear, Cousin," said Kiyoshi, bowing his head, "I will not let harm come to any of them. You have my word!"
His lips tightening, he nodded.
"Very well," he said reluctantly.
He squeezed Ronin's hands gently.
"Stay with my cousin. Do as he says…and return to me safely."
"I will, Dad," promised the youth, hugging Byakuya and kissing him on the cheek, "I promise!"
The two released each other and flash stepped away. Kisuke turned to the ones that were left.
"Okay…so…we have to be ready. When we activate the sigils, he's going to grow very powerful. His reiatsu will spike and he may break the restraints. Yoruichi and I will hold the seal. Rukia, I want you and Rikichi to make sure nothing touches Orihime and Byakuya. And Ichigo…you stay focused on Renji. If he breaks the restraints, you keep him busy so that we can bind him again."
Rukia and Rikichi turned to Byakuya and Orihime. Rukia moved closer to Byakuya, her eyes teary.
"Nii-sama," she said softly, "I have missed you. I was…beside myself thinking that I lost you."
Byakuya lowered his head and closed the distance between them, wrapping his arms around her.
"Rukia…I am sorry that you ever believed I was gone. You have suffered greatly on my behalf…"
"It's all right, Nii-sama," Rukia said, kissing his cheek, "It's over now. And we are going to put things back together. Stay close to Rikichi and me. Let us watch out for you."
Rikichi stepped forward and met Byakuya's eyes solemnly.
"Captain Kuchiki…"
Byakuya put up a hand.
"I am no longer a captain, Rikichi…"
Rikichi shook his head firmly.
"I don't care what anyone says, sir…not even you. You will always be my captain. I left the sixth division after your disappearance, but I never forgot my duty as your vice captain. I will help you and Renji…and when you have regained your powers, then we will face Tsuyoshi together and defeat him!"
Byakuya's eyes softened.
"Rikichi…" he said, placing a hand on the shinigami's shoulder, "I chose well when I chose you."
"All right," said Kisuke, "Everything is in place."
He reached down and deactivated the seal over Renji, then looked down at the restrained captain.
"You ready?" he asked.
Renji took a shuddering breath and turned his head so that he could see Byakuya.
"Yeah," he said softly, "Please, kami, let this work! I've had this hanging over me for ten years!"
Byakuya's head turned and his eyes met Renji's. The redhead breathed a sigh of relief at the expression of understanding in his former lover's expression.
"You believe me now, don't you?" he whispered, "Byakuya…"
He held the noble's eyes as Kisuke reached down and touched the serpent sigil.
"Hang in there, Renji," he said bracingly, "We're going to get you out of this."
"Kisuke," Renji said softly, "Arigato…"
The shopkeeper nodded, then touched the sigils again and quietly activated them.