Chapter 21: Cry in the Night
Renji jumped awake, his heart pounding, and he turned instinctively towards Byakuya, only to make the unnerving discovery that his spouse was gone from their bed.
I know in my head that Tsuyoshi won't move against Byakuya until the day of their confrontation before the Kuchiki elders, but my gut still tells me not to completely trust that.
He climbed out of bed, wrapping a warm yukata around his lanky, tanned body, then he left through the open garden doors and found his partner just outside, seated on the walkway, with his grey eyes looking up at the bright moon.
"Hey, is…everything okay?" he asked, taking a seat next to Byakuya and leaning up against his side, "Shouldn't you be resting after the training today?"
"I will be along soon," the noble assured him, "I was just feeling restless and trying to think of anything that might aid me in the battle with my cousin."
"I thought things were coming along really well in that arena," Renji mused, "Over the past few weeks your bankai has gotten stronger. Kisuke said that you've regained your power. Koji and Tsuneo are watching over Kiyoshi to make sure he's safe, so you don't need to worry about him being used against you. What more do you think you need to fight Tsuyoshi?"
"Hmm," Byakuya sighed wearily, "Power is useful, of course, and it is good to have the comfort of knowing that the people closest to me are protected, but to be most certain of a victory, I need something more. After acting as my vice captain, I believe you should understand better than anyone what it is that I need."
Renji frowned thoughtfully.
"Well, I guess that you'd want to have the best strategy for the fight."
"Yes," Byakuya affirmed, "and as you know, strategy is built from all of the intelligence we can gather about a situation so that we enter from the most optimal position."
"Don't we have Kisuke helping you with strategy? That guy can think circles around most people. He even outsmarted Aizen. If anyone can put together a strategy for your battle, he should be able to, right?"
"He will make the best use of the information he has. His assessments of my progress, both in physical recovery and in the recovery of my powers have already been highly useful in determining my fitness for battle, and the mechanics of using my Senbonzakura against my cousin are well within my grasp, however, there is one factor in the exchange that we currently cannot predict."
"What's that?"
"Tenrai Keibatsu."
Renji's frown deepened.
"The sword that he used to drain you? I mean…you've said that if it cuts you, it will drain you and Senbonzakura to nothing, so you just have to make sure you don't take a hit, or that you hit Tsuyoshi first."
Byakuya nodded.
"That is the path which we have chosen, but…something inside me tells me that there is something more that will play out in our confrontation, something related to that blade that will be critical. There is a reason that it has been stored for all of these years in the Kuchiki archive."
"It's a damned dangerous weapon," Renji acknowledged.
"Yes, and not just because of its power to drain the power and life force of whomever it cuts. Like all zanpakuto, this weapon has a spirit within it. The very reason I am still alive after having it feed on Senbonzakura and me is because of the nature of the spirit that inhabits the blade. Just as I need to understand and form a connection with Senbonzakura to best approach the battle, I need to understand what happened between Tsuyoshi and Tenrai Keibatsu that day."
Renji thought for a moment, then gave a little shrug.
"Maybe he wasn't used to using it?" he suggested.
"Inexperience may well have been a factor, but I suspect that another may have lain in a mixture of the swords willfulness and its mission. To comprehend those things, I would need to study the full history of the sword."
"So, where do we find that?" asked the redhead.
Byakuya loosed a long sigh.
"All information I know of, related to that blade, is stored in either the king's library in the royal realm or in the Kuchiki archive."
"The archive right here?" Renji inquired, looking around, "So…?"
"Only the leader of the clan and any he or she give their permission to are allowed to enter."
"Right," Renji growled softly, "And I expect we can't just go ask your creep of a cousin to let us in."
"No. Even if he was willing to allow me inside, he would then be alerted to my strategy to use knowledge of the sword against him, and he would be more likely to focus his own attention on it. I may not have known of Tsuyoshi's penchant for backstabbing, but I do know he can be reckless and careless when he thinks that a battle should be easy for him. He is probably aware that I have regained my powers and he is focusing on preparing to counter Senbonzakura. He may be less likely to seek additional knowledge related to the use of the sword because he has less respect for the connection between his blade and himself."
"Also, having used the sword against you before, he thinks he knows enough about it."
"Yes. If that is the case, then I want him to continue to think that way. I do not want to give him any reason to believe that he needs to improve in his knowledge of and connection with his weapon."
"That makes sense…a lot of sense."
"Mmhmm, but the problem of being able to search the information in the archive remains."
Byakuya returned his attention to the moon, his eyes following the light patterns on its surface as he considered. Renji's hand slipped into his and the redhead nuzzled his cheek comfortingly. After several long moments, the noble blinked slowly and his breath caught softly.
"What is it?" Renji asked, sitting up straighter, "Did you think of something?"
"Maybe," Byakuya affirmed, "Kiyoshi."
"What about him? He's not the leader, right?"
"No, but he has been performing several important functions on behalf of the Kuchiki council, and one of those functions would require clearance from the clan leader to enter the archive. It is a slim chance, because when Kiyoshi was removed from his place on the council, Tsuyoshi could have retrieved the token that allowed him to enter the archive."
"Ah," Renji mused, brightening, "but Tsuyoshi seems like a guy who doesn't always remember to cross his t's and dot his I's, so…"
"He may have simply forgotten about the need to do that," Byakuya concluded.
"Then, we just need to get the token from Kiyoshi?"
Byakuya shook his head firmly.
"The token will only work for Kiyoshi. He must be the one to use it, however, if he is seen on the grounds, it will swiftly be reported to Tsuyoshi and he will capture Kiyoshi."
"Damn, so we've gotta decide if the risk of him being caught is worth taking the chance to try to get in to look for that information."
"Yes, unless we can find another source for the information. Kisuke has searched the information he has access to, and it includes the holdings of Cemtral 46."
"Do they know he has access to their library?" Renji asked, giving him a surprised look.
"Of course not. The man is crafty."
"You can say that again," Renji snorted, "So, if he hasn't found the information, then it's probably not gonna be found outside the archive."
"Probably not."
"Then, you think we should try to form a plan to bring Kiyoshi here secretly?" asked the redhead.
"Perhaps. I was thinking that Koji, who went with Kiyoshi to the Rukongai, is similar in height and build to Kiyoshi. Kisuke Urahara should be able to construct a reigai that will make Kiyoshi look like Koji and will project Koji's reiatsu."
"Sounds good, but you look like there's a catch."
"There is. To enter the archive, Kiyoshi will have to remove the gigai and use the token. If any guards see him, or if Tsuyoshi enters the archive and finds him…"
"That wouldn't be good."
"I do not like risking Kiyoshi's life, especially after he has already sacrificed his powers to restore mine."
"But you know that it's what he would want," Renji said pointedly, "and aren't you the one always telling me that we should honor what the people who support us want?"
"If possible," Byakuya countered, "but I do not think that recklessly endangering Kiyoshi's life is honoring his wishes."
"It wouldn't be reckless," Renji said reassuringly, "We'll plan it carefully. We'll get Kisuke to make the reigai and we'll set things up here, but if anything at all doesn't look good, then we can back off and not go ahead with it."
"Hmm…"
"Byakuya, listen to me. You know damned well that you need absolutely every advantage if you are going to win this fight. Tsuyoshi is a creep, and he's reckless, careless, whatever, but he's also really powerful and he's sneaky. He's probably got a plan to counter your blade. We need to follow up on this. I feel it, and I know you do too."
Byakuya drew in a long breath and released it slowly.
"I do. I will speak to Kisuke tomorrow when we meet to begin final arrangements for the battle."
"That's smart," Renji acknowledged, giving his spouse a little kiss on the cheek, "Now, come to bed, okay? It's cold without you there. I don't like waking up alone."
"Very well," Byakuya sighed sleepily, "Come, Renji."
XXXXXXXXXX
Tsuneo bent to kiss Kiko on the forehead and breathed a soft goodnight, then he left his daughter's room and walked back to his own. Finding the bedroom empty, he left the house and walked outside, where he found Kiyoshi sitting cross legged beneath a tree, his dark blue eyes focused on the clear night sky and bright moon.
"Are you all right?" he asked, sitting down next to the younger man, "You must be thinking about Bya's battle coming up."
Kiyoshi nodded.
"It's only days away now. I've done all that I can to support him in his efforts. I just hope it's enough."
"Hmm."
"I don't doubt Byakuya's strength, but I do know how a man's strength can be undone. Tsuyoshi has already managed once to destroy our leader. He will be no less cunning and underhanded this time."
Kiyoshi paused, blinking to stop the stinging tears that had begun to form in the corners of his eyes.
"And I cannot even show my face at the battle."
"You have done enough," Tsuneo reassured him, slipping an arm around his shoulders.
Kiyoshi nodded.
"And I know that my presence at the battle would only be a burden to Byakuya's heart if I could go. I just…"
Tsuneo gave him a sad smile.
"You love him."
"Byakuya and I have always been close. It was…so difficult losing him. The years without him were hard, not just for me, but for our clan. Tsuyoshi did not have the careful preparation to lead that Byakuya did, and he was angry and harsh. He kept Byakuya's attendants and abused them, just because he knew that Byakuya would have been hurt by that if he was still alive. Even winning and taking our cousin's place at the head of the family wasn't enough for him. He wanted to erase Byakuya's very existence. The elders were more than aware of his shortcomings, but in Byakuya's absence and with his apparent death, there was little that could be done. There was no one else with enough strength to challenge Tsuyoshi, so we were forced to follow him."
"That may have been the case," Tsuneo said, squeezing the younger man's hand, "but Byakuya is back now, and he has regained his powers. You've seen how strong he is now. He is going to demolish Tsuyoshi."
Kiyoshi's eyes slid shut and he shivered softly in the vendor's embrace.
"Byakuya was strong before, but Tsuyoshi preyed on my cousin's connections to the people he loves."
"Well, we're not going to let that happen this time," Tsuneo promised, "Koji and I will not let anything happen to you. Byakuya and Renji have each other. The others who have helped Byakuya are all watching out for each other too. It's going to be all right. You can have faith in your cousin. He was defeated before, but when everything said that he should have died, he found a way to survive. Given that, I know that whatever happens, he will find a way to win."
"I do believe in Byakuya," Kiyoshi said with conviction, "Tsuyoshi used trickery and betrayal to overcome him before. He will not be able to do that again."
"No," Tsuneo agreed, "Come now, anata. We should get some rest."
Kiyoshi nodded, allowing himself to be drawn to his feet. He wrapped his arms around the vendor and met him for several deep, slow kisses, then slipped a hand into his and followed him inside.
A short distance away, a dark figure moved within the trees, a tall man with obsidian eyes and black clothing. He remained still, observing the Rukongai vendor and the fugitive noble, his breaths silent and his reiatsu kept carefully in check. When the other two men had gone inside, he moved closer to the cottage, watching carefully for the unseen attendant he had sensed guarding the abode.
"Well now," he whispered, "What to do…"
He considered carefully for a moment, then drew his sword and whispered a soft command. The silvery blade glowed red for a moment, then four black snakes with fiery crimson eyes slid out of the tip and turned to face him.
"There is a traitor to the family in that cottage," he said softly, "I want you to bring him back to me. Burn the house when you have brought him out. Leave none alive."
"Yesssss, massssster," the snakes hissed, swaying.
They turned and shot towards the small residence while their master smirked and watched through shadowed eyes.
"You have gone astray, my cousin," he said quietly, "so far astray. Tsuyoshi would kill you if I allowed it, but…I will not let you die."
His heart flickered darkly in his chest as he felt the sudden jolts of reiatsu with the strikes of the snakes he had sent. His breaths quickened and he leaned forward, gazing intently as muted sounds of distress sounded and flames erupted within the house. The sounds of struggle and heavy coughing followed, then the soft swish of the four snakes returning, bearing the unconscious body of Kiyoshi on their backs. The black-eyed man lifted his cousin over his shoulder, then watched as the black snakes hissed and dissolved into dark smoke. He looked back at the house and shook his head.
"It's too bad that a pure noble son will be lost, but…it is a lesson you must learn, Kiyoshi."
He flash stepped away, leaving the burning cottage behind. Kiyoshi stirred once or twice and groaned uncomfortably, but remained unconscious until the two arrived at a large, wealthy estate in the Seireitei. The man carrying Kiyoshi took him inside and placed him in a comfortable bed in a secluded area of the mansion. He carefully tied his cousin's wrists to the rail at the top of the bed and secured his ankles to the rail at the foot of the bed. He left the room for a time and returned dressed in his night clothes. Laying down next to Kiyoshi, he waited silently with the lights off until the snake's venom wore off and the younger noble began to regain consciousness. Kiyoshi groaned and opened his eyes, blinking as they tried to focus.
"Wh-where…?" he mumbled sleepily, "Tsuneo?"
"Guess again," the man next to him hissed softly, kissing him on the cheek.
Kiyoshi sucked in a surprised breath, his eyes rounding in distress as the full weight of his situation crashed down on him.
"What have you done?" he managed breathlessly, "What did you do to Koji, Kiko and Tsuneo?"
"Hmm."
"What did you do to them, Orochi?"
"They were traitors and they were harboring a family fugitive," Orochi answered smoothly, "so I sent them to the death that they deserved."