Chapter 6: Signs

(An all new chapter for you to enjoy!)

Rukia flash stepped out of the 13th division, moving swiftly back in the direction of Kuchiki Manor, her violet eyes curious and more than a few worries flitting around in her busy mind.

Nii-sama's message was short and direct. Come home to Kuchiki Manor. There is a private matter that I must discuss with you and Renji. Please say nothing of this meeting to anyone.

It wasn't like Byakuya to make such a request.

Even after confessing what he did about my sister, Nii-sama still seemed hesitant and somehow reluctant to bring me closer to him. He didn't avoid me like he did before, but it almost seems like he was worried that I didn't want to be closer to him. It's bothered me for awhile that he might feel guilty about everything that happened.

He shouldn't worry about that. I'm so grateful to Byakuya for taking me in, and for finally telling me what he knew about my sister. It's given me peace and closure, even while we've been in a state of war with Aizen. After everything, I can truly say, I feel closer to Byakuya than ever, and I want us to feel like family. Still, Nii-sama has lost so many family members.

His mother died in childbirth.

His father died in battle.

Ginrei was called to serve in the royal realm.

His childhood friend, Yoruichi, abandoned him to follow Kisuke into banishment.

He nearly had to watch me be executed because of Aizen's lies and treachery.

And then…there was Tetsu-chan.

"Hey, Rukia, wait up!" Renji's voice called out from behind her, making slow so that the redhead could fall in beside her.

"What do you want, Renji?" the young woman asked, "I'm in a hurry. Nii-sama sent for me…"

"Yeah, he messaged me too," Renji explained hastily, "It sounds important. He didn't say what it was about, just that it was…"

"A private matter," Rukia finished, "He told me that too."

Renji's frown deepened and he glanced at Rukia as they continued on their way.

"Do you think that he found out what happened to Tetsuya or something?"

"I don't know," Rukia confessed, shaking her head, "I know that Kurotsuchi's group didn't find any sign of Tetsu-chan when they searched Szayel Aporro's lab, and the team that searched the fortress after Aizen's capture didn't find anything either."

Renji's cinnamon eyes turned stormy as the two closed in on their destination and they felt already the disturbance in Byakuya's considerable reiatsu.

"If it is news about Tetsuya, then it's probably not good news."

"Hmm," Rukia sighed worriedly as they reached the manor gates and were greeted and allowed by the house guards to pass into the manor.

They hurried through the courtyard and down a wooden walkway, to the entrance to Byakuya's study, then dropped onto their knees in the doorway, bowing respectfully.

"Nii-sama," Rukia greeted the clan leader.

"Taicho," Renji added.

"Rukia, Renji," Byakuya acknowledged, "I have called you here because…word has come from Kisuke Urahara that he has found someone who has information about Tetsuya's fate."

Rukia paled and Renji swallowed hard as they moved forward to kneel in front of the low table in the study before answering.

"S-sir, is he…?"

"Alive?" Byakuya finished for him, "That has not yet been determined. However, Kisuke has relayed that there is evidence that Tetsuya may yet be alive and in need of rescue. As Tetsuya is not in the military, nor is he a high ranking member of the Kuchiki clan, it is necessary to treat this as a clan matter and not to involve our divisions."

"Yes, Nii-sama."

"This is why I have asked you and Renji to come. I would like to request your assistance in the search for Tetsuya. I have obtained clearance from Sotaicho for the three of us to be placed on a short leave of absence to attend to this. Ukitake taicho has also indicated his approval for your involvement, Rukia, as he is your superior officer."

"I'm not surprised about that, really," Rukia noted, her expression softening, "Tetsu-chan's healing ability has brought great comfort to Ukitake taicho when his illness has flared up."

Byakuya nodded in affirmation.

"So Juushiro has informed me. He told me as well that he has seen a marked improvement since our cousin has been treating him for his recurring symptoms. I am sure that all of us want to see that progress continue. More than that, Tetsuya is an integral part of our household, not only seeing to the protection of the main family household, but also acting as my personal bodyguard and healer for the past hundred years. But even if none of those reasons were present, Tetsuya and I share a lifelong bond because of the connection between our parents and our meeting during my raid on the illegal noble's prison where Tetsuya was once unjustly imprisoned. I am resolved to find Tetsuya and to bring him home to Kuchiki Manor…"

The Kuchiki leader paused and Rukia and Renji's breath caught at the intensity of Byakuya's dark eyes and heavy reiatsu as he continued.

"…whatever his situation might be."

Rukia cleared her throat, glancing at Renji, who gave a determined nod.

"We're with you, Nii-sama," she assured him.

"Then, let's go."

XXXXXXXXXX

A little chime over the door at the entry to Kisuke's candy shop sounded and Tessai looked up, smiling in greeting as Ichigo stepped inside.

"Good morning, Ichigo," he greeted the substitute soul reaper, "I see you received the boss's message."

"Yeah," the ginger-haired man affirmed, "Where is Kisuke? In his lab?"

"He is. You can go on back. He's expecting you. Oh, and don't be surprised by the hollow. He and the boss have an arrangement."

"Huh," the younger man huffed as he left the front of the shop and started down the hallway past the kitchen and bedrooms, "a hollow…I wonder…"

He felt a twinge of dark memory at the sight of the blonde-haired hollow who stood talking quietly with the shopkeeper. The hollow's head turned and their eyes met, and Ichigo read the instant anxiety.

That's Nnoitra's fraccìon! I thought…

"You…" he said in a low, warning voice.

"Uh, hey there, Ichigo," Kisuke greeted him, stepping in between the two, "I guess you and Tesla have met."

"You could say that. Yeah," Ichigo said in a still angry sounding voice, "The last time we met, he tried to kill me. What's he doing here?"

"Ah right," the shopkeeper laughed nervously, "Well, you see, Tesla was the fifth Espada's…"

"I know who he is," Ichigo growled, "I asked what he's doing here!"

"Ichigo Kurosaki," Tesla said, stepping around the sputtering shopkeeper, "I believe I can answer your questions, but let me begin by apologizing to you for my behavior when we last met. As you apparently recall, I was the Espada, Nnoitra's fraccìon. I am Tesla. My master was killed by the shinigami, Kenpachi Zaraki."

"I was there," Ichigo said dryly, "What're you doing here, Tesla? What do you want with us?"

The blonde hollow sighed and lowered his eyes.

"I was…badly injured."

"I know that too."

"I was saved from death by Master Grimmjow."

"Grimmjow saved you?" Ichigo asked, an edge of wariness still in his voice.

Tesla nodded.

"He was my master…before. He had Neliel help him heal me."

"Nel helped you? After you and Nnoitra…?"

"You may recall that although I fought with you on my former master's order, I did not injure Orihime Inoue or Master Nel."

"Huh," Ichigo huffed, "You were still with that bastard, Nnoitra. And you still haven't told me why you're here."

Tesla gave Kisuke a wary glance.

"I am…here because I had nowhere else to go. Urahara-san is known to be a highly intelligent man who is not as prejudicial towards hollows."

"I don't think not wanting to be killed by hollows is prejudicial," Ichigo scoffed, taking a step forward.

He blinked in surprise as Tesla stepped back, bowing his head contritely.

"You, of course, have every right to hate me and attack me, if that is your will, Ichigo Kurosaki. I will not fight back."

A measure of the stiffness left the substitute's body as he kept his eyes on Tesla's and answered.

"I'm not going to start anything with you. Just know that I don't trust you."

"I don't expect you to trust me," Tesla assured him, "but I have an arrangement with Urahara-san and I have no wish to harm anyone…only to make peace with my new reality and move on."

"Sure," Ichigo said more calmly.

He gave the slightly smirking shopkeeper a little scowl.

"You said you needed a hand with something?" he asked, "What's going on."

"What's going on is that Byakuya, Rukia and Renji are on their way here."

"Yeah?" the substitute queried, brightening instantly at the mention of the usually stoic Kuchiki leader and his friends, "Why are they coming here? Are they going to be helping with the cleanup like the others who've been around?"

"Not exactly," Kisuke replied, turning to his computer monitor and swiftly tapping at the keys.

A moment later, an image of a young man appeared on the monitor.

"That's Byakuya's cousin, Tetsuya," Ichigo recalled, "the guy who disappeared just before the war. I remember he helped with my healing a few times, and Rukia told me that he disappeared while he was shadowing Byakuya in Hueco Mundo before the war."

"That's right," Kisuke agreed, sitting down in front of the computer while Ichigo sat down in the chair beside him and Tesla busied himself with recording the results of one of the many lab experiments a short distance away from the two, "though he didn't exactly just disappear. We've just confirmed…actually, Tesla just confirmed for me that Tetsuya was, in fact, captured by Aizen's goons while he was protecting Byakuya's troops, and Aizen found him interesting enough to keep him alive. He might still be imprisoned somewhere in the ruins of Las Noches…and we're gonna go and find him."

Ichigo made a sound of surprise.

"Wait…you're going to…?"

"Oh yeah…" Kisuke chuckled, "among the things I forgot to tell you, when the powers that have been chosen to replace the ones Aizen slaughtered in Central 46 learned how I'd been framed by Aizen, they considered my role in the war against the bastard and they offered to take me back into the fold."

"What? So, you moving back to Soul Society, then?" Ichigo asked, looking around the lab.

"Nah," Kisuke laughed, shaking his head, "Y'know, I've kinda gotten to liking the freedom I've got here. And I never really wanted to be a taicho in the first place. It's not really my thing. I think I can accomplish more on my own. But, I do have permission to enter Soul Society and Hueco Mundo now…so yeah, I'll be going."

Ichigo paused for a moment, reading the shopkeeper's expression as he looked down at Tetsuya's image on the monitor again.

"You know Tetsuya?" the substitute asked.

"Yeah," Kisuke affirmed, his pale grey eyes clouding, "I know him. I know he's in a lot of trouble and I'm gonna get him out. I need you to help me and the others."

He gave the ginger-haired man an enigmatic smile.

"How are your powers holding up? Any instability?"

"No," Ichigo reassured him, "I know they will fluctuate, but everything feels pretty normal for now. I'll be okay for the mission."

Kisuke loosed a soft, relieved sigh.

"That's good."

Ichigo watched closely as Kisuke's slightly trembling hand hovered over the keyboard, then he tapped one of the keys and Tetsuya's smiling image disappeared.

He doesn't just know Tetsuya Kuchiki, the substitute pondered, There's something between them.

Kisuke cleared his throat softly and continued.

"Because of the possibility of instability in your powers, I'll want you to stay close to Byakuya, Rukia, Renji or me at all times. I want you to take this special soul candy," Kisuke said, holding out a hand and offering the candy to him, "It's a reigai form that will allow you enough spirit energy to return to the living world if, for any reason, your powers should fail. Keep it close and use it immediately to get back here if anything happens, all right?"

"Right," Ichigo answered, accepting the candy and slipping it into a pocket, "I've got it."

"Good. Now, Byakuya and the others will be here in a minute and we'll leave."

The shopkeeper looked up at the blonde hollow who was carefully ignoring them as he continued to monitor the nearby experiments.

"Tesla, I want you to come along with us," Kisuke requested, earning a surprised look from the substitute soul reaper.

"What? You want him to go to? But…"

Kisuke stood and nodded in the hollow's direction.

"Tesla is a former member of the Espadas' inner circle. He has personal knowledge of the grounds, particularly Szayel Aporro's laboratory and areas in Las Noches where prisoners were held. In addition, he personally saw Tetsuya while both were being examined in Aporro's lab. I think he may be the key to finding and rescuing Tetsuya…assuming Tetsuya is still alive and imprisoned at Las Noches."

Ichigo frowned, considering for a moment.

"Kisuke, I was there in Soul Society when reports came in after the war ended," he related more quietly, "They said that Las Noches was overrun with hollows, feasting on dead bodies there. The prison was full of dead…"

"Tetsuya wasn't there," Kisuke said in a harsh, biting tone, "According to Tesla, he was a special hostage, like Orihime. He was kept somewhere secret, and he didn't leave with Aizen, so the bastard either killed him or he hid Tetsuya somewhere to await his return."

Ichigo bit his lip gently, considering.

"But…you really think he is alive?" he asked.

"Yeah, I think he's alive," the shopkeeper confirmed, "There are no guarantees, of course, but Tetsuya put his life on the line to save others. Now, we need to save him."

"Urahara-san," Tesla interjected softly, meeting the shopkeeper's eyes anxiously, "is it really necessary for me to accompany you to the fortress?"

He drew in a shaky breath, shivering though the temperature in the lab was comfortable.

"The memories of the war are fresh and…"

"Yeah, I know," Kisuke said solemnly, "I get it. But your knowledge of the fortress is crucial to our mission's success. I do need you to go with us. Don't worry. I won't let anything happen to you…after all, I need your help here when we get back."

"Yes, well, I will help however I can," Tesla promised, flinching slightly at the aggressive look in the still wary substitute's golden brown eyes.

I did hurt him pretty badly, Tesla recalled, I don't blame him for not trusting me.

"In particular, I'll need to know how to dismantle any traps Aizen would have left. I'm sure he expected some to be snooping around, especially if they knew about Tetsuya. He'll have been prepared. We'll need to be prepared too."

He broke off as flash steps sounded and Byakuya, Rukia and Renji stepped into the room. Instantly, Ichigo broke into a wide grin.

"Byakuya, Rukia Renji!" he greeted the three.

He moved to meet them, stopping in front of the Kuchiki leader and meeting Byakuya's eyes directly.

"It's good to see you."

Byakuya blinked and lowered his eyes reflexively, betrayed by a little flush that rose on his face.

"I hope you are well, Ichigo," the noble answered quietly, "Are you going to be accompanying us to Hueco Mundo then?"

"Is that a problem for you?" Ichigo asked, smirking.

Byakuya's breath caught very slightly.

"I meant no insult," he assured Ichigo, "I was curious because I know that your powers are in transition."

"Ichigo's powers are stable for now," Kisuke assured the Kuchiki leader, "and I've given him a special reigai to get him back here if there's any problem. I just thought that with the chaos around the fortress, we could use the extra firepower."

Byakuya gave the substitute a troubled look.

"As much as I appreciate the assistance, I do not wish to hasten Ichigo's loss of powers. If you think that this will…"

"Hey," Ichigo said, tilting his head slightly, "Byakuya, Kisuke said I'm okay…and I really wanna help if I can. Don't worry, I won't be a burden to you. If my powers are a problem, I'll just use the soul candy and come back. No trouble. Just please…I…I don't know how long I'll be able to help out, you know? So, I want to make all of the difference that I can while everything still works. Is that okay with you?"

Byakuya swallowed hard and nodded, lowering his eyes again.

"Of course," he answered softly, "I appreciate your assistance in finding my cousin."

Ichigo nodded and gave the noble an encouraging smile.

"We're gonna find Tetsuya and he's gonna be all right."

"Yes," Byakuya agreed hesitantly, "I feel the same."

"Then, let's get going," Kisuke urged them, "I've already told Ichigo, and now the rest of you need to know, this former fraccìon, Tesla Lindocruz, witnessed Tetsuya's presence in Szayel Aporro's lab and he knows that Aizen was keeping Tetsuya as a special hostage within the fortress. He was very interested in the fact that Tetsuya is a very rare, natural Breeder Male, a direct descendant of the ones who were made to help restore the noble families after a very large conflict around a thousand years ago. Aizen captured Tetsuya and once he realized who he was, he appears to have used Kyoka Suigetsu to force Tetsuya to submit to extensive testing and examination. Tesla was a lab assistant and sometimes a guinea pig as well. He has no love for Aizen or Aporro and he and I have an arrangement, so he's going to help us get in and around any traps that Aizen has placed."

"And," Byakuya said reticently, "can you tell me, Kisuke Urahara? Do you truly believe that Aizen left Tetsuya alive? Do you believe that he survived the razing of Las Noches after Aizen's fall?"

The shopkeeper met the noble's eyes directly and Ichigo felt something pass between the two.

"Yes. I believe Tetsuya is alive and he is still inside Las Noches."

I have to believe that.

He can't be gone.

"Then," Byakuya said solemnly, "let's go."