HALCYON DAYS
Volume Three: Champagne Coliseum
Chapter Five
Renji went looking for Rukia at the Academy Grounds, having not seen her since she rebuffed his invite to join the lieutenants' table several days beforehand. After searching in vain for a half hour, he happened upon Kiyone and Sentarō.
"You just missed her; she's gone on assignment," Kiyone said.
"What do you mean?" Renji reddened. "You mean she's leftthe Seireitei?"
"Yup," Sentarō nodded.
"Then where is she?"
"That's classified," Kiyone replied haughtily. "Captain Ukitake wouldn't even tell us where."
"That's already saying too much, you booger!" Sentarō scolded her. "You've confirmed we don't know anything when you should have neither confirmed no denied. You've betrayed the captain's trust while making us look irrelevant!"
"You're the only one who's irrelevant!" Kiyone sniped back. "I'm gonna fight in the tournament while you'll just be one of the thousands cheering me on!"
"And while you're getting your ass kicked, I'll be the greatest cheerleader the Gotei 13 has ever seen!" Sentarō proclaimed. "The Soul King will hear my cheers from up in the heavens. I'M GONNA BE THE MOST ENTHUSIASTIC HYPE MAN IN HISTORY!"
The two of them continued to bicker without noticing that Renji had long since left.
"Captain!" Renji bellowed, storming into Byakuya Kuchiki's quarters. "What've they done with – ?"
He halted in his tracks, his voice catching in his throat.
The Kuchiki Tenrai-chō was present.
Ginrei, the sitting ruler of Kuchiki Clan, had long white hair slicked back and shoulders hunched forward. Once a strapping warrior, his failing eyes now required spectacles and his carefully manicured mustache was white as a sheet. The pronounced curve of his posture made him short; he looked quite feeble standing next to Byakuya.
Renji instantly threw himself onto the floor and bowed his head until his nose kissed the tatami.
"Tenrai-chō Kuchiki! Please forgive my intrusion! Thank you for gracing our barracks with your presence, Your Highness!"
Ginrei peered down at the prostrate lieutenant with bemusement before returning his attention to Byakuya.
"Your subordinate poses a fine question, grandson. Where is Rukia?"
"I'm not sure, grandfather," Byakuya replied. "Renji, is there something I ought to know?"
"She was sent away from the Seireitei without explanation, Captain," Renji said breathlessly, not daring to look up. "It seemed like suspicious timing on the eve of the tournament, so I thought... "
"You thought I was the one who sent her away?" Byakuya surmised, his voice disdainful. "Even if I had, it would be none of your business. However, I had nothing to do with it. You would be better off asking Captain Ukitake. However, like I said, it's none of your business."
"Of course," Renji mumbled. "Forgive my intrusion, I'll just –"
He started to rise up, only to meet immovable resistance. Something was pressing to the back of his bowed head, light as a leaf but unyielding. Somebody was standing over him, pressing their foot down to pin him to the spot.
How'd they get the jump on me like that?! Renji winced. He hadn't felt anyone's presence while he was prostrate. Whoever they were, their poise and speed had to be impeccable.
"Do you speak to your captain like that often, worm?" an icy voice asked. "If I were a captain of the Gotei 13 and my lieutenant came barging into my quarters barking questions, I'd crush their head like a melon. Like so."
The foot applied more pressure and ground Renji's face into the floor. The force was so overwhelming, Renji's skull felt close to bursting. Letting out a grunt of pain, he struggled to break free from the iron press.
"That's enough, Kōga," Ginrei ordered.
The pressure instantly left the top of Renji's head. With a flush of relief, he rose back up, only for the foot to swing and kick him across the chin. Renji heard his own molars click as he flipped backwards and smacked against the entrance door.
His vision swam until he made out the visage of Kōga Kuchiki, the Shikōtai Guardsman assigned to protect Ginrei's life.
Kōga was handsome like his cousin, Byakuya, and only a few years older. He was six feet tall and garbed in Shihakushō while a crimson scarf frocked his shoulders and a lavender sash cinched his waist.
Exempt from the traditional Shikōtai armor and mask because of his royal lineage, he proudly bore his oval face and carefully defined features, his imperious green eyes and thin mouth conspiring to make a perpetual scowl. His black hair was distinguished by a bright red ponytail, signifying his renunciation of any hereditary claims, fastened by a Kenseikan headpiece.
The bodyguard grasped his Zanpakutō, a purple-hilted katana with a bronze guard in the shape of a pendant. His fingers tightened around the handle.
"How dare you speak to the future Kuchiki Tenrai-chō like that," he bristled. "Raise your voice at him again and I will parade your head on Megumarerushi's gates."
"I'll be the one to reprimand my subordinates, cousin," Byakuya said reproachfully.
Kōga shot Byakuya a haughty look.
"Is that so? This worm raised his sword against you, and yet he still draws breath."
"I was trying to save Rukia," Renji interjected.
He involuntarily flinched when Kōga flash-stepped within an inch of his nose, backing him up against the door.
"That Rukon rat should've burned," Kōga said in a soft whisper, leaning in close to stare directly into Renji's eyes. "You think her crime was trivial? Giving humans your Reiryoku is what gets Shisonka dynasties butchered. Byakuya's generosity has saved you both, but I won't forget."
"That's enough, Kōga," Ginrei warned with a throaty grumble. The old man readjusted his glasses and gave Byakuya a fond squeeze of the shoulder. "Our business here is finished; Kōga will escort me back to Megumarerushi. I believe you and your lieutenant have somewhere to be."
The Tenrai-chō made his way to the door, pausing by Renji.
"A word of advice, Lieutenant Abarai," Ginrei rasped. "Remember your rank. I say this not as a Tenrai-chō, but as a former captain of the Gotei 13."
"I will, Your Highness," Renji nodded, feeling as though a comet were whirring past him.
Kōga shot Renji one last scowl and followed Ginrei out of the chamber.
After a moment of awkward silence, captain and lieutenant locked eyes.
"How's your jaw?" Byakuya asked.
"Your cousin hits as hard as a Menos Grande," Renji mumbled while rubbing his smarting chin.
"He practices a conservative brand of discipline."
"It's inexcusable, what he said about Rukia..."
"The Shisonka are particularly sensitive to Shinigami sharing their power with humans," Byakuya said cryptically. "It was Kōga who informed me of Rukia's offense."
"Really?"
Byakuya wordlessly strode out of the room, expecting Renji to follow. The lieutenant hesitated for a moment before hurrying after his captain, keeping close as they made their way out of the Sixth Division barracks.
"Rukia was presumed dead after she went missing," Byakuya recalled. "Months passed until an anonymous tip to SDRI claimed she was alive and well, but had given her Reiryoku to a mortal. When SDRI confirmed the rumor, Kōga delivered the news to me personally. It was a heated exchange."
"Heated how?"
"I embarrassed my grandfather by marrying Hisana, and I embarrassed him further when I adopted Rukia," Byakuya explained. "Welcoming Rukon into a royal family was unheard of; he had to expend a great deal of his own political capital to help me fulfill Hisana's dying wish.
"I promised to accept responsibility for any damage my decision would inflict upon the Kuchiki name. When Rukia was accused of committing a crime the Shisonka consider taboo, Kōga firmly reminded me of my responsibility."
Byakuya remembered the conversation vividly. It was an ugly memory.
Do you understand how much Ginrei's sacrificed for you? Kōga had roared. You spit in his face again and again, and for what? A stranger who doesn't share our blood, who repays your generosity with insult? It's time for you to choose: our family, or your Rukon pet?
Kōga's words were harsh, but persuasive.
Ginrei was one of the few captains in Gotei history to voluntarily retire from service. Back when Tenrai-chō Magoshido became frail from extreme old age, Ginrei's lieutenant and son, Sōjun Kuchiki, was the heir apparent to lead the family. When Sōjun unexpectedly perished during a Hollow skirmish, Byakuya became next in line.
However, Byakuya was still young and hadn't yet served in the Gotei, an important rite of passage for any Kuchiki leader. When Magoshido finally died of natural causes, Ginrei decided to spare his grandson the shame of ruling without a military record. He took on the responsibility in his grandson's stead.
It was no small thing: Ginrei had to give up his position in the Sixth Division and surrender his Zanpakutō for destruction. Tenrai-chōs were forbidden from bonding with Asauchi for reasons that were mysterious to non-royals like Renji.
That debt hung around Byakuya's neck ever since, crushing him under its weight. It had poisoned his conscience and poised him against Rukia. However, when Ichigo Kurosaki defeated him in battle, the weight of that debt became lighter. It would forever remain, but it was bearable now.
"Suffice it to say my family has little love for Rukia," Byakuya admitted. "But sending her away was Ukitake's decision and his alone."
Renji was quiet for a while, choosing to believe him.
"So where are we going?"
"To the First Division Barracks," Byakuya answered. "Genryūsai is summoning all captains and their division champions. Apparently, the new Central 46 has decided on the tournament's inaugural roster."
Renji stepped into the assembly hall and spotted 10 familiar faces: Chōjirō Sasakibe, Marechiyo Ōmaeda, Kira Izuru, Isane Kotetsu and her sister Kiyone, Tetsuzaemon Iba, Shūhei Hisagi, Rangiku Matsumoto, Ikkaku Madarame, and Akon.
All of them turned to peer at him while he awkwardly made his way into the room.
"Welcome, Lieutenant Abarai," Sasakibe said. "We're just awaiting two contestants before we can begin."
The First Division Lieutenant was standing beside a bulletin board affixed between two bamboo poles. Whatever the board contained, it was hidden behind a sheet.
Renji gave everyone a nod and ambled beside Ikkaku.
"I see a lot more lieutenants than third seats," he whispered teasingly.
Ikkaku gave him a devilish smile. "I'll carry my weight just fine, Abarai. Just you wait."
A minute passed before Nanao Ise entered the room, followed by an unfamiliar face.
"Pardon us, everyone!" Nanao said. "I was just bringing Rindō up to speed."
She turned and presented Atau Rindō to the group. Some looked at him with curiosity, others with flat-out bafflement.
"Who's the stray?" Ōmaeda asked, eyebrow cocked. "Never seen him before in my life."
"That's Rindō Atau, the Third Seat of Fifth Company," Rangiku offered up. She shielded her mouth so that Rindō couldn't read her lips and added "I heard he was being interrogated in the Shin'ōchikadaikangoku for the past week. Poor guy's been through some hell."
"Rindō is deaf, but he can read lip movements and communicate through sign language," Nanao explained. "I expect you all to make him feel welcome."
"Now that everyone is present, it's time to unveil tomorrow's matchups," Chōjirō announced.
With genteel grace, he grasped the tarp and whipped it off from the bulletin board. The frame detailed Central 46's chosen tournament bracket:
10th JŪSANKENTAIKAI
FIRST ROUND ELIMINATIONS
FIRST MATCH: Marechiyo Ōmaeda vs. Nanao Ise
SECOND MATCH: Atau Rindō vs. Ikkaku Madarame
THIRD MATCH: Izuru Kira vs. Shūhei Hisagi
FOURTH MATCH: Renji Abarai vs. Akon
FIFTH MATCH: Isane Kotetsu vs. Rangiku Matsumoto
SIXTH MATCH: Tetsuzaemon Iba vs. Kiyone Kotetsu
A ripple of murmurs spread throughout the chamber as everyone spotted their name and opponent.
Well, I'm screwed, Kiyone thought when she spotted Tetsuzaemon's name beside hers.
"We're going up against each other in the first round, seriously?" Kira groaned to Hisagi. "I'd hoped we could avoid stepping on each other's toes until the final round."
"Can't be helped," Hisagi shrugged. "I won't make it personal if you don't."
Kira nodded in agreement.
"Awesome!" Ōmaeda cackled, pumping a fist in triumph. "I'm up against the unarmed bookworm. Ah, ~ahem~, no offense, Nanao."
Nanao was making a complex expression: her eyebrows were furrowed in a frown, but her lips were curled in a smile.
"No offense taken," Nanao replied, her eyebrows frowning but lips smiling.
I can't wait to kick your ass, you pig.
Renji glanced over at Akon, who looked none too pleased with their matchup.
Far as I know, Akon's not a fighter, Renji thought. I'll have to go easy on him so he can keep his dignity.
"The first six matches will all occur tomorrow, then the second round eliminations the overmorrow," Sasakibe told the room. "The third day will mark the Konranshiai, and the final day... will be the championship match."
"You mean when the victor fights you one-on-one, Lieutenant Sasakibe?" Kira asked, drawing everyone's eye. "Is it true what they say? That you won the very first Jūsankentaikai and have beaten every finalist ever since?"
The room took on a tense air as everyone waited for Sasakibe's reply. While he technically shared rank with the lieutenants, he was Genryūsai's righthand man and by extension their superior.
"I was the first victor, yes," Sasakibe nodded. "I have served as the final obstacle for the Jūsankentaikai ever since, and I have never been defeated in the Bushishinzui Budōkan.
"But do not let that deter any of you; several of the warriors I bested in the ring have gone on to surpass me. One of you may even be the first to win the Jūsankentaikai outright. Just think of what that will do for your reputations."
Even though Sasakibe's eyes were an inscrutable white canvas, Renji could tell that the ancient lieutenant was staring right at him while he spoke. It felt like a direct challenge was being issued.
"You all have a momentous day ahead of you," Sasakibe concluded. "Rest well tonight, and fight well tomorrow."
