Chapter 9: Result
"Lady Yoruichi, please. You have to eat – you need to come out of that room."
...
Yoruichi closed her dry eyes.
'I've finally stopped, today.'
She was all out of tears. Yoruichi hadn't left her bedroom at the Shihouin Estate for several days. Her doors only opened to receive her meals; and only after the maids had waited a long time. She didn't speak to anyone, not even Hanatarou who often went out of his way to check up on her on his own accord; Byakuya had swiftly dismissed him. She would simply roll out of bed after having the same horrific dream night after night, change into a new set of clothes and roll back, receding into the cold sheets. It had been a long time since Yoruichi slept alone; this was unnatural to her. She cradled her warm belly.
"I hope you'll never leave," she whimpered. "Never..."
"Lady Yoruichi, pl-"
"Just shut up! Shut your mouth and leave me alone!" She sensed the maid's tremble. "Lady Yoruichi, you have a message!" A letter peaked under the sliding doors. "My sincerest apologies for disturbing you!"
Yoruichi's eye darted across the room from under the sheet, fixed on the letter like a target. 'Could...it be?' she thought. She had bucked up the courage to take the paternity test shortly after she returned to the Soul Society. Unohana agreed to use Byakuya and Urahara's stored genetic information from birth. After all that had happened, Yoruichi didn't have the guts to ask for direct samples. 'This has to be it. They wouldn't send a Hell Butterfly...it's too confidential. I can't read this!' She sat up, staring out of her half-moon window. The cold, yet fresh air washed over her face as she watched fluffy clouds ease over the dark-sand sky. She had just missed the sunset. Yoruichi groaned loudly and fell back into bed. 'I don't need to know now. Who cares anyway? It's not like it'll change anything. Everything's ruined.' Curling up, she pulled the sheets over her head feeling that damned breeze. Her window shutters clapped against the window frame from the suddenly howling wind. The wind tipped over glass vase on the window sill, shattering it on the wooden floor. Yoruichi sighed hard and stepped out of bed. 'Completely ruined.'
She slid on her house slippers, then carefully picked up the pieces of glass and placed them on a dresser by the window. It was now dark outside. She eyed the letter once again.
"I ruined everything," she announced. "But..." She brushed the arc of her stomach again like how Byakuya would have done: firm, yet lovingly. "When you ruin something... or mess it up..." She walked over to the door. "You have to pick up the pieces. I can't fix it, but I can sure as hell try to clear it up." She snatched the message, swung around and jumped back into bed. She clutched the letter in her hands. 'Here goes...'
After months of effort, Byakuya was finally back to his old routine. He'd be lying if he claimed he was wholly himself again, but considering the circumstances, he was very close. He was on one of his rare breaks, quietly reading 'Memoirs of the Greatest Captain' at his desk that mild morning.
"Brother?" Rukia called from down the hall. Byakuya continued reading his line. "Byakuya?" She was now outside his room. "Byakuya!"
"Yes, Rukia; what is it?" He acted as if he had only just heard her call.
"You have a written message. It looks like it's originally from Squad 4, but it's been forwarded from the Shihouin Estate."
"Bring it to me." Rukia slid open his door, closing it behind her.
"Byakuya, I don't mean to intrude, but do you think this is regarding-"
"Yes, it is." He took the letter. Rukia was one of the only people that knew of his current predicament. She knew something had been bothering him, and when she asked about the child's wellbeing, he couldn't lie to her. Byakuya reached for a penknife within a drawer and peeled along the edge of the envelope. Resting the knife, he stared down at what he held.
"Sorry – I should leave," Rukia insisted.
"Do whatever you wish," he said. Rukia twitched, but stood still.
"No – I'm here for you no matter what," she said. Byakuya didn't look at her, but he subtly bowed his head in relief. He carefully pulled out the paper from the envelope and unfolded it.
'Pre-natal paternity test results:
Important Information:
The results of this test are only 95% accurate. Part of the samples used where taken from the Squad 12 genetic database. Please be aware that such information may have been stored since birth and not updated. Though it is highly unlikely, there is always a possibility that the genetic information of that subject is outdated, hence why it is recommended a direct sample is taken for tests such as these. For this reason, we welcome appeals. Secondary investigations may be carried out where appropriate. Any disputes must be handled by the Maternal and Paternal Welfare Department of Squad 4. Details of this organisation are attached.
Case no.: 1863567
Primary patient details: Shihouin Yoruichi, Female, 156 cm, 45kg (at 18.6 weeks pregnant)
Reason for request: personal, legal
Possible fathers: 2
Details of possible fathers/secondary patients:
1) Kuchiki Byakuya, Male, 180cm, 64kg – direct DNA sample received? NO*
2) Urahara Kisuke, Male, 183cm, 69kg – direct DNA sample received? NO*
*Please read important information above.
Request accepted? YES
Results (undisputed):
...
...
...
KUCHIKI, Byakuya – NEGATIVE.
URAHARA, Kisuke – POSITIVE.
...
...
...
Further information:
The test revealed a significant genetic match between primary patient SHIHOUIN and secondary patient URAHARA for female case 1863567...'
Byakuya stopped reading.
"Well, is it good?" Rukia nervously asked. Byakuya slowly folded the paper back into the envelope.
"Yoruichi is having a girl..." he said.
"A girl? That's great!" Rukia laughed nervously. "So-"
"I will not be involved in her life." He didn't shout, but it was as if those words echoed throughout the walls of the manor.
Byakuya still hadn't looked Rukia in the eye. She gulped hard.
"She's...she's not yours?" Rukia shook her head. "But you felt something...you said it was yours...Yoruichi said..." Rukia reached for the message in his hand. He snatched the envelope from her.
"I will NOT be involved, Rukia. Neither will you. We must move forward from this." He stood up, searching a drawer. He unsheathed a match. Rukia's eyes shot open.
"No, this can't be it. Are you sure it's accurate?"
"It is."
"But what will you tell everyone? The word's already out about the pregnancy – everyone thinks you're the father! How could Yoruichi do this-"
"Enough, Rukia!" Byakuya forcefully pushed his chair under the desk. "Enough. Those are just rumours – they will fade. No formal announcement was ever made about the pregnancy. As for Lady Yoruichi...well, we all make mistakes. I said let's move forward from this." He scratched the match against the side of the desk, lighting a flame. The fire burned back within his grey eyes.
"Byakuya..."
Byakuya set the paper alight, pinching at its edge. They watched the flame slowly eat away the message. He shook the sheet to stop the burning just before it reached his thumb.
"It's over now," he said. Rukia pulled out the chair from the desk and sat, slouched. Byakuya finally looked at her. Her eyes were shimmering – she was holding back.
"You know," she said softly, "When I found out, I had so many plans. I was going to take her to the human world and-"
"I'd never allow that."
"Ah." Rukia smiled weakly. "I guess you wouldn't, would you?" She looked up at her brother, trying not to cry. "What...would you have called her...if she was yours?"
Byakuya placed the remaining burnt paper on the desk, staring at it. At that moment, Rukia could have sworn she saw a slight smile twitch onto his mouth.
"Sakura; Sakura Kuchiki."
Yoruichi didn't know how much longer she could do this. 'It's like I can't move...my legs are killing me...' Transforming into her cat form had become increasingly difficult while pregnant, but she had little option on how to travel to the human world to tell Urahara of the news. When she arrived at the shop, it was early afternoon and no-one seemed to be around. Before, she could have easily pounced onto the roof, but her knees were much weaker now. Instead, she opted to walk around the shop. On approach she saw Tessai at the back, chopping wood.
"Tessai!" She startled him, but he kept his cool.
"Yoruichi...! It's been a long time. How are things?" He kept his question very general.
"I've got my health," she said. Tessai smiled.
"That's good to hear."
"How's Jinta and Ururu?"
"Very good, indeed. They must be running about somewhere." Tessai resumed his wood-chopping. Yoruichi didn't have too much time for small talk.
"Is Kisuke in? I need to see him."
"I'm right here." The backdoor of the shop crept open. Yoruichi nodded at Tessai and made her way through the door, following Urahara's voice. He followed the path to his room. Yoruichi left her casual demeanour outside, now feeling anxious. Once they entered, he closed the door behind them. Urahara then fumbled around a pile of semi-clean clothes and tossed Yoruichi a kimono.
"Thank you," she said. She transformed back into her human form, and clothed herself. Urahara sat opposite her on the tatame mat.
"You returned quickly," he began, removing his hat. He ruffled his hair. Yoruichi remembered she missed that about him as she sat. "How are you?"
"I'm fine." Yoruichi couldn't look him in the eye for more than a second. The whole situation was almost surreal. "So Kisuke, I received-"
"The results of the test?"
Urahara looked concerned. 'Why does he have that look?' she thought. 'Has he guessed it already? Does he know? Or is he sad because he thinks it might not be him?' Yoruichi bit her lip. 'Why am I not happy either? I mean...we're best friends – doesn't this kind of stuff eventually happen?'
"Yoruichi," he interrupted her train of thought. "It's me, isn't it? I did this to you."
'He knows.'
"Kisuke," Yoruichi tried to sound as happy as possible. "We're having a baby...together." He threw his head back, almost in frustration.
"No, Yoruichi." The afternoon breeze hit her for a moment.
"No...? What do you mean by 'did this to you'...? Kisuke-"
"We can't have a baby, Yoruichi. Period." Urahara stood up, facing the open window. "Woooow...wow." He patted his cheeks as if to wake himself up from a dream. Yoruichi thought she had ran out of tears, but another found itself running along her jaw line. She was tired of crying – tired of this. She had never cried so much in her life – 'Yoruichi Shihouin' did not cry.
"You've got to be kidding me, right?" But these were angry tears. This is not how she'd imaged it'd play out. Urahara was the perfect father – he had to be.
"Why now? Yoruichi, we've fooled around in the past a lot...I never actually thought that-"
"Thought what?!" Yoruichi almost exploded. "Thought we could spend the rest of our lives together? It would have worked out either way – as a family or as friends!" Urahara turned to face her.
"Calm down and think this through. Did you actually think I'd be happy? Are you crazy? Yoruichi, I've been exiled! I don't have half of what you have – even when I was in the Soul Society. It's not like I can just regain my place there. Plus, Jinta and Ururu are enough work as it is...I can't have a child. Not now – not ever." Yoruichi clenched her fists. She had already suffered her losses – she was not about to let her baby take a blow too.
"Well you're in great luck because you have a little girl on the way! Bastard!"
"Yoruichi, please think this through... You have your whole life ahead of you – you're the Goddess of Flash. You can still abort...Mayuri has this pill that-"
"This can't be happening...this can't..." She slowly stood up, wiping her eyes. Urahara tried to comfort her, but she pushed his hand away. "Don't touch me...!"
"Yoruichi-"
She slapped him.
Urahara took a step back.
"I can't have a kid, Yoruichi. I can't support one. I'm sorry." Yoruichi held her tummy, tasting her tears.
"No...I'm sorry that I trusted you over h-..." She shook her head.
"I'm sorry I thought you were better."
Note: Ah...the story continues! It must come to an end soon! Perhaps in the next chapter? I have to think about it...it depends on my pacing. But don't worry guys this won't finish without a little more love!