Chapter 7: Waking Up Alive

Byakuya groaned and tried in vain to force his eyes open. His body felt strangely heavy and sluggish. His head throbbed painfully and left him feeling shaky and nauseous.

"Can you hear me, Byakuya?" an echoing voice said.

"B-Byakua?" he gasped questioningly.

"He's coming around, but he's not lucid just yet. So…you say he has had one of these episodes before?"

"Yes, I'm afraid he has," said a soft, somehow familiar voice, "a couple of times. We don't know why it happens."

Byakuya managed to open his eyes. The room was fuzzy and dark at first, but slowly began to resolve around him. Gradually, one big blur became a white-clad doctor. The other…the other…

Byakuya felt a squeezing sensation in his chest as the other man stepped closer and looked down at him. His chest heaved with the effort of breathing and sweat broke out on his forehead. The man with the doctor gave him a look of understanding and backed away. As he did, the weight on his body eased and Byakuya found that he could move again. He took several slow, deep breaths.

"Well," said the other man, "I will need to go home and prepare for him to stay with me. He lives alone and will not be able to care for himself for a few days."

"Very well, then," said the doctor, leaning over him.

He looked down into Byakuya's eyes.

"So you're awake now," he said kindly, "Do you know where you are?"

"I know that you are a doctor," Byakuya answered as a light was shone into his eyes.

It triggered a memory. He remembered lying on a bed, unable to move. A light was flashing again and again…

"Byakuya?" said the doctor, recapturing his attention, "Do you know what city you are in?"

He shook his head.

"You are in Karakura Town, Central Hospital. Does it sound familiar to you?"

Byakuya thought deeply. Karakura Town…It did sound familiar.

"I am not certain," he admitted, "though it does sound familiar."

He tried to sit up, but the doctor pushed him back gently. Byakuya felt a sick, dizzy feeling sweep through him again. He let his head fall back on the pillow.

"Byakuya, do you remember if something caused you to lose consciousness?" the doctor asked.

"No," Byakuya replied, looking up at him, "I remember flashes of things, but everything is hazy, like it happened to someone else."

The doctor nodded.

"Well, that happens sometimes. I want you to remain here tonight so that we can monitor you and see if we can figure out what caused this to happen to you. We know from your friend that…"

"Renji?" Byakuya blurted out, then he stopped, wondering where the name had come from.

"Almost," the doctor said, smiling, "Shuji. He just went to prepare his home for you to stay with him while you recover. You should not be left alone for a few days. Rest now, Byakuya. You just need to rest and let everything come back to you. The nurse will be by to check on you during the night. If you need anything, she will help you."

"Arigatou," Byakuya said, closing his eyes again.

But he could not sleep. He was trying too hard to remember. There were flashes, bits and pieces…some faces and voices. He remembered sakura trees…a waterfall…something soft touching his skin…a pair of warm brown eyes…falling. None of it made sense.

"How are you feeling, Mr., uh, Mr. Kuchiki?"

"C-call me Byakuya," he said, flinching at the touch of the cold stethoscope.

"Okay then, Byakuya. How are you feeling now?" she went on, briefly shining a light into his eyes.

Byakuya winced and tried to turn his head away from the light. The nurse smiled patiently and put a hand on his face to hold his head steady. She tried again to shine the light in his eyes.

"What's wrong?" she asked in a kind voice, "Does the light hurt your eyes?"

He didn't know what to say about the memory it triggered. He swallowed hard and held still while she checked each eye, then moved on to check his temperature and blood pressure.

"You have lovely eyes, Byakuya," the nurse said, smiling, "Do you get them from your mother or your father?"

He tried to come up with an image, but nothing came to him.

"I…ah…"

"Oh, it's okay," the nurse went on, "Doctor Hitomi said that you were still a bit confused. I was just checking to see if you were lucid. You seem clear enough, but…are you having trouble remembering things?"

Byakuya sighed and nodded.

"Oh, well that should fade. You should be remembering things soon enough! Don't worry. Now, just lie back and rest for a bit. I'll be back later to make sure you're comfortable."

"Arigatou," Byakuya said softly.

The nurse's eyes twinkled merrily.

"You are very sweet, Byakuya. You have better manners than most of the men I watch over in here. Some of them are downright barbaric…but you…"

She brushed a hand against his cheek and Byakuya remembered the sensation. But it wasn't a feminine hand he remembered. The skin was rougher and tanned.

"Sleep well, Byakuya," the nurse said, putting out the light.

XXXXXXXXXX

"I think this is what you're looking for," Kisuke said, smiling at Shuji, "one handy, dandy little spirit energy moderator…for those shinigami/human couples troubled by issues of spirit energy sensitivity. I guarantee this will make her able to stand in your presence again!"

He laughed at Shuji's confused expression.

"It was a joke…you know, cause the spirit energy makes 'em fall down and kneel, get it?"

"Ah, yes," Shuji said, smiling briefly, "Thank you, Mr. Urahara. This is just what I needed, "He…I mean, she shouldn't have any more problems being close to me."

"Yeah," Kisuke said, grinning, "I know Soul Society frowns on us playing house with the humans, but some humans are just too much too resist, you know?"

"Yes," Shuji said, a flush coming to his cheeks, "Thanks again. I must go. My love awaits."

Kisuke watched as the man turned and hurried out the door.

"Go get her, Slick," he said, chuckling.

"What was that?" a voice said from somewhere behind him.

"Kisuke's smile widened.

"Ichigo! I thought you were busy today. What brings you over this way?"

Ichigo gave him a charming grin.

"I was kinda in the mood for some training," he said, flash stepping closer.

Kisuke's eyes narrowed.

"You want to train, eh? What kind of training are you in the mood for?"

"Ah…I dunno. You got any new tricks you can show me?" Ichigo said playfully.

Kisuke slipped an arm around the substitute shinigami and nipped at his lips.

"Let me see if I can get Tessai to watch the shop, then I'll show you all the tricks you want to see!"

They turned toward the kitchen, but stopped short as a hell butterfly fluttered toward them.

"Ah, hell!" Ichigo muttered, "Don't those guys ever take a day off?"

"It's for you, apparently," Kisuke said, frowning.

The butterfly settled on Ichigo's fingertip.

Ichigo, there's trouble here. Byakuya is missing. No one saw him leave the manor, so we don't know when he left. Something else is weird. There's a photographer who was working on some articles and photo layouts with us in them and he's gone too. I'm worried that he did something to Byakuya because we found some really revealing pictures and video of Byakuya hidden in his room. The guy's a freak! Rukia is on assignment there, so we need the two of you to keep an eye out for anything unusual…and we need you to let us know if you sense Byakuya's reiatsu.

Ichigo looked up at Kisuke.

"Damn…Byakuya's missing? I guess I'd better go and find Rukia. She's probably going to want to spend all night looking for him…"

"Do you blame her? He is her brother, after all."

Kisuke turned his head and stared out the window with a troubled expression. Ichigo's brow furrowed questioningly.

"What's up?" he asked, "Does it have something to do with Byakuya?"

"Don't know…" Kisuke said, chewing his lower lip for a moment, "It's just that there was a guy in here…photographer. Had a real nice camera…expensive. And he was talking a lot about stuff he'd photographed. He didn't mention Byakuya, but…"

"What was he buying?"

"Spirit energy moderator."

Ichigo gave him a questioning look.

"It's a device that reduces the effect of spirit energy on people who can't tolerate it. Doesn't sound like something that relates to Byakuya. Still…"

"You got a feeling about him?"

"Not sure…He just kind of left an odd taste in my mouth, you know?"

"Did he say where he was from?" Ichigo asked.

"Nah," Kisuke replied, shaking his head, "but he did mention that he was picking up his friend at the hospital…Karakura Central, I think he said."

Ichigo nodded.

"Well, it isn't much, but it's something. Tell you what. I'll get Rukia and we'll check out the hospital. If the photographer guy is there, maybe we can follow him."

"You want me to contact Renji? Tell him what's up?"

Ichigo considered the idea for a moment.

"No," he said finally, "If it turns out to be something, then we can send a hell butterfly. We don't want him wasting time here if it's nothing."

Kisuke nodded.

"Okay, get outta here. I've got work to do. I think I'll find Yoruichi and send her back to track the reiatsu. The only one close to Byakuya at tracking reiatsu is Yoruichi. If anyone can pick up his trail, she can."

"Rukia and I will come back as soon as we've checked out that hospital."

Kisuke nodded, then watched, sighing, as the shinigami flash stepped away.

XXXXXXXXXX

Renji walked slowly around the bedroom, carefully searching, but uncertain what he was looking for. Nothing jumped out at him right away. Everything seemed to be in order, but something seemed off.

"Damn!" he muttered, "I hate sucking at sensing reiatsu!" He stepped into the dressing area and found Byakuya's nightclothes hanging over the edge of the clothes hamper. He touched the fabric and felt an inexplicable shiver run through him.

"Something…" he whispered, picking up the clothing.

He studied it carefully, reading the reiatsu traces. He quickly came to the conclusion that there was an odd reiatsu trace on the soft fabric. It was barely readable, but…

"Wait…wait…I know this…"

He searched the room again, looking for the same reiatsu pattern. His head throbbed from the effort, but he continued looking until he had found several more traces. Next to one, he found an odd looking device that he decided must be some kind of reflection device. He searched more thoroughly and found several more. He tested the reflection and felt a sick feeling pass through him. The way they were set up, someone could stand outside in the doors and send a reflection through the relays and into the mirror.

"Shit! He wasn't seeing things! He was seeing that sick fucker standing outside of our bedroom!"

He looked worriedly out into the garden.

"Damn it, Byakuya! Where did he take you?"

XXXXXXXXXX

Byakuya watched the nurse walk out and waited until he was sure she was out of range of sight and hearing. He climbed out of bed and walked over to the window. His ears rang a bit and he still felt unsteady, but he also felt unnerved. He didn't like the looks they were giving him. He still remembered little more than scattered images and a few names. He had no idea where he came from, how he had gotten to the park, why he'd gone there or why he lost consciousness. Everything was a blur. He worried that the doctor would think he had lost his mind. He didn't want to end up confined to a mental facility, so he decided it would be better to slip away. He tried to open the window, but found that it was locked. He walked to the closet and found his clothing. As he dressed, he kept an eye on the door. It was fairly late at night and the nurses were at the desk, speaking in soft voices.

Byakuya worked his way slowly down the hall, using whatever cover he could find. He had to slip in behind a clothes bin and wait for a few minutes while one of the nurses spoke to a security guard. He heard the guard leave and listened as he waited for an opening to slip out the door.

"What do you think they'll do with the cutie in 314?" one asked the other quietly, "He's just gorgeous…and so quiet, too…just what I like in a man."

"Oh, well since he can't remember anything, I think they'll send him to Psych tomorrow for an evaluation."

"But what about the guy who came in with him?"

"Well…he isn't family, so unless he starts making some kind of sense, we have to keep him in Psych for treatment."

"That's no place for a sweetie like him," one nurse said softly, "The ones that really belong down there would eat him alive. I hope he starts remembering something. I'd hate to see him taken down there!"

Byakuya crawled past the desk and made his way to the stairwell. As soon as he was on the stairs, he abandoned all stealth and broke into a run. His body ached in protest, but the adrenaline had control of him. All he could think about was getting out of that place. He couldn't even consider which way to go. There was time for that later, when he had broken free of the hospital.

He reached the bottom of the stairs and opened the door into the lobby. No one seemed to notice him, so he walked calmly out the front doors, then turned to start down the street. As he stepped away, strong arms wrapped around him from behind. He struggled madly as a calm voice sounded in his ear.

"Hey, it's just me…" the man holding him said.

Byakuya felt relief run through his body, leaving him limp and tired in the other's arms.

"Renji…"

He turned toward the man holding him and a bolt of fear passed through him. It was the man who had claimed to know him. But…if he was a friend, then why did he feel such fear?"

"Shuji," the man said, turning him away from the hospital, "It's Shuji. You're just confused, Byakuya. Come with me. I'll take care of you."

"They were going to lock me up!" Byakuya said, leaning against Shuji.

Shuji slipped his arm around Byakuya's waist.

"Don't you worry about anything, Byakuya. They won't find you…no one will. I have you now and no one is going to take you away from me!"