Chapter 9: The Honor Killing

Byakuya was swift to notice that as Shuji left the room, the door did not close all of the way. As soon as his footsteps disappeared down the hallway, Byakuya slipped out of the room and slipped into the room next to his. He meant only to use the window to leave the room, but as the light from the hallway leaked in, Byakuya caught his breath in surprise. Photographs covered the table and nightstand…photographs of him. More than a few showed him spread out on a bed with Shuji leaning over him. Byakuya's heart was racing madly. How could he have been this man's lover? But…if he was Shuji's lover, then why did he look so lifeless in the pictures? If they were lovers, then wouldn't he be responding to Shuji? And if they were lovers, then why did the man's touch make his very skin crawl. Byakuya felt his body shaking and he reflexively backed toward the door.

"I didn't intend for you to find out this way," Shuji said from the doorway, "I'm sorry, Byakuya, I'm afraid I haven't told you everything. I was waiting, you see. I was waiting to see if it would come back to you."

Byakuya turned and met Shuji's eyes. They remained warm, but Byakuya felt a coldness beneath them. He backed toward the window.

"Byakuya," Shuji, "It's okay. I know it must seem strange to you to find the pictures of us making love, but then…that's what lovers do, right? They make love."

He stepped forward slowly.

"You're shaking, Byakuya. Why? It's just me. I won't hurt you. I promise I won't. Come with me. We'll go back to your room and we'll talk. You don't want to stay in here. I see the pictures have upset you."

He reached Byakuya and placed a hand on his face. Slowly, he leaned forward and brought their lips together. Byakuya tried to pull away, then found himself falling. He struck the table with his hip as he went down and it broke and toppled, sending the pictures flying in all directions. Shuji dropped down on top of him, holding him down and reaching for the pendant he wore. Byakuya forced his hands away from it and twisted away. Shuji moved with him and forced him down again, then brought his lips to the restrained man's ear.

"Why are you fighting me? Don't you feel it, Byakuya? We're lovers. You don't need to run from me. I'm not going to hurt you. I love you. I just want you. Make love to me, Byakuya…make love to me now."

Byakuya twisted his hips and pushed hard with both hands and managed to throw Shuji off to one side. He rolled to his feet as Shuji calmly brought a hand to the pendant at his throat.

Byakuya felt the squeezing sensation beginning in his chest and threw himself across the bed. As Shuji rose up next to the bed, Byakuya opened the window and scrambled toward it. Shuji grabbed him roughly from behind, trying to pull him back. Shaking from the feeling of pressure and barely able to breathe, Byakuya kicked hard and connected with some part of Shuji's body firmly enough that the hands on him released and he tumbled through the window. He counted himself fortunate that they had been on the first floor and that he hadn't fallen onto hard pavement, but thick grass in dirt made into mud by the rain. He rolled to his feet, feeling relief from the awful pressure. He broke into a run as Shuji burst through the window behind him.

"Byakuya, stop!" Shuji called after him.

Byakuya was grateful for the large number of people on the street as he turned the corner. Couples walked hand in hand between the restaurants and nightclubs, giving no notice to the frantic looking man trying to lose himself in the crowd. He felt sudden pressure and knew Shuji was close, so he ducked behind people and edged towards one of the dance clubs.

He managed to slip inside, but saw that Shuji had spotted him. He moved into the throng of dancers, moving carefully as the people around him bobbed and swayed to the pounding music. Someone wrapped their arms around him and pulled him close. He found himself dancing with a woman dressed in a sleek gold dress with a flashy golden wrap. She slipped it around his shoulders and turned him away as Shuji's eyes scanned the room, then she leaned in close to speak into his ear. He could barely hear the words over the music.

"Is 'Creepy' over there giving you trouble?" she asked.

He pulled her closer and brought his lips to her ear.

"I just need to get out of here without him seeing me," he said, hiding his face in her hair.

Her lips brushed against his throat.

"You got it, Cutie."

She turned him away again as Shuji started across the room.

"When we get to the tables behind you, drop and I'll find myself another partner."

As they moved toward the tables, Byakuya kept his face buried in her hair.

"Why are you helping me?" he asked quietly.

He felt her smiling into his shoulder.

"I don't know. Just saw you bust in here looking all frantic and thought I'd help. Besides…I couldn't let a creep like that get his hands on a beauty like you! Are you ready then?"

Byakuya nodded.

"Now!"

He dropped to the floor and crawled along beneath the tables, careful to avoid the legs and feet of the ones who sat alongside the dance floor. He regained his feet at the end of the tables and looked back.

Shuji's head turned and for one heart stopping moment, Byakuya thought he had been seen. He felt the breath leave his body. But a moment later, Shoji turned away and continued to scan the room with his eyes. Byakuya turned and burst through the back door and found himself in a dark alley behind the dance club. He ran toward the nearest corner and rounded it in a run. As he started down the next alleyway, he felt a somewhat different pressure sweep down, closing in on him. He slid to a stop, his heart pounding wildly as he looked all around.

He couldn't see the other, but he felt a presence in front of him and the pressure grew intense. A strong hand took hold of his throat and he felt the closeness of a body, the touch of icy breath on his skin.

"Who are you?" he gasped, unable to pull free, "Why can't I see you?"

He heard soft laughter.

"I am Tadashi," he whispered into Byakuya's ear, and Byakuya felt a shiver of fear pass through him, "You're trembling, Byakuya…and you should be. Because I am about to become your executioner!"

Byakuya gasped sharply as something sharp was driven through his midsection. One hand still held him by the shoulder and the other held the weapon that was buried in his body. Byakuya stood frozen against the one he couldn't see, fighting to draw breath. He felt the breath of the other on his skin again and heard the soft voice in his ear.

"This is what I felt when I heard that you were using my brother for sex. It is the fate you deserve for taking advantage of someone so devoted to you. And when I pull my blade out of you, you will pay Takashi back for saving your worthless life!"

He held Byakuya against him for a moment longer, then calmly tore the weapon free. Blood exploded around them and Byakuya felt that he had been released. He sank to his knees, feeling the blood coursing down his body and tasting it in his mouth. He fell forward onto the ground and laid, unable to move. He felt the release of the pressure as his attacker moved away.

He was alone in the alley, his blood pooling around him. He realized suddenly that if he died here, he had no idea who, or even if anyone would know or miss him. He couldn't help but wonder as his consciousness faded.

Who am I leaving behind?

He was vaguely surprised to hear running footsteps and someone calling his name. Suddenly, he remembered whose voice it was…and the touch of the arms that wrapped around him and lifted him.

"Renji," he whispered, tears coming to his eyes.

It was all coming back to him in startling color and life as the blood drained out of him.

Renji lifted Byakuya's blood soaked body into his arms and turned back to the others who had arrived with him.

"I'll get Orihime and meet you at Kisuke's," Yoruichi said quickly.

She disappeared in a blinding flash step.

"Hanatarou is already there," Ichigo said, staring at Byakuya in dismay, "He should be able to help until Orihime gets there."

Renji nodded and flash stepped away with Rukia and Ichigo on his heels. They reached Urahara's shop in record time and burst inside. Kisuke turned in surprise, then saw the injured man in Renji's arms and motioned toward an open door. Renji carried Byakuya into the room and set him down on the bed as Hanatarou ran into the room. The healer leaned over Byakuya, extending his hands and calling his healing power to life.

"Wha…Is this a gigai?" Hanatarou asked in confusion.

"No," Renji said, gazing worriedly at Byakuya, "He was somehow transformed. His body is human."

"H-human?" Hanatarou stammered, "Captain K-Kuchiki? How?"

"You remember that not long ago, Byakuya and I were involved in a nasty conflict in Hueco Mundo. As we fought to escape, a hollow tried to attack Byakuya. A young shinigami named Taksahi jumped in between them and killed the hollow, but was killed, himself. Afterward, a false story went around that Byakuya had been intimate with the shinigami who died trying to save him. Byakuya was suspended while the case was investigated. He was barred from speaking to the family of the shinigami or even speaking to the members of his own squad. It turns out that the picture used to implicate him was manipulated. But the damage was done. Takashi's twin brother, Tadashi, decided that he wanted to avenge his brother. He knew that the twelfth division was secretly testing a human form. The form was faulty and Captain Kurotsuchi said it was worthless…but Tadashi stole the technology and used it to transform Byakuya. Once he was human, Tadashi sent him to the living world, then followed him, waiting to get him alone and kill him in a game of cat and mouse."

"How did you find all of this out?" asked Rukia.

"Yoruichi came to the Seireitei and we tracked Byakuya to the old research building in the twelfth division. Tadashi's sister, Nia, was there and she told us what Tadashi had done. Problem is…Nia doesn't know how to get Byakuya back to shinigami form. Tadashi knows, but he disappeared after stabbing Byakuya. We need to find out how to get him back to shinigami form…after we heal him, that is."

"It's easier said than done, I'm afraid," said Hanatarou, frowning, "This human form is very sensitive to spirit energy. It is feeling heavy pressure just being in our presence."

Kisuke nodded.

"I'll get some of those moderators for us. That will take some of the pressure off, but as far as the human form and the transformation, we may be in trouble."

"What do you mean?" asked Renji, "You know about it? How do we get him out of this?"

"I don't know that yet. What I do know is that the technology for creating this human form was created while I led the twelfth division. I ordered it destroyed after several shinigami died in the testing stages. Some of the problem was in the instability of the form and some was in the return process. The researchers on the project figured out that to return the spirit to shinigami form, you have to send the spirit into its inner world. Once there, it faces its zanpakuto. Unfortunately, facing a wild zanpakuto with no powers is tantamount to suicide. They couldn't find a way around it. I'm afraid Byakuya here is in a whole mess of trouble. He has to live long enough for me to figure out how to help him defeat his zanpakuto in his inner world with no powers."

Kisuke left the room and returned a few minutes later with the spirit energy moderators.

"Keep these on when you're around him or your spiritual pressure will crush him."

He turned to look at Hanatarou as the young healer gave a gasp of dismay.

"What is it?"

"My healing power…" Hanatarou gasped, "I…I think it's making things worse!"

Kisuke dropped to his knees next to Byakuya and quickly studied his reiatsu.

"Damn, kid, I think you're right. The power is too much for him. Well, you managed to stop the bleeding…but we'd best hope Orihime's power doesn't have the same effect or we're going to lose him."

A moment later, Orihime burst into the room with Yoruichi on her heels. The girl dropped down next to Byakuya and called forth her power. The others watched in silence as the golden power flared.

"Is it working?" Renji asked finally.

Kisuke moved in alongside Orihime.

"Yeah," he said in a relieved tone, "It seems to be working. He's still reacting to the spirit energy, but then her power rejects the reaction. It's also rejecting the injury. It's just taking a long time because of his sensitivity to the power."

"Hang in there…" Renji whispered in Byakuya's ear, "Don't leave me…"

Ichigo turned to Kisuke.

"Hey…if Orihime can reject the injury, then can't she reject the transformation?"

Kisuke shook his head.

"It doesn't work that way. You see, part of what happened in the transformation was that Byakuya's life as a shinigami actually ended when he became human. Normally, going from shinigami to human would leave no trace of memory…but the process was imperfect. Byakuya probably had some memory of his existence as a shinigami."

"Wait a minute," Renji said, "Do you mean that the transformation killed him? That he isn't himself anymore?"

"Not exactly. As I said, the process was flawed, so his spirit reacted as though his shinigami form had died when he became human. So if Orihime tried to reject it, it would only return him to the first moment of life as a human. It wouldn't give him back his shinigami form. The only way to do that is by sending his spirit into his inner world to reconnect with his zanpakutou. But because he is now human and without power, his zanpakutou will attack him. We have to find a way around that."

"So how do we send him to his inner world?" asked Rukia.

"Just let me worry about that," said Kisuke cryptically, "For right now, let's just focus on keeping him alive."

Orihime extended her hands and focused on the golden light over Byakuya. Her brow furrowed and she sighed softly with effort.

"The damage is healing, but it's happening very, very slowly," she said softly.

"Is he going to be all right?" asked Renji.

"Yes," Orihime answered with certainty, "I won't lose him. He is going to live."

By the time the healing was finished, morning had come. Seeing that Byakuya was going to be all right, Kisuke shooed everyone off to other rooms to catch up on lost sleep. As soon as the others had left, Renji slipped into bed next to Byakuya and wrapped himself around his lover's body. As he drifted off, Byakuya turned in his arms and latched onto him, clinging to him tightly.

"Just sleep now," Renji whispered, "kissing Byakuya's soft, warm lips, "Orihime healed you. You're going to be fine."

"Renji…" Byakuya whispered, tightening his hands, "Renji…"