Chapter 22: I Love You to Death

"Renji," Byakuya said, leaning over to kiss the redhead awake, "You asked me to wake you in time for the vice captain's meeting. You have a half hour to get ready."

Renji rolled over, blinking and rubbing his eyes.

"Aw, hell. I hate those stupid meetings! They spend half the time arguing and the other half gossiping! Can't we send the third seat? No…wait! Don't answer that! I don't want to hear it!"

"Get up Abarai," Byakuya said sternly, "or the next time you suggest a 'break' in the early part of the day, I will decline the invitation."

Renji sat up, groaning.

"That's pretty harsh, Captain," he complained, "You didn't seem to have any problem taking a 'break!'"

"No," Byakuya agreed, "but I also got up, showered and returned to work after. You decided to further squander your time by sleeping!"

"I thought you said I earned the privilege!" Renji objected.

"Yes, well, quite a bit of work piled up while you were sleeping. In any case, that meeting starts soon."

"All right, I'm up…see?" he said, tossing a pillow at Byakuya, "I'm going to take a quick shower. Want to join me?"

Byakuya sighed.

"I would, but unfortunately, I have a captain's meeting soon and a few of the files I need for it are at the manor."

"Ah, right, captain's meeting. I forgot. Hey, kick Kurotsuchi's ass for me while you're there! You know, Kisuke said the way he planned to return you to human form was barbaric and 'didn't work worth a shit.' I'd like to take that guy's zanpakutou and shove it…"

"An interesting idea," Byakuya said, raising an eyebrow, "but I think he'll be busy fending off more than a few questions about his activities."

"Will you be coming back here after or going home?"

"I'll meet you here. I'll have a final report to file and we can walk home together."

"It's a date!" Renji said, smiling.

Byakuya watched longingly as Renji walked into the bathroom, but sighed softly and left the captain's quarters, closing the door softly behind him. He walked out to his desk and picked up a file. As he stood, looking through it, a sudden flash of light startled him. He looked around quickly, then out the window, but saw nothing. Shaking his head, he set the file down and left the office, starting back along the street leading to Kuchiki Manor. As he walked past an intersection, another bright flash down the side street on his right caught his attention. Byakuya placed a hand on his zanpakutou and turned in the direction of the flash.

He walked slowly down the street and found himself standing in front of a dark colored two story building that was giving off odd currents. He sensed Shuji's reiatsu and froze for a moment…but the reiatsu seemed weak, as though it had been there for some time. He took a breath and pushed the door open.

The inside was dark and several areas were marked off with yellow tape. Byakuya walked slowly across the room and started up the stairs. At the top of the stairs, he paused, feeling as though he was being watched. He felt an icy coldness in the pit of his stomach, but swallowed hard and forced it away. He walked into the bedroom. He could see where the pictures had been attached to walls and ceiling, but they were gone now…removed as evidence. A picture was lying facedown on the floor. Thinking it had been left behind, he picked it up. He turned it over to look at it and froze.

The picture was of him with Renji, standing in front of the senkaimon. A second picture on the floor caught his eye. He picked it up and stared. It was a picture of him addressing the council. He extended his senses, but sensed no one in the building. He started down the stairs and as he made his way back to the front door, he found a picture of him entering the Squad Six office. His breathing quickened and he stepped out in front of the building and looked around. The street was empty.

Byakuya returned to the street that led to the manor, shaking his head and thinking that it had to be his cousin playing games with his mind. It was just the kind of sick game Orochi would play. Orochi had been equally venomous as a child. He wondered briefly if it wouldn't have been better to let Renji kill him while he had the chance…but of course that would have resulted in the clan ordering Renji's death.

Another flash of light startled him out of his reverie. Byakuya looked carefully around, but saw nothing and no one who looked as though they could have been responsible for the flash of light. Shaking his head to clear it, he ignored the sick feeling in his stomach and walked on.

He sighed with relief as he reached the manor and passed through the front gates. The housekeeper greeted him cordially and he returned the greeting and turned down the hallway toward his room. He felt his heart slowing and calm returning now that he had reached the manor. He made a mental note to have Renji return with him to Shuji's apartment the next day to conduct a thorough search for any remaining photographs. He planned to check the reiatsu more closely to see if there were any signs of who was trying to unnerve him.

"Byakuya…" a hissing voice whispered.

The noble froze, listening deeply, but heard nothing more. He waited for several minutes before entering his room. The room was uncharacteristically dark and somewhat cold. Of course, he and Renji hadn't been in the room together since before he had been transformed. He shivered softly, remembering. He suddenly wished Renji would decide to skip the vice captain's meeting and come home instead. He walked to the nightstand and picked up the file he had come to retrieve. As he did, several pictures fell out and Byakuya's heart began to race.

They were pictures of Shuji, lying naked on top of Byakuya in Byakuya and Renji's bed. He looked around quickly and extended his reiatsu, but again, did not sense anyone nearby.

"This isn't real," he whispered, "It's just a cruel joke. Shuji is dead. He is dead."

He heard a soft noise issue from the bathroom and silently moved across the room to investigate. Looking in, he saw nothing that could have caused the sound. He turned and moved into the dressing area. Strangely, his red nightclothes were lying on the floor. He crossed to the dressing area and picked them up, studying them carefully. He felt a chill pass through him as he realized that he sensed Shuji's reiatsu on them. But it made sense. Shuji had been in the room. There was bound to be residual reiatsu.

He placed the clothes in the clothes hamper and stood. As he did, he caught a reflection in the mirror that froze the blood in his veins. The file dropped from his hand and he backed away from the mirror, his eyes wide.

It was Shuji's reflection…but his face was distorted by a hollow mask. He turned quickly and saw no one behind him. He turned back to find that the reflection was gone. He stood for a moment, breathing deeply and trying to decide what to do. Renji would still be in the vice captain's meeting and he was going to be late for the captain's meeting if he did not leave soon.

He walked back to where he had dropped the file and bent to retrieve it. As he stood, he realized suddenly that the image of Shuji had appeared in the mirror again. He trembled softly, staring at it and stepping backward. As he backed away, he bumped into someone and gasped in surprise. Strong arms took hold of him and he felt something prick his skin. He tried to use a kido attack, but whatever had been released into his system was rapidly draining his spirit energy. He tried to call out, but found himself unable to speak. Even reaching out with his mind for Senbonzakura gained no results. His legs went weak and he found himself being lifted and carried back to the bed. His eyes refused to focus and his head spun wildly. Hands were methodically taking hold of his clothes, removing them and then replacing them with the red nightclothes he had been wearing when Shuji had attacked him before.

"You look much more comfortable, Byakuya," Shuji said, stroking his face.

"S-stop!" he gasped, blinking and trying to focus.

Shuji is dead! He's dead! This can't be happening!

"Shh, be quiet, now. It's time for us to go."

Byakuya struggled against the haze enshrouding his mind, forcing his legs into motion, kicking wildly and breaking free. He rolled off of the bed and pushed himself to his feet, then gasped harshly as a body came down on his, forcing him to the floor and holding him there. He felt another sharp prick on his skin and the room began to fade around him.

"Do not fight me anymore," a low voice warned him, "You will damage yourself and you could ruin everything. It isn't time for you to die…yet."

He was dragged back to the bed and forced down. He heard the clicking of a camera advancing and light flashed in his hazed eyes, blinding him.

"N-no…Sh-shuji!"

"Do you think I am that pathetic creature I let you think I was? I fooled you, didn't I? I fooled all of you…even your snaky cousin! I promise you that I am not at all what you thought I was…not at all!"

"You…you were…a hollow? All along?" Byakuya panted dizzily, "How?"

"I am what is known as a Sleeper Hollow. I am able to appear as a shinigami at will to conceal myself. I was the prototype for one of Ichimaru Gin's experiments, but I escaped his laboratory and secreted myself in the desert. Once I realized my power, I went to the Seireitei, where I first spotted you. I was designed to focus on one target…and the target Gin programmed into me before my escape, was you, Byakuya. I concealed myself and moved ever closer to you. I placed myself carefully in a position to acquire you, but something went terribly wrong. You see…I was the one behind the attack on your training group here. If not for that ridiculous Takashi, I would have taken you that day! You remember the flashes of light that distracted you, right? That was me…taking a picture before I would have taken you."

"You…you…"

"I was in the Seireitei and I discovered your plan to travel to Hueco Mundo for training. I planned that attack. I would have succeeded if not for that kid! I tried again to take you when you were a human, but you escaped. Then your cousin came to kill me. I let him think he succeeded, then waited for things to be resolved and for you to return to the Seireitei. Now I will take you as I planned."

"Wha-what are you…going to…do?"

Shuji smiled.

"Gin developed the Sleeper Hollow to infiltrate the Gotei 13. I was built to infiltrate, acquire a target and use it to reproduce. The newly made sleepers then continue the pattern, expanding the number of sleepers until the target area is overwhelmed. You see, you are going to be part of something huge…the end of the Seireitei. Because we will reproduce and expand in numbers until the Seireitei holds no more shinigami."

"What…happens when everything is gone?"

Shuji laughed softly.

"The hollows will take over everything. There won't be anyone left to oppose us. We will no longer suffer under the tyranny of the shinigamis!"

He kissed Byakuya lightly on the lips.

"So you see, you are part of something very important. I will suck the life out of you and make you over into another like me…and once you share my power, we can reproduce and create an army of Sleeper Hollows, each designed to capture, kill or acquire more shinigami. You will return to the Seireitei, looking as if nothing ever happened, but while they wonder what is happening and shake their heads, you will bring their society down around their ears!"

Byakuya shook his head in disbelief. He struggled against the bony hands that held him and tried to cry out. Shuji bound his hands and lifted him, then walked blithely out into the garden and slashed the sky, opening a garganta. As several stunned servants came into the garden, the hollow carried Byakuya to the garganta and stepped through.

XXXXXXXXXX

Renji sat at his desk, restlessly drinking a cup of tea and poring over reports. Byakuya was late…and far later then he should have been. Renji sighed and wondered what could be keeping him. He hoped it wasn't more trouble. They had had their share of that lately and the two of them, Renji decided, were about due for a vacation.

"Vice Captain Abarai, sir," Rikichi said, interrupting his thoughts, "these are the other files you asked for. I would have been back sooner, but Captain Kurotsuchi was in the library area doing research and he always kind of scares me, so I…"

"Yeah, okay Rikichi, just give me the reports."

The boy handed him the files and started out of the room. Renji shook his head and continued reading. But as he did so, something began to nag at him. Something wasn't right. Something wasn't right with…

"Vice Captain Abarai?"

He looked up to find Tadashi and Nia standing in front of his desk.

"We were told to report here for duty, sir, as per Captain Kuchiki's order."

"Right," he said, his mind still distracted.

"Sir," said Tadashi, "Is everything okay?"

"Not really," said Renji as Rikichi re-entered the room.

Renji felt his heart beginning to race.

"Rikichi…" Renji said slowly.

"Hai, Vice Captain."

"Did you just tell me…that Captain Kurotsuchi was…in the library?"

"Hai…in the library," the boy confirmed.

"But…there was a captain's meeting…" Renji began.

"Oh, that got out a long time ago," Rikichi said, turning back, "Sir, is something wrong?"

"Has there been any word from Captain Kuchiki since then?" Renji asked, a cold feeling forming in the pit of his stomach.

"No sir. Not since he left here hours ago."

Renji came to his feet and slipped Zabimaru into his belt.

"Vice Captain Abarai?" Rikichi queried as he headed for the door.

Renji ignored him. He heard Tadashi say something to Nia and registered that they were following, but he was unable to think about anything but Byakuya. He flash stepped to the first division and ran inside. The doors to the meeting room were open and there was no one inside. He shot back out the door and headed toward home. As he flash stepped, he caught sight of Ukitake and Shunsui walking together. He stopped and bowed.

"Sirs, if you will excuse me…" he said respectfully.

"Good to see you, Abarai," said Ukitake, smiling, "We were just talking about you and Byakuya. We were wondering if you were the reason he missed the captain's meeting…"

"He wasn't at the captain's meeting?" Renji asked, his heart sinking.

"No," said Shunsui, "We thought, perhaps that in the chaos of everything that happened, he must have forgotten."

"Byakuya never misses captain's meetings!"

Ukitake furrowed his brow.

"You think something is wrong?"

"I don't know," Renji said, turning, "but I know he would never miss a captain's meeting!"

The three shinigami raced to the manor and ran through the gate and into the gardens. As they turned the corner, they slid to a stop, staring. A detachment of Squad Two was searching around the grounds.

"What the hell?"

Renji approached a huddled group of servants.

"What happened? Where is Byakuya?"

"We…we saw him taken…" one of them stammered, "It was that photographer…the one that stayed here…but…but he was…a hollow!"

Renji ran into the bedroom where a group of shinigami was carefully studying the scene. He stopped as he reached the bed and felt his heart drop. Byakuya's uniform lay on the neatly made bed. And lying on top of it was one of Shuji's pictures of him with Byakuya…only the background had been changed to the desert of Hueco Mundo and both Byakuya and Shuji wore hollow masks.

"Sir?" said Tadashi from the doorway, "Sir, what happened?"

"Are you two good at tracing reiatsu?" he asked sharply.

"Yes, sir," replied Tadashi, "Nia is the best tracker in our squad!"

"Then come with me!" Renji yelled, "That bastard took him to Hueco Mundo! We have to get to him before it's too late!"