Chapter 15: Taken In
Renji sat quietly in Unohana taichou's office in a chair next to Rukia, with Ichigo sitting on her other side…all of them frowning worriedly as they waited for the healer's return. The fourth division taichou walked into the room and all eyes watched as she sat down at her desk, holding an examination report in her hand.
"First," she said softly, "the three of you need to understand the precariousness of our situation. I am allowed under our rules to release information to Rukia and Tohma directly…and to any others only with the permission of one of those two. The information regarding Kuchiki taichou is confidential and you must not repeat what I tell you to anyone. It could interfere with our ability to use that information to prove domestic abuse in the Royal Court."
She looked down at the papers in front of her, then back up at the three.
"I have made several important discoveries related to Kuchiki taichou's current condition. The first concerns his general health. He appears to be suffering from clinical depression in that he is suffering from poor nutrition and lack of sleep even though the provisions for those things are more than ample at Kuchiki Manor. Subordinates and friends have noticed an unusual tendency towards reclusiveness and among the taichous, he has been reported as seeming remote, even inattentive…as though he cannot concentrate properly. Poor concentration and control were also noted in the training that preceded the injury that caused him to be brought here. One can argue that it is a sign of domestic abuse…but where we lose that argument is in that Kuchiki taichou recently lost a child. It could be argued by the prince that the depression is a result of that loss. Certainly, the Royal Court would find that argument plausible."
"But what about the bruises I saw on him?" objected Renji, "And Torio came to me having witnessed Tohma beating Byakuya. Tohma beat Torio too!"
"But Torio was the only witness to this. He would have to come forward personally, but unfortunately, he was lost in the same attack that caused the loss of Kuchiki taichou's child. And even if Torio was still alive, we would face the problem of protecting him. We would have to give notice to the prince's legal team of our intent to use Torio's testimony and that would leave him vulnerable in the case that Tohma takes covert action to silence him."
"Damn," muttered Ichigo, "We almost had Torio…if not for that hollow attack…"
"Yes…it seems that losing Torio made this situation very difficult, but as I said, even having Torio's testimony might not have been enough. Witnesses of that sort are often lost to unfortunate 'accidents' in these cases. And in any case, we would have needed more to have the prince convicted. It goes back to the definitions of two words…'punishment' and 'abuse.' Prince Tohma is a member of the royal family, and Byakuya, as a noble lord, is considered, although a spouse…also a servant of Tohma's. Under our laws, Tohma has lordship over Byakuya, just as the spirit king has lordship over his subjects. And that being so, Tohma is allowed to 'punish' Byakuya for disobedience or wrongdoing, just as he would punish any other servant. The punishment is supposed to fit the offense and it is supposed to fall within humane bounds. But you can see how trying to prove that Byakuya was 'abused' and not just 'punished' would be difficult."
"So what do we do?" asked Rukia, "It seems as though Prince Tohma is holding all of the cards! How do we fight him when he has so much advantage?"
"We have one thing working in our favor for the time being. We have Byakuya hospitalized. While he is here, he will be safer, and we will be monitoring his physical and emotional state. Assuming he improves in this environment, we can note a suspicion that something in the home environment is causing his depression. It would give us leave to study and monitor his living situation more closely. A domestic abuse councilor would be assigned to conduct an investigation that would include questioning staff and setting monitors in common areas to study possible sources of stress. And all of this would mean that there would be official proof that something wrong was occurring within the home."
"That doesn't solve the problem," said Renji, frowning.
"But it does give us a record of incidence, which we will need when we are ready to take this to the Royal Court."
Unohana Taichou set the papers down and met their eyes with concern.
"I must inform you of one more issue…and this one could cause problems when we go to the Royal Court. It involves the injuries that Kuchiki taichou received from his own zanpakutou during your training. I assumed, as you did, that the injuries were caused by physical exertion occurring in a situation where he was weak from malnourishment. It is a reasonable finding, except for one thing."
"What do you mean?" Rukia asked, wide-eyed.
"Unohana taichou, what are you saying?" asked Renji, worriedly.
"When I examined Kuchiki taichou, I also found reiatsu traces from former healings…repeated incidences of the same injuries. These injuries occurred in the same patterns on his body and were healed shortly following each incidence. There are only two possibilities of how this could happen. One is that, as either abuse or punishment, Tohma could have used his royal privilege to force Senbonzakura to attack Byakuya in this way."
"What?" exclaimed the three.
"Any royal family member can overcome any zanpakutou and invoke its powers. But there is no way to conclusively prove whether Tohma did this to Byakuya, or whether Byakuya did this to himself."
"Y-you think that Byakuya forced his own zanpakutou to attack him like that?" Renji gasped, "You think he meant to hurt himself? Unohana taichou, I was with Kuchiki taichou when he was injured during our training. I never had the sense that he meant to harm himself."
Rukia caught her breath sharply.
"Ichigo!" she gasped, "You remember when we saw them at the waterfall that night. They were using Byakuya's petals, we thought, just to conceal themselves for privacy. But…but what if it wasn't simply for privacy? What if that's what he was really doing?"
She turned to Unohana taichou.
"When they emerged from the petals, Nii-sama looked shaky and weak…"
"Which would fit if Tohma had used his powers to force Senbonzakura to do his bidding," the healer concluded, "but the problem proving this in the Royal Court would be extreme. Kuchiki taichou would have to be willing to force his zanpakutou into manifestation in the courthouse and be willing to let him speak. But him being a part of Kuchiki taichou's own soul, he would be willing to lie if Byakuya ordered him to do so. And with Byakuya's emotional state and his control over Senbonzakura being affected, it is not certain Byakuya would allow this…"
"Unohana taichou, please tell me something," Rukia said quietly, "Why would anyone think for a moment that my brother would purposely use his own zanpakutou to hurt himself?"
Unohana sighed softly.
"I am not convinced that he did. But I will say that in cases of this kind of continuous violence, it is not unheard of for the victim to reassure self-control through such means. It is a dangerous emotional condition that can end tragically if not treated."
"But you feel that this is not what is happening?" Rukia asked.
"I believe that it was initiated by Prince Tohma. His pattern of behavior makes me believe it was a means of controlling Kuchiki taichou's behavior and affecting his emotional state. And there may be more going on as well. I noticed that he seems to lose focus, or is distracted by things around him sometimes. Tohma's control over him may be more than emotional and physical. He may be affecting Kuchiki taichou mentally. And so, I need the three of you to think carefully and tell me…Have you sensed or witnessed any times when he seemed to lose focus like that and did or said something out of character?"
The three frowned and thought carefully.
"Well…" Renji said finally, "I did notice something like that the day Taichou came back to work."
"And what did he do?" asked the healer.
"He kissed me," Renji said, his frown deepening.
"But if the prince was controlling Nii-sama, why would he want Nii-sama to kiss you?" asked Rukia.
"Yeah," said Ichigo, "We all know how jealous he is of you and Byakuya."
"It is puzzling," mused Unohana, "And before we can get to helping Kuchiki taichou, we must understand what is driving his behavior."
"But Tohma has hardly left Taichou's side since he arrived," objected Renji, "How do we get close enough to tell?"
The healer smiled.
"I am not certain," she said softly, "but I do know the three of you to be very industrious. Now, if you will excuse me, I have rounds to make. You may remain in here for privacy if you wish to discuss what I said."
"Arigato, Unohana taichou," Rukia said as the healer left.
"So…now we have a week to try to figure out exactly what's going on and to try to get Tohma to slip up," mused Renji.
"That's going to be tough," Ichigo said, frowning, "So far, he's managed to work around everything. But that doesn't mean we won't find a crack in his defenses. I remember hearing Byakuya once say that no matter how strong the defense, eventually an attack will get through. But I think we'll need help. I'm going back to talk to Kisuke and Yoruichi. If anyone can think of something to do, they can."
Rukia smiled at him sadly.
"Thanks, Ichigo. Renji and I will stay here. We will try to spend time with Nii-sama when Prince Tohma is not around."
"Yeah," said Renji, "Maybe without that jerk around, he'll open up."
He thought for a moment.
"You know…I still don't get why the prince would want Taichou to get involved with me again. I mean, how stupid could he think I am, anyway? All sleeping with Taichou would get me now is a one way trip to the Sokyoku."
All three froze with shocked looks on their faces.
"Oh my kami…" Renji breathed, "Maybe that's it. Tohma knew that Taichou told me that the baby was ours. He couldn't have me killed for something like that, that occurred before they were married. So maybe he thought he'd find another way."
"But if you are exposed and executed, Byakuya would be as well," argued Ichigo, "And Tohma seems to still want Byakuya for himself…"
"Hang on…" said Renji, "Tohma already knew that the baby was mine…but he just kept Taichou quiet about it. He didn't try to harm the baby. In fact, he was very protective…like he wanted the baby, even though it wasn't his. Now…after the baby was lost, he might be trying to get Taichou to sleep with me again…"
"Are you saying that he wants Nii-sama to get pregnant by you again?" Rukia asked, her face paling, "Why?"
Renji shook his head.
"I don't know. It doesn't make sense, but it's all we've got. We need to find a way to use this…"
"But Renji," said Rukia, "We don't even know for sure that the prince put Nii-sama up to that."
"That's right," said Renji, "but…I think…I can find out for sure. I think I might know a way."
"How?" asked Rukia.
"What if Taichou becomes convinced that I slept with him?" Renji asked.
Rukia scowled.
"How could you even suggest fooling Nii-sama? And he would tell the prince and…"
"And he might do or say something to reveal himself. Remember, Byakuya is being monitored," Ichigo reminded her.
"But it isn't right to…"
"I won't really sleep with him, Rukia," explained Renji, "I will slip into his room tonight and make him a little loopy, then make it look like we were making love. He will be convinced it happened and if we are right and the prince is trying to make this happen, he may reveal something."
"Or Nii-sama could be hurt!" Rukia objected, "Renji…"
"Well…do you have any other ideas?" asked Renji, "cause I don't hear you offering any. If this works, then Tohma will try to spring whatever plan he has going. If he's trying to get me executed, he will have me arrested."
"Then I could lose Nii-sama and you," Rukia said unhappily, "Renji…if you do this…you have to be really careful. If you do this, you must not get caught!"
"I won't get caught," Renji said, "because you're going to watch for the prince while I am with him. I'll slip into his room tonight and you'll keep watch."
"Rukia's right," Ichigo said solemnly, "Renji, we need to be really sure that you don't get caught. Maybe I'll put off my trip to Karakura Town until morning. Rukia can be a lookout on the inside of the hospital…and I'll watch the outside."
"Are you sure about this, Renji?" asked Rukia.
Renji sighed softly and nodded.
"I have a feeling that this will tell us what we want to know," he said, closing his eyes for a moment.
"I hope you're right," said Rukia worriedly.
"Yeah," said Ichigo, "me too…"
"I'm right," Renji said, his eyes opening and narrowing determinedly, "I'm going to prove that bastard hurt Taichou and we'll get Taichou away from him!"
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Tohma lay on the bed beside Byakuya, his head on the noble's shoulder and his lips close to Byakuya's ear.
"They are suspicious," he breathed, so quietly that the monitors could not hear, "We will have to be very careful while you are here. I will leave soon and I'm sure that now that you are not at the manor, they will come to you when they sense I am not here. I have to stick to the visitation rules carefully so that they do not gain anything. But I will be back in the morning. Remember…if Abarai comes to you, use your charms to seduce him. He is vulnerable because he loves you and he wants you to get well. And soon, he will give us what we want. Byakuya, you deserved to have a child to hold and to love. You had that stolen from you because Renji made you lose faith in me."
He kissed the noble warmly and ran his fingers through the long black strands of hair.
"This time, things will be different. This time, we'll be more careful. As soon as you are pregnant, we will go to stay in the spirit dimension. No one will bother us there. We will have our baby there. I know we planned to live at Kuchiki Manor, but my father will understand that after losing our first child, we will want added protection…and if he doesn't. I know my brother will help. He is sympathetic to me. He will help convince our father to welcome us into the palace. Everything will be all right. Everything…"
He kissed Byakuya again and rose as the announcement came over the speakers for the end of visiting hours.
"Good night, Byakuya," he said quietly, "Aishiteru yo."
"Aishiteru yo…Tohma," came the soft reply.