Chapter 29: Shatter the Ice

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Cruelty is a face I know well. It lurks beneath the loveliest surfaces, waiting for the letting down of defenses…the slightest opening. But even though it cuts and makes me bleed, it now only lights the fire of renewed resolve. Take but one more step in my direction, and feel my wrath descend upon you…

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Byakuya flash stepped into Haru's office with his sword drawn and glowing pink, and was met by several white-faced attendants. His eyes found the spatters of blood and the broken window the counselor had been dragged out of, and he followed after, ignoring the shouts behind him, calling for him to stop. He could feel his quarry ahead of him, moving at flash step speed, and every now and then, a splash of blood on the ground told him that he was moving in the right direction. Several times as Haru's attacker fled, carrying his captive former spouse, Byakuya glimpsed the large, well-muscled leader of the rival Akasawa clan and slung over one shoulder, the limp form of the abducted counselor.

He closed the distance as the Akasawa clan leader touched down in a lonely valley of loose, dry rock, dying trees and brown grass. He paused and set his captive down, then waited as Haru slowly regained awareness and realized where he was. The counselor sat up and brushed away the blood on one pale cheek, then he met his former husband's eyes warily, swallowing hard and waiting. Byakuya edged forward and knelt behind some dead brush near them, listening.

Tsuyoshi sat calmly opposite Haru and bound his hands, then looked into the counselor's frightened, brown eyes.

"You are afraid of the punishment you'll face for running away, ne?" he asked quietly, "What is it that you think I'll so with you, Haru? Do you think I'll kill you? That I'll break your legs so that you can't leave again?"

Haru stared back at him silently. Tsuyoshi turned away for a moment, sensing the area around them to be certain they were alone.

"You act as though I'm a monster for wanting you to pay for humiliating me. I'm not a monster. I understand that you weren't used to living under proper rules. Yours was a very relaxed clan. It was difficult for you to adjust to our stricter rules. But as I told you, given time you will adjust. And you will have me to help you when you need to be brought to your senses."

"I am in control of my senses now," Haru said softly, "And I know that there was no love, no affection in anything you did to me before. Tsuyoshi, I was a possession to you. You chose me because I was the gem of my clan, and then you took the shine off that gem yourself with your cruelty. You destroyed me inside and left me as dead as this valley. There is no way in the three worlds that I would willingly return to you. And what you did today was just another expression of your cruelty. You do not care about my wishes at all…only about your own. That is why we cannot be together. It is why I ran."

"You make me sound so selfish," said, Tsuyoshi, frowning, "yet you act as though you are too good for me. You act so self righteous and prideful, just like the rest of your arrogant clan!"

"It is not selfish to want to be held gently, to desire warmth and affection. And it is not wrong to want to avoid pain and domination…cruelty and injury."

"You are so sure I'm going to hurt you?" Tsuyoshi said, reaching out to touch his face, and making Haru flinch, "Truly, you think me a demon, ne? I am not as bad as you think."

He leaned forward and kissed the restrained counselor on the lips, stroking his cheek and healing the cuts on his face.

"I am sorry for hurting you just now, but it was necessary to get you out of that place. I wasn't trying to do damage, but you made it so difficult to get near you. I had to wait for when you were alone. You always seem to be with other men…patients of that facility. I saw you embracing Prince Tohma's cast off yesterday and I wanted to burst in then and kill him for the way he was clinging to you."

"Byakuya is a patient. He was in the midst of a distressful episode and I was…"

"It's all right. I only brought it up because I wanted you to see I've learned to not act so rashly. I waited. I waited to see if he was what was keeping you from coming back to me. I watched to see if you would go to him to offer him some sweeter form of healing…"

"I would never become physically involved with a patient," Haru said softly.

"Oh, but come now," said Tsuyoshi, taking hold of Haru's face and boring down into his eyes, "You must have been aware of him, ne? Those lovely gray eyes of his…that sweet pouting mouth. And he is vulnerable right now. That makes him even more attractive."

He moved his lips close to Haru's ear and went on.

"That slender, white fleshed body…long, graceful fingers. He's just irresistible…no, don't tell me you didn't notice how attractive he is."

"I haven't had a lover, nor have I wanted one since leaving you," the counselor said quietly, "As much as I have learned to deal with the pain you left me in, I haven't reached the point of healing where I would seek love again."

"And why seek anyone else?" said Tsuyoshi, leaning back to look into his eyes again, "You belong to me."

"Our marriage was dissolved."

"No. I never agreed to that. And no piece of paper can tell me that you do not belong to me. You promised to remain bound to me for life. And you will."

"I made that promise, yes. But it was based on our promises to love, honor and cherish each other. You did none of those things, Tsuyoshi…none."

"You make it seem as though I was the only one. You leave out your unfaithfulness with your attendant…and your scandalous escape that left me looking like a fool!"

"I will not apologize for loving Akira. He was a kind and gentle person, who eased my pain and healed the damage you caused."

Haru crashed roughly to the ground as Tsuyoshi's fist struck him. In the nearby bushes, Byakuya's hands clenched tightly and he moved into position to attack. Tsuyoshi took hold of his former spouse by the front of his shirt, tearing the material and scratching the fine skin beneath it.

"Again, you show you are determined to be unreasonable!" the Akasawa leader said, shaking him, "I come to make peace and bring you home, and all you want to talk about is that sorry slave you were fucking behind my back! Fortunately for you, that little bastard died helping you escape. But now you're probably screwing Tohma's little uke princess, ne? You two share stories of how you were wronged and then fuck each other to ease the pain?"

"I told you. Byakuya is a patient. I would never jeopardize his healing by crossing those boundaries."

"He even looks like that slave boy…and he is the leader of that arrogant Kuchiki clan. You probably thought he could protect you. But you were wrong. No one is going to be able to keep me away from you, Haru, my love. You belong to me…and I am taking you home now."

"No. I will not go with you."

Tsuyoshi smiled and shook his head.

"I never asked if you would. I am willing to use force if I must. And things will be different this time. There will be no servants for you to seduce this time…no one to help you escape. I will take you into the tower…and the only one who will know you are there is me. You will depend on me for everything…for food, shelter, company…your very life, Haru."

Byakuya's lips tightened as he watched the fear in Haru's eyes turn to terror.

"Senbonzakura, I know we have much to resolve, but may I count on your assistance in dealing with Tsuyoshi?"

He felt the warmth of the samurai's smile as he answered.

"Master, I will always be with you. You needn't even have asked. But be cautious. The surge of uncontrolled power you experienced yesterday burned your spirit centers. Be cautious in using your powers."

"Arigato, I will."

"You are mine," Tsuyoshi said, forcing the counselor down onto the hard, dry ground, "I will have you in my life and in my bed until I tire of you!"

Byakuya froze for a moment as he watched Tsuyoshi's hands rend Haru's clothing, and a harsh memory ripped coldly across his mind.

Tohma's power rose around him.

"I am sorry," he whispered apologetically to Byakuya, "but you must pay for your sins."

Pink petals rose into the air all around them. Tohma positioned them carefully, then one by one, released them to leave their markings on Byakuya's body. At the first cut, the noble's body flinched. His eyes blinked open and found Tohma's. He said nothing, but his eyes went wide and his chest heaved softly in anticipation. Petal after petal fluttered down and left their markings on his skin. Their eyes remained fixed on each other throughout the exchange.

You know that you deserve this…

It is the only way to erase the guilt…the sin…

So you accept the pain gracefully, because you know that you deserve it…

Byakuya's eyes blinked suddenly and seemed to regain some lucidity. He gasped softly and tried to pull away, but Tohma's eyes froze him in place and his hands pushed down on the noble's chest, holding him physically.

"T-tohma," Byakuya whispered, "Please…stop this…"

A chill went through him at the dazed look in the prince's eyes.

"You still want him…" Tohma whispered.

"No…"

"You are lying to me…"

The petals still hovering in the air shuddered threateningly.

"No…I do not desire Renji. I am yours…"

"I can see it written everywhere he touched you," the prince went on, sending another few petals down to leave their markings on his skin, "I hear you calling out for him in your mind. Do not lie to me and say that you don't think of him. I know that you do…"

"No…I don't…"

"Liar!" screamed the prince, grabbing him by the throat.

Byakuya felt sickness rising in his throat and heard Senbonzakura's voice in his mind.

"Master, are you all right?"

He forced the sickness down and flash stepped forward, fury engulfing his mind so that he could barely see.

"Master! Master, wait!"

Kido exploded from his hands, driving Tsuyoshi back and throwing Haru clear. The bonds on the counselor's wrists shattered and he came to his feet, calling to Byakuya desperately.

"Byakuya, be careful! You spirit centers…!"

A blast from Tsyoshi's hands sent him tumbling and left him in a senseless heap on the ground. Tsuyoshi stood, glaring at Byakuya, his power rising around him.

"Well," he said, his lips curling into a sneer, "If it isn't the uke princess. What's the matter, Kuchiki? You're shaking all over. And your reiatsu is as weak as his! You're still weak from Prince Tohma beating the hell out of you, ne? Don't bother denying it. Even though your clan has kept things quiet, people talk. Yes…we know all about how he beat the stuffing out of you and left you so weak and addle-brained, you had to be committed! I see they were right. My, how the arrogant have fallen…"

"If anyone is guilty of arrogance here, Akasawa-san, it is you," Byakuya said, raising his power to attack again, "Take one step towards Haru and I will destroy you."

Tsuyoshi's smile widened.

"You think you can in your condition, do you? Well, I warn you. If you stand between my lover and me, then when you fall to me, I will treat you to far worse than your handsome prince did. You will scream his name, pleading for him to come back when you find out that I am capable of delivering much worse torment than he did! Keep coming if you want to know the true meaning of pain!"

"Your threats are as meaningless as the house you lead. You carry on the grand tradition of cruelty and defiance that has marked your clan for the last hundred years. Truly, you do not deserve the noble title you wear."

Tsuyoshi laughed.

"Then come and take it from me," he said, lifting his zanpakutou in challenge. "If you're so high and mighty and I'm so far beneath you, then attack me! And when you fail, I'll make you my servant. You'll be my slave and give me that sweet body of yours for a plaything!"

Byakuya's reiatsu rose around him, making the ground beneath their feet rumble. He raised Senbonzakura, ignoring the spirit's desperate call for caution. Tsuyoshi gazed at him, the arrogance beginning to fade as the noble's power swelled around him. Within Byakuya's body, his spirit centers burned harshly in warning. Pain erupted throughout his body, but he forced it down and began to loose his attack.

As he moved, an odd expression crossed Tsuyoshi's face. He dropped back, lowering his defenses and smiling. Byakuya's mind froze as something struck him from behind. He was thrown off his feet and sent crashing to the ground in front of Tsuyoshi, left unable to move. He heard a flash step and Haru's nearly incomprehensible sob of dismay. The counselor's hands touched him, and Byakuya heard him speak softly as he leaned over the fallen noble's frozen form.

"I am sorry. I couldn't allow you to loose that attack. It would have overwhelmed your spirit centers. Stay still. I'll make sure he doesn't hurt you. And when we leave, go back to the center and forget you ever saw me. He is too dangerous, Byakuya…and I cannot bear to see another life lost on my behalf."

"Well, that was rather clumsy of you," commented Tsuyoshi, "or…did you kill him to protect me?"

Haru's sobs echoed through the deserted valley.

"Byakuya…Byakuya, what have I done?" he wept, touching the noble's face and carefully invoking a kido spell.

Tsuyoshi moved closer, then leaned over Byakuya and studied him for a moment.

"C-can you help him?" whispered Haru, "P-please Tsuyoshi-sama, I'll do anything! I'll go back willingly. I won't try to leave you again! Just…just please!"

Tsuyoshi scanned the noble's body and shook his head.

"I would actually help you if I could, my love, but…you struck him too hard. There are no life signs. Byakuya is dead."

Haru collapsed against Tsuyoshi, sobbing piteously.

"You…you mean I…I…?"

Tsuyoshi's eyes narrowed and a wicked gleam entered his eyes.

"Shh, hush now," he said, lifting the distraught man into his arms, "I've made sure there are no traces left behind. No one but you and I will know what you did. I will take you home and you will never say a word about this, ne? We'll pretend you never left and carry on as if you didn't try to escape. But I warn you. If you try to leave me again, the deaths will continue, Haru. And anyone who tries to help you get away will end up dead, like him!"

"I won't try to leave you again," Haru sobbed, more softly, "I promise, I will never do anything like that again! Just, please can we go home now? Please, Tsuyoshi-sama?"

Tsuyoshi smiled gently.

"Of course. Rest a bit, now. We'll be home soon."

As Tsuyoshi flash stepped away, Haru gripped his shoulders tightly, stealing a final, teary-eyed glance at Byakuya's motionless body.

You'll be okay once that kido wears off. You'll be okay. Then, just forget. Don't burden yourself with trying to rescue me. I didn't heal you so that you could throw yourself away like that. You deserve the love and peace you have around you. Go back to them, Byakuya. Don't hurt yourself trying to help me. I couldn't bear it if you really died…after all we endured in making you well again!

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Renji saw the rush of movement ahead of him in the center and turned to Torio, who held Koichi in his arms.

"Hang back, okay?" he said, breaking into a run.

"Of course, Renji-san," Torio answered, pausing and watching him as he left them.

Renji flash stepped into the center, where the center's security forces had gathered and were huddled around Haru's office. He heard the shaking voice of an attendant, explaining what had happened.

"A man burst in," said the frantic attendant, "He…he started throwing everyone around like rag dolls! He went into Counselor Haru's office and…and knocked him out…and crashed through the window. And…the Kuchiki clan leader…he came running in and then ran after them!"

Renji's eyes darkened and he reached out with his senses. He couldn't sense Byakuya, but Haru's presence was strong enough to guide him. He flash stepped in the direction he had gone, following reiatsu traces and splashes of blood, catching small traces of Byakuya's scent and reiatsu. He crashed heedlessly through the brush, flash stepping wildly to try to catch up.

The trail led him over several large rises, then down into a parched looking valley. His breath left him suddenly as he spotted a huddled and motionless form on the ground. He ran forward and dropped to his knees, lifting the limp body into his arms.

"Byakuya…" he gasped, searching for signs of life, "Oh god, no! Byakuya!"

Clenching his teeth against the swell of emotion that rose up inside, he gathered Byakuya in his arms and flash stepped as fast as he could in the direction of the fourth division.