Chapter 4: Punishment
Byakuya sat quietly at his desk, relieved at the lessening of the pain that had afflicted him ever since leaving Hueco Mundo.
Though I should punish Abarai for disobeying Soutaichou's orders and healing me, I cannot help but feel grateful…
He glanced up at Renji's empty chair for a moment, then looked back down at the papers in front of him.
I should punish him for getting me drunk too…except that I asked for the sake, myself. Kami, I hope I didn't say anything embarrassing. The way he was looking at me when I woke up this morning made me think I did, but…
He was distracted out of his thoughts as Renji and Rikichi entered the office from the inner hallway. Renji sat down in his chair and Rikichi took the chair beside it, facing him. Byakuya looked back at the report he was working on and pretended not to hear as the two talked.
"Your shikai looked really good today," Renji said to the youth, "You need to make the eagle more stable in size, because sometimes it was big enough, but once or twice, it looked more like a hummingbird than an eagle, and that's going to get you killed if it happens at the wrong time. I thought it was strategically good when you used it to lift you into the air to attack, but again, if the stability isn't there…"
"I fall like a rock," Rikichi sighed, rubbing his knee, "I remember, sir."
Byakuya bit his lip gently to avoid smirking.
"You kido is good," Renji went on, "Yours is actually more stable than mine. You just need to focus harder on your target so you don't miss at a critical moment…"
"Like when your skeletal snake is heading for me?" Rikichi chuckled.
"You loosed a ban kai on an unseated officer?" Byakuya said, before he could stop himself.
Then he did a doubletake.
"Was he able to dodge it?" Byakuya asked, figuring that the damage was already done.
Renji stared at him in surprise for a moment.
"Actually, Taichou," the redhead said, "while I used my ban kai, it wasn't at full strength."
"Oh," said Byakuya, looking back at his work.
"But," Renji went on, "It was at full speed."
Byakuya looked up at him again, a fine eyebrow curiously raised.
"I see…"
"And yes, sir, Rikichi was able to dodge it."
Byakuya sat back, furrowing his brow for a moment, thinking.
"And you say that his kido is respectable?"
"Yes sir," Renji answered.
"Hmmm," Byakuya muttered, looking at Rikichi out of the corner of one gray eye.
Rikichi swallowed hard and blushed.
"Twelfth seat," Byakuya said, finally.
"What?" Renji blurted out, blinking.
Byakuya raised his reiatsu slightly and glared softly.
"We have an opening for twelfth seat. Rikichi will fill that position," he said, looking back at his work and mentally dismissing the two.
Renji broke into a wide smile.
"I guess you just made twelfth seat," he said, nodding.
"M-me?" stammered Rikichi.
"Sounds like," Renji said, "But if you are going to be twelfth seat, there are some things you'll need to work on."
Byakuya half listened to the two as a hell butterfly floated in and the voice of Soutaichou's fukutaichou rose up out of it.
"Kuchiki taichou, word has come to us that the old training base has been used by some hollows as a crossover point. Soutaichou has ordered that you should take an exploratory team and seal off their points of entry."
Byakuya frowned.
So, it begins. A team of unseated officers could handle such a mission, but he sends me personally. He just cannot let this go…Ah well…
"Renji…"
The redhead broke off his discussion and looked up at the noble.
"We have been ordered to seal off the points of hollow entry in the old training camp."
"But," Renji objected, "We could just send a team of unseated officers to do that, ne Taichou?"
"But then we could not test the abilities of our newly appointed twelfth seat."
If we're going to waste time on meaningless missions as punishment, we might as well do something useful with the time…
"Oh…right, Taichou, of course!" Renji said, nodding at Rikichi, "You heard Taichou. Get your weapon and let's go."
"I am going as well," said Byakuya.
"Uh…" Renji grunted in surprise, "You, Taichou? Why?"
Oh…I am not going to say it out loud…
"I need to stretch my legs."
This is humiliating…but that is the intent, ne?
S-sure thing, Taichou," Renji said, reaching for Zabimaru.
Byakuya lifted Senbonzakura from the stand near his desk and slid the weapon into his belt.
Not that I'll need it…
He walked out the front door of the division and waited until Renji and Rikichi joined him there. They walked down to the end of the street, then out to the edge of town, where Byakuya broke into flash steps, moving in the direction of the old training camp. He felt Renji and Rikichi keeping pace with him and felt a touch of self-affirmation.
His flash step has improved.
He reached the edge of the camp and flash stepped to the top of a small rise, stopping as the dilapidated gray building came into sight. He felt an odd touch of memory…
"What is this place?" Byakuya asked softly, "I thought that I knew every place on Kuchiki land, but never noticed this."
"That's Itamigiri," Tetsuya said, nodding in the castle's direction, "It used to be the place where the council would imprison and punish family members who transgressed. There are wild stories about the things that happened there, of course. For all that we are a civilized clan, there are dark things in our past, as with most, Byakuya-sama."
"Tetsuya…" Byakuya whispered, his heart aching softly as he whispered the name.
He pushed the memory of his cousin away and focused on Renji and Rikichi, observing silently as Renji instructed the youth about how to locate and seal off the crossover points, then sent him to complete the task of finding and sealing the rest on his own. He flash stepped back to where Byakuya waited, and the two observed as Rikichi worked at the task he had been given.
"So…" said Renji, "Sir, are you going to tell me the real reason you came along or do you plan to just keep it to yourself?"
"Hmmm," murmured the noble, disapprovingly, "You mean you haven't figured it out on your own?"
Renji thought for a moment, his eyes following Rikichi.
"Oh!" he said, after a moment, "Yeah, I get it."
He shook his head softly.
"He's giving you shit missions to punish you."
"As though the withering reprimand and lack of healing weren't enough," muttered the noble.
"Damn, Taichou, he's really pissed at you. I mean, I know you broke the rules fighting Zaraki taichou like that but…"
"I was reprimanded also for parting ways with my haori, remember? I think that, and my response regarding the lack of quality in the haori itself, put him off."
He sighed softly.
"However, the good news is that I have secured permission for my own staff to design my replacement haori. Soutaichou initially resisted, but in the end agreed, as it would make me less likely to part with it so eagerly in the future. I think he became weary of trying to impress upon me the intrinsic value of that piece of cloth."
Renji went quiet, one eye still on Rikichi, but the other on his taichou, who he sensed was becoming reflective.
"In truth, the only function it served in that place was to make the one wearing it an easier target."
"Yeah," chuckled Renji, "I think you're right."
The two quieted, still watching Rikichi.
"He is doing well," Byakuya commented, "He has found all of the places where hollows have crossed over, and even a few weak places, where they were likely to break through."
"So you think making him twelfth seat was a good decision?" Renji asked.
"If making him twelfth seat was not a good decision, I would not have promoted him until it was. He was ready…end of story."
"Yeah."
Renji studied the old fortress for a moment and shivered.
"This place is kinda creepy. Look at the way the mist curls around everything…creepy," the redhead said.
"It reminds me of an old fortress near the manor," commented Byakuya, "Although this place is much more benign than that."
"Are you talking about Itamigiri?" asked Renji.
Byakuya's eyes widened.
"Did you say…Itamigiri?" he asked quietly.
"Y-yeah," said Renji, "the old fortress near your house that you said you and someone named Tetsuya explored before."
Byakuya caught his breath in surprise.
"I mentioned Itamigiri? And Tetsuya?" Byakuya asked, looking distressed.
"Yeah, why? Who's Tetsuya?"
Byakuya lowered his eyes for a moment.
"My cousin," he answered softly, "My late cousin."
"Wh-what?" asked Renji, looking confused, "You didn't say he died. You said you couldn't stand it if he got hurt."
Byakuya kept his eyes lowered.
"I was speaking in the past tense…and did it clumsily, likely because my mind was clouded with drink. I will ask that you not repeat anything I told you."
"Okay…sure, Taichou," Renji agreed, "I won't say anything."
He couldn't help but notice the misted look in Byakuya's eyes.
"Sir…not to pry, but…you've never mentioned Tetsuya before. Did he die a long time ago?"
"Yes," the noble said solemnly, "When we were still teenagers. It was about a year after we found Itamigiri."
"What happened?"
Byakuya shook his head.
"No one knows, really," he said, looking off into the distance, "I was involved in a meeting with our council and while I was gone, he left. He left no word about where he was going…and the servants said that he left in a hurry. He said something about protecting my honor. But…he never came back. His reiatsu was sensed briefly in the Rukon, but then disappeared completely. Neither he nor his stallion, Arashi, were seen again."
"Shit…sorry Taichou," Renji said sadly, "Sorry I pushed you to talk about it. You said last night that he was special to you."
The redhead tactfully left out how Byakuya had compared his missing cousin to Rukia and him.
"I can hardly blame you for being curious," commented Byakuya, "I apparently become quite talkative under the influence of sake."
"Yeah, well, we can just forget what you said."
I don't think this is the right time to be admitting I was the one he slept with. But hell…when would be a good time to say something like that? Never?
"That would be best, I think," Byakuya said as Rikichi rejoined them.
"Good work, kid," Renji said, patting the youth on the shoulder, "You got them all."
They turned to leave, but as they started to move forward, a garganta opened suddenly, and three menos grande passed through it, then, seeing the shinigamis in front of them, attacked instantly.
Rikichi immediately raised a kido shield as incoming ceros bore down on the three.
"Howl, Zabimaru!" cried Renji.
"Scatter, Senbonzakura," said Byakuya.
"Kassou, Hiwashi," said Rikichi.
The ragged edge of Zabimaru slashed the first of the hollows and Byakuya's petal blades destroyed the second. Rikichi's eagle screeched and loosed a flash of golden fire, then attacked the final menos with its sharp beak and claws. The menos howled in fury and loosed a cero at the youth. Rikichi dodge the cero and raised his blade to attack. But before he could complete the finishing move, Byakuya's petal blades slashed at the menos and destroyed it.
As soon as the last enemy fell, Rikichi flash stepped to where the garganta had opened, and placed a heavy seal over the area. He returned to his two senior officers, looking flushed and panting softly from exertion.
"They won't be coming through there anytime soon," he commented.
"No," agreed the noble, "However, as the hollows still seem to favor the area, you will note for the field report that we recommend that the area be monitored for activity."
"Yes sir!" said Rikichi.
Byakuya sent Rikichi flash stepping back to the office to see to the report, then started back at a more leisurely pace, with Renji at his side. The redhead was smiling to himself, and it didn't take much thought to know why.
"He did really well," Renji commented, "both with the seals and the combat."
"Except that we both know his sword wasn't strong enough yet to finish the last hollow."
"Which is why you finished it off, ne?"
"Yes. You will have to adjust his training so that he learns what strategies to use for different types of opponents, and how to assess and alter battle strategy as he fights."
"Sure thing," Renji said, nodding, "I'll get started on that right away."
They arrived at the sixth division and found the completed report already on Byakuya's desk, waiting for his signature.
"Well?" queried Renji.
"Clear," Byakuya said, studying the report, "to the point, and has all of the appropriate information…without any unnecessary embellishments."
"Hey!" objected the redhead, "I don't embellish. I just describe things in detail!"
"Hmmm," muttered Byakuya, sitting down at his desk and signing off on the report, "I don't know that 'We beat the living hell out of them and left them in smoking piles of ash,' qualifies as detail and not unnecessary embellishment."
"Aww, come on, I saw you smile, Taichou," Renji said, smirking.
"Are you saying that you do this on purpose to amuse me? If so, then it is not necessary."
"I don't do it for you," Renji said, sitting down at his desk, "It's just my own personal style. We all have a personal style, right? You are clear, and to the point and you do everything elegantly. I do what I have to, and try to make it exciting. And Rikichi…"
He broke off as the door opened and Rikcihi dashed in, scrambling after a hell butterfly and reaching for it with both hands, then tripping and falling gracelessly to the floor.
"…is Rikichi," the noble sighed, "I understand."