Chapter 5: Poisoned Kisses

The medication Captain Unohana gave Byakuya must work well, because the next morning he is up at his normal time and out in the garden with Takeshi and Chisaki. Byakuya is lying on his stomach in the grass face to face with Takeshi, sprinkling grass into his red hair, then blowing it gently away as our little warrior gives a series of sharp battle cries. Chisaki has taken a position on his back and has pretty much fallen asleep. Now and then, she makes a soft cooing sound.

I stumble out into the garden and sit nearby, watching them silently. I feel Byakuya's eyes come to rest on me several times and finally, he calls me on it.

"Renji, stop looking at me as though I'm going to disappear. The medication is helping. I actually feel quite good today. Why don't we take the kids down to the base of the waterfall to play in the water?"

"Sure, Bya," I answer, not really hearing him, "whatever you want."

"Da…da…da…bya" says Chisaki, petting his hair.

"Now look what you've done!" he says smiling, "You've got her calling me that too!"

He notices that I don't really react and gently pulls away from the kids. Chisaki takes offense and raises a fuss. He picks her up and she laughs.

"Da…da…da…bya…"

"Renji…you seem quite distracted. I understand…really, but, we should try to do something to improve your mood."

"Please don't suggest sparring!" I moan, allowing a smile to form.

"No? Perhaps not. How about work?"

Okay, that's just confusing right now. If I can't focus on fun with the kids, how am I going to focus on work?

"I don't know," I answer noncommittally.

"I haven't spent any time with the new squad members yet. They're going to be on the training ground later. We could make a brief visit."

"Sure, okay."

Rukia and Yoruichi walk out into the garden and take the kids into the house for a nap. Byakuya disappears back into the house and returns in uniform…looking for all intents and purposes like it is any other day.

"Come, Renji, we need to get out and get our minds working."

I don't answer, but I get up and walk with him out the front of the house and through the busy streets to the 6th Division training ground. Rikichi is already there with the new squad members. As we walk onto the grounds, Rikichi is in the midst of releasing his eagle Shikai and showing the new members his special ability, then he tells them to practice Shikai while the three of us observe. The new kids are petrified, of course, when they see Byakuya, but he is quick to put them at ease. He turns to watch as Takeo releases his shadow wolf form and smiles in approval.

"That is a powerful Shikai," he says, looking at the young man who wields it.

Takeo smiles back at him in gratitude.

"Thank you, Captain Kuchiki," he says, blinking as though he's a little stunned to actually be talking to Byakuya.

He pauses, gathering his nerve, then speaks to Byakuya again.

"Sir, could you show us your Shikai? I've never seen it up close before."

Ren and Fumio move to join us as Byakuya nods and draws his sword. I pace off a few steps and release Zabimaru for my protection.

"Scatter, Senbonzakura," Byakuya intones.

As I watch, I notice a distinct pause and Byakuya winces. Then the sword releases and the petal blades sweep across the training ground to break against Zabimaru. The new squad members look mesmerized. He spends a few more minutes talking with them and then they leave to return to the barracks with Rikichi. As I return to his side, I notice he is sweating a bit and he looks little uncomfortable.

"Are you okay?" I ask.

"Yes, Renji," he says quietly, "but…I don't know if you noticed, but Senbonzakura did not release properly."

"I saw that," I acknowledge.

He is about to say more when a hell butterfly arrives.

"Captain Kuchiki, please report to the 4th Division for a reading of medical test results."

We flash step off to the Healing Center. Captain Unohana takes us into a private room and we wait as she gathers the results to show us.

"First, I need to know…is the medication helping?" she asks.

Byakuya nods.

"Yes, I feel quite good today. But Senbonzakura is a bit out of sorts. I had trouble releasing Shikai earlier."

"Yes, well we were expecting that. If you are feeling well, then we don't need to adjust the medication yet. Now, as to the report from the stealth force. They have completed background checks on all who had direct contact with Captain Kuchiki in the past five days and have not turned up anyone we would deem dangerous to him. No one seemed connected to him in anything but a positive way. So we still don't know who did this or why. But we did turn up something of extreme importance. That's why I called you here. This just came in from Captain Kurotsuchi. I sent him the samples of reiatsu from family members and household staff. One result came back very odd."

She pauses.

"Renji…apparently, you and your zanpakutou are carriers of the poison."

Byakuya and I stare at her, but neither of us can speak at first.

"What do you mean?" asks Byakuya finally, "How can Renji carry the poison? He isn't ill."

"No," Captain Unohana says softly, "He isn't ill because the manner of this poison's distribution is very odd. It is first used to affect a host organism, then it launches attacks on another using the host as a means."

"What? You mean I can spread this? Bya, what if I…"

"Easy, Renji, listen. No one else in your family nor anyone else will be affected."

"And how do you know this?" Byakuya asks.

"I know this because we found that the poison in your system attaches to one other organism and attacks it repeatedly until the organism is destroyed. It is an illegal compound used by nefarious groups as a tool for assassination."

"You said that it attacks the other repeatedly," I say, my heart numb, "You're saying that I poisoned Byakuya…not just once, but over and over? How?"

Unohana sighs.

It appears to have been passed to Byakuya through direct physical contact…most probably, kissing."

"Kami!" I whisper, the shock making my legs weak, "I poisoned Byakuya?"

"That is not all," she goes on, "It appears that Senbonzakura was poisoned during the exhibition, when the two of you sparred and your weapons were in direct contact. The nature of this attack is very deliberate. Someone wanted to kill Byakuya and they wanted you to be the means for doing that."

I drop into a chair and Byakuya puts a hand on my shoulder. I can't help but pull away. He looks down at me with deep concern.

"So what does this mean for us, Captain?" Byakuya asks, his eyes still fixed on mine.

"It means that to avoid further poison transfer, we must eliminate the poison in Renji and Zabimaru."

"Is that possible? And if so, why can't you do something to cure Byakuya?"

"Renji and Zabimaru are carriers. The poison is actually suspended on them as opposed to within them. It can be removed. We have technology here that can do this. But Byakuya has been fully affected. In him, this poison must be counteracted."

"I still don't understand why it hurt him but not me."

Unohana shakes her head sadly.

"As I said, it was designed for the specific purpose of assassination and has only rarely been used. To counteract it, we need a pure sample. I am hoping we can take one while we remove the poison from Renji and Zabimaru."

"Then do it," I tell her, "Remove it right now."

She nods.

"Come with me, Renji."

I get up to follow her. As we walk out the door, I notice Byakuya staring out the window, a lost look in his dark eyes.

We're wondering the same thing. Who would hate him this much?

XXXXXXXXXX

"Are you all right?" Byakuya asks as we walk back towards home, "That can't have been easy for you to hear, Renji."

"No…I'm not all right, Byakuya!" I say angrily, "I poisoned you! I did this to you! How in the hell am I supposed to deal with that?"

He puts a hand on my arm. I jerk away.

"Renji…" he says softly, "don't…"

"Don't what? Damn it, Byakuya, someone used me to poison you! I personally handed you a death sentence. I can't…wrap my mind around that…"

Tears threaten, but I blink them away. Byakuya steps closer and takes my face in his hands.

"You did not hurt me."

"What the fuck? You heard what she said, Byakuya! And you know what kills me? You know what really tears me up? It's…it's that while we were making love…I was killing you!"

Byakuya puts his arms around me. I try to pull away, but he holds me so that I can't.

"I can't stand this, Byakuya, I can't! I can't stand the thought that if you die, I'm the one who killed you!"

His eyes are clear and calm. He leads me along the street and back home. I'm too caught up in this awful feeling to pay attention. I can't believe I was used to hurt him like that. I thought it was bad before, when Sosuke Aizen used me to…

"Byakuya," I say suddenly, brushing the tears out of my eyes, "Do you think that Sousuke Aizen did this?"

He considers it for a moment.

"Actually, Renji, I don't think so. Sousuke Aizen has long sought to gain control of my power. He never really indicated a desire for my death."

"What's really odd is that no one has contacted you. I mean, wouldn't they want you to know they were behind this…at least to tell you the reason why?"

"It is odd, but not unheard of, Renji," he answers quietly, "Perhaps the person is waiting for a certain time to reveal things. Perhaps he or she will begin to reveal his or her identity soon."

"I hope so," I say, trying to keep new tears from forming, "I want to kill the bastard who would use me against you like this, Byakuya!"

He turns and reaches for me. A look of surprise crosses his face when I step back. There is a long silence between us. There is hurt in his voice when he speaks again.

"Renji, Captain Unohana assured us that the poison is gone from your system now. There is no added danger to concern ourselves with. Why do you keep doing that?"

"I don't know, Byakuya. I don't know. I just…after what I did…"

He closes the distance and doesn't let me pull away.

"Renji," he says softly, "You are only allowing whoever did this to attempt to separate us in another, faster and even more painful way. Don't withdraw from me like that. I can handle the thought of dying. I can't handle the thought of you distancing yourself from me."

I can't look at his eyes. That really hurt him. It seems I'm only improving in my ability to do that.

"Byakuya…I don't want to be distant…but…I can't stand the thought that me loving you could kill you."

"Renji…please hear me. This is not your fault. I don't know what else to say, but since you seem to need some space, some time to think things through, I won't pressure you. I will…be here at home when you are ready to…return."

He turns and flash steps away.

I walk aimlessly down the streets of the Sereitei, my mind spinning. I can't focus. All of my thoughts mix together and I can't center myself. I lose track of things for a while and I find myself walking out the main gates of the Sereitei…into the Rukon District. I keep going even after night falls. I don't stop until I reach Inuzuri. I find the old tree I used to sleep in and climb up into the branches. The rough bark feels comfortable and familiar. It's not long before the memories carry me off to sleep.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Captain Kuchiki, what are you doing here?" asks Rikichi as I enter the office, "You were supposed to be taking a few days off."

"Technically, I am," I tell him, but I'm not accustomed to being out of the office so much. I just thought I'd catch up on a few things."

I notice then that the new squad members are gathered around Renji's desk and Rikichi has obviously been discussing battle tactics and procedures. As I look over at them, I notice that Takeo is looking back with an odd expression. As soon as he sees I am looking back, the odd look is replaced by a more awed, pleased expression.

I work quietly for a while before Takeo appears at my side with a cup of tea.

"Rikichi said you like it prepared this way," he says, setting the tea down.

"Arigato, Takeo," I say, taking the tea and sipping, "You managed it very well."

"Arigato, Captain, sir," he says, then he returns to Rikichi.

I continue to work, but my mind keeps straying back to Renji. I know his reiatsu feels far away. As the workday ends and everyone begins to leave, I start to dislike the quiet that closes in around me. Soon everyone has gone home and I am alone, working late into the night, aware that Renji still has not returned. I begin to feel a loneliness that I thought I had left behind, but with Renji withdrawn and far away, it returns with a vengeance.

I try digging deeper into my work, but fatigue is sweeping through me and soon I sit back, sighing, knowing I should really go home…but home isn't home without Renji there. I could cope better if he was out on assignment, but the truth is, it hurts that he left and hasn't returned. But he was devastated. I can't blame him for being shell-shocked. I tell myself again that he'll be back soon, that he will work his way through and everything will be all right.

I am still trying to convince myself of this, when suddenly Senbonzakura's reiatsu pulses sharply, sending a jolt through my body that makes my mind spin. I pull the sword free and try to connect with the spirit within. There is no answer, just a confused mix of sensations and a feeling of terror. I try to send calm reiatsu through the blade's length, but I sense that it isn't reaching the sword's spirit. As I make another frantic attempt, I am stunned to see the blade dissolve into petal blades. I reach out to control them, but they do not respond to my thoughts. They spin madly and out of control, sending papers flying and closing in on me. The last thought I have before they reach me is that Renji is so far away, he might not realize what has happened.

XXXXXXXXXX

It is nearly midnight, when I wake in the tree and notice that I feel cramped and cold. I feel better for having slept, but I know I should really go back home. Whatever the circumstances, Byakuya needs me. I shouldn't be out here feeling sorry for myself while he is at home, alone and sick. I feel bad for even leaving, but his words warm me.

"I will be here at home when you return."

It's time to do that. In truth, I shouldn't have left.

I drop down out of the tree and notice that a cloud of mist is all around me. It gives me a creepy feeling of memory. It's like it was back then.

"Kasumi…" I whisper.

I hadn't thought about it for so long before that dream I had. It's strange that I came here tonight. I wonder at that. What is going on? As I turn to leave, I hear the crunching of feet on the ground behind me. I turn to look…and I am still alone. Strange. It almost felt like she was there for a second.

I turn towards home. I have barely taken the first few steps when I feel the raging of Senbonzakura's reiatsu. Byakuya's rises as well. There is the shocking sensation of the two forces crashing against each other…then both sets of reiatsu decline sharply. I flash step toward the Sereitei fast enough to challenge Byakuya's speed.