Chapter 15
"What do you mean, Buffy's missing?" Iba asked, an eyebrow appearing over the top of his sunglasses.
"What do you think it means?" Ikkaku asked, agitated. "Idiot."
"You guys can argue later," Rangiku said with a huff. "We don't have time for your male posturing bullshit. God, I can't believe she puts up with you. Now, Yumichika, did you look anywhere else for Buffy before you and I went on our own hunt?"
"I knocked on the door of the Kuchiki manor. Talked to an old guy; probably a captain or something by the look of him," Yumichika replied.
"Ginrei Kuchiki, captain of Squad Six," Iba replied absently, causing the other three people in the room to stare at him. "What? I pay attention when Buffy tells me stuff."
"Well Yumichika, that's your problem right there," Ikkaku said. "You should have talked to the kid. He'd know more about what Buffy's been like the last few weeks. Has she been acting weird around you guys?"
"When did you turn into logic man?" Rangiku asked, curious. "And she's been kind of edgy for the last little while, like someone's going to jump out and attack her or something."
"Can someone make enemies that fast?" Iba asked. "I just can't imagine someone like Buffy having enemies."
"You obviously don't know her well at all, then," Ikkaku replied with a snort, causing Rangiku to elbow him in the ribs. "Why did you do that, you stupid cow?"
"Iba might not know everything about Buffy. In fact, I doubt any of us do," Rangiku said, her blue eyes narrowing at him "However, you seem to know the most about her. You'd better start sharing, Ikkaku, before I start getting violent."
"Well, there was this one guy. Buffy wouldn't tell me his name, though," Ikkaku began. "She ran into him at the welcome party. He said some things that didn't sit well with her, and she nearly broke his arm when he grabbed her arm. Buffy told me she'd handled it!"
"Hey, I remember that guy," Iba said suddenly. "Black and white face paint, blue hair. Gave me a bad feeling."
"What did he say to her, Ikkaku?" Yumichika asked.
"She wouldn't give me details. Hell, she didn't even want to tell me about it, but I got it out of her anyway," Ikkaku replied. "All she said was that the guy reminded her of Professor Walsh, a woman she knew when she was alive. Mad scientist type, liked to conduct experiments on demons to see what made them tick. I think she might have experimented on Buffy, but she didn't actually tell me that."
"So, you're saying that a potentially crazy mad scientist kidnapped Buffy and is going to experiment on her?" Iba asked, sounding more than a little sceptical. "Why would someone want to experiment on Buffy, of all people?"
"We can figure out the why later," Yumichika said. "We need to find Buffy now before something bad happens to her."
"How do you propose we do that?" Rangiku asked, arching an eyebrow.
"Well, first we should go talk to Kuchiki," Yumichika replied. "He was the last person to see her before she disappeared. Maybe we can get some information about this mystery Shinigami that might have taken Buffy."
"What are we waiting for, then?" Ikkaku asked, standing up and stalking across the room. He stopped at the door. "Let's go storm the Kuchiki manor!"
"I don't know if storming the manor would be the best way to approach this," Rangiku said. "But going there and politely asking to speak to Byakuya and Captain Kuchiki could work."
"I don't care how we do it, let's just get going already!" Ikkaku exclaimed as he yanked open the dormitory door and stormed out of the room. Yumichika, Iba and Rangiku scrambled to follow him, practically running to catch up to the bald man.
All four of them hoped to find Buffy in one piece.
"Ow," Buffy groaned as she tried to sit up, surprised when she found that she couldn't. Securely strapped to a gurney in a dimly lit examination room with different machines and contraptions all around, monitoring everything about her that could be monitored. Standing at a computer console was none other than Mayuri Kurotsuchi, typing away.
"Struggling will get you nowhere, Ayasegawa," he said, his gaze still concentrated on the computer screen. "Those straps are Kido spelled and impossible for even you to break."
Growling under her breath, Buffy struggled against her bonds. Sure enough, they held fast, absolutely no give. Oh well, you couldn't blame a girl for trying.
"Did you think I was lying to you, Ayasegawa?" Kurotsuchi asked as he came over to check and make sure the straps were still holding fast. "I'd hate to have to sedate you. My readings will not be as accurate if you are under the influence of any mood altering drugs."
"What do you want with me?" Buffy asked as Mayuri moved from the computer console to one of the other machines around the gurney, checking it before he turned in gold-eyed stare on her.
"I would think even someone with a mind as simple as yours would remember our previous conversation," Mayuri replied, his gaze unblinking. "I wish to experiment on you."
"But why?" Buffy asked. "I'm not special. I'm just a girl."
"That's where you're wrong, Ayasegawa," Mayuri replied. "Or you're lying to me. Either way, I don't care, because I have you here now. You are far from just a girl, Ayasegawa. I am under the impression you are an extraordinary girl. One girl in all the world, you might say."
Buffy froze, her eyes widening. How in the hell did he know about that? No one, except Yumichika and Ikkaku knew about that, and even then only Ikkaku knew any concrete details. How had he… ? Unless he was being a sneaky bastard and had eavesdropped. From what she knew about him, she wouldn't put it past him.
"You're probably wondering how I know about this," Mayuri continued as he stabbed Buffy in the arm with a syringe, injecting her with a dark green liquid.
"Ow!" Buffy exclaimed, glaring at Mayuri at his roughness. "I thought you said you wouldn't give me anything if I stopped struggling. I stopped struggling, so you'd better keep up your end of the bargain."
"I said I wouldn't sedate you. I never said I wouldn't administer other chemicals to see how you'd react to them," Mayuri replied with a smirk.
"My brother's so gonna kick your ass when he figures out I'm missing," Buffy snarled. "Hell, when I get out of these restraints, I'm going to kick your sorry kidnapping ass. There won't even be anything left for Ikkaku or Yumichika to play with."
"I have no doubt of that, Ayasegawa," Mayuri replied calmly, the corners of his mouth turning up in a smile. "That's why I have you restrained. You know, I watched your entrance examination and reviewed the footage for hours, trying to figure out how someone so small, so delicate, so feminine, got so far in the combat portion of the examination. It defied all logic I could think of; even if a woman were skilled in fighting, her male opponent's superior strength and size would soon overpower her. Then, after I propositioned you, I overheard you and that brother of yours talking about something. Something that intrigued me. Do you know what that thing was?"
Buffy resisted the urge to roll her eyes and give him the best "well, duh" she could manage. She had a feeling that that would work against her desire to stay alive and mostly unscathed, so she kept her mouth shut, narrowing her eyes at the mad scientist puttering around her.
"You talked about being something when you were alive, the Slayer," Mayuri continued. "In all my years as a research specialist, I'd never heard that term. Of course, I needed to investigate. I consulted various sources to see what I could find about this Slayer, this thing you claimed to be. One girl in all the world, one girl given the speed, strength and skills to hunt the vampires, demons and the forces of darkness. Such an interesting concept. Of course, I doubted the information I acquired. The idea of a lone teenage being the first and last line of defence between the human world and the supernatural world is ludicrous at best."
"Then what are you going to do with that information?" Buffy asked, mildly curious. "I mean, if you don't believe it's true, then there's really no point in me being here, right?"
"Ah, but if I went with just my gut feeling, I wouldn't be a very good scientist," Mayuri replied. "My conclusions are dependent on the scientific method, not listening to gut feelings and emotions. Therefore, I must conduct experiments to either prove or disprove my doubt."
"Why do I have a feeling I'm not going to like this?" Buffy asked as Mayuri flipped a switch. A column of light illuminated a previously darkened area of the room right in front of her, and standing in the light was a hulking figure, its face deformed in such a way that told Buffy that he was a vampire.
"I stand corrected," Buffy said as she eyed what was most likely going to be her opponent. "I'm definitely not going to like this."
Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Did you really have to bang on the door like that, Ikkaku?" Yumichika said with a roll of his eyes. "I'm sure knocking would have gotten their attention just as easily."
"And they wouldn't think we're raving lunatics trying to break down the door," Rangiku muttered, crossing her arms.
"Well, I'm sorry if I'm the only one who's worried about Buffy and wants to get her back," Ikkaku snarled, pounding on the door. "Open this damn door before I break it down!"
"I don't think that would be necessary."
The door creaked open, revealing a tall, somewhat elderly man, dressed in a Shinigami uniform, a white haori over top. Wrapped around his neck was an expensive-looking silk scarf. A serious, unimpressed expression adorned his face, making it abundantly clear that the four Shinigami Academy students on his doorstep were far from welcome. Captain Ginrei Kuchiki.
"Sorry about him, he's just a little antsy," Rangiku apologized, pushing her way to the forefront of the group, shushing any objections with an icy glare. "We're wondering if you could help us. Our friend, Buffy was here a couple of hours ago training with your grandson. We haven't seen her in a few hours and we were wondering if you heard or seen anything after she left."
"No," Ginrei replied.
"Well, maybe we could speak to Byakuya?" Rangiku asked hopefully. "He was the last person to see her before she disappeared and while we might not get any information out of him, we want to cover all of our bases, you know?"
"I suppose that could be acceptable," Ginrei replied, moving so that the foursome could enter the manor. He turned to a small woman passing by with a purposeful stride. "Please show our guests to the garden, where Byakuya should still be practicing."
"Yes, sir," she said quietly before she crooked her finger at the students. "Please, follow me."
The quartet was silent was they were led through the manor until they reached the garden, where Byakuya was swinging a wooden sword against an imaginary opponent. His movements were fluid, controlled, much like a dance, eerily similar to Buffy's fighting style, but with a more masculine spin on it. He stopped when he spotted the older students standing there, watching him.
"What do you want?" he asked, dropping his wooden sword to his side. "In case you're wondering, Buffy's not here. She left hours ago."
"She's gone missing," Ikkaku snarled, having been borderline polite up until then. "You'd better tell us everything you know, you little shit, or I'm going to kick your ass so hard your grandkids'll feel it."
"Buffy's missing?" Byakuya asked, his eyes widening in shock.
"Didn't I just tell ya that?" Ikkaku asked with a roll of his eyes. "She's gone missing and you were the last person to see her before she got kidnapped. So start talking."
"There's nothing to really say," Byakuya replied, although he was beginning to feel worried. "I mean, she seemed a little distracted. Said she wouldn't be able to concentrate on Kido without blowing herself up. Also said she would tell me what was bothering her if I could beat her in a fight."
"So I'm guessing she didn't tell you?" Ikkaku said with a snort. "Figures. Scrawny little twerp like you wouldn't be able to beat her."
"From what I've heard, neither can you, so we're on even footing on that point," Byakuya retorted with a scoff.
"Ikkaku, could you please be civil? You're not helping," Yumichika said. He turned to Byakuya. "And neither are you."
"Sorry."
"Sorry."
"Do you think your grandfather might be able to help us with something?" Rangiku asked, breaking Byakuya's attention from Ikkaku as he turned to focus on her. "We're pretty sure we know who took Buffy, and we just need a little help identifying him."
"I don't know, but it can't hurt to ask," Byakuya replied. "The thing is, the squad captains don't really pay attention to the members of different squads, so I doubt he'd be much help if this person isn't in Squad Six."
"Don't worry, it's really hard to miss this guy," Rangiku reassured him. "Do you think we could talk to him now? I don't want to waste any more time, and I doubt you do, either."
"I'll go get him," Byakuya said, leaving the quartet alone in the garden.
They sat in silence, contemplating the situation they were in, hoping and praying that they would find Buffy alive. They weren't left alone long, though, as mere minutes from his departure, Byakuya was back, his grandfather on tow.
"My grandson says you seem to think I may be able to aid you in finding your friend," Ginrei said. "Although I am unsure of how what kind of assistance I cam provide, I will do all I can to help. Miss Ayasegawa had done my family a great service by teaching my grandson, and I can only hope you find her."
"We're looking for a Shinigami," Iba said, speaking for the first time. "He's around my height, has blue hair and wears black and white face paint. A little on the crazy side, but that might not completely come out unless you talk to him."
"A little crazy?" Ikkaku asked incredulously. "A little crazy? You're talking about a guy who kidnapped a girl so that he could experiment on her because she may or may not have mystical powers above and beyond that of the average Shinigami. If that's a little crazy, I don't want to see your definition of a lot crazy."
Silence descended on the group for several long moments, digesting what Ikkaku had said. He sat there with his mouth hanging open; he couldn't believe he had said that! Buffy was going to kill him when she found out.
"Anyway, moving on," Rangiku said, clearing her throat. "Does that sound like anyone you might have seen? Any help would be appreciated."
"Yes, it does," Captain Kuchiki replied, stroking his chin. "That sounds a lot like one of the Squad Twelve Shinigami. I'm sorry, but I don't know his name, although I do know he works in the science department of that squad."
"That's great, thank you," Rangiku said gratefully with a bow. "Come on boys, let's bring Buffy back already!"
As they turned to leave, a voice stopped them in their tracks.
"Wait!" Byakuya exclaimed. "I'm coming with you."
"Now then," Mayuri said as he crossed the room so that he was far away from Buffy and the vampire. "I am going to watch you as you slay this vampire. Simple enough, yes?"
"Which means there's a catch," Buffy retorted. She rattled her shackles. "Are you gonna release these, or not?"
"I will release the binding Kido, but after that you're on your own," Mayuri replied with a chuckle. "Think if it as yet another way to display your Slayer strength."
He stopped walking, having stepped onto a platform. Pushing a button on a control panel, the platform began to rise until it was twenty feet off of the ground. Figures, Buffy thought, struggling against her bonds a little. Rat bastard's probably scared I'm gonna rip him limb from limb.
"And the Kido spell is off of your shackles," Mayuri called from his platform, waving his hand as he did so. Something released on the shackles, and Buffy could feel them groaning when she pulled on them. She saw Mayuri wave his hand again, and before she knew it, the vampire was advancing on her.
Struggling against her bonds, Buffy tried to free herself as the vampire advanced on her. It growled, smelling the air as it approached.
"Slayer," he hissed as Buffy struggled some more, one of her legs finally breaking free.
"Slay-ee," Buffy retorted, her leg lashing out, kicking the vampire hard enough to send him flying back several feet. As he recovered, Buffy struggled some more, feeling the metal at her wrists give way a little more, although she still couldn't break the bonds. Her other leg broke free from its bonds, and just in time. The vampire was getting to his feet, a smirk on his face.
"I am going to enjoy feeding on you," he said. "The painted man said that I the Slayer is mine for the taking, and that I may partake in my fill of her blood."
"That's if you can get to me," Buffy snarled, foot lashing out again as the vampire advanced. This was ridiculous, and hardly fair. Even during the Cruciamentum, while she had been drugged, she could still escape and still had weapons at her disposal.
She tried to break her arms free from their chains again, smiling slightly to herself when they finally gave way. She leapt away from the upright gurney she had been strapped to, having mere seconds to savour her freedom before the vampire was on her at full strength, knocking her to the floor. She struggled against him, fighting for control, able to throw his weight off of her enough to roll them over so that she was on top.
Without a stake or some other method to slay the vampire, though, she was going to be in trouble, fast…
"What the hell do you mean, you're coming with us?" Ikkaku asked, arching an eyebrow. "What help are you going to be?"
"Out of the five of us students, who of us knows Seiretei best?" Byakuya asked stubbornly. "Me, that's who. I grew up around here. I know where all of the squad headquarters are. I might not know where this Kurotsuchi guy might be hiding, but I can give you a starting point."
"What makes you think gramps is going to let you go?" Ikkaku asked, only to have Byakuya launch himself at him. If Yumichika and Iba hadn't been there to hold the younger boy back, he probably would have knocked Ikkaku to the ground.
Well, he would have made a valiant effort.
"This path has been brought before my grandson, and the decision for him to go down it is his alone," Captain Kuchiki cut in. "I cannot make this decision for him and neither can you, and my preferences in the matter are irrelevant."
"I'm going, so there," Byakuya said, sticking his tongue out at Ikkaku.
"I dare you to do that again," Ikkaku growled.
"I will not condone violence in my home," Captain Kuchiki said, placing a hand on Byakuya's shoulder. The boy seemed to deflate at the contact, his shoulders slumping slightly. "I suggest that you try the Twelfth Squad barracks first, and work from there. Good luck, I hope you find her."
"Thank you, Jii-sama," Byakuya said respectfully. The other four students nodded once in thanks and all five of them turned, leaving the manor quickly.
Buffy was able to throw the vampire off of herself, jumping to her feet as the creature flew several feet away. She slid into a fighting stance, ready for another onslaught from the vampire when six beams shot from across the room, spearing her and making her unable to move.
"What the hell?!" Buffy exclaimed, glaring at the only other person in the room who could have cast it. She recognized the spell; it was Bakudo 61, Six Rods Prison Light.
"I thought your fight was becoming too easy, so I thought I'd even the odds a little," Mayuri called from his perch with a smirk.
"Swear to God, I'm going to kill that troll," Buffy muttered to herself, concentrating on breaking the Kido. While she hadn't attempted to break one this high a level of Kido, but she had to try. She didn't really want to know what happened when you died a third time.
Apparently, she concentrated hard enough, because the rods shattered at that moment. She launched herself at the vampire, putting on an offence that drove it onto the defence. Buffy only hoped that she could tire it out enough that she could, possibly, rip its head off or something. She kept an eye out for something, anything, that could be substituted for a stake or something she could decapitate the vampire with; there was no wood whatsoever in the laboratory, and the only sword within a fifty foot radius was the one hanging from the front of Mayuri's belt.
Her perusal for a weapon must have distracted her more than she thought, because before long the vampire had landed a kick to her stomach, sending her flying; the only thing that stopped her was a wall. Before she could slide down to the floor, the vampire was on her, pinning her to the wall.
"I'm going to enjoy this," the vampire said, fangs bared. Buffy closed her eyes and braced herself for the pain, vaguely aware of the sound of someone breaking down the door. The vampire turned from her, distracted. "What the hell?!"
It didn't take the students long to reach the squad barracks, and even less time than that to reach the Twelfth Squad barracks.
"Oi, you there!" Ikkaku said, hailing a small, timid looking guy. "You twelfth squad?"
"Y-yes," the guy said, stammering a little. He looked young, and terrified. "Can I help you?"
"Have you seen Mayuri Kurotsuchi?" Ikkaku asked. "Know where he is?"
"He should be in the lab," the guy said. "But he doesn't like to be disturbed or anything like that…"
"But it's really important that we talk to him," Rangiku said with a pout, positioning her arms so that her breasts were thrust forward. "Can you help us, please?"
"O-okay," the Shinigami said, his eyes drawn to Rangiku's chest. "Follow me."
"What the hell was that?!" Ikkaku hissed as the nameless Shinigami turned and led them through the Twelfth Squad barracks. "You shouldn't be doing that. What are you, twelve?"
"Eighteen, actually," Rangiku replied with a huff. "And I got us in, so why the hell are you complaining? We got in without using violence, that guy got to stare at boobs, we all win here."
"Except for the fact that Ikkaku probably wanted to hit someone," Yumichika piped up. Ikkaku glared at him. "What, it's true, isn't it?"
Ikkaku grumbled under his breath as their guide stopped in front of a door.
"Here we are," he said, gesturing at the door.
"Thank you," Yumichika said before Ikkaku or Rangiku could say anything. They waited until their guide was gone before Iba brought himself to the front of the group. With an almighty yell, he made a dash for the door, breaking it down on the first try. One obstacle down, the fivesome entered the room and surveyed the situation, realizing soon after that they had maybe two seconds to come up with a plan.
Ikkaku, Yumichika and Iba went first, grabbing the vampire and throwing it off of Buffy. They went to work beating the ever-loving crap out of it, leaving Rangiku and Byakuya to attend to Buffy.
"Are you okay?" Rangiku asked, rushing over to her.
"Of course she's not okay, she's just been kidnapped and attacked!" Byakuya exclaimed, shoving Rangiku out of the way, kneeling next to Buffy as she slid down the wall. He pulled the smaller woman to him and wrapped his skinny arms around her, rubbing her back as he did so. "Everything's going to be all right, we're all here to beat the crap out of the guy who did this to you."
Rangiku smiled at the scene, knowing that if she ever mentioned it again the younger student would staunchly deny it. She turned her attention to the other three men, who were triple teaming the vampire. They were handling themselves well enough. Finally, her gaze was drawn to the man on the platform. She expected him to look upset or angry, but he looked more perplexed than anything else. Her attention remained on him until there was another commotion at the door…
One moment, Buffy was bracing herself for her third death when the vampire was pulled from her and tossed across the room. She was vaguely aware of the sounds of a fight as her attention was drawn to the two remaining people.
"Buffy, are you okay?"
"Of course she's not okay, she's just been kidnapped and attacked!"
Everything was beginning to overwhelm Buffy and she suddenly felt very tired. As she slid down the wall, she was aware of a pair of pale, skinny arms wrapping around her, holding her tightly against a skinny, masculine torso.
"Everything's going to be all right, we're all here to beat the crap out of the guy who did this to you," Byakuya murmured, rubbing her back. He released her, holding her at arm's length. "Don't you ever do that again, because I swear to God I'm going to beat the snot out of you if you make me worry like that again!"
"I'm sorry," Buffy said with a sniffle, trying hard to keep from laughing. Byakuya was hardly an intimidating figure. In fact, once she thought about it, none of her friends were, not even Ikkaku or Iba. "I promise I won't get kidnapped again."
"Very funny, smartass," Byakuya said with a roll of his eyes as he helped Buffy to her feet. "I mean, no more secrets. If you've got a stalker or something, you tell us. No more keeping this kind of stuff after yourself. We're friends, we're supposed to look out for each other."
"That's the theory, anyway," Buffy replied with a small smile, just as there was a commotion at the door.
Two old men, one Buffy recognized and one she didn't, and half a dozen black clad men burst into the room, swords out and at the ready. Captain Kuchiki made his way over to Buffy and Byakuya, the half dozen rank and file Shinigami advanced on the vampire, which by that time was almost completely subdued, and the bald old man just stood back and watched the events unfold, leaning slightly on his walking stick.
"Hey, new guys!" Buffy called out to the Shinigami. "If you want to kill the vampire, cut off its head!"
The one Shinigami that had turned to Buffy's hail nodded in understanding before running to join his comrades. Believing that the undead creature would be finally taken care of, she turned her attention to the captain heading their way.
"Jii-sama, what are you doing here?" Byakuya asked.
"Did you really think I'd let you launch this rescue mission alone?" Captain Kuchiki asked, arching an eyebrow as his gaze fell on the arm Byakuya had wrapped around Buffy's waist. "What would you have done once you rescued Miss Ayasegawa? Surely you didn't think you'd be able to bring the perpetrator to justice on your own?"
"I guess we didn't think about that," Byakuya said sheepishly.
"You're just lucky that I did think about that," Captain Kuchiki remarked.
Buffy turned as she heard an unearthly scream, the sound of a vampire turning to dust. As soon as it cleared, Ikkaku, Yumichika and Iba made their way to Buffy, Ikkaku in the lead. As soon as Ikkaku reached her, he yanked Buffy out of Byakuya's arms and drew her to him.
"Clingy much?" Buffy asked, arching her back a little so that she could look up at him. She looked at the other two men who had been taking out the vampire, both wearing identical expressions of worry and outrage. "I'm not gonna be able to go anywhere alone for a long time, aren't I?"
"You bet your ass you're not going anywhere alone," Ikkaku said seriously. Buffy looked to Yumichika and Iba for support, but they were nodding in agreement with Ikkaku. No help there. She was about to turn her attention to Rangiku, try to get her lone female friend on her side, but once the other girl opened her mouth Buffy knew she was going to get any support from that corner, either.
"No way Buffy, I'm agreeing with the guys on this one," Rangiku said with a shake of her head.
"I think it might be best if we got Miss Ayasegawa out of this place," Captain Kuchiki said gently but firmly. "We still need to question her, get all of the facts straight, but a little fresh air might do her some good.
"Yeah. Yeah, okay," Buffy agreed with a small nod. Ikkaku kept an arm around her shoulders and led her out of the laboratory and the barracks, stopping when they got outside. Yumichika had followed them, and the three of them say on a bench together, Buffy sandwiched in between her boys. Buffy leaned on Ikkaku's should and closed her eyes, heaving a huge sigh of relief.
When Buffy fell asleep, neither Ikkaku nor Yumichika had the heart to wake her up.
Okay, so there it is. Chapter 15 done and posted. I'm sorry if the action scenes were lacking, but fight scenes are not my forte. Should have though of that before I started a fic in a very action-oriented fandom, huh?
Anyway, comments are always appreciated. I don't know when I'll get the next chapter up, hopefully within the next month. Not making any promises, though.