Chapter Fourty-Five: Those of Holy Blood

I feel a kind of fear
When I don't have you near
Unsatisfied, I skip my pride
I beg you dear......
Don't go wasting your emotion.

-Abba "Lay All Your Love"

The darkness flowed smoothly around them, there wasn't even any sort of explosion which he'd almost expected. Then it curled in front of his gaze as he felt Kagome fade from his arms and left him grasping at invisible space. After a moment that seemed far longer than it was the shadows withdrew with a sudden burst of light and the cold that had been seeping into his core was instead renewed with energy. As he opened his eyes he couldn't stop them from widening.

Kagome was behind him, how and when she'd gotten there he couldn't remember but she had wings crafted from shafts of light coming from her back and the soul cleaner was deteriorating before his eyes. Whatever she'd done she'd somehow destroyed that which the soul society had believed indestructible. She was still shimmering with brilliant illumination and there was a gentle hum in the air, the result of the pure spirtual energy she was emitting. It was similar to the times that she had healed him without her own control but now it was at a much grander level. A scale of such difference he had a hard time believing it was her he was observing at all.

Her form though was starting to fade completely, the light like the rest of her was growing translucent and he reached out to grasp at her hand before it completely retreated from reality. "Kagome!"

When she turned to look at him even her eyes had gone completely white like the rest of the light enveloping her in a sort of purifying fire. Instead of any recognition however she just watched him blankly and he could feel whatever power had enveloped her was absorbing everything around her. It was already beginning to drain his own power but he didn't withdraw his hand, just grasped her tighter. She seemed to return to a more normal state when he touched her.

His eyes were still wide as he watched her just blankly looking his way, nothing in her manner told him she recognized him at all. He pulled her forward then into a tight embrace, if he could offer her some sort of respite from this strange new development he'd offer over every ounce of power he had. "Kagome, come back to me."

The fire finally faded then, vanishing as her entire body went limp in his arms, the sudden lack of spiritual pressure knocking him off balance enough that he wavered before catching his feet, still holding the now feinted teenager that was intensely warm in his arms, staring at the top of her ebony hair in disbelief of what he'd just witnessed.

She had fallen asleep on him, drawn too much on her power as she tended to do on the rare occasions she tapped it more fully. Likely she'd nearly drained herself completely but now was slumbering without worry against his chest. Unconsciously snuggling closer given the cold in the cave like connection between their worlds.

"I wonder if you have the vaguest idea of what you are capable of." He pondered aloud to her, his face finally relaxing back to it's political positioning. "That solves the issue of it attacking anyone else I suppose."

He picked her up with him as he took his feet, still graceful despite the added weight, watching her face as she continued to sleep just a moment before continuing out into the connecting passage into her world alert for any further ambush.

When nothing happened he started flash stepping his way toward his mansion. It would be wise to contact the soul society as soon as possible with what occurred, he wouldn't be able to keep what Kagome had done from them and it would be unwise to not let them know that Aizen was already being aggressive toward this event and those attending.

She was already beginning to stir when he arrived back and he settled her on a couch mere moments before she opened her eyes, now seeming a slightly paler brown than they'd been previously. "Hmm, what happened? Huh?"

As she pushed herself up and looked around she looked confused, holding her head as if it was causing her pain while raising her now free hand to stifle a yawn. "Weren't we just in soul society?"

"We traveled back already." He offered with his usual calm firmly back in place, watching her carefully for any other signs of distress. "You feinted in the passage. You'll be staying here tonight and you can begin your preparations in the morning if you are feeling up to it."

He didn't want to tell her more than he had to, she would overreact and she had enough things on her mind already what with planning a wedding in only five days time. He would need to contact soul society. "If I leave you here can I trust you'll rest while I have someone retrieve you some food and water?"

She nodded a little at that, blushing some at the fact she had to be carried by him again. "He has to think I'm so weak and useless..."

After she agreed he headed out of the room and informed his staff to attend to her before moving to the room that would allow him to contact soul society and starting it up. He had some questions of his own as to what exactly Kagome was given what he'd just seen. His previous information seemed inadequate given the new circumstances.

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"It's rather fascinating." Heru, one of the underlings of the now dead research captain was looking over the file as she forwarded it to Byakuya. "I never knew those descended from priests or priestess' could be so frightening."

"Explain." He ordered, he didn't have the copy of the files yet so it was good to get the researchers thoughts in the meantime.

"Well, powers can manifest in a variety of ways but much of the time they have powers similar to the the dead Quincy, perhaps the Quincy themselves possessed watered down holy blood. Priests or priestess' of course have powers that dwarf those of normal Quincy and have a record of difficulty controlling that power. It seems oftentimes their power consumes them completely if they aren't taught to channel it soon enough."

Byakuya kept the frown from his face but he wasn't at all happy with what he was hearing. The clown could have finally been useful but now he was dead and he was left with the clown's side show freaks to figure out what he needed.

"I'm surprised that the prince would order her to be married to you. According to these files it is habit to have those few true priests and priestess' married to the royal family for the strongest heirs possible. Our current Prince had a priestess for a mother." The woman was reading aloud as she seemed to be pondering through the varied lines of the files. "Though these files were very hard to get so it could simply be that these things were forgotten over time. Definitely they were feared and respected in the times that these files were written."

"Find any other files you can regarding them and send them here. Focus on any sort of record of training we might possess. Consider this a priority request that is to be kept secret from the other squadrons for the safety of those involved." Byakuya ordered, he'd already been here a while and he had warned the guards first of what had happened in the corridor before making his more personal query's but he still had to discern that things in his own squadron were being taken care of.

"One last thing." The woman wasn't in the habit of ignoring orders so he remained silent to hear what it was she wanted to say. "where was it...ah there. 'It is believed that such subjects are not completely aware of how much power they truly possess and their gifts seem to be just as much a curse. No known priest or priestess has survived longer than three decades before they were destroyed by some form of explosion of their own power. The last known priestess, the prince's mother, was eaten away by her own energy when she healed the prince after he'd been ambushed by a renegade group against the soul society. Some believe she pulled him back from the clutches of death only to meet it herself. Regardless of the reason, the longest any has survived upon being taken in by soul society is thirty-three years.' That is the way the passage reads captain."

He pushed the button that would turn off the monitor and waited the moment that he knew the woman on the other side would still be seeing him to pass before he leaned on the front of the alien machine more heavily. Perhaps allowing Kagome to enter the soul society would kill her after all...thirty years was longer than he'd spent with Hisana, but were all the women he cared for doomed to die at such a young age?

Then an emergency transmission came onto the screen and he rose a brow slightly at the general's old face flickering into view. He knew the old man didn't like to use this way of communication. Something was obviously important...

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"I missed Kaeda." Kagome admitted as she nibbled at the older ladies cooking and enjoyed some of the tea that she'd been brought. Not that the food wasn't always amazing at the estate in soul society but there was just something about the food the older woman made. It reminded her of her younger days when Grandma was still alive and would make her things when she was just a girl.

It took her mind off being so useless anyway. She had so much to consider with the wedding, her mother had been shocked when she'd told her the wedding was only 5 days away but after several moments to take it in had agreed to help her plan it. She'd seemed disappointed she wouldn't see her til the next day but Kagome had agreed to stay put and rest and she wasn't too bothered by that. She felt exhausted though she'd done so little that day.

"Either I'm really out of shape or it's all the stress." She thought idly. "Or both. I really need to work out more and be less stressed. But I guess once we're married I won't have to worry about much at all.

Somehow she had to convince herself that those words were true, however temporarily she would believe that. It gave her a goal to strive for, something to reach toward and look forward too past all the day to day anger and emotional abuse.

"You don't look particularly well." The musical voice was unmistakable and Kagome nearly fell off the couch as she realized the prince was seated calmly next to her. "How the hell do they do that!?"

"What...how did...why...aren't you?" Kagome stuttered nervously as she stared at the beautiful royal, he wasn't in the formal robes she'd first observed him in. They had been replaced by a fine suit, why was it all the royalty wore suits when trying to blend into her world anyway? Without Byakuya right there she felt far less brave than the last time they'd met. His eyes were different now, darker, as if the storm within had grown worse in the past few days.

"Well spoken." He commented, though the strong winds behind his eyes never reached the smooth breeze of his voice playing over wind chimes. His tone was still polite and even playful in nature. "My guard compliment thought it best for me to travel to the mortal world before anyone else as no one would predict I would be anything but last if there was some form of ambush."

That seemed logical enough, though Kagome continued to gape in disbelief at the surreal someday ruler of soul society calmly seated on Byakuya's couch in the den where she used to do her homework. Something told her it would be very impolite to sit next to him like an equal so she continued to stand stupidly staring instead.

"Pity none of them were fast enough to make it out of the tunnels." He commented, some of the music of his voice dying Kagome recognized immediately as a sign of agitation. "I figured given Byakuya's ability with flash steps that he would make it, but carrying you at the same time...quite a feat."

"I um...don't know what you mean. I feinted in the tunnel Byakuya said." Kagome paused, something had attacked them in the tunnel, and she'd feinted? "I really am useless."

"One more reason to be impressed with him. Of course, unlike father I always thought the Kuchiki family was worth the most out of the four noble houses." He seemed to finally notice Kagome was still just standing there and gestured to the couch. "Please, you are the one that doesn't seem to be feeling well, sit."

"...okay." She wasn't sure how to politely refuse so she sat down again on the edge of the couch, the static that seemed to surround the prince was harsher than she remembered, perhaps another sign of how irritated he really was with what happened. "The rest of your guard didn't make it then? That's why you came here?"

He glanced over to her, though now that they were so close she wasn't looking at him anymore. "Yes, I knew that the both of you were suppose to be arriving tomorrow morning."

"I'm sorry...if I hadn't wanted to have the wedding here..." She said softly, she wasn't sure how she was suppose to comfort such a creature as the prince but it didn't stop her from wanting to do so. She'd meant to ask Byakuya where the guard that had come with them was but she had a sinking feeling that now she knew. "No wonder he needed to leave...something is attacking people as they leave the soul society."

"It isn't your fault." He said with the usual calm, stormy eyes looking around Byakuya's mansion now as they spoke. "Aizen would have found another way to get at things, he is quite the troublesome child. A pity the general doesn't have better judgement, powerful and rather unwise given he's almost as old as I am."

"How...old are you?" Kagome tried to change the subject before the tears that were close to the surface began to fall, it seemed really ignoble to start crying in front of the prince.

"I'll be at my first Millennia in the next few years." He said it in such a offhand-ish way, like it wasn't much to be almost a thousand years old. He only looked her age, which meant he would end up being what eventually? "Do you think Byakuya will return here?"

"He seems to do a lot of work in here." Kagome offered. "I think he spends most of his time while he's here in this room. He could be contacting your world..."

"Rumors of my demise will be greatly exaggerated I'm sure." He had such a odd manner about him, though she could still sense that beneath it all he was angry. Lightning continued to flash across his eyes in a hateful, wicked sort of manner.

"I am sorry." Kagome watched him again then, sadly now. She had lost friends but likely those guards of his he'd known for years. She couldn't really know how he felt but she was empathetic enough to know that it had gotten to him.

"You are observant for a human." He met her gaze, seeming a little fascinated and keeping a tight lid on his deeper feelings perfectly well though she already seemed to know them. "Perhaps I shouldn't have allowed this...but you remind me too much of her...or is it just your gift to read the people around you as easily as lifting a book off a shelf?"

Kagome was still watching him sadly, not sure what she could do to help him, reaching over to pat his leg comfortingly before glancing up to a returning Byakuya, she couldn't help but smile just a little at the shocked expression that flickered over his face when he saw the prince seated next to her on the couch. She didn't get to see him truly show emotion nearly enough.

"Your highness?" Byakuya recovered quickly enough, though he still seemed confused. "I couldn't sense you."

"I am capable of controlling my spiritual pressure Captain." The prince offered, his beautiful voice still no where near matching the storm in his eyes. "Otherwise I imagine that this city would have been covered in attacks by now. I would like to contact soul society from here if you don't mind."

"No sir." Byakuya was immediately in soldier mode, nodding to him and heading back out to lead him through the manner himself. "Please, come with me."

The prince got up without a sound, fluid and graceful as he seemed to be in all things. Pausing to consider Kagome before smiling at her gently. "Thank you for your kindness Priestess. We should speak again soon."

"I would like that." Kagome answered honestly, she still felt horrible for him but knew he needed to go and report things. That and likely Byakuya was already going to be very unhappy with her for being so informal with him.

He nodded then to her and headed after the captain, leaving the girl to ponder after him curiously.

End Chapter

Less cliffhanger this time. Whew, back to the mortal world and with things still going on. But I promise that the story (at least the first part pending if I want to do a continuation) is slowly reaching a conclusion. I know where things are going to end up but I just have to get them there. Hope folks read and review!

-Aura

To my reviewers: (of which there aren't many last chap cause I just posted chap 44 but as it was so short I figured I should post this chapter now)

Ayjah - heh I do luvs me some cliffhangers

Lovelywitch - I didn't leave you long. I'm sure most people will end up reading this chapter with the last. As far as 'when it pours' I don't know if/when I'll get back to it. I am sorta planning on trying to finish this before I even consider where to go after.