Chapter 8: Return to the Sereitei

It is barely dawn when I slip out of bed and move soundlessly away from Renji so I can dress. Dressing with only partial use of one of my arms proves to be much more difficult than I anticipated. Suddenly, warm hands take hold of my top and slide it easily into place. I didn't mean to wake him, but he is behind me and reaching around to tie my belt.

"Were you thinking you could leave for the Sereitei without telling me?" he asks softly.

"Of course not, Renji. Why would I do that?" I ask.

"Ah…you might have thought I would try to convince you to stay another day…to heal a bit more," he smiles.

"As though your assistance in my healing wasn't enough already? Renji, I would not take my leave of you without telling you I was going. That would be wrong of me. Besides, you aren't going to argue that I should wait anymore, are you?"

"Should I?" he asks, "You're still kind of ragged around the edges, Byakuya. You want me to help with that?"

"It cannot wait anymore," I sigh, "I cannot let this go any farther without understanding more about what is going on. I would ask you to accompany me, but I want you to stay here with Rikichi and Kenta. If, for some reason, those creatures attack again, I want all of you under Zaraki's protection. While I am gone, you and Kenta will still have your spirit energy sealed and Zaraki will hold your zanpakuto. I have requested Yumichika and Ikkaku to act as bodyguards for you and Kenta."

"So if we go red-eyed again…" he says, looking worried.

"They are going to be there to protect you two, Renji. That is why I selected who I did."

"What about you, Byakuya?" he asks, "Who is going to be watching your back? The creature that attacked you wasn't even the strongest of them and you took heavy damage. What are you doing to protect yourself?"

"I don't really imagine I'm in danger once I leave Hueco Mundo, but I have asked Rukia to return with me to the manor. She was due to return soon anyway."

"Oh, I see," he says, "I'll want to come with you to the gate then. I want to say good-bye to you both."

I turn and pull him into a passionate kiss.

"I think we'd best share this part of our farewell in private," I say, smiling and kissing him even more deeply.

It takes longer than expected for a farewell, but the circumstances are unusual.

"Renji, I want you to be very cautious…" I tell him, "No going outside the barrier until I return. I will come back as soon as I know more."

"You should go see Kisuke Urahara on your way back," Renji suggests, "Maybe he and Yoruichi will have found some helpful information by then."

My eyebrows rise.

"Were they researching this? How did they know? I didn't have a chance to tell Yoruichi about the connection to my family before she left."

"Ah…" he says "Yoruichi was here last night. You were asleep. I brought her up to speed on what is happening."

"Why was she here? Was there news about our child's conception?"

"Um…yeah," he says, "She just needed more reiatsu. Oh, and she wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Why was more reiatsu required?" I ask.

"I don't know," he replies, "It's an odd procedure…a little too technical for me."

He looks a little too nonchalant.

"So did you and Yoruichi enjoy your visit?" I ask.

Is he blushing? Ah yes, Yoruichi does know how to unsettle people.

"It was…interesting. You know Yoruichi," he says, chuckling almost anxiously, "with her, things are never dull!"

No argument there.

"Never that," I say, in full agreement.

Renji follows me to the fortress gate and Rukia is already waiting. Renji hugs her and wishes her well, then we flash step away. We have some distance to go and I sense that Rukia wants to talk, so I slow and we walk for a while as we near the border between Hueco Mundo and the Sereitei.

"Rukia," I say to her, "Do you have something on your mind?"

"Yes, Brother," she admits, "I am worried about you and Renji. This whole situation with those creatures is really frightening. You two have to be very careful There's no telling what those creatures might try to do next!"

"Do not worry," I tell her, "We will discover what is going on with these creatures and I will make sure that we heal Renji."

"Well you be careful too," she admonishes me, "I don't want anything bad to happen to you."

"I will take no unreasonable risks," I tell her, "and I will be fine."

She nods.

"Rukia?"

"Yes, Brother?"

"I…want to thank you for being so supportive of my relationship with Renji. I know it was a shock to you at first, but you have been a great source of support. And there is something I haven't told you."

"What is it?" she asks.

"Kisuke Urahara is helping Renji and me to have a child."

She looks up at me with very wide eyes.

"That's…that's wonderful!" she says, smiling widely, "But how?"

"There is a process he found that will allow a donor/surrogate to carry a child that will be genetically ours. We started the process when Renji was injured, and now we wait to hear if it was a success. If it is, then Yoruichi will be having our child."

"Yoruichi? But, Byakuya…" she begins.

"Much has changed in the past few years, Rukia. She actually volunteered to help us. I am very grateful to her."

"I'm happy for you, Brother!" she says, turning to hug me.

I remember when she was afraid to even look at me. This is better.

"Byakuya?" she says a few moments later.

"Yes, Rukia?"

"Do you think the council of elders will give you any trouble? I mean, you haven't even told them that you married Renji. And now if this happens, will they cause trouble for you?"

I laugh to myself.

"I would expect they'll try, but they won't be able to do anything because I haven't violated any rules that I hadn't already, and I am keeping my vow to provide heirs. Everything will be fine, Rukia. Do not worry."

All at once, I feel eyes watching. We are near the border between worlds. If they were going to attack, they would want to do it in a place like this. There is a darkness to this place even during the day and lots of rocky crevices in which to hide.

"On your guard, Rukia," I tell her, my hand moving to Senbonzakura.

She places her hand on her zanpakuto and peers into the rising haze around us. I feel the shadowy forms taking shape around us even before I see them. Growls sound nearby. We draw and release our zanpakutos as one. Petal blades rake the wolves in a first strike, tearing at them and sending up heavy sprays of blood. The wolves who take damage yelp and the others snarl with rage at what I have done to their brethren.

Rukia's ice attack freezes and destroys what remaining wolves my zanpakuto missed. But a moment later, the mist forms again and more wolves appear. Our zanpakutos rake them again and this time we flash step away when the last one falls.

Unfortunately, they are not finished with us yet, They rise around us a final time and this time we are not fast enough. One of the wolves launches itself at Rukia. I throw myself between them, sending petal blades slicing through them and Rukia's ice attack delivers the final blow. As the mist around us fades, a rasping voice says something that sends a chill up my spine.

"You are chosen. You must not leave this land. When he calls, you must go to him."

A sickening feeling passes through me. These creatures were not here by chance. And although they exhibited pack type thinking, they also demonstrated higher intelligence. They know who I am…and they know I was 'chosen' by Renji. I think about their words. 'When he calls, you must go to him.' But what are we expected to do? There is no time to concern myself with it any further. Rukia sheaths her zanpakuto and we flash step away, now moving out of Hueco Mundo and into the Sereitei.

"Were you injured?" I ask Rukia as soon as I am fairly certain we are safe.

"No," she assures me, then she studies me carefully for a moment, "but you were," she says, pointing to my injured arm.

Studying my arm, I realize that the rigors of battle have caused the wounds to start bleeding again.

"It is nothing," I tell Rukia.

But to please her, I allow her to clean and place fresh bandages on the wounds. She is quiet as she works, but I feel the questions she is holding back. Finally, her emotions get the better of her and she asks them.

"Byakuya, those wolves were too smart to be normal. They had human intelligence," she states, "and they seemed to recognize you."

"Yes," I admit, "but you needn't concern yourself with that now. We are safe and the wolves have been left behind. Hopefully, I will discover information that will help me to understand them better."

"So you think there will be information in the Kuchiki family histories?" she asks.

I nod.

"I know I saw a reference to it. I just need to see how much additional information may be contained in other passages. When I was here before, I didn't have a clear picture of what I was seeking. Now the picture I have is all too clear."

We stop as we enter the gates of the Sereitei. I send a hell butterfly to the head captain to inform him of my return, and Rukia takes her leave of me so she can check in with her division.

I walk slowly back to the Kuchiki home, thinking deeply on all that has happened so far. I wonder again what the connection is between Renji and me, between Rikichi and Kenta. The reiatsu exchange nags at me, the constant need to bleed life from one into the other…the interdependence. There are crucial pieces of this puzzle that are still missing. I am still heavily focused on this when I reach the manor. I pause to inform the household staff that I have returned, and then descend into the heavily protected archive that houses the Kuchiki family histories.

The Kuchiki family histories are the most detailed records of any kind kept in the Sereitei. Each of the great noble houses has a set of its own, but ours is by far the most impressive, beginning with ancient accounts written in the vibrant flowery prose of our earliest forebears, to my own accounting of recent events. Each clan leader has the sacred duty of continuing the trend and recording the events as the length and breadth of our collective experience extends through the ages. When information on the past cannot be found, most often it can be discovered inscribed on these scripted pages.

The histories are protected in several ways. They never leave the place where they are stored, a kido defended vault that lies beneath the Kuchiki grounds and has protections placed on it that only the clan leader can pass through. The books themselves have a physical essence as they are scribed, but take on a sealed spirit form when they are stored, so that they are immune to the ravages of time. Even what is scribed onto the pages has two forms of revelation. The first is, of course, the written word, but the second is what sets our histories apart from any other. When reading the Kuchiki family histories, the reader experiences a soul connection with that history and is thrust into the revealed past as an observer. It is an awe-inspiring experience to dive into the past this way. Even as I sit adding my own pages, I am often swept away on the other things I find there. It is possible to spend days entrenched in the experience, so I have to be cautious not to overindulge and forget to come out every so often for food and rest.

As I prepare to enter the vault, a hell butterfly arrives from the head captain requesting my presence in his office. I send a hell butterfly to Jushiro Ukitake, requesting that he research the main archives for references to wolves existing in Hueco Mundo, then I leave for the head captain's office.

I am greeted at the door and led to the interior of the 1st division office. The head captain inquires about my wounds as tea is poured and we settle into our places.

"I am aware that your return has been prompted by the disturbing events taking place with your squad in Hueco Mundo. I have read your reports and have assigned people to assist in your research. However, as the Kuchiki histories are the most detailed in the Soul Society, I doubt we will find anything more helpful than what you will find in your own archives."

"I know there were some references to something akin to these wolves, though I do not remember the exact reference. But I do remember coming across the name Yuudai Kuchiki and a reference to him encountering ookami seirei…spirit wolves. I have a suspicion that these may be the wolves he referred to in that reference."

"I see," the head captain says, concern in his eyes, "Byakuya, you must proceed with extreme caution. In light of the attacks on our forces and the extent of your injuries, great care must be taken to protect everyone at the outpost. I am sending a special detachment of highly trained fighters to assist in protection of the base. Reports keep coming in about something or someone carefully testing the defenses of the Hueco Mundo barrier. I don't know if this is related to these spirit wolves, but regardless, the base may be in danger."

"It is possible that it is related. I would go so far as to say it is probable. The wolves seem to possess higher intelligence. On my way here, I was surrounded and attacked. The wolves displayed a knowledge of who I am and of the circumstances of my connection to Renji, who survived a direct attack by their leader."

"A very disturbing situation, Byakuya. Again, I urge you to use great caution as you pursue this. I would also like to offer you direct protection from the stealth force. I have ordered them stationed outside your home and will also provide protection inside as you deem it appropriate."

"Head Captain, I thank you. But I only ask that Rukia receive additional protection. I will be spending the bulk of my time in the vault. None can follow me into that place, so a bodyguard would prove less than useful. I will, however accept several within the main wing to stand guard as we sleep."

"Very well. Thank you for coming. I shall be looking for your reports as you uncover new information. Good-bye, Byakuya…and good luck."

I walk slowly back to the manor, thinking about the head captain's words, about the wolves that attacked me, and the one that attacked Renji.

The leader wolf attacked Renji, leaving him unable to maintain reiatsu.

Renji chose me to sustain his reiatsu.

"You must come when he calls you," they said.

Something is going to happen. For some reason, Renji will call me to him and…something will happen.

It is dark by the time I return to the manor. The house and grounds are too quiet. I walk the path to the waterfall, my mind trapped in an endless replay of the same events. Before I know it, I have reached the waterfall. I kneel beneath the sakura trees and stare into the black water below me. It is lonely knowing Renji won't appear and sit with me. I think back to the last time we were here and I can almost feel his warm weight leaned against my body.

"Tell me about another constellation…"

Deep down, I have to wonder if we will ever know such peace again.