Chapter 3: Invasion

(Thanks so very much to all of the sweet well wishers! You are the best healing shot I could imagine. My gratitude to Henka-chan, the genius who suggested this very fun departure from my norm, as well as the character, Ren. I am having a great time developing him. Thanks also to Shenigmatic (I am growing a sweet little addiction to this one.), Nyma (I won't keep you waiting too long.), Sakurayuri89 (Oh, the fun of the unexpected twists and turns!), Emmagem803 (I agree wholeheartedly! It's important to try new things, and this is really different.), Purple Light Snow (Yeah, I worried about that, but I think readers will adjust. Renji and Ren will interact and find that they have a few things in common.), MissLilly2012 (Credit for creating Ren goes to Henka-chan, but I am creating his powers and zanpakutou, so it's a blending of talents, and completely enjoyable!), SunlessNights (Yup! It's Bya/Ichigo/Ren with a side of feisty Renji/Tetsuya!), xazur3x (Here you go!), Aizenfan6969 (I am already considering! Just need a good storyline. Can anyone think of one?), Kittykins (You've got it!), and Winterheart2000 (Ah, more for you and more is coming!), Picklez80 (Thanks! *hugs*). Enjoy the chapter! Love, Spunky)

Ren shivered in his sleep, Aizen's voice whispering into his mind and making odd images flash before his eyes.

Aizen Rhazhah Ketsuekibara...

The very name sent a wicked chill up and down his spine.

Why did he call me that? Ren wondered, Is it my real name? And if it is, how would he know it? I live below the districts where personal records are kept. The only ones Soul Society keeps track of here are the exceptionally powerful people, or people who have been in significant trouble with them. I have no great powers, and I know of nothing that a powerful enemy like Aizen Sousuke would want. Still, there must be a reason he sought me out. Why? I have heard that he wields illusions. Could he have somehow been involved in my coming to Michio and Noa in the Rukongai? What is going on here?

He felt an unfamiliar, but stoic presence near him and worked one flickering red-brown eye open, then the other. The eyes that looked back at him were depthless and steel gray, and the man's face was like that of an angel. He blinked slowly, watching as Ren regained awareness and looked around the room they were in. The room looked comfortable, though not overly luxurious, made for comfort more than for display.

My kind of place, he thought wryly, fixing his eyes on the man at his bedside, then noticing a younger and more expressive face with golden brown eyes peeking out from unruly, short ginger strands of slightly spiked hair.

"Wh-where is this place?" Ren asked unsteadily, blinking several more times to make his surroundings register more clearly, "Who are you?"

"We were about to ask you the same question," the younger man said in a friendly, curious tone, "But let me introduce myself. I'm Ichigo, and this is my friend, Byakuya."

Ren was careful to show no sign of recognition of the names, but sat up and accepted Ichigo's hand in greeting.

"I am Ren," he told them, "I am from District forty-seven of the Rukongai. Where have you taken me? How did we get here?"

"We found you collapsed in a room in Las Noches," Byakuya said quietly, "It is a curious thing, a peasant of the Rukongai being in that place. The governer, Harribel, said that she did not know you, nor did she know how you came to be there. We thought, at first, that you might be Aizen Sousuke, attempting to fool us. But Ichigo would have known an illusion placed by that man, as would my cousin. Neither have seen Aizen's shikai. But even if you are not Aizen Sousuke, your appearance in Las Noches around the time of his escape is suspicious. So, why don't you tell us what you were doing in Las Noches."

Warning bells sounded in Ren's Rukon-educated mind and he knew better than to reveal anything significant. He gave the two men a tenuous smile and shook his head.

"It's the strangest thing," he said slowly, "I don't remember ever being in Las Noches. I left my home and was going into town, shopping for my parents. They run an orphanage there, and my dad is also the town's healer. I remember walking towards town and I was thinking about the things that I had to remember to get. The next thing I knew, I was waking up here. I don't remember anything about Las Noches. I can't cross into Hueco Mundo. I have no powers."

He saw instantly, the dark reaction in Byakuya and Ichigo's eyes, then remembered waking in Las Noches and feeling that strange vibration in his body.

"Why would you say that?" Byakuya asked, frowning, "It is more than obvious that you have shinigami powers, though what they are is something you would have to explain. After all, we cannot penetrate your inner world."

"There wouldn't be anything to see," Ren answered honestly, "I don't have an inner world...at least I didn't last I remember."

Ichigo and Byakuya exchanged curious glances.

"Byakuya," said the younger man, "Could his powers have caused him to be transported to Las Noches somehow? I've heard of some people with unusual powers like that. Could it be something that developed recently and activated on its own?"

"I do not know," Byakuya confessed, "But I find it odd that he so brazenly states something so obviously a lie. Anyone could tell he has shinigami powers, and yet he has denied it. Why?"

"I'm sorry," Ren said, lowering his eyes respectfully, "I am trying to be honest with you. Up until now, I have been almost powerless. I was able to learn some healing spells so that I could be helpful to my father. But I have never had any significant powers...really!"

"I can see that you believe that," Byakuya said in a disapproving tone, "But whatever the case, we do need to establish your identity."

He paused for a moment, considering his words.

"But they don't keep records below the forty-fifth district," Byakuya said, meeting Ren's eyes questioningly, "We attempted to see if you were in Central 46's database, but you appear to have never crossed paths with the law."

Or I just wasn't ever caught doing anything worth getting arrested over, Ren thought, smirking inwardly.

"You said that your father is the town healer?" asked Ichigo.

"Yes. He and my mother..."

"Run an orphanage," Byakuya finished, "You told us that. I will dispatch my fukutaichou to verify you are who you have told us you are."

"But wait," said Ren, "Aren't you going to let me go too? I mean, I can go home, right? I haven't done anything wrong."

"You haven't been accused of a crime," Byakuya agreed, "but being 'off the grid' and difficult to trace, we are required to hold you here until we are given permission to return you to the Rukongai. A comrade of ours has sent pictures of you, samples of blood and reiatsu and results of a scan he took, so that we can learn more about you."

"What's there to know?" Ren complained, "I'm just a Rukon orphan! I'm nobody important! Why are you keeping me here?"

"Hey," Ichigo said in a bracing tone, "Don't take this all the wrong way. We just need to know if there was a reason why you were there...if maybe somebody, I don't know, kidnapped you and took you there or something. You say you don't remember going there or being there. You had to get there somehow."

"The scans we took of your body may reveal if someone else was in contact with you," Byakuya informed him calmly, "I would think you would be interested in knowing what we find. If you were abducted or if your newly emerged powers transported you there, we should be able to make a determination of things and perhaps people you came into contact with."

Ren's heart quickened as he remembered Aizen's cool fingers exploring his tattoos.

"L-look," he said, letting his body tremble so that they would think he was more scared than he felt, "I didn't do anything. Please, I just want to go home. My folks are probably worried out of their minds! I have to go and let them see I am all right. Please!"

"Don't be scared," Ichigo said, smiling reassuringly, "We can have Renji and Tetsuya deliver a message to your folks, and you will be able to go home as soon as Kisuke has the results of the stuff he did here."

"There is another reason that you may want to reconsider rushing back to your home," Byakuya suggested solemnly.

"Why?"

"You said that you don't know if you were abducted or if your own developing powers may have caused you to be transported to Las Noches."

"Yeah?"

"If it was your own powers, then you might want to spend some time here, in a safe environment, getting familiar with them," the noble suggested.

"And if you were abducted," Ichigo added, "Going home might just bring your abductor back for another try. I've been in that position before. I get how frustrated you must feel. But, in addition to delivering your message and checking with your folks about your identity, Tetsuya and Renji are going to stay there and watch over them until you are brought back."

"They are...powerful?" Ren asked worriedly, "I don't want anything bad to happen to them, especially not because of someone coming after me! Please, you must make sure they are safe!"

"My fukutaichou and my cousin are both taichou level shinigamis," Byakuya assured him, "They will be capable protectors. Do not worry."

"If you're feeling better, you can come and have something to eat."

"I am starving," Ren said, laying a hand on his stomach.

Then, he paled.

"I barely ever felt hunger before," he whispered, frowning, "I must have some emerging powers. But why now? Why this way?"

"Sometimes we don't know why," Byakuya answered calmly, "But after you have eaten, we can begin to look into your abilities and see what power is forming in you."

"Okay," Ren said, taking a steadying breath as Ichigo helped him to his feet.

He took a step, then wobbled and collapsed breathlessly into Ichigo's arms.

"You okay?" Ichigo asked, looking concerned.

"F-fine," Ren managed as the Shiba heir helped him back into bed, "I just got dizzy."

"I will go and have someone bring you something to eat," Byakuya said, rising, "Ichigo will remain with you until Urahara Kisuke arrives."

"Ah. All right," Ren sighed, settling back against the pillow, "Thank you."

He watched as Byakuya left, then looked up at Ichigo.

"I think I have heard of him," he said, glancing in the direction the noble had gone, "He is Kuchiki taichou, ne? I heard about Abarai Renji and him in the aftermath of the quincy war. I heard of you as well. Why are powerful people like you taking such an interest in me? Did you really think that I was Aizen Sousuke in disguise?"

"I wouldn't put it past him," Ichigo mused, shaking his head, "He is really sly. He outsmarted everyone but Kisuke before. He's a really dangerous man, who needs to be put back in prison, where he belongs."

"I agree," said Ren, nodding, "And if I knew anything that would be of help, then I would certainly tell you. I don't, though. I don't know anything."

"I believe you," Ichigo said bracingly, "It's just that we have a lot of questions that need answering before we can assume that it's safe to let you go back. Just sit tight, okay? I know it's hard, but it's also the right thing to do."

"Very well," Ren conceded, his head bowing slightly in surrender, "I will stop troubling you about it. I just...feel strange...you know, being away from my home. I've never been here or Las Noches before. I've hardly even left my own district all of my life."

"You...said you are an orphan?" Ichigo queried, "Do you know anything about your parents? Could this have something to do with them?"

Ren considered the question carefully.

"I don't think so," he concluded in a frustrated tone, "Michio and Noa only told me that my mother appeared at the door one night. She had been badly beaten. She said that her husband, my father, had done it, and that she was afraid he would hurt me. She gave me to them and then she died. They planned to raise me as just another orphan, but Noa felt so bad for me that she convinced Michio to adopt me formally."

"You don't think your dad had anything to do with it, do you?" Ichigo asked.

"I don't think so. I don't know why he would show up now, even if he figured out where I was. I never heard of him being anyone important. I do know that I don't ever want to meet him."

The two looked up as the bedroom door opened and Kisuke and Byakuya entered, wearing frowns.

"What is it?" Ren asked, "Did you find something on the scans?"

"Nothing but a sign of some really screwed up results," sighed the shopkeeper, "And I nearly passed out when it identified you as Aizen Sousuke's kid."

"What?" Ren gasped, his eyes rounding.

"Take it easy," Kisuke chuckled, "There was obviously something wrong with the sample, because when I used my blood and reiatsu to compare the results, you registered as my kid too."

"What? But, how is that possible?" Ren mused.

"It's not," Kisuke assured him, "Something just got crossed in the samples or the computer flipped out. I'm running a diagnostic and will send fresh samples through. We'll also check those against what Kurotsuchi taichou discovers in his study at the twelfth. Don't worry about it. Just get some food into you and rest some more. Maybe tomorrow we can take a closer look at you and help you figure out your ability."

"Oh...yes," Ren said, settling back against the pillow and accepting a tray of food from the shopkeeper. He took a bite of the stew and paused, blinking at the wonderful taste.

"How is it?" Kisuke asked.

"It's wonderful!" Ren exclaimed, unable to resist taking additional bites and sopping some up with the fresh, warm bread on the tray, "Noa is a great cook, but this is as good as hers, if not even better."

"It's one of my buddy, Tessai's recipe's...not just good to the taste buds, it also ramps up the reiatsu and puts you in top form. By morning, you should feel like a new man! Then, like I said, we'll see what your new power can do."

"Thank you. I am glad. I'm really wondering about it. It's just strange that it only came to me now."

"It is sometimes known to happen," said Byakuya, studying him intently for a moment, "A multitude of factors have been known to affect the development of a connection with one's zanpakutou."

"That reminds me," said Kisuke, "Has your weapon appeared yet?"

"No," Ren answered, shaking his head, "I just...I feel a sort of humming or vibration inside."

"Yeah, that's your spirit centers awakening. It's interesting, though."

"Oh?"

"I saw signs that there may have been some kind of seal on your powers. And with the fact that you may have been abducted, it seems that someone might have grabbed you to remove the seal. Only problem is, we don't know who put that seal on, who took it off, or if we're heading up the wrong road altogether. But don't agonize over it. We'll figure things out. just eat that up and get some rest, okay? If you need anything during the night, there'll be someone by your door to help you out."

Hmmm, a nice way of warning me that there will be a guard...

Ren nodded briefly, then dug into the food. He relaxed as the others left the room and finished everything he had been given. As soon as he was done, he slipped out of bed and looked out the window. He appeared to be at the end of a row of houses that doubled as shops, near the edge of a park that ran along a river.

I have to get out of here.

I'm not stupid enough to buy that the test results were screwed up. It's starting to make horrid sense to me now. Aizen Sousuke is my father. He just messed with my reiatsu when he had me in Las Noches. He unsealed my powers and probably had plans for me that I don't even want to think about. If they find out I'm his kid, they'll probably kill me for that fact alone! Why in kami's name did that bastard come back to find me? What does he want? And how will I prevent him from finding me? I have a power that worked on him, but he will not give up. He will soon suspect I was found by those others, and he will come here looking for me!

I can't let him find me!

He heard footsteps approaching the door and slid back into bed as the man called Tessai arrived and took his tray.

"Thank you," Ren said gratefully, "That was delicious. I feel much better now."

"I'm glad," Tessai said, smiling at him, "Go ahead and get some sleep, now."

"I will."

He watched the man leave, then burst from the bed and moved to the window. He realized quickly that it was kido touched to prevent him leaving without the shop's occupants knowing. Smirking, his swiftly manipulated the reiatsu around it, allowing him to open the window. He waited until he was sure that his attempt had been successful, then he climbed out the window and dropped down onto the grass in the front yard.

"That was easy..." he chuckled to himself, starting across the lawn.

A moment later, Ren went perfectly still, staring wide-eyed as a tall, black Arabian stallion flash stepped into view in front of him.

"H-holy shit..." he breathed, "Where did you come from?"

The horse glared back at him through widened, sapphire eyes and stamped a delicate foot, warningly.

"Oh, you're with them," Ren said, looking around, "Are you a guard?"

The stallion lifted his head and whinnied loudly, prompting a quick response from the ones in the house. Strangely, Ren maintained an air of calm as they carefully positioned themselves around him.

"Eh...the room was stuffy. I just...needed some fresh air," he said, forcing his body to remain calm and alert, "Sorry. I didn't mean to cause trouble."

"It's not a good idea for you to be out and about," said Kisuke, "What, with maybe having a criminal after you. Come on back inside, Ren."

"Right," Ren sighed, letting out a frustrated breath.

His brow furrowed as he suddenly remembered entering Aizen's inner world and escaping him that way. He turned his head slightly and looked up at Arashi, willing himself into the stallion's inner world. He almost laughed as he heard the others make exclamations of surprise and dismay as he disappeared. Their dismay turned to utter shock as Arashi suddenly squealed and began to fade away.

"Arashi, what is happening?" Byakuya cried, flash stepping forward.

"Damn!" Kisuke hissed, "And with Tetsuya with Renji in the Rukongai, we don't know what happened to him."

"I think that we just received a first look at that young man's power," Byakuya said darkly, "He was able to overcome Arashi in an instant. We must find them quickly!"

"Can you get a direction on them?" asked Ichigo, looking around.

Byakuya focused carefully, turning this way and that, then shaking his head worriedly.

"I can sense nothing...nothing at all."

"Byakuya, what are you saying?" Ichigo demanded, "What happened to them?"

"I don't know," Byakuya confessed, his lips tightening with concern, "I cannot sense Arashi or the boy at all!"