Ichigo exclaimed. (AN:) Sorry y'all. I kept playing with this chapter since it is a little different than normal ones, and I just wasn't happy with it. Some OCCness is probably in here. Your questions that you had about Yoruichi's involvement will be answered too. This may be a little much, but I hope this was worth the wait! I'll get busy working on the next chapter later! :D Thanks again for reading!
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.
Chapter 20
Rukia sat in her room. She was slightly was disappointed in tonight. What she thought would be long and slightly terrifying turned out to long and boring. There was no one hiding in the shadows or jumping out at her from around corners earlier. The idiots let her roam the house free without guards or restrictions until everyone went to sleep. Then, they locked Rukia in a beautiful, new bedroom. Of course, kido spells lined the walls and doorway to prevent Rukia from escaping, but she planned on keeping her promise. Unfortunately for them, Rukia wasn't going to play by their rules though. No matter how much she loved Chappy the Rabbit, she was not letting any of her friends walk into this trap. Heavens know what Yoruichi had in store for them, even if she did mean well.
Instead of going to sleep like a good captive should, Rukia decided to try to exploit the one weak points in the kido barriers all around the house - the fire places. Conveniently, her room had a nice, little fire place perfect for her plan. Her goal was to summon a hell butterfly through the barrier. Unfortunately for her, Rukia wasn't even sure that her plan would even work, but she still had to try to warn her friends.
After her fifth try, Rukia was finally summoned hell butterfly through the chimney. It landed on her finger patiently waiting for her to relay her message. But who to send it to first? Brother or Renji since he'd have Ichigo no doubt? Or maybe Toshiro? A third party involvement may not be a bad idea.
Five minutes later, Rukia finally settled on who to send the hell butterfly to. Now, it was time to even the playing field. The captures were going to get an unsuspected surprise. An evil smile graced Rukia's lips at that thought.
Before Rukia plotted anymore, she addressed the message to Byakuya in hopes that he could warn Renji, Ichigo, and Toshiro. She looked down at the little butterfly with hope. "Brother, please come to Sakura Tea Room tomorrow at 2 PM by yourself. Come find me, and I shall provide the distract that we need. Make sure you warn the boys about that this is a trap! Do not let them come with you because that's what Yoruichi wants. Please keep everyone safe. I shall handle this matter myself."
Before Rukia freed the little black butterfly, she asked it, "Can you go to Renji Abarai and Toshiro Hitsugaya next to let them know that my kidnapping was a trap for them? Please!" She waited for the butterfly to whisper back to her, but it just kept flapping its wings.
Oh, well. At least brother knows. Maybe he will get words to the others in time.
Suddenly, the its little wings fluttered. Her heart clinched as she watched the little hell butterfly take off. Rukia let out a breath that she didn't realize she was holding as it escaped without hindrance. With a lighter heart, Rukia thought about tomorrow. It was going to be a very tedious day. The lunch, the escape, and playing nice with her so called friends and her "date" will be trying as ever, but she will succeed. Rukia planned to shock them all and help those idiots survive Yoruichi and Kyoraku's unknown torture. Now, all she needed to do was rest. Rukia was determined to be in prime condition in case all hell broke lose.
Byakuya noticed a small knock on his door, but he ignored it. His nerves were rattled. He didn't like Yoruichi's plan for his sister, but he did see the value in it. If Ichigo thought Rukia was in danger, then he'd come after her. Even his red headed lieutenant played his part well without even knowing it. Tomorrow, Byakuya had to make sure that Ichigo saw Rukia with Yuushiro. Then he planned to whisk his sister away before the impending battle. At least, that's what Yoruichi's plan was anyway - dangle Rukia in front of Ichigo like a carrot just to have her out of his grasp once again.
Byakuya cringed just thinking about Yoruichi's "full proof plan." Rukia would kill him if she ever found out his involvement. Hell, he shuttered at the thought of what he might have to do if these dates keep on. He was slowly loosing his sanity although he'd never show it - thanks to the elders and all the available men in the Soul Society. Rukia was extremely popular now that she was on the marriage market, and proposals came in daily for her. ;Byakuya was surprised that he hadn't killed anyone yet. His little pride meant the world to him.
The knock at his door was insistent so Byakuya opened it. A hell butterfly flew in and landed on his shoulder. A boom of uncharacteristic laughter filled the room as he heard the relayed message. He shook his head in marvel. Those two idiots were outsmarted by his sister. Her innocent act plus the offer of Chappy merchandise made them look like fools. Those two never expected her to send a message to warn her friends. Although, Byakuya was curious if Yoruichi and Kyoraku let the hell butterfly escape or if they even noticed it in the first place. Either way, he suspected that neither one of them saw that move coming. Hell, to even summon a hell butterfly through all the barriers that shielded the Shihoin Manor took tremendous kido power if the summoner wasn't a family member. Byakuya continued to be impressed by his little sister's ever growing strength.
His astonishment made him cringe yet again. His willful sister wasn't going to be tamed, which is why this plan had to work. He kept most of the nobles out of the game so far since Rukia disliked them in general. But now between the matchmakers, the elders, and that stupid report, he was going to fail. "Damn, elders." Byakuya murmured to himself as he reviewed the papers on his desk - all about Rukia, of course.
A pounding headache was beginning to form in his head. Byakuya groaned at the cause of the headache. Three days ago, his meeting with the Kuchiki elders drove Byakuya to seek Yoruichi's help in the first place. Inwardly, he knew that she shouldn't have asked for her help since Yoruichi was known for taking things too far, especially when she liked tormenting her target. But Byakuya didn't care. He was desperate. The Kuchiki elders were already demanding that Rukia pick a suitor, and it hasn't even been a month yet - let alone 3 weeks! He knew the elders wouldn't let this go anytime soon, especially after some idiot reported her dancing at an underground club with Tetsuzaemon. Kami forbid that Rukia actually have fun and let off some steam. Now over the next few weeks as punishment, Rukia would be going forced to go on daily dates, sometimes twice a day dates, with men from the Shihoin and Kuchiki Clans. He dreaded telling her that news.
Hence, Byakuya's desperateness. All he wanted was for Rukia to be happy with her future marriage. All of her suitors- noble or other wise- were all subpar in that area. He's only seen his sister truly happy once; yet, her happiness was short lived because the night ended in tears. Byakuya cringed knowing that once the suitors passed his test, then they would have to face the elders. Even the two suitors he supported, other than Kurosaki, probably would not pass the elder's ultimate test.
Now, all Byakuya could was wait as he sent his message to a certain captain that he trusted. Toshiro would handle gathering the men. Now, everything else was in the hands of Yoruichi and his sister. Kami help them all!
Two pairs of eyes watched the Shihoin residence from the trees. "Everyone should be asleep by now." Ichigo stated.
"Dude, of course everyone should be asleep! It's 3 o'clock in the freaking morning!" Renji nearly yelled.
"You talk loud enough to wake the dead, Abarai!" A cold, calculating voice came from behind them.
"Toshiro!" Ichigo exclaimed rather happily to have someone other than Renji with him. Those two had been arguing since they left Kisuke. They couldn't decide if they should attack or sneak into the "enemy" camp, especially since Yoruichi was warned of their impending arrival.
"It's Captain Hitsugaya to you, Kurosaki!" The white haired captain growled as he glared at the two men in front of him.
"What are you..." Ichigo proceeded to ask Hitsugaya a question, except he was interrupted by a wide eyed Renji.
"Why the hell are you here?" Renji asked after getting over his shock at seeing Hitsugaya. In turn, a snowy eyebrow arched at Renji questioning his behavior toward a captain.
Hitsugaya didn't have to say a word. He saw Renji grimace. "Abarai, Rukia is my friend as well. I can't let you two idiots rescue her by yourselves. You my get her killed."
"What? I'd never risk her life!" Ichigo felt insulted that Hitsugaya would even say something like that. "Hell, I'm the one who saved her plenty of times!" He growled.
"We will save her." Renji concluded, supporting his friend. They were determined to save their girl.
"Yes, you will save her because I came to help you." Hitsugaya replied as he released a small wave of spiritual pressure directed at the two men. How they always managed to piss off some captains without trying was beyond them.
Once Hitsugaya got his point across for the men to shut up and listen, he decided to expend on his explanation. "I am also here because a short while ago I received a hell butterfly from Byakuya. It seems Rukia's kidnapping was just a trap for us. Before you ask, us means any male friends of Rukia. It seems Yoruichi wants to try her hand at forceful matchmaking by process of elimination."
"Wait...Byakuya knows was Rukia kidnapped?" A shocked Renji asked as he interrupted Hitsugaya before he could explain any further. At this point, poor Renji was sweating bullets. He was imagining all the painful ways he'd die, especially if they do not save Rukia, while Ichigo was more concerned with the lack of Byakuya's presence.
"Why the hell isn't Byakuya here then? Didn't he learn anything from our first encounter?" Ichigo asked his scowl darkening.
"I'm afraid he can't be here, Ichigo. Byakuya was forced earlier to tell the insistent matchmaker that Rukia was being courted by Yuushiro at Shihoin Manor for few days with Yoruichi as a chaperon. So he had rely on other methods at the moment to get everything done. If Byakuya showed up now, then the matchmaker would assume that Rukia has accepted an engagement proposal. None of us want that right? Rukia would all murder us in our sleep if we let that happen to her on our watch." Hitsugaya shivered at the thought of the raven haired soul reaper's wrath. He knew all too well what she was capable of.
Ichigo's eyes almost bugged out of his head at Hitsugaya's explanation. "What is the plan, Toshiro?"
Teal eyes glared daggers into amber ones, but Hitsugaya answered Ichigo's question anyway. "Right now, I'm doing reconnaissance for Byakuya. I was ordered to also find you two before you did something stupid." Ichigo and Renji looked at each other. They both wanted to strangle Hitsugaya for his mightier than thou attitude. Hitsugaya cleared his throat to grab the men's attention again. "The house has numerous layers of kido barriers surrounding it, and some of the barriers specifically target Rukia's spiritual pressure. If anything challenges the barriers, who knows what will happen to Rukia. So rescuing her by force, like I had previously hoped, is not an option. We'll have to follow Byakuya's original plan."
"But couldn't my bankai break through all barriers, even the ones pinpointing her? I could block anything that came our way." Ichigo seemed hopeful. He didn't want to deal with Byakuya at this point.
"You could rescue her that way. In turn, you would set off the alarms causing damage to us and possibly Rukia. I don't know all the strengths of the barriers, but I am assuming Kisuke put up some modified ones for Yoruichi." Hitsugaya replied matter-of-factly.
"What about..." Renji tried to ask about Byakuya's plan.
"But I can protect her, Toshiro. You and Renji could stay back while I get her." Ichigo said adamantly.
"I know you want her back, but you're not listening to me, Kurosaki. You're going to do whatever the hell you want to do. Just heed my warning. Don't let it be a waste of time. For the love of Kami, don't injure Rukia because you're trying to be her white knight." The frosty captain scolded Ichigo right before he disappeared as quickly as he came.
"Now, look what you did, Renji! You ran Toshiro off!" Ichigo explained as he looked for someone to blame other than himself. His chance to save Rukia was slipping through his fingers. He didn't want her to get hurt.
"I ran him off? Ichigo, I hardly said a word this whole time! Don't blame me!" Renji said as the men were standing eye-level with each other. "It's your fault for pissing him off. You know he has a shorter temper than Rukia!"
"Shut up, Renji!"
"Why couldn't she just have listened to me? This is her own fault!" Renji muttered under his breath as he accessed their situation, but Ichigo heard him.
"What did you say?" Ichigo growled at Renji and grabbed his uniform with a fist. "All this started because you were the one who stole her away from the crowd! She would have been safe with everyone else! Yoruichi would have never had the chance to grab Rukia with all those witnesses so I hold you accountable, Renji!"
"Come on, Ichigo! It's not like I knew she'd get kidnapped. I just wanted to spend some time with my best friend. I hardly see her now with all the dates she has to go on. If she's not dating, she is working. Captain Ukitake has been more indisposed lately." Renji said sadly. Ichigo's scowl melted slightly. He understood where Renji was coming from. Hell, he felt the same way. They both missed their Rukia and blaming each other wasn't helping. Their lack of sleep wasn't helping them either.
"So what's the game plan? We rescue the princess, slay the dragons, and kick Byakuya's ass for all this mess?" Ichigo asked. A smirk graced his face once again letting the men know that they were good.
"That sounds like a excellent plan. The only problem is that the dragons want to meet at the Sakura Tea Room at 2 according to our friend's note."
"What note?" Ichigo asked slightly confused.
Renji pulled a small slip of paper from the tree right next to him with an icicle holding it up. "Hitsugaya wanted to make sure we were included in Rukia's rescue. Whatever Byakuya and Hitsugaya are planning they could use the back up."
"Then why the hell didn't he say that to begin with?" Ichigo complained.
"I think he did, but we weren't listening." Renji replied. "Looks like tonight will just be a waste of time if we rescue her now. Let's wait and meet with the rest of them." Renji suggested.
"I guess you're right. Lead the way to this tea room area. We can scope out the place first, then maybe catch a nap before all this goes down." Ichigo stated. He was so looking forward to a nap.
"Who needs sleep? I want food!" Renji exclaimed while Ichigo shook his head. Just maybe they'd survive the rest of the night without killing each other.
"Why are we doing this again, Captain Hitsugaya?" A sleepy eyed Shuuhei asked as he walked towards the Kuchiki Manor. He wasn't too keen on being dragged out of his bed at 5 AM on his off day. Hell, he was still slightly drunk and too dazed to flash step to the manor.
"We are going to help get Rukia out of Yoruichi's grasp since she has lost her mind. Byakuya is scared that she will take her "trials" for suitors too far so we are helping him." Hitsugaya recapped after explaining to the lieutenant twice already.
"Can we have coffee first before this?" Shuuhei asked with a sigh. "If I am to die for helping save the princess, I'd like to be fully awake. At least I can go down in a moment of glory."
"No one is going to die, Hisagi. You and I are just going to be extra protection for Rukia while Renji and Ichigo distract Yoruichi's friends. Byakuya said that Rukia had a plan, and if I know her, she's going to do doing something extremely stupid." Hitsugaya replied.
"Like what, captain? Rukia generally has a level head in battle." Hisagi felt the need to defend his friend and crush.
"She'll probably attempt to help Renji and Ichigo instead of vanishing with one of us. That's her flaw in battle. She tries to save her friends."
"You seem concerned about her too, captain. Why is that?" Shuuhei asked suspiciously. His attention was fully on the white haired captain now. Shuuhei crossed his arms on his chest and arched a black eyebrow at Hitsugaya.
Inwardly, he was laughing at Shuuhei. Rukia's friends who liked her were so easy egg on. "You're mighty awake now that some one seems to have a slight interest in Rukia, especially a male, Hisagi."
"Yes, I am." Shuuhei answered sharply. "What's with the sly statements, Captain Hitsugaya?"
"Rukia is an amazing woman. I am just making sure you're in it for the right reasons, Hisagi." Teal eyes glared at Shuuhei trying to find the man's weakness other than alcohol and early mornings.
"Do you honestly think that Captain Kuchiki would have let me anywhere near his sister if he didn't know that I was sincere? Hell, he sent you to get me didn't he?"
"Don't let it go to your head. I've been questioning Byakuya's choices lately, especially after the Hirako incident." Hitsugaya growled.
"Haven't you heard?" Hitsugaya looked at Shuuhei like he grew two heads. "According to Renji, Rangiku used Shinji was just a ploy to draw Ichigo. I think they were trying to win the large bet has been going around that shows you, me, and Ichigo as favorites to when Rukia's heart."
"That's interesting I considering I've never even been on a date with her. As for Ichigo, who knows. They're best friends with a bond that rivals many love stories." Hitsugaya stated as he watched Shuuhei's face fall a little.
"Captain, you're included because if Rukia disappears, she is normally with you. Although, you should be warned about your friendship with Rukia, captain. Even if you don't date her, she is a noble – basically the princess of the whole Soul Society- everyone will think you have a shred of interest in her. Then they'll have expectations of you, and the hounds of people will not leave you alone. Can you handle these consequences for her?"
"It sounds to me like you are doubting your affections for her, Hisagi, not mine. I haven't been approached by anyone in regards to Rukia at least not yet."
"I'm just warning you. Since we dated and just talked, I haven't had a private moment without people annoying me and asking questions about Rukia. She's like a celebrity. I just want to make sure she's protected even if its only by a good friend." Shuuhei said with a knowing look. Half the male population was in love with the petite soul reaper, but Byakuya and Renji kept a lot of men at bay.
"I…" Hitsugaya swallowed some of his pride. He didn't think Shuuhei cared that much. "I'm sorry that I thought worse of you, Hisagi."
"It's okay, captain. You only know me as Rangiku's drinking buddy not the man interested in dating Rukia."
"If that's the case, Hisagi, you may have some competition, but not from me. You'll have to beat Kurosaki even if he doesn't know that he's in the game yet."
"I know!" Shuuhei looked away sadly. "He's extremely special to her. It's hard to competite with their bond."
"She can always use more friends, Hisagi." Hitsugaya placed a hand on Shuuhei shoulder. He felt a sympathy for the lieutenant.
"Everyone can use more friends, captain." Shuuhei replied with a smile.
The plot thickens! Only two people really knows what's going on! Who foresaw Byakuya letting Yoruichi plan this along? Don't you just love Yoruichi's bluff now? She wouldn't be that mean to Rukia! Who do you think is waiting for them? Also who do you think Byakuya likes? (Yes, I know Byakuya isn't too fond of Ichigo, but he is one of Rukia's best friends and he does make her happy.)
Also if you are confused on the time line, its only been about two weeks for Rukia's dates. Those damn elders are pushy right? How can you expect to name a fiancée in two weeks?
Thanks for reading and reviewing! I'm sorry if this seemed short, but this was the full set up for all the players chapter. Next will be the action.
I feel like you may need a recap after reading those 4 sections:
** Byakuya and Yoruichi plotted together.
** Rukia has a plot of her own, and she's including her brother in it in time
** Byakuya is "controlling" what Toshiro, Ichigo, Renji, and Shuuhei know. They shall be following his orders.