Head Captain Yamamoto wasted no time calling a meeting of all the captains ordering them to report to Squad 1 first thing the next morning after Rukia left for the World of the Living. Meaning four days have already passed in the world of the mortals.
Depersonalizing a situation is a key skill for any captain worth his salt, and more so in the character arsenal of the head of a clan. It's important that Byakuya keeps his mind free from any one assumption of what this meeting is really about as he flash-stepped into the corridor leading to the meeting assembly of Squad 1's barracks. As soon as his slippers settled underneath him, however, a whisper entered his hearing from his left, where the captain of Squad 2 was having a spirited low-pitched conversation with that fat-lipped lieutenant of hers, the one who's always shoveling rice crackers into his mouth.
Byakuya knew his name, of course. It's basic courtesy to remember the first and last names of any acquaintance, their titles, if applicable, and what family or group they hail from. If this is not feasible, then a lord or noblewoman should have a trained servant by their side who possesses excellent wits and can recall, at a glance, a person's demographics.
Though the man in question hailed from the low-ranking noble family of Omaeda—a new clan with new money—Byakuya chose to refer to him as 'fat lip' on account of the lieutenant's unusually broad and overly plump lips, thanks to his constant eating, and while he was eating he was also communicating with Soifon, who was two steps ahead of him. Byakuya Kuchiki's assessment of the man's character traits: Manners-zero: refinement leaves much to be desired.
"I just bet that this meeting is about Rukia Kuchiki, that unseated officer," Fat Lip was saying, and of course, he had a bag of rice crackers nursing in his right hand while his left assisted in the vanishing act as the bag got increasingly lighter in the seconds since Byakuya's arrival. "Do you really believe that she managed to defeat all those hollows yesterday on her own, captain? I don't think so."
"Perhaps she used some sort of trick to aid—" the captain began to answer before she changed her absent-minded tune sharply. "Shut the hell up," Soifon told her subordinate. "I wish not to be disgusted so early in the morning by the sight of you eating and talking at the same time."
To Byakuya, this sounded like a flimsy excuse, especially when Fat Lip sported a confused expression as if he didn't understand why his captain suddenly veered off course from what they were talking about. Then, before another thought crossed his mind, another rice cracker disappeared behind the walls of his fat lips, and the subject was promptly dropped. It was around this time that Soifon and Byakuya's eyes locked gazes, but Byakuya had no doubt that she felt his suppressed spiritual pressure long before she chose to look in his direction, and that's the reason for her harshly shushing her lieutenant.
Byakuya ignored them, continuing on his way as if they were both invisible. It's been a pride of his from day one not to sully his time with idlers and their gossiping tongues. That's where chaos lives, and it's imperative that his inner world remains in order.
Of course, this meeting is about his sister. He expected that it was coming as sure as rain and taxes. But like all things in his life, this unavoidable meeting is contextual, and it's not as simple as what's presented to the naked eye. As always, there is a larger game at play here, and if he's careless, he'll get sucked in as another piece on the board. Rukia's battle with the hollows is only the pretext for having this meeting.
This meeting is going to be long and unpleasant. Byakuya concluded thoughtfully.
Being as prepared as possible is as quotidian for him as sunrise. He can't afford to be carefree at any moment. Heavy is the head that wears the crown, and there are days when the kenseikan weighs down on him as if to collapse his neck under the strain. With the ability to influence comes a burden, a worry not felt by the masses. Byakuya has made it a practice from the days of his youth not to wish to avoid unpleasant things. Fervently wishing things away is a waste of time and a disservice to himself. If one must wish, then he should wish to be as prepared as possible for any unknown challenge.
Let's get this over with.
The captain of Squad 6 took his place in the lineup of white Shihakushōs facing each other. With his eyes closed and his focus held loosely in his grasp like the hilt of Senbonzara in a fight, Byakuya concentrated on keeping his spirit calm and alert. A master swordsman never grips the hilt of his sword; it is always pliant in his fingers, every motion having a flow to it, adapting to the situation like water adapts and takes the shape of any container it's measured in. Byakuya made himself ready to receive this portion of his day, whatever it may bring.
Before him and to his right and left are the Captains of the Goeti 13, all of whom are from different stations in life. Some are nobles, like Ukitake, who is from a lower-ranking house, and Captain Kyōraku who hails from a high-ranking family. Some have worked their way up the ranks of society through their military careers, like the captains of Squad 7 and Squad 10. And some were even criminals, like the captains of Squads 4, 11, and 12. Others like Soifon hail from a subservient household—former servants, to put it bluntly. None are of his peerage. He didn't take that to mean that he is special; in fact, if anything, he is alone in his burdens, responsibilities, and station in life, which suits Byakuya just fine. He's never described himself as a social butterfly, to begin with, or—what do the mortals call it now? A sharer? Something to that effect— Solitude had always been his ally.
Even when the member of the peerage resorted to ostracizing him from the nobility, using the law liberally to fight him on his decision to marry the love of his life (a commoner) and not someone from a noble lineage, their efforts were in vain. And even if it cost him his title as head of the clan, he would have still married Hisana with no regrets. Power, influence, money, and countless resources are all at his fingertips in abundance, yet at the time during the political war he raged against the Elders and the nobility at large, when Byakuya tried to picture life without Hisana, all he saw when he closed his eyes was a yawning, aching chasm of emptiness. And yet my imagination couldn't even begin to guess how right I was. He reflects bitterly.
He lacked love—call it greed or acquisitiveness—but that is what was missing in his life, and once he had a taste of it, there was no substitute. No one, not ever or since, has made his heart feel such joy just being in their presence. A connection burned in their souls from the moment their eyes met; he felt that with Hisana. It's hard to describe with words. It wasn't just desire that he felt for Hisana—he had that and so much more to give his wife, to be sure—but just holding her in his arms melted all his burdens away from his weary shoulders. When a man can come home to that at the end of his day, how blessed is he among his fellow men? Especially with the lifestyle Byakuya has to lead and the insurmountable pressures he deals with daily, why should he have had to sacrifice the love he found for tradition, too?
In his chest, there is a hole where his heart used to live—an empty, numbed space ever since his wife passed away. No one can fill that void. No one.
Now the same people who fought me tooth and nail against the idea of my marriage are trying to force Rukia into a marriage with me, and all because of what? A few scraps of legal papers that say she's a Kuchiki? I adopted Rukia not only because of my promise to Hisana but also because I knew that to get to me, others in the nobility with ill intent would have eventually found out about Rukia and abused her in unimaginative ways, prolonging that suffering as much as they could, just so I could watch as an innocent young girl was broken thanks to my disobedience of their laws. Seven hells! How could it all have turned out this way?
Catching himself in this thinking spiral, Byakuya inhales a deep, cleansing breath, letting the thought bubble pop into his mind. Focus on the now, Byakuya.
"This meeting is called to order," the captain of Squad 1 announced, banging his staff on the hardwood floor twice as if to underline his statement. "The captains of Squads 3 and 9 are out on a special mission. Their absence is hereby noted." The head captain's cut-and-dry voice rang through the assembly before carrying on with the business at hand. "Captain of Squad 13, Jushiro Ukitake, explain this report involving your subordinate, Rukia Kuchiki. How can an unseated officer take on a company of high-class hollows and not only live to tell the tale but get off with such minor, treatable injuries?" the head captain demanded.
Byakuya steadied himself. Despite being prepared for what this meeting's topic might be about, he couldn't help but calm himself down again with an effort as soon as Rukia's name was officially mentioned by the head captain.
"Head captain," Ukitake started respectfully, "Ms. Kuchiki is no ordinary unseated officer, as I've-." Before the white-haired man could continue with what he was saying, the captain of Squad 12 jumped into the conversation.
"How so?" The blue-haired, heavily painted-faced man demanded, interjecting himself impudently as if he couldn't wait another second to get whatever was riding him off his chest, "In what way is she special? And why is she not in the Soul Society at present? You sent her off to the World of the Living without assignment. To what end?" Mayuri Kurotsuchi peppered the captain of Squad 13 with his questions, firing them off in quick succession. "What gave you the right to do so without a thorough investigation of these new developments?"
"What new developments are you trying to mark here, Captain Kurotsuchi?" Captain Unohana's softly spoken words cut the callous captain's rant short. "Reports have shown extensive evidence of Ms. Kuchik's illustrious military experience, and they are available for all who are curious to peruse at their leisure. Those reports hold the signatures of many captains and lieutenants who bore witness to Rukia's battle prowess personally. The names of my own lieutenant and my seventh seat were on her medical report during the battle of Hueco Mundo, just to give an example."
"Indeed," the captain of Squad 10 added before Captain Kurotsuchi could cut back into the conversation, "so the more penetrating question here, then, is why Rukia Kuchiki is still an unseated officer considering her military repertoire. The floor is yours still, Captain Ukitake, if you would please ease my curiosity on this subject."
"I'll tell you why." At the sound of the captain of Squad 11's voice, Byakuya slowly opened his lashes, his gaze fixed on the floorboards. He could feel Zaraki's eyes on his face, perhaps watching for the slightest movement in his facial expression before he broke his pause. "It's because her big brother has been busy cockblocking her military rise to be of any rank, isn't that right, Captain Kuchiki?"
Every pair of eyes fell on Byakuya; he could feel their glares on him.
"Ever since I read that report yesterday," Kenpachi continued leisurely, "I've been doing a little research on the other Kuchiki sibling, and I must say, the more I learned, the more impressed I became with Rukia Chan." Zaraki said, his voice leering.
That comment removed Byakuya's attention from the floor while simultaneously sparking a muscle to tick angrily in his jaw at the familiar tone this boar is using to speak about his sister. Byakuya fixed him with a glare, which made Kenpachi Zaraki's beady little eyes alight with amusement; the captain of Squad 11 grinned a menacing grin back at the captain of Squad 6.
"You will not speak about my subordinate with such familiarity, Kenpachi Zaraki," Ukitake reproved the rangy captain before Byakuya could say anything.
"What the—I wasn't talking to you, Ukitake," Kenpachi said, addressing the captain of Squad 13 in his curt manner, but his eyes held firm to Byakuya's unwavering glare. "Now, would you look at that? Even when I'm shoveling shit at your sister, you're refusing to defend her honor, like you nobles like to preach about. I guess it's a case of 'do as I say, but not as I do'."
"What are you getting at Captain Zaraki?" Head Captain Yamamoto asked.
"Well, you see, head captain, I feel like I've been deceived all these years by the captain of Squad 6, hiding the talents of his sister so sneakily from the rest of the Goeti. Four times, the captain of Squad 13 has sent recommendation letters through the correct channels, and Captain Kuchiki used the power of his political office to repudiate a fellow captain's authority. So I'm curious!" Kenpachi said his glare was intensifying toward his target. "I want Rukia's so-called brother to answer me on what his motivations are for his actions—Oh!" The man stopped himself as if he remembered something critical. "Let me correct that statement—her soon-to-be husband."
That bomb earned a collective "What?" from the other captains as if it were rehearsed. Even the head captain looked stunned.
Byakuya exhaled a breath to collect his emotions. So that's the main reason they called this meeting.
Depersonalizing seems impossible right now, especially when the attacks are personal. From the moment he heard Soifon talking, it was clue number 1. It's not every day that the opportunity comes along to take the arrogant captain of Squad 6 down a peg or three from his pedestal.
They want to watch me grow emotional and witness my humiliation by pointing out my faults and bringing up things about Rukia and my clan. I will not give them the satisfaction of thinking that they're even scratching the surface.
"Refrain from speaking unnecessary things during the course of this meeting." Ukitake scolded Kenpachi as if he were talking to a rude teenager and not a captain of the Goeti 13.
"You didn't seem surprised at Zaraki's announcement," Soifon accused Ukitake, her almond eyes narrowing suspiciously. "You already knew about it, didn't you?"
"How is any of this relevant?" Mayuri managed to get in his opinion before it was drowned out by a sea of voices more invested in the topic of Byakuya's upcoming nuptials with his sister.
"The poor girl is being forced into the marriage, too." Captain Kyōraku shared, his large bushie hat casting half of his face in shadow. "Come on, Byakuya, how long are you going to keep silent on this?" The man wearing the pink flower kimono asked with pleading in his voice.
"It is none of your concern," Byakuya finally said, addressing them all, his glare sweeping over the faces staring at him.
"It's despicable, is what it is," Captain Hitsugaya stated for the second time since this meeting began, causing a few eyebrows to arch. It's not like the captain of Squad 10 to be particularly opinionated during these meetings unless he was specifically addressed by the head captain or a report came from his squad. "Not only do you hinder her progress as a Shinigami in the Goeti 13 using your political power and influence—and Rukia must have trained countless days and nights alone if her battle reports are this impressive—but you're forcing that girl, who's barely just entered the Age of Maturity, to marry you? The same girl you offer up on a silver platter to be executed, so readily believing wholeheartedly in the decision from Central 46 and in her criminality that you allowed her to walk to her own death while you dutifully watched. Your behavior sickens my stomach, Captain Kuchiki."
"Now, now, Toshiro," Captain Kyōraku said soothingly, "I don't think that's completely fair."
"That's Captain Hitsugaya, sir," the white-haired youth said meaningfully. "And it's the truth. It doesn't have to be fair."
"Speak my name in your mouth again or address me in any way other than respectfully for the duration of this meeting, and I will ensure that only bloody rags remain where you're supposed to be standing, boy!" That was a warning, not a threat.
"What the hell did you just call me?" The captain of Squad 10 exploded, his feet taking two steps toward Byakuya.
"Enough!" The head captain boomed like thunder as his staff met the floorboards with a deafening bang, and the assembly hall fell silent.
How convenient! Only after the pack of dogs has had their fill of tearing at me with their fangs, do you restore order and rein them in? Byakuya restrained himself from shaking his head or providing any physical indication of how disgusted his thoughts were by the pettiness flying around in this farce of a meeting.
"Captain Kuchiki," the head captain turned to the man suppressing his irked expression. "Explain why you've done this. If not for your actions, we wouldn't be having this meeting regarding your sister."
"Head Captain Yamamoto," Byakuya began firmly, his gray gaze turning onto the man sitting at the top of the white Shihakushōs . "Any supposed actions taken on my part are of a personal nature. I am under no jurisdiction or obligation to explain myself to any member of the Goeti 13 about the goings on in my household."
That comment brought on a round of scoffing and disbelieving murmurs.
"Regardless that she's your... relative," Captain Unohana said carefully, "Rukia Kuchiki is still a member of the Goeti 13 whose talents went unrecognized because of your doing, Captain Kuchiki. The girl is outstanding for her age. Though not a prodigy, Rukia is already at Shikai within a decade of graduating from the academy; except for her captain, there is no record of her training under any master."
"That is not entirely true." The head captain objected, with one eye landing on Captain Ukitake.
"The late Kaien Shiba, my now deceased lieutenant—may his soul rest in peace—trained Rukia secretly and thus helped her achieve Shikai," the white-haired captain told the assembly hall. "The two of them were close friends up to the moment that he died."
Byakuya remembers that night Rukia came home; he remembers how she wept for days in her room. Excused from her duties by Ukitake's leave, Rukia didn't come out of her apartments for the duration of the week he gave her to recuperate from the loss of Kaien. Byakuya's spy later told him that Rukia was the one who had to kill Kaien after he'd become possessed by a parasite hollow, one of Aizen's earlier experiments. That was the only way to save Kaien Shiba: by killing him.
Byakuya couldn't comfort her. They never had that relationship, so how could he consider himself qualified to be of comfort to her or anyone else for that matter? He's always had to remain strong for his clan and himself, learning to lean on no one from the moment his parents left this world and he became the head of the Kuchiki clan.
"A member of the Shiba clan trained this Rukia person." Captain Komamura spoke up for the first time in this meeting. The anthropomorphic wolf sounded intrigued.
Though the House of Shiba has fallen out of favor with the nobility of the Seireitei and there now remain only four great houses of the Soul Society, their names and skill sets have been forever etched in the foundation of this world.
"Kaien-san," the captain of Squad 10 mumbled plaintively to himself, "was Captain Isshin-dono's nephew."
Isshin Shiba, Byakuya thought sidetrackedly. The Shiba Clan was effectively doomed when they lost him, even before the death of Kaien. A true master swordsman, a Kido Master, a shunpo expert, a Hakuda expert, and an expert in the healing arts all rolled into one
"Isshin?" The newly reinstated captain of Squad 5 said this murmuringly, tapping his pointed chin thoughtfully. Everyone could hear him, of course, even as he babbled to himself, it was as if he were standing right next to their shoulders. "Isshin, Isshin, Isshin. Where have I heard that name before?" The blond man continued to talk to no one, then he snapped his fingers as the thought he was searching for seemingly came to the forefront of his mind: "Oh, yeah! That's the name of Ichigo's dad." He blurted out.
You could hear a pin drop in Squad 13's barracks from the deafening silence that fell on Squad 1 after that statement. A sea of stunned faces stare dumbfoundedly back at Squad 5's captain, Shinji Hirako.
"What? You guys seriously didn't know that? Like really all this time?" Captain Hirako asked incredulously.
"U-U-U" was all the sound the captain of Squad 10 could come up with. "You lie! " The prodigy was finally able to get out.
"Why should I?" The captain of squad 5 said comfortably, "He came on the battlefield at the last minute, with Kisuke and Yoruichi against Aizen at Fake Karakura Town." With his pupils rolled up in his head as if he were recalling the moment and his arms crossed over his chest, Captain Hirako continued, "Then again, you are battering for life against that hot Espada chick-Haribel. Did her boobs distract you, or something? "I can't say I blame you; they defy gravity."
"I was not distracted," Hitsoguya defended vehemently.
"Are you stating that Ichigo Kurosaki is the son of the former captain of Squad 10?" The captain of Squad 12 was unconvinced. "Where is your evidence for this?"
Captain Hirako blinked and stared at Mayuri. "I mean outside of the fact that the kid has a ridiculous amount of Reishi content for a human." The man made air quote with his fingers at the word 'human' before he continued, the floor being his only for the moment. "The great Captain Kuchiki here," he smiled in Byakuya's direction and received a scowl in exchange, "cut Ichigo's soul chain back when he went to receive his sister from the World of the Living, and under the tutelage of himself, Kisuke Urahara, the kid invaded the Seireitei with blood in his eyes, managing to pull off the revenge match of the century that's still talked about in Soul Society circles up to this day. And that's after he faced off with and beat the war seeker Kenpachi Zaraki in one-on-one combat before he reached Shikai. Still not enough evidence for ya?" The captain of squad 5 asked rhetorically, "How about the fact that Ichigo is the spitting image of his cousin, Kaien Shiba, only with orange hair?" Shinji counted off on his bony fingers, "I mean, you've all seen his face; how did you not pick that up? Plus, his baby twin sisters can see dead people, for goodness sake."
"You speak just like a mortal," Soifon spat, turning the word "mortal" into a derogatory term.
"Well, yeah, of course I do," Shinji shrugged with a patronizing look on his face. "I've been living with mortals for the last century and a decade after being kicked out of my home world—not because of anything I did, mind you, but all because the conservative voices of Central 46 labeled me and the rest of my ilk as bad guys. Why? Oh, you know, because Aizen turned me into one of his little experiments. A failed one at that." The captain turned his lips up at the assembly in a horrible parody of a grin.
"And do you want sympathy by stating all of that in front of this assembly?" The head captain weighed in, though that is hardly the issue here.
"Oh no, head captain, not at all." Captain Hirako demurred, a mischievous grin cocked halfway up the side of his face. "I've already had my couch sessions with one hot, sexy therapist after another. I got to connect with my inner child a long time ago; it was beautiful."
"I understood none of that," Ukitake admitted under his breath to Shinsui, who smiled under his hat.
"I only wanted to point out that my girl, Rukia, didn't do anything wrong. She was innocent all along, was wrongly given the death penalty and even imprisonment."
His girl, Rukia? Byakuya pushed down on that impulse to speak that sentence aloud. It would only earn him attention he doesn't need. In a way, he was grateful to this clown of a captain. Thanks to his antics, everyone has seemingly forgotten about him and whatever they thought they knew about his life.
"Why do you say that?" Ukitake pushed the captain to explain.
"If Ichigo's father is not only a former captain of the Goeti 13 but also a former head of the Shiba Clan," Captain Hirako tipped his head to one side. "Then Rukia had committed no crime because she didn't transfer her powers to a human, now did she? She gave them to a soul reaper residing in the World of the Living."
"How is any of this relevant?" The captain of Squad 12 was the first to speak up after a length of silence descended onto the assembly hall again. "So far, this meeting has been a gigantic waste of time discussing things we cannot change now. Perhaps they were unfortunate things, but there was no way for any of those details to be known to us at the time."
"He knew," Captain Hirako turned back to Byakuya. "Didn't you?"
Before Byakuya could open his mouth to defend himself, a flurry of accusations assaulted him.
"You knew?!" Chorus the captains.
"You knew, but you would have allowed my subordinate to be killed?" A vein in Ukitake's temple pulsed; he was so angry. "An innocent child!"
"Who he now wants to marry," Kenpachi stated. "Nothing like imminent death and the funeral of a wedding to spell true love out for you."
"Captain Kuchiki," the Head Captain stated in his booming voice; honestly, the man didn't have to shout, especially when a captain-level shinigami can hear the beating of a butterfly's wings from a quarter mile away.
Perhaps he takes joy in knowing that no one can tell him to be quiet. Byakuya thought irritably, exhaling a heated breath, his ears ringing painfully.
In the wake of the echo, everyone hushed, "As the head of one of the Shōichī, you of all people should have recognized Ichigo Kurosaki, more so since you were his second point of contact after your sister."
The Shōichī are the first true Noble Houses, which are the collective aristocracy that has an important role in the cultural, social, and governmental aspects of the Soul Society. Yes, he is the head of the Kuchiki Clan and a member of the Shōichī but so what?
"He was a Ryoka who invaded the Soul Society and broke the law with his recklessness," Byakuya stated. "Whether or not I recognized his face is of no consequence. Ichigo Kurosaki could be a reincarnation of Kaien Shiba for all we know. Was I supposed to stop and investigate properly mid-invasion because of a look-alike? How senseless." He dismissed.
"He is Isshin's son." Captain Unohana confirmed after Byakuya spoke, drawing all eyes in her direction.
"How can you be so sure?" Mayuri asked crossly.
"When I accompanied Ichigo Kurosaki back to the World of the Living from Hueco Mundo, I saw Isshin Shiba with my own eyes. I heard clearly when Ichigo acknowledged him as his father, though it seemed that the young man was as surprised as I was. He had no idea about his father's lineage."
"I want to fight him even more now," Kenpachi exhaled, his nostrils flaring. "I need to fight him. No wonder he is so goddamn strong, and he's only gotten stronger since then."
"Rukia Kuchiki must have known who Ichigo was," Captain Soifun said, "how could she not when she and Kaien were so close? Was she willing to die to protect his family secret given that his father is a defected soul reaper captain?"
"Ichigo is Kaien's family." Captain Ukitake whispered to himself before his head popped up and he faced the head captain. At the same time, two other captains stepped out of the line of fellow captains. All at once, all three captains made a request to the head captain, who peered through one ancient eye.
"Head Captain, permission to go to the World of the Living for the duration of one day." Captains Zaraki, Ukitake, and Hitsugaya all chimed in at the same second."
Fools. Byakuya thought, wanting to roll his eyes. This is going to be a very long and unpleasant meeting.
"Permission denied!"The head captain dismissed all three requests. "We're in the middle of attacks; how can anyone conceive of going to the World of the Living at this inopportune time?" The head captain began chewing them out, starting with Captain Ukitake coming back to his decision to send Rukia to the World of the Living in the first place, eventually working his way back to Byakuya.
By the time he made it back to his barracks, no truer words were ever spoken because it did prove to be one of the longest and most unsavory meetings he's ever had to endure.
But it would seem that his day wasn't done with him yet, because within minutes of settling behind his desk in that uncomfortable chair, in walked his lieutenant, peeling the screen doors of his office open without so much as a knock or request to enter. His face was a rictus of masked anger.
"Tell me it's not true." Renji Abrai demanded slowly, leaving his respect somewhere behind him when he slammed the doors of Byakuya's office shut.
Byakuya regarded the red-headed man before him. He didn't want to take his anger from the captain's assembly out on Renji, especially seeing that he took out his anger on him already after the Elder's meeting on the training grounds the day before yesterday, giving him a thorough beating in their practice matches.
"How can I answer your question if I don't know what you're asking me?" Byakuya said, letting it slide that his lieutenant disrespectfully entered his office without permission or giving him a salute or even the barest of a "Good morning, Captain Kuchiki."
He's earned his title as Captain of Squad 6. Despite popular opinion, he had to work at being the head of the Kuchiki Clan, not just because it was his birthright. He had to work his fingers to the bone to become a lieutenant in Squad 6, even though his grandfather was his captain at the time.
"You're forcing Rukia to marry you?" The younger man seethed through gritted teeth. "The entire Seireitei is talking about my captain forcing the woman that I love into a marriage she doesn't want!"
Byakuya wanted to scream and yell, but oh no! That's not him, not in public. He couldn't do any of the stupid boyish things that would make him feel justified in the moment for doing them because he was being wrongly accused.
A calming breath before he spoke to his angry, emotional lieutenant. Byakuya fixed Renji with what he hoped was a sympathetic look in his eyes. "So you do love her, I see."
"Is that all that you can say?" Renji scoffed in disbelief. "You. See?" he measured out his words carefully.
"Yes," Byakuya stated, almost apologetic. There was no sense in explaining his situation to anyone, least of all to an emotional soul reaper with heartbreak.
"I won't let you have her," Renji declared.
Byakuya sighed. He didn't bother to ask what Renji intended to do to stop him from "having" Rukia. Knowing the hothead as he did, his sword was his only answer. But when the obstacle is his captain stealing his girl, what alternative can he hope to bring to the situation? He can't beat Byakuya in a fight. He's not of noble rank, or even a noble, to fight this decision with politics and tradition. Essentially, Renji Abrai was a useless man whose strength was screaming at the top of his lungs and waving his sword around.
"Get out of my office and don't come back before me until your emotions are properly governed."
Renji departed from Byakuya's office, but only after classing his captain with some colorful choiced unrepeatable words.
"Heavy is the head that wears the crown," Byakuya said to his empty office.