I wanted a place to post my not-necessarily-connected Bleach fics, and made this thread. Feel free to shoot me ideas/requests/etc! If I get really into a story, I'll make it a separate thread.
I post ideas, snippets of fics, and headcanons here!
Word count: about 1500
Status: incomplete, part 1/?
Ships: Byakuya x Renji, Ukitake x Kyoraku
Notes: I make a new thread and this is the first thing I post?
—
Kuchiki Byakuya, Captain of the Sixth Division of the Gotei Thirteen, is in love with his fukutaicho.
To someone not well acquainted with Byakuya and what love looks like on him, they would probably be faintly abused by this declaration at best. At worst, they would call Jushiro a liar, and that's a bit of an annoying thing to have as part of one's reputation.
So, Jushiro does the prudent thing and doesn't tell anyone about this revelation. Other than Shunsui, of course, but Jushiro tells Shunsui everything.
***
Now that he's looking for it, Jushiro doesn't know how he hadn't noticed it before. It's a little embarrassing, really; Jushiro and Shunsui had watched Byakuya fall in love with Hisana, so they really should have figured out that something was up with the First and Second seats of the Sixth. If anything, Byakuya's infatuation is painfully obvious. From the way his brow unfurrows when he looks at Abarai to the way his feet are always pointing at his fukutaicho as though Abarai is a magnet and Byakuya is the needle of a compass, Byakuya's love is pretty in-your-face to anyone who pays attention.
Which is probably why only Jushiro and Shunsui seem to have figured it out.
***
"Ahhhh, to be young and in love," says Shunsui, a faint smile on his lips as he watches Byakuya pass a stack of paperwork to Abarai. It would be a completely innocent gesture if not for the way Byakuya's grey eyes flash to Abarai's lips and the slight caress of his smooth fingers against the back of Abarai's hand. Abarai, of course, doesn't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary, and it's really starting to turn from amusing to infuriating.
Jushiro rolls his eyes. "And the Abarai-fukutaicho doesn't even notice," he says, adding a bit of over-the-top remorse to his voice. "He doesn't even see what he's missing."
Shunsui's grin turns predatory. "Aaah, Ukitake! Don't tell me you've thought too much about lovely Kuchiki's...skills? It seems I have competition - ow, hey!"
"Shut up," says Jushiro good naturedly, removing his hand from where it had been poking Shunsui in the side, right in the squishy spot under his ribs. "Byakuya-bo has his sights set on Abarai as it is."
Never one to let an opportunity to tease Jushiro drop, Shunsui wiggles his eyebrows. "Jealous?" Apparently having learned nothing from being jabbed in the kidney, he leans in close to Jushiro. "Ohhh, Ju-chan! Must I set you two up instead of him and Abarai? Or, or Abarai seems the type to share, if you ask him real nicely."
Jushiro snorts, even as the back of his throat begins to itch in the tell-tale way that means he's overexerted himself. "Never, darling," and the 'darling' is only partially sarcastic. "You're not getting rid of me that easily."
"I know," says Shunsui, serious for a moment before he smirks again. "But if Byakuya-bo doesn't confess soon, I'll be getting rid of him instead."
Jushiro laughs and laughs and almost ends up coughing his lungs up onto his partner, but it's worth it.
***
"This is becoming physically painful to watch," says Jushiro as Byakuya gives Abarai yet another longing look that Abarai yet again ignores. "It isn't good for my health, Shu-chan."
Shunsui nods, a little too solemnly to be entirely serious. "I suppose we'll have to step in."
***
It's another month before Jushiro and Shunsui find the time to confront Abarai, and summer is slowly turning into fall. Abarai seems to go everywhere with Kuchiki Rukia, and when they're not together Abarai is training, or drinking with the Eleventh. If this keeps up for much longer, Jushiro's rumored infinite patience will wear thin and he'll ask Abarai about Byakuya in front of his friends, Abarai's reputation be damned.
"Patience, my dear Ju-chan," is all Shunsui says when Jushiro complains to him, and Jushiro makes a mental note to hide the rest of Shunsui's sake when he gets the chance. The filthy hypocrite won't be any more patient than Jushiro is right now next time he wants a drink.
***
"Jushiro."
"Yes, dear?"
"Where is my drink?"
"Maaa, you'll have to ask your fukutaicho. I haven't the slightest clue, I'm afraid."
***
Abarai is making his way from the Eleventh to the Sixth's barracks. It's past midnight, Abarai smells faintly of alcohol, and Jushiro is supposed to be in the Fourth.
It's the perfect time to talk to Abarai, in both Shunsui's and Jushiro's opinion.
(Shunsui makes a snarky comment about how 'frustrating little Abarai-kun gets to have a drink, but the love of your life doesn't', but Jushiro has absolutely no sympathy.)
Abarai turns around, mouth half open in what would surely be a rather amusing drunken retort, but then he sees Jushiro and Shunsui and (quite wisely) bites back his words. "Aa, Ukitake-taicho, Kyoraku-taicho? Can I help you?"
"Yes, actually," says Shunsui, falling into his role easily. "Walk with us, Renji. Can I call you Renji?"
Blinking bemusedly, Abarai - or is Jushiro calling him Renji now? - frowns. "Of course," he says, falling into step between Shunsui and Jushiro. "What's this about?"
Jushiro picks up where Shunsui had left off. "Well, Renji, Shu-chan and I were wondering if we could talk to you about your taicho, isn't that right?"
"Of course, Ju-chan," says Shunsui, smiling faintly and nodding, "You see, Renji-kun, we've noticed that Byakuya-bo has taken quite a liking to you."
"It's quite sweet, really," Jushiro adds, even as Renji looks entirely uncomprehending. "He's so closed off now, we were worried he'd never open up to anyone again."
Renji stares at Shunsui and Jushiro as though they're telling him to kiss Kurotsuchi Mayuri. "I'm his fukutaicho," he says. "He can't exactly dislike me."
"He can, actually," Jushiro responds.
"Happens all the time, really."
"Ah, yes. Like Hirako-taicho, remember? He hated his fukutaicho with a burning passion."
"For good reason, of course."
"Of course, Shu-chan, but it doesn't change the fact of the matter."
"Maaa, very true, very true. And then there's the Second, with lovely Soi-Fon…"
"Her fukutaicho seems to give her a bit of trouble, sometimes."
"And Mugarama and his fukutaicho, back in the day…"
"...and who even knows what's up with the Twelth, really…"
"...and the Kenpachi and his fukutaicho, of course. They aren't really the best set of role models for a taicho-fukutaicho relationship, though…"
"...probably because the fukutaicho calls her taicho 'Ken-chan' and rides around on his shoulders…"
"...and encourages him to fight random shinigami…"
Renji frowns, and actually raises his hand, which is absolutely adorable. "Uh, Kyoraku-taicho, Ukitake-taicho, not to interrupt, but you're sort of...doing...a thing?"
Shunsui dramatically slaps his forehead with the heel of his hand. "Ahhhh, apologies."
Jushiro shrugs. "We do that sometimes."
"One of the problems with knowing someone for a millennia, really."
"But we did have a point, didn't we?"
Shunsui chuckles, and wraps his arm around Renji's shoulders. "Of course, of course. We were talking about how Byakuya-bo has gained a liking for you."
"A bit of admiration, let's say."
"Exactly." Jushiro tilts his head, stares at Renji until Renji looks away.
Shunsui's smile turns more into a barking of teeth than anything. "Naturally, since we've become quite protective of darling Byakuya-bo, we have a duty to let you know that he cares quite a bit for you. And part of that duty also means that we have to tell you something."
"If you hurt Byakuya-bo in any way," says Jushiro, placing a hand on the back of the fukutaicho's neck, "we will find you."
"And we will make sure you never get the opportunity to hurt anyone else again. Ever."
"Have a good night, Renji," Jushiro finishes, and Shunsui releases Renji. "Think about what we talked about, aa?"
With that, Shunsui and Jushiro walk back down the path towards the Eighth, ignoring the sounds of Renji using shunpo to flee.
"Yes, admiration."
Renji opens his mouth, but Jushiro cuts him off. "Now, Byakuya-bo's been lonely for quite a while now. He doesn't want to get hurt, see? And as his fukutaicho, you'll want to make sure Byakuya is happy. It's your duty."
Somehow, the mentioning of duty gets through to Renji even when nothing else does. He nods, straightening up, and Jushiro smiles and nods.
He's figured it out. Good.
Now Jushiro can go back to his barracks, and cuddle with his lover.
Word count: about 1500
Status: complete, part 1/1
Ships: background Gin x Ran, but only if you squint
Notes: a bit of an older piece, but tbh I really like this. Gin is just really fun to write about. This is also mostly unedited, so...beware. xD
—
Aizen's war is a game.
Gin likes games, which is the only thing that keeps him from stabbing the pompous bastard in the back with Shinso. And this game is fun, too. Gin and Aizen as the two players, Grimmjow and Ulquiorra and Urahara and the Kuchiki siblings and even Kurosaki the game pieces. It's like chess, really. A version of chess where Aizen doesn't even know who his opponent is.
Aizen is smart, Gin will give him that. But Gin has spent his entire life lying, and even Aizen can't tell that Gin is not truly his ally. Every game has a winning strategy, see, and that is Gin's.
***
Gin steps inside of Aizen's horribly lavish private quarters, keeping his smile plastered on his face. Aizen looks up from his chess board, a Western version that Gin has quickly grown to love. The King, the most important piece, being the weakest? Well - Gin finds that to be a bit of a prophecy.
"Ah, Gin," says Aizen, hair slicked away from his face. Gin finds the hairstyle to look rather stupid, but that isn't his place to say. "Welcome."
Careful to keep his eyes narrow enough that Aizen can't see the hatred in them, Gin steps across the room with quick, graceful movements, kneeling on the ground across from Aizen. "Nice of ya ta set up," he says cheerily. "Your move first?" It's a stupid question, one that Gin just asks to keep up appearances. Aizen will always let Gin go first in some mockery of courtesy.
"No, no," says Aizen, sitting cross-legged with his hands folded in his lap. His smile is familiar, the sort of look he used when he was still the good 'ol Aizen-taicho, but the cool detatchment in his brown eyes sort of ruins the benevolent effect. "It would be impolite of me to take the first turn, Gin."
Gin's smile stays put on his face, and he reaches forward to move forward a Knight. "You're too kind, Aizen-sama," he says, even as Shinso thrums his displeasure at the polite honorific. "Gotta say, m'thinkin' this is the time that I beat ya."
Aizen's eyebrows raise. "Truly?" He scoots a Pawn to the next square, in true Aizen fashion. He'd always liked using his Pawns to their fullest potential. (Gin hides a chuckle; chess certainly has its parallels and uses.) "You have not beat me yet, Gin. Do not hold yourself above your station."
It's an obvious threat, and Gin's smile turns to a pout. "Aizen-sama, d'ya not trust me?" His face twists back into a grin. "An' after all I've done for ya..." Gin tips his head to the side, watching Aizen through narrowed eyes. It's hard to tell if Aizen is truly suspicious of Gin; Aizen likes to lord his power over his subordinates, and this might be yet another power play. On the other hand, it wouldn't do to underestimate this challenge. "I'm hurt, Aizen-sama. Truly hurt."
Rolling his eyes, Aizen taps the tips of his fingers together. "I trust you more than I trust anyone else," he says simply. "There's no need for dramatics."
Trust Gin more than anyone else, eh? Gin snorts. Oh, Aizen's a manipulative bastard.
"But drama just makes everythin' so much more fun!" Gin says cheerily, moving a Pawn forward two spaces. "Ya wouldn' want me ta be bored, ey?"
"I suppose not," Aizen concedes, but there's a warning hidden in his dark eyes. Gin happily ignores it. "There," he adds, sliding a Bishop into the empty space where his Pawn had resided. "Your turn."
Gin taps his fingers against his chin. "Oooh, my turn? Finally, Aizen-sama. Took ya long enough." Contrasting with his words, he doesn't move, smiling down at the chess board. Gin knows all of Aizen's ticks and pet peeves, and if he makes it a habit to piss off Aizen, well, that's nobody else's business. "Hm. I could move...there." He scoots a Pawn forward, but doesn't take his fingers off of it. "Or...maybe not, eh?" The Pawn slides back into its spot, and Gin pushes forward the Pawn directly next to it. "Let's do that, shall we?"
"A good move," says Aizen, sounding rather detached and uninterested. He picks up a Knight and sets it a square beside his Pawn. "Ah, Gin, while I'm thinking about it - there's news from Soul Society. Our friend Szayelapporo picked up on some interesting reiatsu signatures coming from Karakura."
The 'while I'm thinking about it' is completely unnecessary; Gin knows that Aizen must have been waiting for the right moment to bring this up since the game had started. And the nice cliffhanger on the end is, of course, a small bit of revenge for Gin's stalling on his turn.
Gin decides to humor Aizen, though. "News? What sorta news is comin' through?"
Aizen's eyes narrow almost imperceptibly, and Gin gets ready to school his reaction. Whatever news is coming, Aizen's prepared to test Gin's loyalty with it.
No matter, though. Gin is, after all, a liar.
"Your friend Matsumoto has arrived in Karakura with her Hitsugaya-taicho, Abari, and Kuchiki-chan."
Gin's face doesn't even twitch, even as he feels a wave of sudden bloodlust hit him. Of course the bastard would keep using Ran. Shinso thrums with fury matching Gin's, and his fingers ache to draw his zanpakuto and make Aizen sorry.
Not yet, though. It's not time to make Aizen pay yet.
"Aww, the lovely Ran-chan?" Gin's smile now shows a few teeth, and he knows that he looks rather fearsome with his pointed canines. "How sweet of her! I hope she isn' doin' too terribly bad, what with me leavin' 'er and all that." He has to clamp down on his accent, knowing it's an easy way to notice his anger. "Poor girl probably cried herself to sleep, huh?"
Aizen raises his eyebrows. "From what Szayelapporo said, she doesn't seem to be too...distraught."
That hurts even more than the idea of Ran crying over Gin, but Gin just keeps his sharp smile on his face. It's for the best if Ran isn't too upset, even if the thought makes Gin want to stab something.
"Eh." Gin shrugs, sliding his Rook a square to the side. "That sucks. I was hopin' I'd see some tears or somethin'. Gotta be entertaining or it ain't fun."
"Touche," says Aizen, and his eyes are lit with amusement now. "Ahhh, Hinamori-chan was lovely when she cried."
It's Gin's turn to raise an eyebrow now. "The Momo girl, your fukutaicho? She had a nice smile." Gin opens his eyes and flutters his eyelashes in a mimic of Hinamori's old grin. "Pity she's all broken, now. Didn' take your leavin' too well."
"I suppose not," Aizen agrees, moving a different Pawn. It leaves an opening by his Queen, but Gin knows better to go after that; Aizen likes his traps. Maybe if Gin can draw out Aizen's other Bishop he can slip past...but no, Aizen's Pawn sits there in wait. "Part of the game, though. She was too dependent, and she was fun to manipulate. Easy, though."
(Gin doesn't say anything, too busy responding to Shinso's furious Aizen-directed death threats to reply to Aizen himself.)
"Still," Aizen continues, too busy enjoying the sound of his voice to notice Gin, "in hindsight perhaps I should have cut my ties with her better. While I'm sure she still loves me, if her Hitsugaya-taicho manages to help her then she'll be a formidable force."
"Hell hath no fury," says Gin, coming to a decision. If he frees his Bishop, he can make a trap with a Pawn to take Aizen's Knight. "She's pretty well infatuated with ya, though. Your groomin' worked pretty well."
Aizen nods, resting his finger against the top of a Pawn in contemplation. "That, Gin, is the mark of a genius: being able to change people's perception with just a few words. Having power over a mind is to have almost infinite power," and his other hand settles on Kyoka Suigetsu's hilt. "You and I are powerful because of that."
Gin giggles, and Aizen's eyebrow twitches. "Ya flatter me, Aizen-sama. Truly ya do."
Aizen's Pawn scoots forward, and Gin moves his Pawn in answer. "Manipulation," he says, running a hand through his brown hair. "The most beautiful form of combat."
Gin nods, unable to deny his agreement even as he fantasizes about Aizen's lifeless body. "To power," he says, lifting up his King as though toasting a glass of sake. "May we all get what we deserve."
"Indeed," says Aizen, not commenting on Gin's final words, and Gin's smile turns real.
Aizen's war is a game, a game with people as the game pieces. And every game can be cheated at.
Word count: about 3.5k
Status: incomplete, part 1/?
Ships: ohhh yeah there's some ByaRen.
Notes: this is all three current parts of the running fic I have on tumblr. Honestly, I have no excuse for this...I was bored, and when I'm bored I do weird things. Like copy-paste a random fic into the SV comments.
More will come.
Probably.
If I do something with this - decide to put it on ffnet or something - I'll actually edit it, but for now y'all get this, un-beta'd and messy. Enjoy.
—
faraway
noun
1. very distant, remote; 2. abstracted; dreamy
***
Kyoka Suigetsu rips through Kurosaki's chest, and Byakuya knows the war is over.
***
"A senkaimon," says Byakuya. His voice is hoarse and it cracks halfway through the statement, but Kisuke is polite enough not to say anything. The pink scars marring Byakuya's throat really aren't his business. "Why?"
Kisuke smiles, but both he and Byakuya know the grin is as fake as the cheery tone Kisuke plasters over his voice. "I've found a way back to Soul Society," he says, and it isn't entirely a lie. He can't tell Byakuya the full truth, though; Byakuya will insist that it's Kisuke who goes through the senkaimon, and Kisuke can't waste precious time arguing. Aizen's coming, Kisuke can feel it, and Byakuya needs to be gone. "It's only stable for one person at a time, but I'll follow you once you're through."
Byakuya's silver eyes widen with incredulous delight, and Kisuke can't help but feel a little bad for the deception. "How did you do it? Aizen blocked off all the -"
"Don't worry about it," says Kisuke dismissively. "It has to do with physics and space-time and technology for gargantas and really, it isn't a problem right now. Just take Senbonzakura and go."
Luckily, Byakuya isn't quite smart enough to question the vague answer, and he's halfway into the senkaimon before he stops and turns around. "You'll follow me, right?" He asks softly, and Kisuke is suddenly and horribly reminded of how young Byakuya is. Hardly three hundred years old; still practically a child.
"Of course," says Kisuke. This time, his words are entirely a lie.
***
The moment Byakuya steps into the senkaimon, he knows that Kisuke lied to him. This senkaimon feels nothing like the familiar portals to Soul Society that Byakuya is used to; instead, his vision is filled with colors and sounds, blurry scenes that Byakuya can't quite make out. He can feel the senkaimon pulling at his reiatsu, and the gaping scars along his neck that making talking so difficult burn.
Black spots appear at the edges of Byakuya's vision, and he mentally curses Kisuke. Of course the story about getting back to Soul Society was a lie. Byakuya knows that Aizen had used the hogyoku to make travel between Soul Society, the World of the Living, and Hueco Mundo impossible for anyone without Aizen's express permission. And yet Byakuya had been so desperate for a way back to his home that he'd believed Kisuke's obvious lie.
If anything, he'd...
Byakuya's world goes black, and for a long time, he doesn't think anything at all.
***
Byakuya doesn't quite wake up so much as he jolts into sudden alertness. Senbonzakura hums at his side, and Byakuya feels a sudden wave of panic hit him from the bond he has with his zanpakuto. He sends calming thoughts at Senbonzakura until the rush of emotion recedes, and Byakuya promises to talk to his sword when he has the chance.
Senbonzakura is frustrated, that much is obvious, but Byakuya refuses to have this conversation now. He has better things to do, like figuring out where in the three worlds Kisuke's senkaimon took him. So Byakuya looks up, and is confronted with an impossible scene.
Renji, red hair pulled back into a familiar ponytail, skin flushed with blood and adrenaline, stands over Kurosaki, who is very much alive. A few metres away, Rukia lies on the ground, eyes watery and expression desperate. Blood drips from Kurosaki's nose, and a faint sheen of sweat shines on Renji's forehead.
Byakuya's eyes widen, and he makes a very undignified, un-Kuchiki noise. This is impossible. He knows this because Byakuya has had nightmares about this before, nightmares about the scene in front of him. This is where everything started to go wrong. This can't be happening, and...
...and Kisuke had said something about space-time before Byakuya had stepped into the modified senkaimon. Had said that he'd found a way back into Soul Society.
The part of Byakuya's brain that still believes in things being rational immediately dismisses the idea slowly forming in Byakuya's mind. The part of his brain that has seen Kisuke work before and knows exactly how smart the ex-captain is tells the rational part of his brain to shut up.
"Goddamn genius," he mutters, and isn't entirely surprised when the words come out smooth and undamaged, when his throat doesn't ache with the effort of talking. Byakuya brings up a hand against his neck, and the skin there is clean and unblemished. Urahara Kisuke is a goddamn genius, and if anyone could send Byakuya back in time, it would be him.
Byakuya opens his mouth to say something, anything, to tell Rukia he's sorry he let her die and that there was never a day where he didn't think of Renji. He wants to tell Kurosaki how to survive, how to defeat Aizen...
Aizen, who is most certainly watching the scene playing out. No, Byakuya can't say anything just yet. Tipping Aizen off to his knowledge would be a suicidal move. A move he can't afford to make.
"Fukutaicho," Byakuya says, careful to keep his voice steady. Kurosaki should be recovering right about now, and Byakuya doesn't want to see Renji hurt. He ignores Renji's blink at the use of the title and no name; Byakuya doesn't think he can say Renji's name without breaking down and telling him how much Byakuya loves him. "Do not waste your time on the Ryoka boy." It's too easy to fall into the role of the Head of the Kuchiki Clan, and Byakuya hates it.
Renji sighs, but pulls Zabimaru away from Kurosaki's throat. Kurosaki looks furious at the slight, even as his blood drips on the ground.
"Taicho, he stole Rukia's powers," Renji says, and really, Byakuya almost wants to laugh. Renji shouldn't be worried about this. Renji should be worried about the megalomaniac who has already murdered the 46.
"I am quite aware," Byakuya responds, tone crisp in the way it only is when he's trying to hide his emotions. "Central 46 made it quite clear what her crimes are. However, wasting your energy on a human is not befitting of your station."
Giving Kurosaki a dirty look, Renji finally steps back. He's angry, that much is obvious, but Byakuya refuses to feel bad. As much as Byakuya loves Renji, there are things more important than Renji's hurt feelings right now.
Things like keeping everyone Byakuya loves alive.
***
It takes longer than Byakuya would have liked to calm everyone down, which is mostly due to Kurosaki's utter refusal to listen to anyone but Rukia, who's shaking and pale and not in a position to do any explaining. Byakuya can sense Kisuke's reiatsu, despite the fact that Kisuke's obviously trying to hide it. No one else would notice the faint strand of power coming from a rooftop, but Byakuya lived with Kisuke for almost four years, and Kisuke's reiatsu is as familiar to him as his own.
There's a flicker of power at the edge of Byakuya's senses, and he raises his reiatsu up as high as it will go with the limiter on just as Kurosaki makes a move for his sword. If Byakuya feels a bit of vindicative glee at the look of startled horror on Kurosaki's face as he's forced to the ground, well, that's nobody else's business. Byakuya is trying to think, and Kurosaki's petty little attempts at starting a fight are wearing on Byakuya's nerves-
Kisuke's reiatsu flickers with surprise, bringing Byakuya back to his senses. That's right, he has to be careful. He can't show that he knows Aizen's plans, and he can't...
...oh, kami above. Byakuya can't even go to Kisuke.
The realization hits Byakuya like a physical blow to the chest.
Rukia had been one of the first to die in the war against Aizen, and it had been Kisuke that had sparred with Byakuya afterwards until neither of them could breath and Byakuya could forget the stabbing pain of grief for a moment. Renji's death had left Byakuya feeling like a hollow shell, and Kisuke had been the one to force-feed him meals when he wanted to give up. After Kurosaki's death, Kisuke and Byakuya had been the last two shinigami fighting against Aizen. Kisuke wasn't quite a father figure for Byakuya, but he was certainly Byakuya's best friend.
Even if Byakuya hates admitting it, he'd relied on Kisuke, and the idea of not having him as a support makes Byakuya's heart ache.
"Alright." he says slowly. Kisuke had always been the planner, and Byakuya feels incredibly out of place trying to come up with something on the fly. "Renji," and Renji's name tastes like ash on Byakuya's tongue, "Central 46..." is dead "...are expecting us to return with Rukia - the criminal. There's no need to sully Zabimaru with the human."
Renji makes a furious sound in the back of his throat, but doesn't argue. "Rukia, get up," he says shortly, and Byakuya clamps down on his frustration. Doesn't Renji understand that Rukia isn't to blame...? Byakuya sighs. Of course Renji doesn't know that. Renji is still frustrated right now, at himself and at Byakuya and at Rukia and at Kurosaki and at everyone. Originally, it had taken Kurosaki defeating Renji in battle to show him who the real enemy was. This time, Byakuya hopes to skip that step, because he remembers exactly how much self-loathing Renji had carried after he'd almost let Rukia be executed.
(Byakuya is self-destructive enough for the both of them.)
Byakuya shakes his head. He can't afford to be lost in his thoughts now, he has to plan. Kisuke had later confided in Byakuya as to how Kurosaki had regained his powers after Byakuya had severed them. Byakuya doesn't think Kurosaki will be strong enough to invade Soul Society with Rukia's powers, so he has to injure Kurosaki again, but he needs Kurosaki to be more powerful than he was last time.
Just like that, Byakuya makes up his mind.
He steps forward and slips into shunpo, careful not to move too fast; Yoruichi had taught Byakuya plenty of tips for shunpo before she'd died, and Byakuya can't show Aizen exactly how powerful he is just yet. Aizen has to remain complacent, confident in his belief that his plans are still moving forward.
And yet, even as Byakuya limits himself to the very base levels of his power, Kurosaki doesn't see him coming. Kurosaki doesn't dodge. Byakuya remembers Kurosaki fighting Aizen, fighting someone who was for all intents and purposes a kami, and can't even begin to connect his Kurosaki with the boy standing in front of him.
Faster than Kurosaki would be able to see, Byakuya draws Senbonzakura and slashes, easily tearing cloth and leaving thin bloody trails across the skin on Kurosaki's chest.
He moves Senbonzakura again, too fast for Kurosaki to react. Slicing through Kurosaki's soul sleep is just a matter of flicking his wrist, and he can feel the faint flicker of Rukia's reiatsu that was tangled with Kurosaki's power vanish. Senbonzakura flashes again, and Byakuya steps back, watching dispassionately as Kurosaki falls to the ground. He isn't as badly injured this time, so Kisuke should have more time to spend on training Kurosaki. Byakuya can do nothing but hope that this will be enough.
"Kuchiki-taicho," says Renji with something not unlike horror, and Byakuya remembers where - or rather, when - he is. For Renji, Byakuya's actions look like senseless violence against someone who had already been defeated, and even a former Eleventh wouldn't forgive that easily. "Is he...?"
Byakuya looks down at Rukia, who is horribly pale and shivering. "He is not dead," Byakuya says to her eventually, even if Renji had been the one to ask the question. "And for now, he will survive. He does not currently have his spiritual powers anymore, but he will likely recover."
(Kurosaki will recover without a doubt, if Byakuya is reading the determination in Kisuke's reiatsu correctly.)
Rukia looks...relieved, and more than a little confused, but she nods and finds the strength to stand up. Byakuya almost moves to support her, but then remembers that at this point there doesn't seem to be any love between them. It hurts Byakuya with an almost physical pain to leave his little sister to struggle to her feet, and he has to bite his lip and look away.
"Alright," he says, mostly just to fill the tense silence. "Rukia, Renji. With me." He winces as soon as the words are out of his mouth; the previous version of him never would have used Renji's name so casually, and he even says Rukia's name with uncharacteristic fondness. "Our work here is done."
He sends his reiatsu out, calling for a senkaimon. The longer they remain in the human world, the longer until Kurosaki can be healed.
And, of course, the longer until Kisuke sees Byakuya's message.
***
Kisuke is thinking.
This, of course, is nothing new; Kisuke is always thinking, sometimes so engrossed in his thoughts that he forgets about the outside world. What makes this particular occasion unusual is the fact that Kisuke has been thinking for hours now, and hasn't been able to come up with any reasonable conclusion about the evidence provided.
The scientist in Kisuke wants to make a hypothesis, wants to nudge Kurosaki in a direction that will get Kisuke results. The part of Kisuke that's never been able to stand seeing those in his care hurt or upset wants to track down Kuchiki Byakuya and scream at him.
Kisuke sighs, and collapses unceremoniously on his futon, Yoruichi watching him with wary yellow eyes. She's in her cat form, sitting small and inconspicuous in the corner. Tessai is with Kurosaki, tending to the wounds Byakuya had left. The wounds, which are causing this whole mess in the first place.
Looking back, Byakuya had been acting odd during his entire encounter with Kurosaki and Kuchiki. From the vacant, haunted look in his eyes to his sudden decision to leave Kurosaki alive, Kisuke should have known that there was something wrong with Byakuya.
Only some serious sort of knock to the head - or manipulation by Aizen, more likely - could have driven Byakuya to carve the word ALLY into Kurosaki's chest.
***
Byakuya's senkaimon opens inside the Kuchiki Manor courtyard. In the original timeline, he'd taken Rukia straight to Central 46, but now Byakuya knows that he really ought to comfort his baby sister. Besides, Byakuya's home is warded to the Soul King's Realm and back, and not even Aizen's camera-flies would be able to spy on him right now.
"Alright," he says, slumping a little at the relief of not having to worry about being watched by Aizen. "Rukia, we have a little while before you're expected. I'd like to...to talk with you, if you don't mind." He smiles thinly and turns to Renji. "You're welcome too, of course, but anything you hear should stay within these walls."
Rukia opens her mouth, and closes it again. She doesn't seem to be comprehending any of what Byakuya says, though Byakuya had expected this. His little sister is terrified, he can see it in her eyes, and he doesn't want to push her too hard.
He doesn't have any qualms about pushing Renji, though. Renji can take anything Byakuya throws at him and more.
***
"A change of heart," says Renji incredulously, giving Byakuya a look. Byakuya distantly notes that Renji isn't really taking this well at all. "And now you want to...what, go against the Central 46 and literally all of Soul Society?"
The Central 46 are dead, is what Byakuya wants to say, but he settles with shrugging a shoulder. "I made Hisana a promise. And I'm not going against the 46," he says, hoping Renji will leave the conversation at that. "But that isn't the point, Renji. There's a traitor in Soul Society."
Renji, looking studiously determined to ignore Byakuya's use of his given name, sighs and leans back on the couch Byakuya had ordered a pair of servants to prepare. "Kuchiki-taicho," he says, looking pained. "You're acting unlike yourself. Would you like for me to send for Unohana-taicho?"
Byakuya clenches his fists, fingernails digging into the palm of his hand. The sudden, stinging pain is grounding, and he takes a deep breath. He keeps forgetting that this isn't his Renji, that this Renji still views Byakuya as nothing more than an obstacle between him and power. This Renji would have no reason to trust him. This Renji has never seen Byakuya cry, still views Byakuya as an emotionless statue, and the vulnerability Byakuya is showing must be incredibly unnerving.
Still, the idea of seeing Unohana is...tempting. He knows he can trust her; Unohana is no traitor, and she was the one to discover Aizen's deceit in the original timeline. She's smart, too. Smart enough that she would believe him.
It's tempting, incredibly tempting. But Byakuya knows that telling Unohana could change the timeline more than he can afford. Byakuya's knowledge of the future will become less and less valuable the more he changes things, and he needs for everything to remain at least close to the original events.
Until the day of Rukia's execution, that is. That is the best time for Byakuya to take action - he's reasonably sure he can take on Aizen, so long as Aizen doesn't have the hogyoku and Byakuya has the might of Kyoraku and Ukitake backing him. And Gin, too - Ichimaru had died in the first timeline, even before Rukia had. A traitor to Aizen's cause, Ichimaru had revealed the secret of his Bankai, only to die by Aizen's own blade. Byakuya knows it wouldn't take much to convince Ichimaru to turn on Aizen earlier than planned. Tosen Kaname had been truly dedicated to the cause, but Byakuya had killed him before, and would kill him again.
Byakuya sighs, looks at Renji. "Don't get Unohana-taicho," he says softly, reaching up to adjust the weight of his kenseikan. "I apologize for worrying you, Abari-fukutaicho." He needs Renji on his side for this. "I have been...out of sorts since my sister's arrest."
Somehow, this manages to convince Renji. "So you don't think she broke the law?"
"She did break the law," says Byakuya, and Renji's face spasms. "But I believe that the measures Central is taking is far too drastic. 'The punishment must fit the crime', as people say."
Renji blinks, opens his mouth, closes it again. "I'm..." He trails off uncertainly, eyes not meeting Byakuya's. "Taicho, as your fukutaicho, it is my job to support and stand behind you. I will do what you think is right."
Byakuya...doesn't quite think that's what Renji was originally going to say, but he's still able to parse the meaning behind the reconstructed sentence: I'm here for you. It's a nice feeling; even if this Renji isn't his in the way he was before Byakuya traveled back in time (and it still almost hurts Byakuya's head to think that), it's still Renji, and Renji's support had always meant the world."
"Then we must plan," says Byakuya, after a pause to think through his response. He wants to say 'I understand' and 'thank you', but that's too far out of character for his past self. "I would like to meditate. Tomorrow, we will deliver Rukia to Central 46. For now, I believe the Kuchiki compound is capable of holding her."
Renji cracks a smile, and Byakuya has to fight back the grin that tugs at his lips in return.
(It helps that he's pretty sure smiling in this body would give him some sort of facial cramp; Byakuya doesn't think his previous self had smiled in...over seventy years, now.)
"I'll leave ya to it, Taicho," Renji says, and Byakuya bites the inside of his cheek when he hears Renji's accent surface. That's...new. Both Renji and Rukia had always taken steps to ensure that they spoke at least relatively properly in Byakuya's presence before, and Byakuya's shook by how quickly Renji opens up.
Then again, Byakuya hasn't truly become Renji's enemy yet. He hasn't sentenced Rukia to death. It's no wonder that Renji's walls are crumbling so much faster than they'd originally.
Byakuya sighs, turns away. Distantly, he hears Renji leave the room, and Byakuya's left with only his thoughts to distract him.
***
It's a long moment before Byakuya centers himself enough to even think of talking to Senbonzakura, and then still another before Byakuya is able to find the thread connecting himself to his zanpakuto.
Senbonzakura is wary, and Byakuya has to remind himself that just as the Renji he was talking to wasn't his Renji, this isn't his Senbonzakura. Senbonzakura must be all but terrified, having felt his master vanish and be replaced by an imposter. Still Byakuya - Senbonzakura must have felt that much, to let Byakuya wield him against Kurosaki - but different, not the Byakuya Senbonzakura knew.
Byakuya sighs, rests a hand on Senbonzakura's hilt. He doesn't think he can meditate now - he hadn't been able to enter his inner world in a long time, the constant stress of the war had meant Byakuya and Kisuke hadn't really had the time or safety to let themselves be at risk by meditating. The world Byakuya is in has changed, but Byakuya is still far too hopped up on nerves to let his guard down like that.
"Senbonzakura," he murmurs after a moment. He doesn't need to speak out loud, but it helps him, grounds him.
There's a pause, and Senbonzakura answers, tone guarded. 'Master,' he says, and Byakuya can feel a tentative brush of reiatsu down their bond. 'A pleasure to speak with you, as always.'
It's a jab at Byakuya, and both of them know it. Byakuya had always been far more distant with Senbonzakura than he should have, after Hisana died. Senbonzakura had been fast to anger and slow to calm down and reckless and everything Byakuya had sworn he'd discard in favor of being the Head of the Great and Noble Kuchiki Clan.
But Senbonzakura is a part of Byakuya's soul, and it's a fact he know he'd do well to remember.
"I'm sorry," he starts out by saying. "I haven't given you the respect you deserve."
Senbonzakura brushed off the apology, faintly irritated. 'You know that's not what I want from you,' he says, voice blank as always but impatience pulsing through their bond. 'You are not the Byakuya you were before you entered the Living World. Something changed.'
"Yes," Byakuya acknowledges, and allows himself to open up for a moment, opens the stream of memory he'd been hiding from Senbonzakura. "Much has changed." For a moment, he's swept by a horrible sadness that threatens to pull him under, filled with loss for not just Renji and Kisuke, but for the Senbonzakura that hadn't come back with Byakuya.
Word count: about 500 (yes a short lil update)
Status: incomplete, part 2/?
Ships: ByaRen.
Notes: this mess of a fic made it to ffnet, under the username theseathatsparkles. hooray.
Starts off where the last update left off.
—
Senbonzakura hums. 'You were not lying,' he murmurs. 'Much has changed. You are a different Byakuya.' There's a pause, and Byakuya feels his heart leap into his throat. If Senbonzakura rejects him...Byakuya knows he can't do this without his zanpakuto.
'You are still Byakuya, though,' Senbonzakura finishes. 'There's no need to be afraid of me leaving you behind, master. I am your soul no matter when you come from, no matter what you do.'
A flash of amusement comes from Senbonzakura. 'But of course, Master,' he responds, and Byakuya smiles and shakes his head.
***
Byakuya doesn't have long until he needs to hand Rukia to the Second, he knows that, but he still can't make himself say something to her. He sips at his tea and ignores Senbonzakura's exasperation as Rukia does her best to make herself as tiny as possible.
It's quite successful, considering the fact that Rukia isn't very tall to begin with.
They sit like this for a while, in seiza on the tatami mats of Kuchiki Manor and very carefully not talking to each other, until Byakuya works up the nerve to say something.
"Enjoying the tea, Rukia?"
Senbonzakura laughs and laughs, and if Byakuya weren't a Kuchiki he'd put his head in his hands. That was...not what he meant to say.
Rukia just about jumps out of her skin, and looks at Byakuya with trepidation, and a bit of fear. That's less amusing, and Senbonzakura quiets. "Of course, Nii-san," she says softly, without a hint of Rukongai accent. "It's excellent." And then she shuts her mouth and takes another sip and doesn't look back up.
Byakuya almost sighs.
"Rukia," he says. "You are under arrest for giving your powers to a human. We have verified this to be true. However, you are a member of the Kuchiki, and as such will not be severely punished. As head of the Kuchiki Clan and your elder brother, I promise that no harm will come to you."
He doesn't tell her about his long-ago promise to Hisana, not yet. He doesn't want to lie to her, but overwhelming her right now would be even worse.
For a moment, Rukia doesn't respond, and Byakuya begins to worry that he'd said something wrong. When she does look up again, her eyes are watery but her face is determined, and Byakuya fights back a fierce grin. "Thank you, Nii-san," she says, voice thick but strong. "Thank you very much."
Byakuya nods, takes a sip of his tea, and they sit together in companionable silence for a long minute.
***
"Kaname, come here for a moment."
"Yes, Aizen-taicho?"
"Would you mind escorting Kuchiki Rukia to her cell when she arrives to the Second? I wouldn't want Soi Fon to be too hard on her. Be nice to her, of course."
Word count: 1k
Status: incomplete, part 1/2
Ships: background nnoites
Notes: I love the Espada so much and felt bad cuz I haven't written anything for them in a while, so you guys get some arrancar-centric crack.
—
"Alright," says Szayelapporo, folding his hands neatly. "Welcome to the fourth meeting of the Unappreciated Arrancar Support Group." On his left, Aaroniero bubbles something incoherent from inside of his tank. Szayel ignores him, reaching for a pen and tapping it against the clipboard resting on the table in front of him. "I'll be taking attendance. Is Lindocruz here?"
Tesla, sitting two spaces down from Aaroniero, nods and bounces his leg anxiously. "Here." His hair is messy and there's a bit of blood crusted on the bangs. Szayel makes a note on his paper - bring up showers to Aizen. They may be bloodthirsty cannibal monsters, but that's no excuse for poor hygiene.
"Alright," says Szayel, deciding not to voice that thought. Mentioning showers in front of Cirucci would likely end up with the Thunder Witch deciding she wants to remodel. Again. "Arruruerei?"
Aaroniero bubbles what Szayel thinks is an affirmative. It's hard to tell, considering the fact that he's missing everything from the fishtank down due to an unfortunate run-in with Nnoitra, and, apparently, Aaroniero can't speak without full access to his powers.
Szayel sighs, marks down that Aaroniero is present. At least they don't have to hear any more about Gillian prejudice.
"I'm here, obviously," Szayel says, after a pause in which everyone steadfastly ignores Aaroniero. "Antenor?"
"Hi," says Luppi, not looking up from the phone he acquired on some mission to the Living World, and Szayel decides it's better not to ask. Mentioning technology to...anyone, really, is a mistake Szayel learned the heard way.
(Barragan still hasn't stopped playing Candy Crush, and Szayel's worried Aizen will get irritated enough to punish Szayel. Giving Barragan internet access was one of Szayel's less well thought out ideas.)
"Ok. Lili- "
Cirucci, seated across the table from Szayel, holds up her hand and cuts Szayel off. "Octava," she says cooly, eyes getting dangerously narrow, "some of us have things to do. Let's make this fast."
Luppi rolls his eyes, and Szayel just knows he's about to say something very stupid. "Yeah, what d'you have to do? You're not an Espada, or a Fraccion. What's your job, again?"
Cirucci's face contorts, and Szayel taps his pen against his clipboard to get their attention. "Well. Thunderwitch, if you have somewhere to be then I'll gladly speed up." He checks off Lilinette, and Menoly to her right. Ignores Verona, like he always does; he's not entirely sure when it started showing independence, but he's vaguely curious to see what it decides to do. Cirucci is picking at her nails, looking bored, and Sung-Sun is doodling tiny Harribels on a piece of scrap paper. Di Roy and Shawlong seem to be absent, leaving the chair between Aaroniero and Tesla and then the chair between Verona and Cirucci absent, which is a relief. He doesn't know if he can deal with Grimmjow's Fraccion picking another fight with poor Tesla. Or if Tesla can deal with it, for that matter.
...Actually, thinks Szayel, remembering the time he'd caught Tesla with a hand on Nnoitra in a place hands should not be in public and his other fist through Nnoitra's Hollow hole, of all things, Tesla can probably take care of himself. Anyone able to tame Nnoitra Gilga has to be able to deal with everything short of nuclear weapons detonating unexpectedly.
(And on that note, Szayel has to be back in his labs in three hours at the latest, or else Aizen will have an unpleasant surprise exploding underneath his throne.)
"Okay," says Luppi, the moment he sees Szayel finish, and Szayel pushes down a flash of irritation at the slight. "I'll go first. Okay, Octava?" Deciding fighting with Luppi isn't worth it, Szayel inclines his head, and Luppi grins. "So! Over the last week, in order to stave off my crippling depression, I helped Ichimaru spike Tosen's tea. He spent almost three hours having a tea party with Wonderweiss and Yammy. I have pictures."
There's a moment while everyone stares at Luppi blankly, Szayel included. Then Lilinette, predictably, smiles and slams her hands on the table. "Show us the pictures!"
Instead of responding, Luppi nods and reaches down the front of his hakama. Sung-Sun's face contorts, Lilinette opens her mouth angrily, and Aaroniero bubbles. Szayel quickly decides to change the subject. "Thank you for sharing, Antenor." Skipping over himself (he's given up on explaining his thought processes to idiots like these) and Aaroniero (who has stopped bubbling and now is bobbing both of his heads up and down and staring at Szayel. It's...uncomfortable), he moves on to Tesla. "Lindocruz, what about you?"
Tesla shrugs. "I had a good week," he says looking at the table. "Nnoitra-sama and I were given permission to leave Las Nochas to hunt, and we caught an adjuchas. Nnoitra-sama gave me part of a leg to eat."
"Why are you even here?" Asks Cirucci, not unkindly. "It's obvious you're so brainwashed you don't even feel unappreciated, sweetie."
"I'm not brainwashed," says Tesla calmly, but his eye flashes. It's a dangerous look that's completely out of place on the mild-mannered Fraccion, and Szayel makes a note to further investigate Tesla's behavior. Now that he thinks about it, he's seen Tesla's resurreccion, but never had a chance to gather any reiatsu from it. Tesla may very well be stronger than he seems.
"You follow the Quinta around like a puppy," Lilinette says bluntly, not sensing any danger, and Szayel realizes that this topic is no less treacherous than that of whatever Luppi has under his hakama. Aaroniero is bubbling again, looking vaguely distressed. Szayel feels for him.
Sung-Sun, making her first and likely only good decision, taps the table. "Thunderwitch. With all due respect, I serve Harribel-sama and as such have no reason to regret my station. I do not feel underappreciated, but I am here just the same. As a Fraccion I have little voice, and that's what I'm here for. I suspect Tesla feels the same."
Tesla dips his head, but doesn't look entirely appeased. Szayel decides it's a problem for Nnoitra to deal with later. To be proverbial, he washes his hands of it.
