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marinliliz[Pairing]: ByaRen.
[Summary]: The Shinigami return to Soul Society to heal their wounded and buried the dead.
[Word Count]: ~1500
[Finished]: 26.August.2009
[Beta]: not beta-read
[Contents/Warnings]: AU/Character-Death
[Rating]: PG
[Notes]: And we're back to the main pair.
I. Mind Sight Sound | II. Search Incessantly | III. Battleground | IV. To Get To Renji | V. Evil Plots | VI. Recount Regroup Retreat | VII. Secession
Disclaimer: Do not own Bleach and will not make a profit out of this fic. All characters © Kubo Tite
The passage through the Garganta was a creepy walk. There were things in the dark, lurking on their steps but not coming close enough, never allowing the Shinigami to get a good look at them.
Byakuya was walking by the cart that carried a still unconscious Renji, the only sign of life, the firm grip on his zanpakutou’s hilt. It was trying to see one so full of life lie so like the dead.
From the sidelines the things in the dark kept following their passage, most likely drawn to the Hollows in their procession. Or perhaps Aizen. It was worth keeping an eye on them.
The things and Aizen.
But as long as they kept to the dark the Shinigami would keep their tread forward. This was the things dwelling, after all.
As for Aizen, the attention had to be doubled; alerting a few of the able Shinigami and keeping his senses keen and sharp on the traitor Taichou, Byakuya continued his walk along the dark, narrow space of the Garganta, closeby Renji. If Aizen had any plans for escape or revolt they were not put to work on this journey.
The cortege reached the end of the long dark tunnel without any incident and stepped into the light of dawn on Soul Society.
***
It was anti-climatic and awkward. After so many weeks in that desolate hell, of endless fighting, of yearning for home, returning did not bring the elating sensation of peace, did not cure the ails that tormented the body, did not bring the dead back.
There was a welcoming party, of those left behind unable to fight, of families and of the general inhabitants of Soul Society; they waited by the gate, seeking familiar faces. Two members of the Kuchiki clan were there, waiting to see if they needed a new leader.
There was crying and hugging and screaming. And Byakuya could not care less. It was petty and hypocrite but he knew that if Renji had been well, he would have felt all those feelings of welcome and homecoming. Like this, it was disconcerting watching the hug and cry fest at their arrival.
So Byakuya just passed by them and followed the path of the dead and injured to Fourth Division Headquarters, never leaving Renji’s side.
They were sent into a small, bland room with green walls and very little medical supplies and followed very shortly by Unohana-taichou. She fussed over Renji and then turned to Byakuya.
“He will need surgery,” she said in her calm voice.
This startled Byakuya, wasn’t the worst over? “Why?”
“We need to stabilize his spine. Replenish his blood. Do something about all that ragged flesh. You wouldn’t want your fukutaichou all scarred like that, now would you?” Her light tone was comforting.
Byakuya looked at Renji, a hand trailing along the hair line in his forehead, through the tangled locks, his finger tips dissolving stubborn knots. Renji was a mess; bloodied, torn, his skin unnaturally pale and clammy and in deep contrast with the remaining tattoos. It crossed his mind that it would be quite a feat to sow all of his skin back together and manage to get the tattoos lines to match correctly. But it was the hand tightly gripping the zanpakutou that caused Byakuya worry. The feel of Renji’s spirit energy felt wrong; it was still Renji but there was something missing and yet, there was something not belonging. It made the feeling of Renji foreign and Byakuya didn’t like that. It scared him. And Byakuya did not like fear.
“What of his reiatsu?”
“We’ll try to separate Abarai-fukutaichou’s own particles from Zabimaru’s. But you must be warned it is a very delicate procedure. You are no doubt aware that a zanpakutou is made from the same spirit energy particles as his Shinigami’s reiatsu, barely distinguishable, separating them is a complex and meticulous process. In Abarai’s case, even more so because his zanpakutou is made out of two different entities. You should be aware, Kuchiki-taichou, that even if the procedure is successful, it does not guarantee Abarai-kun will fully recover his zanpakutou powers.”
Byakuya closed his eyes. Was nothing ever easy? He opened them again to gaze at Renji. Could feisty, strong, proud of his abilities Renji be able to adapt to life without his zanpakutou powers? Could Byakuya?
“Kuchiki-taichou, there have been Shinigami known to live without their zanpakutou.”
“As a shell of themselves.”
“They still retain their Shinigami faculties and perfectly capable with Kido.”
“He is dreadful at Kido,” Byakuya whispered.
Unohana remained silent and then, “We need to prepare him for surgery. I suggest you rest while we operate on him.”
Byakuya shook his head no.
“Kuchiki-taichou, you’ve suffered severe injuries. The fact that you are standing is only due to your ...”
Byakuya looked sharply at her.
“... to your sheer stubbornness. You need to rest in order to recover fully.”
“I won’t rest until my fukutaichou is out of surgery,” he said, adamant. “Don’t fight me on this. It will only be a waste of time and rest.”
Unohana knew a lost fight when she saw it and didn’t press the matter further, instead she called a medical team to prep and take Renji. Byakuya followed.
At the surgery room door, he was denied entrance. “From here on it is our duty. Please wait outside. You will be informed of any major development.”
Byakuya nodded and sat on the uncomfortable sofa in the wall opposing the door.
***
The thought that he should go and tend to his Division crossed his mind. He knew he was not acting like himself, skirting duties and responsibilities and drowning in apathy. But nothing short of an invasion would drag Byakuya away from Renji’s side. Even if he wasn’t technically by Renji’s side. Byakuya placed a hand to his face and sighed deeply, shaking his head; this last thought unmistakable proof of how unlike himself he was.
The time seemed to happen in blocks.
Now, he was waiting and scrutinizing every little detail of what could go wrong and time didn’t seem to move. Now, he was looking at the white door behind which laid Renji and time didn’t seem to move.
Distractions and leaps in time were provided by outsides influences: the banging of doors as Fourth Division members ran to and fro; cries of pain or hurt from the closed rooms; crying and sobbing as the failed result of surgeries and treatments was known.
Ukitake and Kyouraku, bandaged and healed, stopped by and stayed a while, giving strength and support. As they were leaving Ukitake kissed his head and Kyouraku gripped his shoulder. It made no difference.
At some point during the afternoon a bellow came out of a room nearby, “HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE?!!!” A door banged open and out of the room came Hisagi Shuuhei; he paced back and forth before sitting next to Byakuya on the cramped sofa, a weary look on his face.
Feeling like moving time forward, he asked, “Kira-fukutaichou?”
Hisagi eyed him, only now registering who he had sat down next to, and then nodded. “Yeah, Kira...he’s mostly fine it’s just...”
Byakuya had heard that line a thousand times this day; physically they were well but their minds just... A heavy price to pay for peace. He just nodded to Hisagi and looked ahead.
“How’s Renji-kun?”
“The last time he was fine. Doing just fine.”
It was his turn to receive a nod.
“How long was the last fine?” Insightful Hisagi.
Somehow he seemed to have kept track of those time markers. ”Two hours ago.”
Eventually Hisagi left. A few more fines were added but there was nothing else coming out of that white door behind which laid Renji.
Some blocks of time, a few more fines, some members of his Division and one Kuchiki clan representative later, Unohana-taichou exited the room; looking like she always does, she smiled calmly at Byakuya and said, “We’ve done all we could. Now is up to Abarai-kun.”
Renji followed suit, wrapped in white with only his face visible, still unconscious but without the foreign feeling to his reiatsu. The tattoos were covered and Byakuya couldn’t assess Unohana-taichou’s deftness in aligning black markings.
“Now you can rest, Kuchiki-taichou,” she told him and lead them back to the same room as before. Settling Renji on a futon and fussing over Byakuya, making him eat and drink before leaving them be.
----------------------------------------
Next: IX. Ingrained
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2009-08-28 03:26 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-08-28 05:11 pm (UTC)Evil Aizen is evil.XD
no subject
Date: 2009-08-28 05:42 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-08-28 05:15 pm (UTC)And StarkUkitake kinda fit, don't they? But I can't picture an Jyuushirou without Shunsui so I think that's were this is going.
I'm cool with it
Date: 2009-08-28 06:40 pm (UTC)Re: I'm cool with it
Date: 2009-08-29 02:40 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-08-28 05:18 pm (UTC)Ah Kira...
no subject
Date: 2009-08-28 05:35 pm (UTC)And Kira, I think you're the only one that actually knows what's wrong with him.^__^
Btw I love your icon.XD
no subject
Date: 2009-08-29 11:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-08-30 12:15 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-08-30 11:22 am (UTC)