Chapter Text
Byakuya stood quietly in his place between Unohana and Kyōraku with his head down and eyes closed. It looked like he wasn’t listening to Urahara’s report, but the others were well aware that the stance he took helped him focus more. If his eyes were open, they would wander and his mind would drown out what Urahara was saying. It happened a lot more than he was confident admitting, but only when he felt there were more pressing things that needed his attention; and, there certainly were.
But, he had to focus on the meeting, so he was forcing everything else out of his mind to pay attention to Urahara. Most of what his Division had been able to figure out where things they already knew based on logic, such as where the realm existed and the dominant source of energy. Those were topics that didn’t really need confirmation, but it was still somehow satisfying to know for sure. But, he had mentioned something about a separate portion of the realm that they were yet to fully understand, though the researchers speculated it was a separate dimension similar to the Soul King’s palace. Byakuya had to wonder what the purpose of that dimension was for. Surely the realm didn’t have its own version of a Soul King.
“We also looked into the matter Lieutenant Suì-Fēng brought to Lieutenant Sarugaki’s attention after the last captains meeting. She was right. The time flow is accelerated beyond the gate.” Byakuya frowned. “I imagine Yoruichi and I didn’t notice because we were too concerned with getting Captain Kuchiki and his team to the Fourth for treatment. But, when I spoke to the guards that were stationed around the gate when we returned, they said we weren’t gone that long. To us, though, we were gone for hours.”
“Do you know the difference in time?”
“No, not yet, but I have researchers working on it even as we speak. The best I could do is hand out personal estimates, but that’s not going to help anything. We’re just going to have to wait for the results.”
Byakuya thought. That would explain why Aleksandras had been so fast; or, rather, why it seemed he was so fast. His mind hadn’t adapted to the time flow there, so it made his own movements seem so slow. It would be the same for the foreign inhabitants if they came through to Soul Society; though, instead of feeling slow, they’d feel like they were so fast they wouldn’t be able to time anything right until they adapted. They’d end up miscalculating and running into trees or walls.
Somehow, imagining Aleksandras in that situation despite the fact that he was dead made Byakuya smile and he involuntarily sniggered. It was apparently louder than it should have been because everyone looked at him like he had grown a second head.
“What are you laughing at over there, Byakuya?”
“Address me properly, Captain Shihōin. And, I apologize for interrupting. It won’t happen again.”
“Oh, come on. You’re not even going to share what’s so funny? I’m a bit disappointed. It’s not every day you do something unexpected.” Byakuya rolled his eyes at Kyōraku’s jovial response. “But, I digress. Just promise to tell me about it later.”
“Can we get back to the meeting?” Thank goodness for Hitsugaya’s professionalism. “There’s still the matter of this orange-haired shinigami Captain Shihōin’s team mentioned in their report.”
“I doubt that boy is a shinigami.” And, they were looking at him like he was crazy again. “Yes, he was wearing a shihakushō and had a Zanpakutō, but I don’t believe he’s a shinigami.”
“What makes you say that?”
“For one thing, he was wearing a captain’s haori. It’s possible he simply stole the clothes from a shinigami. There have been quite a few captains to disappear since the Gotei Thirteen was established; it wouldn’t be odd if some of them ended up stuck there and were unable to return before passing on or being killed.” The thought of being trapped in that realm unsettled Byakuya, and he was somewhat relieved to see some of the others shift their weight or squirm in discomfort, too. “There’s also the matter of his Zanpakutō. It’s not unusual for a Zanpakutō to rust or shatter if harmony with their shinigami is broken or their shinigami enters a state of insanity. But, I had more time observe that boy more than Captain Shihōin and her team did. There is no connection between him and that Zanpakutō like one would expect if they were partners.”
“Are you saying he may have stolen a shinigami’s Zanpakutō?”
“It’s a possibility, yes, but I don’t think he killed the shinigami that wielded it before him. There aren’t a lot of ways he could have come across it, but there are a few. I find it more likely that he may have taken it off the corpse of a shinigami to defend himself from an attack, or maybe it was given to him before the shinigami died.”
“Is there any reason you think this?”
“It seemed willing to lend its power to that boy, almost as if wanted to protect him. I won’t claim to know the feelings of a sword that isn’t mine, but I was there and I heard its cries. As pained as it was, there’s no denying that it was willing to accept the pain so long as he could do something to help. There’s also the fact that Senbonzakura reacted violently when the boy was hurt. I don’t know why, as I’ve been unable to get him to speak with me about it, but I highly doubt he would have acted that way if a fellow Zanpakutō was being intentionally abused.”
“The connection between our Zanpakutō is complex. It is possible Senbonzakura made contact with the one used by the boy you’re talking about.”
“Yes, and Senbonzakura has always been easily swayed by the emotions of others. It wouldn’t be strange if he took in and reacted to the other Zanpakutō’s rage and sorrow. I can’t offer anymore until I speak with Senbonzakura, but he’s been rejecting my visits lately.”
Byakuya brought his hand up to Senbonzakura’s hilt and rubbed his thumb over the guard slowly. It was an involuntary reflex when he was worried about his sword. He couldn’t think of any reason Senbonzakura wouldn’t talk to him about what had happened, especially since Byakuya wasn’t angry with his outbursts and genuinely wanted to know. He trusted his Zanpakutō, though, and was willing to wait. It was possible that whatever he had learned traumatized him, or maybe he just wasn’t sure what to say yet; it had only been a few days since they returned to Soul Society. Sometimes people needed time to figure out what was going on in their heads so it made sense to others.
“Captain Kuchiki.”
“Yes?”
“I asked if you saw the Division insignia on the haori the boy was wearing.”
“Unfortunately, no. The way he wore it obscured the insignia. All I can say is that it was of standard design, not custom-made like mine and Captain Urahara’s.” That wasn’t helpful at all, but it was something. “However, I can give a description of the Zanpakutō. But, I can’t say both the haori and sword belonged to the same shinigami.”
“At least it’ll help us identify the Zanpakutō’s partner.”
Byakuya watched Urahara pull a notepad from his pocket before smiling at the Sixth’s captain, signaling he was ready. Urahara was always ready to take notes. At least it was appropriate this time.
“It had a red handle, a hexagonal tsuba, and black sheath. It’s not a lot, but it should narrow the search regardless. Unfortunately, it was too worn to make out anything else.”
Not to mention he was too concerned with getting out of his cage to really pay more attention, but Byakuya wouldn’t say that.
“This might be asking you to remember more than you noticed, but were there tassels on the pommel?” Byakuya looked at Hitsugaya, one brow raised. “Blue tassels to be exact.”
Byakuya thought for a minute or two before shaking his head apologetically.
“I didn’t see any, but it’s possible they broke off some time before the gate even opened. Like I said, the Zanpakutō wasn’t in the best condition. Why do you ask?”
“…No reason. Captain-Commander, I hope you’ll forgive me, but I’m excusing myself early today.”
Byakuya couldn’t help but tilt his head. All he did was give a description of a Zanpakutō. Did Hitsugaya have an idea of who it originally belonged to?
“Captain Urahara, if your Division finds anything new, I want your report as soon as you can give it. Captain Ukitake?”
“Ah, yes?”
“Please continue your search through the Daireishokairō.”
“Of course.”
“This meeting is adjourned. Dismissed.”
- - - - - -
“Eyes.”
Ichigo sighed and closed his eyes when he was told to, face scrunching when Ulquiorra poured the basin of water on him to rinse the soap from his hair and back. He really hated having to be bathed. It made him feel so violated; it didn’t matter if he was being bathed by someone he trusted.
“Pardon me.” Ichigo lifted his head a bit at the sound of Laima’s voice. “How is he?”
“The majority of his wounds have healed, but his eyes are still severely damaged from Aleksandras’s bomb.”
“That’s to be expected. It’ll be months still before Ichigo’s eyes fully heal.”
“Right, as if five months isn’t already months.”
Ichigo sighed as Ulquiorra and Grimmjow got into another argument about Grimmjow’s lack of manners, standing to wrap himself in a towel and slip out of the washroom unnoticed by using his hand to feel along the wall of the room. Well, mostly unnoticed. Laima followed him and waited for him to settle down on his futon before sitting in front of him and using her thumb to keep one eyelid open as she examined the undoubtedly mangled orb in the socket.
“Can you see at all?”
“Sometimes I’ll see a blurred image, but not often. Where did he even get rain glass and žinutė feathers to make the powder? Last I checked, those were too valuable to waste.”
“Aleksandras’s tribe has a different definition of what’s considered waste than most other tribes.”
Ichigo sat quietly and let Laima continue to examine his eyes. When she stood, he raised his head as if to look at her despite not being able to see.
“What do I do?”
“Well, there’s two things you can do while you wait for your eyes to heal. Of course, you’re not going to like what I have in mind for your treatment.” He sighed. When she said that, it usually meant some form of self-mutilation. “There’s powder in your sockets still that needs to be washed out. You’re going to have to—”
“Yeah, I get it already. I’ll have Ulquiorra take care of it. You said there were two things?”
He got the feeling she was smiling at him.
“I know you hate being cooped up inside like this, but there is still a way you can function effectively. You know how the laukin see, yes?”
“They sense another’s slėgis and the slėgis takes the physical shape of their target.” Ichigo thought and then frowned. “You want me to learn how to do that?”
“It’s not impossible. What the laukin do is just an advanced form of sensing galia, which we know how to do already. There’s no guarantee you’ll learn before your eyes are healed, of course, but if this ever happens again, at least you won’t be crippled.”
“You know I’m not very good at learning new tricks. I’m just now learning how to use Kidō without blowing myself up.”
“That’s because you’re using reishi you’ve had no choice but to suppress in favor of surviving to use Kidō. The thing about this is that it’s something that doesn’t rely on dalelė or reishi.”
Ichigo thought. It wouldn’t hurt to try, and she was right about it being useful if he was ever blinded again. Giving a sigh, he nodded before laying down on the futon. It was old and lumpy, but it was better than the stone floor.
“Any news about the gate?”
“No shinigami have passed through since they all returned to Soul Society, and there’s no sign of it closing anytime soon.”
“I see.”
That wasn’t good. Something could be wrong with the seal, or the Great Mother could be waking up. Both were equally devastating. He heard Laima inhale as if to say something, but she changed her mind and instead left the room. Once he was alone, Ichigo felt around for his sword before pulling the Zanpakutō close and resting his head gently against the pommel. A weak burst of gentle reishi made him smile for a second or two before he frowned again.
“What are you doing?”
“I know your brawn is stronger than your brain, Grimmjow, but that’s a stupid question.”
“I should wring your little neck for that.”
“But, you won’t. What is it?”
“I thought you’d want your clothes back. Or, were you planning on sleeping naked tonight?” Ichigo turned his head in Grimmjow’s direction. “What?”
“You’re going to help me get dressed? That’s awfully mundane of you.”
“Yeah, well. I’m not too keen on sitting in the other room while Laima gives Ulquiorra careful instructions on how to tear your eyes out and correctly wash out your sockets.”
Grimmjow was a brute, but he was a softie that definitely couldn’t handle the job. He was like Ichigo; hurting his enemies was okay, but when it came to doing any harm to his brothers, it made him sick to his stomach. Of course, Ichigo suspected Ulquiorra was able to be the doctor because choosing not to would eventually result in Ichigo or Grimmjow’s death.
“Come on, stand up.”
“I can get dressed on my own. I’m not a kid.”
“But, why would I pass up the chance to touch that soft skin of yours? Platonically, of course.”
“I doubt you even know what platonic means.”
Ichigo got to his feet and walked over to Grimmjow while giving him the best glare he was capable of. The blunet was undoubtedly grinning, but he knew better than to try anything with Ichigo. Unlike Ulquiorra, who might let him get away with some minor acts, Ichigo had no tolerance for it and wouldn’t be afraid to break a few fingers; among other appendages.