[Building From The Ashes] IV. To Get To Renji
[Characters]: Abarai Renji, Kuchiki Byakuya and Yamada Hantarou.
[Summary]: Byakuya is determined to reach Renji.
[Word Count]: 1020
[Finished]: 22.July.2009
[Beta]: not beta-read
[Contents/Warnings]: AU/Character-Death
[Rating]: PG-13
[Notes]: Did I say this was gonna have less than 500 words/chapter? Yeah, who am I kidding, since when do I write so little? Lets raise the stake to 1000 words/chapter, shall we?
I. Mind Sight Sound | II. Search Incessantly | III. Battleground
Disclaimer: Do not own Bleach and will not make a profit out of this fic. All characters © Kubo Tite
It had not been the Espada that had made the deepest wound. It had not been the lower Arrancar, all had been the enemies of old; the Gillian and the Menos Grande. Andnot by renewed strength or new obtained powers but by sheer force of numbers. They had been tens of millions and the already drained Shinigami had been nearly defeated.
By Byakuya’s side, as a ruthless and fiery warrior, Renji had been a precious ally. Their combined strikes had decimated countless foes and Byakuya had found enjoyment in the midst of battle.
But then, that which defined Renji and set him apart from Byakuya - his stubbornness and blind affection for his friends - had Renji leaving his place by Byakuya’s side to run in aid of a Hollowfied Kurosaki Ichigo battling Aizen or to save Rukia from a thousand Gillian and the last Byakuya had seen the red head, was protecting the Quincy boy, while he reloaded his bow with fantastical arrows.
And Byakuya, alone, had managed his load of enemies until something had struck him right in his stomach and all went black.
***
Now, a prickly feeling and a healing, humming warmth were soothing and calming Byakuya as he felt himself drift up to conscience slowly but steadily.
His senses became gradually aware of the surroundings: the sounds were still harrowing; sounds of death and despair; the air had an eerie stillness to it and nothing seemed to move but it crackled with untamed reiatsu,; rippling on skin, billowing on hair; the smell of sand, blood and electricityleft a metallic taste in his tongue and the underworld was still painted red. Not Renji’s vibrant red but a dull, dead red.
As sensation moved along his body waking nerves and muscles, pain flared. His abdomen hurt as if something had been pulled out of him, his head swam in fuzziness and his limbs were so heavy he barely could lift them.
But this time he was plainly aware of where he was, how he had come to be here and why he wasn’t feeling Renji anywhere near.
***
Wandering.
Aimless.
Lost.
That was how the Shinigami spirit energy felt in the air. As if the lost Shinigami had spilled their life force and were now searching for their old bodies or a way to return home. Or both.
The air sparked and flared and Byakuya’s senses - and the senses of those awareof spirit energy, he supposed - were on overdrive.
Blindly he reached for Senbonzakura, needing to feel the hilt of his zanpakutou in his hands,as a grounding force, to know it was still there to keep Byakuya focused on the life ahead. But Senbonzakura too, felt lost and it took a few tortuous moments to gather in its sword form. It hummed reassuringly and the familiar scent of sakura petals, calmed Byakuya as very little could in that moment.
The spirit energy seemed to settle in his immediate surroundings and he could feel the energy pertaining to living beings and the energy scattered to the white and black. His mind spotted Renji’s after a few moments of searching.
***
Byakuya now felt ready to face the conscious world. Registering the hyper voice next to his body, he concentrated on it to fully re-emerge and opened his eyes to face the small Fourth Division officer tending to him.
“Oh, finally!” he exclaimed, running his hands over Byakuya, assessing his current state. “Yes, you seem to be fully back. How you’re feeling,” he asked, relieved.
Byakuya didn’t answer but tried to get up, his stomach lurched and he felt annoyingly dizzy but after a resting period managed to attain a seated position.
“NO! What do you think you’re doing?”
Byakuya could have explained the reasons. He just rasped out the name.
“Renji!” And tried to get to his feet.
“NO! What are you doing?” The boy - he couldn’t remember the name - helped him steady on his feet, but continued worrying. “You can’t get up; you were nearly dead just now. I must insist you remain lying down. For your own health.”
Ignoring the nagging, Byakuya took a few steps in the direction where he continued to feel Renji’s reiatsu, before his legs gave up beneath him and Byakuya fell to his knees.
“See! You’re too weak to move just yet. Rest a few hours and then we can go look for Abarai-fukutaichou.”
He wouldn’t give up till he saw Renji, so leaning on Senbonzakura and the little Fourth Division boy, that despite warnings and advises seemed determined to keep a close eye on Byakuya, the Sixth Division captain made his way through the horrid battlefield towards Renji.
Byakuya knew the way to reach Renji even if the boy - Yamada Hanatarou, he had called himself - insisted to move in the opposite direction. Byakuya knew the way to Renji.
***
Unohana-taichou, braid undone and zanpakutou hovering above, expectant and Rukia, tears flowing down her face- when Rukia never cried - gave him an idea of the gravity of the situation.
Byakuya neared the bodies, apprehensive, heartbeat irregular with uncertainty and gasped at the sight before him.
“Oh, Renji!”
It wasn’t the copious amount of clotting blood on the ground, nor the unnatural angle the legs seemed to make, not even the tears to the chest that mangled his gorgeous tattoos; it was the shards of Zabimaru - that Renji appeared to be reaching for - that tore at Byakuya’s heart.
The physical wounds, gruesome as they looked, were well in reach of Unohana’s mastery as a healer but the loss of one’s zanpakutou...
Holding Senbonzakura to his heart for assurance and taking a deep breath, Byakuya dropped, ungracefully, to his knees by Renji’s red head. His lap serving as a pillow and the Kuchiki scarf gently cleaning the dried blood from Renji’s face, Byakuya reached for the hilt of Zabimaru and placed it in his fukutaichou’s hand, his fingers squeezing over Renji’s holding the bony hilt.
Leaning close to his ear Byakuya whispered, “it’s here now. It hasn’t gone anywhere. I’m here now. I am not going anywhere. NOW, FIGHT BACK! ABARAI!”
July2009©MarinLiliz
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Next: V.Evil Plots - Aizen assesses his situation.
[Summary]: Byakuya is determined to reach Renji.
[Word Count]: 1020
[Finished]: 22.July.2009
[Beta]: not beta-read
[Contents/Warnings]: AU/Character-Death
[Rating]: PG-13
[Notes]: Did I say this was gonna have less than 500 words/chapter? Yeah, who am I kidding, since when do I write so little? Lets raise the stake to 1000 words/chapter, shall we?
I. Mind Sight Sound | II. Search Incessantly | III. Battleground
Disclaimer: Do not own Bleach and will not make a profit out of this fic. All characters © Kubo Tite
It had not been the Espada that had made the deepest wound. It had not been the lower Arrancar, all had been the enemies of old; the Gillian and the Menos Grande. Andnot by renewed strength or new obtained powers but by sheer force of numbers. They had been tens of millions and the already drained Shinigami had been nearly defeated.
By Byakuya’s side, as a ruthless and fiery warrior, Renji had been a precious ally. Their combined strikes had decimated countless foes and Byakuya had found enjoyment in the midst of battle.
But then, that which defined Renji and set him apart from Byakuya - his stubbornness and blind affection for his friends - had Renji leaving his place by Byakuya’s side to run in aid of a Hollowfied Kurosaki Ichigo battling Aizen or to save Rukia from a thousand Gillian and the last Byakuya had seen the red head, was protecting the Quincy boy, while he reloaded his bow with fantastical arrows.
And Byakuya, alone, had managed his load of enemies until something had struck him right in his stomach and all went black.
***
Now, a prickly feeling and a healing, humming warmth were soothing and calming Byakuya as he felt himself drift up to conscience slowly but steadily.
His senses became gradually aware of the surroundings: the sounds were still harrowing; sounds of death and despair; the air had an eerie stillness to it and nothing seemed to move but it crackled with untamed reiatsu,; rippling on skin, billowing on hair; the smell of sand, blood and electricityleft a metallic taste in his tongue and the underworld was still painted red. Not Renji’s vibrant red but a dull, dead red.
As sensation moved along his body waking nerves and muscles, pain flared. His abdomen hurt as if something had been pulled out of him, his head swam in fuzziness and his limbs were so heavy he barely could lift them.
But this time he was plainly aware of where he was, how he had come to be here and why he wasn’t feeling Renji anywhere near.
***
Wandering.
Aimless.
Lost.
That was how the Shinigami spirit energy felt in the air. As if the lost Shinigami had spilled their life force and were now searching for their old bodies or a way to return home. Or both.
The air sparked and flared and Byakuya’s senses - and the senses of those awareof spirit energy, he supposed - were on overdrive.
Blindly he reached for Senbonzakura, needing to feel the hilt of his zanpakutou in his hands,as a grounding force, to know it was still there to keep Byakuya focused on the life ahead. But Senbonzakura too, felt lost and it took a few tortuous moments to gather in its sword form. It hummed reassuringly and the familiar scent of sakura petals, calmed Byakuya as very little could in that moment.
The spirit energy seemed to settle in his immediate surroundings and he could feel the energy pertaining to living beings and the energy scattered to the white and black. His mind spotted Renji’s after a few moments of searching.
***
Byakuya now felt ready to face the conscious world. Registering the hyper voice next to his body, he concentrated on it to fully re-emerge and opened his eyes to face the small Fourth Division officer tending to him.
“Oh, finally!” he exclaimed, running his hands over Byakuya, assessing his current state. “Yes, you seem to be fully back. How you’re feeling,” he asked, relieved.
Byakuya didn’t answer but tried to get up, his stomach lurched and he felt annoyingly dizzy but after a resting period managed to attain a seated position.
“NO! What do you think you’re doing?”
Byakuya could have explained the reasons. He just rasped out the name.
“Renji!” And tried to get to his feet.
“NO! What are you doing?” The boy - he couldn’t remember the name - helped him steady on his feet, but continued worrying. “You can’t get up; you were nearly dead just now. I must insist you remain lying down. For your own health.”
Ignoring the nagging, Byakuya took a few steps in the direction where he continued to feel Renji’s reiatsu, before his legs gave up beneath him and Byakuya fell to his knees.
“See! You’re too weak to move just yet. Rest a few hours and then we can go look for Abarai-fukutaichou.”
He wouldn’t give up till he saw Renji, so leaning on Senbonzakura and the little Fourth Division boy, that despite warnings and advises seemed determined to keep a close eye on Byakuya, the Sixth Division captain made his way through the horrid battlefield towards Renji.
Byakuya knew the way to reach Renji even if the boy - Yamada Hanatarou, he had called himself - insisted to move in the opposite direction. Byakuya knew the way to Renji.
***
Unohana-taichou, braid undone and zanpakutou hovering above, expectant and Rukia, tears flowing down her face- when Rukia never cried - gave him an idea of the gravity of the situation.
Byakuya neared the bodies, apprehensive, heartbeat irregular with uncertainty and gasped at the sight before him.
“Oh, Renji!”
It wasn’t the copious amount of clotting blood on the ground, nor the unnatural angle the legs seemed to make, not even the tears to the chest that mangled his gorgeous tattoos; it was the shards of Zabimaru - that Renji appeared to be reaching for - that tore at Byakuya’s heart.
The physical wounds, gruesome as they looked, were well in reach of Unohana’s mastery as a healer but the loss of one’s zanpakutou...
Holding Senbonzakura to his heart for assurance and taking a deep breath, Byakuya dropped, ungracefully, to his knees by Renji’s red head. His lap serving as a pillow and the Kuchiki scarf gently cleaning the dried blood from Renji’s face, Byakuya reached for the hilt of Zabimaru and placed it in his fukutaichou’s hand, his fingers squeezing over Renji’s holding the bony hilt.
Leaning close to his ear Byakuya whispered, “it’s here now. It hasn’t gone anywhere. I’m here now. I am not going anywhere. NOW, FIGHT BACK! ABARAI!”
July2009©MarinLiliz
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Next: V.Evil Plots - Aizen assesses his situation.