Chapter 8: The Unseen

(Thanks to YaoiAnimeHunter for the nudge to continue this. :) Byakuya has his hands full as he tries to convince Kisuke that Renji is alive...and Kisuke sends Tetsuya on an important mission! Enjoy the chapter, love Spunky)

"Byakuya-sama?" Tetsuya repeated, gazing at his cousin appraisingly.

"I need to see Urahara Kisuke now," the clan leader insisted.

"You cannot possibly..." Tetsuya began.

"I understand your concern, but you know well the seriousness of what is happening. And I will tell you that I have suspicions that lives are in danger and I may know something that can protect those at risk."

"What is it that you think you know?" Tetsuya inquired.

"There isn't time to discuss it. I need to see Urahara Kisuke now," Byakuya insisted, keeping his voice calm and resolute.

"I understand," Tetsuya assured him "But it's risky going there while whoever this is attacking people could be watching."

"Far more is at risk by not going," Byakuya countered.

Tetsuya frowned, studying Byakuya's look of determination. Noting his hesitation, Byakuya looked around questioningly.

"Where is Ichigo?"

"He went to check in with Urahara-san and he had some things to attend to. But Arashi is on watch outside. And if you are certain we must do this, I can shield us from view with my waterforms. I do not mean to delay you, but Urahara-san was adamant we should keep our heads down."

"Well, with what I intend to hand him in the way of information, I think he will be satisfied that the risk was necessary. But we have no more time to debate this. Are you going to assist me or will you stand in my way?"

"Of course I am with you," Tetsuya affirmed, "I only needed to be sure that there was good reason for taking the risk. I told you. I trust your instincts, Byakuya-sama."

"Thank you, Tetsuya," Byakuya said gratefully.

Byakuya waited as his escort quickly dressed, then Tetsuya carefully concealed their bodies in his nearly invisible waterforms. They left the small house they had been inhabiting and worked their way back to the former twelfth division taichou's dwelling. Byakuya paused within a cluster of trees as Tetsuya scouted out their approach, then the two silently entered the building and exited the protective waterforms, earning a gasp of surprise from Tessai as they appeared.

"Goodness, you took me completely by surprise!" he exclaimed, "I thought that the boss said you should stay hidden for your safety."

"He did," Byakuya admitted, "But there is information that I have that could assist him in finding the ones responsible for what has happened."

"I shall go and bring him."

"No need to go, I'm here," Kisuke said, entering the shop from an interior hallway, "But let's get you folks out of sight. We don't want our enemy to get wind you are here."

The two followed Kisuke to his lab, where they sat down in a small lounging area to talk. Kisuke nodded briefly at the Kuchiki heir.

"So you told Tessai that you have information for me?" he asked.

"Yes. I have information and I need information, actually."

"Okay, shoot."

"First, tell me if you know anything about reiatsu return bands. If one is wearing one, is there a way to remove it? Please don't waste time asking why I need to know. The life of someone close to me depends on it. Just tell me how to remove such a thing."

"I would have to see it," Kisuke answered, frowning at the oddness of the question, "But who is..."

"It doesn't matter," the noble went on hastily, "If that is not something we can pursue right now, we must discuss the rest of what I came to tell you."

"O-kay," the shopkeeper said, more hesitantly, "Did you remember something about either of the attacks on you? Is that what this is about?"

"It is," Byakuya confirmed, "I have found irrefutable evidence that it was not Renji who was executed at Soukyoku Hill."

Kisuke's eyes narrowed and his face took on a skeptical expression.

"Hey, Byakuya-san, I know you've been through a lot, but..."

"Listen to me," Byakuya insisted, laying a restraining hand on the shopkeeper's arm and looking into his eyes, "Think carefully about the fact that although two men were attacked in the plain view of a large group of people, no one saw who killed Tsutomu and impaled me! Then, understand this. I was sure that when Renji seemed to come to me after the execution, that his appearance was conceived by my mind. I did feel guilt over being the reason that he was given a death sentence."

"That wasn't your fault, Byakuya-san. You know that," Kisuke assured him, "But that doesn't..."

"It doesn't matter! All that matters is that Renji really did come to me and I need to find a way to prove that to you."

Kisuke gave the Kuchiki heir a little amused smirk.

"I assume he can't just pop out and tell me he's here?" he asked, shaking his head.

"No," Byakuya agreed, "But I want you to think about this before you decide I am out of my mind. There is an enemy to Soul Society who can cause us to see things other than how they are in reality."

"Right," Kisuke agreed, "You mean Aizen Sousuke."

"Yes. I mean Aizen Sousuke. Renji told me that he was abducted the night the attack on me took place and that he was taken by Aizen Sousuke. Aizen related to him a story about Renji being part of a lost branch of the royal family and he wasn't sure if the claim was true. But according to Renji, Aizen was behind Tsutomu's attempt to kill me and his abduction. And I will tell you whether you choose to believe it or not, that Aizen was the one whose weapon struck Tsutomu and me at Soukyoku Hill during Renji's supposed execution."

"So...Aizen, who is currently building up his hollow army and preparing to move against the king took a time out to snatch Renji, who just happens to be a royal relative and...?"

Kisuke sucked in a sudden, surprised breath.

"What is it? You've thought of something?" Byakuya asked quickly.

"Maybe," the shopkeeper said thoughtfully, "Did Renji tell you anything else?"

"He said that when Aizen couldn't convince him of his claim and he escaped, he returned to me in the hospital and we made a child together."

"Eh," Kisuke said uncomfortably, "You do know that this is sounding more and more crazy, don't you, Byakuya-san. And considering all of the lives at risk here..."

"Don't you understand? Aizen was going to impregnate Renji! But after Renji escaped and made a child with me, Aizen wasn't jealous, he was pleased! He wants that child for some reason."

"But Renji escaped again and is...?"

"There," Byakuya said, pointing to where the redhead stood, leaned against the lab room wall, "I know you don't see him, but he is there. Kisuke, he is wearing a reiatsu return band. At the end of my memorial, he will be forced to return to Aizen. We have to stop that from happening!"

Kisuke paused and exchanged glances with Tetsuya, who frowned and looked hard in the direction Byakuya had indicated. After several long moments, he shook his head gently. Kisuke sighed softly.

"I'm kind of at a loss here. I know you're convinced of all of this, but I can't make sense of it. And there's something else to consider. Ichigo was at Soukyoku Hill when Renji was executed. Wouldn't he have seen through the fake?"

"It was a mod soul."

"I see. Was the Aizen that struck you a mod soul too, Byakuya? Because if Aizen was using an illusion to hide himself, Ichigo should have been able to see him. He hasn't been hypnotized by Aizen, so he should have seen Aizen attack you."

Byakuya's mind reeled as he grappled with the words, but as he opened his mouth to speak, Ichigo's voice issued calmly from the doorway.

"I was screened by other people there," he explained, "I didn't see who attacked that guy and Byakuya."

"And do you see Renji?" Kisuke asked, pointing in the direction Byakuya had indicated.

Ichigo's head turned and he frowned.

"Ah...no," he said, shaking his head sadly, "I don't see him."

A look of devastation passed over Byakuya's features and Kisuke touched his arm sympathetically.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly, "But if Renji was there, Aizen's power couldn't blind Ichigo like that. Unlike a lot of people in Soul Society, I know how his power works. Byakuya-san..."

"Wait," Byakuya persisted, "Before you decide that I am imagining him, I want you to sense in that area..."

"I have," Kisuke said, frowning, "I've got nothing, Byakuya-san!"

"N-no, not for Renji," the clan leader asserted, "Find my reiatsu...or at least one that is related to mine. Please...just try."

Kisuke rose and walked to the area the noble had indicated. He closed his eyes and extended a hand. As Byakuya, Tetsuya and Ichigo looked on, Renji captured the shopkeeper's hand and brought it to his abdomen. Kisuke stared in surprise as his hand moved, seemingly of its own will and he felt the smallest flicker of familiar reiatsu. Wonder lit his face and he smiled.

"You sense it?" Byakuya asked hopefully, "You sense our child?"

"Yeah," the shopkeeper replied, his smile widening, "There is definitely a developing reiatsu right here. And that means..."

"He's not crazy," Ichigo concluded, "But if Renji and the baby are right there and I'm supposed to be able to see through Aizen's illusions, then why don't I see him?"

"I'm not completely sure," Kisuke confessed, "But it may be that the device Aizen placed on Renji offers some kind of camouflage. It's kind of a stretch, but we know now that Renji is here."

"And we also know that if we do not remove that thing from his wrist, then he will be forced to return to Aizen," Byakuya concluded.

"Right," the shopkeeper agreed, moving to his computer and sitting down as the others moved closer, "Okay, Byakuya, I want you to look at the device...use your senses to examine it. Tell me as much as you can about what you can pick up."

He listened carefully, entering the information and watching the screen on his computer as his search progressed. The others gathered around him, their eyes following his, and holding their collective breath as he continued to seek the answer they needed.

"We'll have to wait a few more minutes, and while we do, we should figure out how we're going to make our approach to the manor."

"Do you imagine Aizen Sousuke will go there to wait for Renji-san?" Tetsuya asked, "But then, why the return band?"

"I think that was probably a 'just in case' kind of thing," Kisuke surmised, "Yeah, I think he'll be there. If Renji's as valuable to him as Byakuya-san is suggesting, he may want to hedge his bets."

"But won't he expose himself to capture?" asked Tetsuya.

"Probably not," the shopkeeper answered, "The Gotei knows he's gone to Hueco Mndo and that he has a plan to use the hollows to reach the king. But I suspect he has a way to use Renji to make an end run around the Gotei."

"That's what you think this is?" Byakuya quieried.

"Yeah. And as soon as I have confirmation of how to remove that thing from Renji's arm, we're going to shut down his plan!"

He glanced at his watch, then at Byakuya.

"What time did you say that the service will start?"

"In a few minutes," Byakuya answered, "I hope your method is not a lengthy one."

"And that your memorial is," Kisuke sighed.

His eye strayed to Tetsuya, who sat quietly at the clan leader's side, then he made a sound of triumph.

"Tetsuya-san," he said quickly, "How would you like to help buy us a little bit of insurance?"

XXXXXXXXXX

"Was it really necessary for you to come here?" Gin asked, looking around the gardens, "Don't you think there might be someone who hasn't seen your shikai who would recognize us?"

"Ah, but remember," Aizen said, smirking, "Even those not hypnotized by the ritual can still 'overlook' what they are not expecting. It is no concern."

"But I still don't understand why we are here. Do you just take joy in seeing the Kuchiki family suffer?"

"Some," Aizen admitted, "But perhaps I just felt the need, after all of the false starts, to be sure that Byakuya is actually dead."

Gin laughed softly.

"I told you, I blew that room to smithereens! All that was left was bits and pieces. Byakuya is dead."

"So it seems," Aizen agreed.

He looked around the gardens, then frowned and guided Gin back to the main wing of the house.

"What's wrong? You look rather concerned?"

"Didn't you notice? Renji isn't here yet."

"Ah..."

"And it's almost time."

"Well, he could be trying to figure out how to escape you, but he wouldn't miss his taichou's service. I think I'm actually a bit touched by how devoted he became after Byakuya almost killed him. He didn't like you that much for almost killing him."

"And he will like me even less if he crosses me and I find he tried to escape."

"Ooh, aren't you all scary today," Gin cooed, looking amused, But don't you think he knows he's cornered? And without Byakuya..."

He noted the deepening frown on the other man's face as Aizen reached out with his senses and extended them beyond the manor.

"What's wrong? You don't sense him around?"

Aizen's eyes darkened dangerously.

"He isn't in the Seireitei," he intoned in a low, angry voice.

"Well, he is friends with Ichigo and that bunch from Karakura Town. I suppose he could be there."

Aizen walked back to where the growing crowd was gathering, studying the faces of the guests carefully.

"Rukia's here," Gin observed, "and Shihoin Yoruichi is over there."

"But think about who is not," Aizen insisted, "Urahara Kisuke and his lot, Ichigo and Orihime. And if they are not here now, where are they?"

He focused more deeply and a slow, satisfied smile crawled onto his face.

"Oh, that's a devilish look," Gin commented.

"I see. He, of course, turned to Kisuke for help. He is in Karakura Town. But...I think he will have to return here, at some point."

"Really?"

"They will want to know why I was so interested in impregnating Renji, and because it involves the royal family, the only place that will hold information they need is the Kuchiki family archive. That being said, they will eventually return here. We only need to conceal ourselves and wait. As soon as they come here, we will have them!"

"But Byakuya is dead," Gin objected.

"The one who replaces him will have access to the archive, as well as an interest in finding Byakuya's killer. Whoever is chosen will help them willingly. But we will not let them reach the archive."

"You seem very sure of yourself," Gin chuckled.

"I think in addition to taking Renji, we should plan on taking Kisuke as well. It would be good to have an extra eye on the process..."

"Oh ho ho!" Gin laughed, pointing, "Looks like you gave our foes too much credit."

Aizen's frown deepened as Renji appeared in the distance and moved forward to stand near where Rukia stood with the Kuchiki elders, beside memorial photographs of Byakuya and Tetsuya.

"So, he didn't go to Kisuke?" Aizen mused, "Odd. I thought that the obvious move for him to make. He doesn't seem the sort to give up and cooperate so easily."

"What are you doing?" Gin asked as Aizen moved forward to where Renji stood, watching the memorial service and blinking back tears.

"Renji?" the leader of the hollows said, placing a hand on the man's shoulder.

A moment later, he started to laugh loudly.

"What's so funny?" Gin inquired, "You're really becoming a little frightening, Sousuke."

"It seems I wasn't wrong after all," Aizen said, drawing his sword and slashing at Renji's back.

Gin stared in surprise as Renji's body broke apart and fell to the ground in a splash of water.

"What in the world?" Gin mused.

"A waterform," Aizen concluded, "That is Kuchiki Tetsuya's power."

"Oh?"

"Could it be that even now Kuchiki taichou is still refusing to die? Well, as soon as he sets foot here, his death and the rest of theirs will become a reality!"