The Long Way Home

Part 11

Byakuya watched from his position as two dark clothed men, whom he didn't recognise, carried Ichigo into the house. Fearing the worse, he had about to rush out from his position, when Ichigo gave a moan. Byakuya relaxed a little, recognising that he wasn't dead and in fact was starting to come around. He watched as two of the guards came forward to help carry Ichigo in; Byakuya grinned. It looked like Ichigo was awake and laying it on a bit thick, making it awkward for two men to carry him. The two at the door moved to assist and at that moment, Byakuya flash stepped and was in the house.

Ichigo didn't have to completely fake being unconscious, he didn't feel like he was properly with it until someone threw a glass of water around him.

"Hey!" He quickly sat up, and was surprised to see who was standing over him; he spoke without thinking. "Byakuya?"

He was roughly hauled to his feet, only to receive a sharp, hard smack to his face that would have sent him flying if he had been restrained. His glasses flew across the room.

Ichigo shook his head and kept quiet and started to pay proper attention.

It wasn't Byakuya.

The four guards dropped Ichigo to the floor, with two moving to opposite sides of the room; two standing on either side of him. In front of him, Akhiro was sat at a table and next to him stood a man who looked like Byakuya. Or rather how Byakuya would normally look; long hair clipped into the familiar kenseiken, the same clothes, minus the Captain garb. If you didn't know Byakuya personally, it would be easy to believe you were looking at Byakuya.

The same way Byakuya could look down his nose at someone...

Akhiro spoke, his face creasing in anger as he realised who was in front of him. "It is the prostitute! The one that Byakuya brought in to the SSerite !"

Ichigo realised then that this other man had to be Daiji. He turned to appeal to him. "Please! I came to find Byakuya. That's all! I just wanted to talk to him!"

"Did you now?" Daiji moved closer to Ichigo, and Ichigo tried to move back instinctively. "May I ask why?" He smiled and Ichigo knew a shark was eyeing him up. "Did he forget to pay you?" Daiji nodded to the guards; a sharp punch to the stomach had Ichigo knocked to the floor, struggling to breath; nothing Gi had ever been capable of.

"What do we do with him?" Ichigo struggled to lift his head up, gasping to get air in to his lungs. It was Akhiro who had spoken.

Daiji looked down at Ichigo. "Normally I would say his life is worthless, but he may prove useful." Daiji turned to look at his father. "You did say my cousin had some affection for him, did you not?"

Akhiro scowled, glaring at Ichigo "He said he loved him! A prostitute! Even after I told him he had slept with Zurachi!" He shook his head in disgust.

Nodding, Daiji rolled his eyes as he spoke. "Yes father. Lord Byakuya Kuchki has brought our family to the brink of destruction." He smirked as he nodded once more to the guards, who hauled Ichigo back up to his feet, the pain in his stomach coming back to life as they straightened him up.

Ichigo finally found he could breath enough to speak again. He had to remember who he was meant to be, not who he really was. "Please, don't hurt me. I was just..." He struggled to find the right words.

"You were just what, exactly?" Daiji came closer, almost in Ichigo's face. "Come on, tell me now, there's a good boy. You were just what?" He leaned in close enough that Ichigo could feel his breath on his face. "Exactly?"

"I..." With the Sekkiseki stone nestled against his chest, Ichigo felt a chill run down the back of his spine. " I just wanted to find Byakuya..." Ichigo sighed. "I wanted to explain everything to him..."