Ch11 Byakuya

Cancelled plans means irritation for me and half an update for you.

Worst trade deal ever.

...

Kuchiki Byakuya was a man known for his composure, for his reasoning, for his ideals and above all, he was known for his integrity.

And in the span of a single day, after a near century of work, he'd lost it all.

His composure, broken by mere words.

His ideals shattered along with the governing body.

His integrity destroyed in its entirety.

None would ever really see it that way of course, not if he had anything to do with it, but for whatever reason...

Ever since that moment, where he'd accepted any punishment so long as that creature got what he'd deserved, he'd suddenly found himself... Lost.

Everything he'd ever believed in... Had been torn down... By what was likely the only working brain in the Gotei 13. Captain Aizen Sosuke may wish to play a fool... but Byakuya knew an act when he saw one. And given what he'd heard of the future so far... He could hardly blame him for pursuing the part. There wasn't a single person alive who'd remain sane in a broken world. Not willingly at any rate. At least Aizen had deigned to show it through his rather twisted sense of humour, and not in any way else...

Law and Order, to him, had been the foundations his belief had started on, had grown under. He'd innately believed that if a captain could not be held accountable, then those under him couldn't either. Shinigami, from their first step into the academy, are conditioned to follow in a Captains leadership, engraving their superiors ideal into their very bones until the time came to replace them and continue, and in some rare cases improve, on their teachings. It was because of this very system, this very cycle, that had caused him to rush towards law and order at every turn following the incident. He'd believed that as long as he was a law-biding captain, then his squad could do no wrong, that he could do no wrong in the eyes of society.

Aizen had taken that away from him, and he'd, in his own mind for the man was impossible to hold a conversation with, thanked him for it.

Because in the end. Aizen Sosuke was also a Captain of the Gotei 13, nay, given his knowledge, he was currently the most important captain in the Gotei 13. The man, injured as he was, held more influence, more power over the populous, perhaps on equal terms with the commander himself! For he was the very reason their society still currently stood.

Though he'd missed most of the fight itself, he'd been there for the trial before it... He'd seen it first hand, seen a Captain treat the laws as a mere guideline, seen him go on to break etiquette and tradition as if it was another Monday! Go against the very foundations their society had been built on!

All to save his sister-in-law.

All to save Kuchiki Rukia.

The man in the span of minutes had done more for the girl then he had in decades.

Aizen hadn't needed to, of course. She was supposed to be a witness against him. She was supposed to be his enemy. Meant to be that creature's trump card against him... Yet Aizen had seen none of that.

He'd seen what everyone else had missed.

He'd seen a girl in over her head trying to protect a human she had no right to associate with... Because of circumstances she'd never had control off... Much like himself.

Aizen had seen that and understood what he'd missed.

His very purpose should've been focused on saving the future, for that was surely his life's goal, yet he, a man who knew of things that threatened the very fabric of their world, had taken the time out to make sure an unseated, as far as the rest were concerned, shinigami was saved.

Byakuya knew, in the grand scheme of things, Kuchiki Rukia likely meant nothing to Aizen Sosuke yet it hadn't stopped him from helping her. It hadn't stopped him from diverting his focus from his race against time to her.

He closed his eyes at the thought. His hand twitching the slightest as he tried to force his breathing to slow.

Aizen Sosuke, whilst knowing of the dangers that would come within a matter of moments had taken the time to make sure his sister-in-law was safe. To make sure she was fine, physically and mentally...

While he himself had advocated for her death. And why? Because of a piece of paper that was written a millennia ago.

In the name of law and order. In the name of honour and integrity, he'd condemned his dearly departed wife's sibling to her death. While Aizen spat on it and every shinigami stupid enough to question him. Rank be damned.

He was a fellow captain for crying out loud! He had no right to question him! Had no ground to! Kuchiki Rukia was a Shinigami first and noble second after all.

Yet... The man had taken his questioning in stride... Taken his immaturity in stride. Practically glimpsed over it as if it weren't important... Because to him... Such things likely meant nothing when compared to the potential doom of their world. When compared to the horrors he must've witnessed... Fellow shinigami rising from the dead to attack their former colleagues being one of the few...

Byakuya closed his eyes again, unable to stare at the reflection before him, the broken furniture in the background not even registering to him anymore. He knew deep down, as much as it pained him to realise, that if the roles had been reversed, he would've never let the man walk away with such an insult...

Frankly... Given everything that's happened...

Was it any wonder Senbonzakura refused to speak to him?

Was it any wonder his Zanpakuto's voice had silenced itself.

Was it any wonder it thought him unworthy to so much as speak to, let alone hear anymore.

...

Urahara Kisuke's pov should come out tomorow!

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