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A Shadow of What Was	By : katami Category: Bleach > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 49594 -:- Recommendations : 3 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 94
- 95
Author's Notes: VICTORY!

Well, it took five weeks and hundreds of emails but FFN finally deleted that bitch's account and removed my story. (For those who missed it, this story was plagiarized by some miserable little twat calling herself KiraIzuruLuv.) I'd like to thank everyone who sent in emails reporting the brat and offering kind words to me, but there are a few people to whom I owe a special thanks.

Mandalee1013, who first told me about the plagiarism. Thanks, hon.

DemonGoddess061, whose kind words and attention show us all what a great webmistress is.

The kind folks over at stop_plagiarism, who are doing amazing work (especially mab_browne, who handled my case).

The amazing ladies of Assassins Anonymous, whose support and laughter kept me going. Phoenix, Gretel, Drae, DL, and KD you guys are the best.

And finally to my dear friend, owleyes_arisen, who kept me sane when that bitch posted thirty more chapters of my story and had me vacillating between wanting to break something, wanting to curl up and sob, and wanting to give up and walk away from fanfiction altogether. You are wonderful, In-law.

(And no, I would never just abandon Shadow but this story is my baby and seeing it posted by that bitch with FFN doing nothing ...well, it was upsetting.)

Once again, thank you all. And now, on with the story!
* * *
"Kuchiki Byakuya, I presume."

The voice was crisp, polished and laced with control. It was a voice that brooked no disagreement and expected to be obeyed.

Byakuya turned to regard his sister�s beau, studying the other man as he stood at the base of his steps. Ishida Ryuuken was tall and trim with strong, well defined shoulders that promised strength. Despite being in his 70s the Quincy looked more like a man in his late 30s. He was still handsome, with strikingly pale hair and shockingly blue eyes, the few lines bracketing his eyes and mouth added character to his face rather than aging it. Byakuya freely admitted that he was only vaguely familiar with human fashions but even he could tell that the suit Ishida Ryuuken wore was expertly tailored and cut to show the other man to his best.

"Ishida-san," he murmured politely with a small tilt of his head as the Quincy stepped closer. "Something I can do for you, Kuchiki-san?" drawled the Quincy, blue eyes sharp and alert; but that was not what caught Byakuya's attention. The Quincy's eyes were bright but his skin was ashen and the fine lines around his mouth were tight with strain. Reports said that the elder Quincy had been wounded while quarreling with his son, but the base gossip had suggested a mere flesh wound.

Ishida Ryuuken did not look like a man with a minor wound, his movements were just a shade too careful and the lines of strain marring his features spoke of pain. There was no visible blood and the pale haired man didn't seem in any danger of collapsing, but Ishida looked careworn.

"And that must be the Arrancar." Blue eyes settled on Ulquoirra despite the dark shadows sheltering him. The Quincy might not fight anymore but it was clear none of his skills or training had slipped in the intervening years. Byakuya watched his lover slip into the moonlight, a tiny frown on his guarded faced as he gave the archer a tiny, cautious tilt of his head in greeting.

"Ulquoirra Schiffer, my consort and companion," murmured the nobleman, watching his lover freeze for half a second at the introduction and smirking faintly. Ulquoirra clearly hadn't been expecting to be acknowledged quite so formally - even if it was only to the Quincy.

Ryuuken gave the Arrancar a considering glance before stepping past him, slipping between them to his door. His movements had been fluid and graceful but Byakuya had seen the slight hesitation, the careful way he had shifted his weight, the tiny tremble of his hands as he had retrieved his keys - the archer was clearly exhausted and nearing the end of his reserves despite the confident and self assured front he put up. "We can save this for another time if you would like to rest," he offered differentially.

Weary blue eyes flashed to his face, something dark and furious stirring in their depths. "That depends on why you are here, Kuchiki-san, although I believe I can hazard a guess," announced the Quincy.

"Come to warn me off?" demanded Ryuuken, his voice low and filled with anger as the archer shifted to face them both fully again.

"Perhaps it would be better if we spoke inside," murmured Byakuya.

�Let�s not play games, Kuchiki-san. A Shinigami noble is not going to condone his sister - even an adopted, backstairs sister like Kuchiki Rukia - associating with a Quincy. I might have missed the war, Shinigami, but my grandfather survived the purge. He was only six at the time, but he remembered. And he told me all about it," finished Ryuuken in a vicious hiss.

Byakuya stared at the Quincy's icy blue eyes and the carefully leashed fury in them, feeling something cold settling in his stomach. Fear, his realized. The elder Ishida was coldly furious and still there was no trace of his power. It took Ishida Uryuu less than a quarter of a second to draw his bow and something told Byakuya that Ryuuken would be even faster. The Quincy could likely strike him down before he even drew Senbonzakura. The man might even be good enough to get a shot off at Ulquoirra, although Byakuya doubted that even the Quincy was quite that fast.

"I think you have mistaken the purpose for our visit, Ishida-san," murmured Ulquoirra, his voice soft and differential, pale graceful fingers gently touching the Quincy's arm and drawing his gaze.

"Do not think to play me for a fool, Arrancar," growled the elder Ishida, shifting away from Ulquoirra's touch. "A noble house needs an heir, in order for Kuchiki Byakuya to name you as his consort, Kuchiki Rukia must produce that heir. The Kuchiki family is going to be angry enough accepting her child as their heir, a half Quincy is out of the question," finished Ryuuken.

"And if I presented the match in that way my family most certainly would object, I do not intend to..."

"Byakuya," murmured Ulquoirra, a pale hand touching the noble's arm and green eyes flickering to a parted drapery where a little, gray haired woman stood watching them all with just a little too much interest.

"My neighbor, Mrs. Ogawa, has become quite involved in the neighborhood watch since the death of her husband," murmured Ryuuken blandly. "It's come in useful on more than one occasion," drawled the Quincy smugly. "You both might wish to leave before she calls the police."

"Ishida-san, I think you have drastically misinterpreted the reason for our calling. I assure you, I have no interest in curtailing your advances toward my sister. Can we speak inside?" Blue eyes regarded him skeptically, but the pale-haired man finally gave them a small nod and stepped aside to invite them in.

"Thank you," murmured Byakuya as he stepped past the other man.

Ryuuken gave him a small nod. "Please make yourselves comfortable. May I offer you both something to drink?" demanded the Quincy, apparently falling back on good manners. Byakuya smirked a little despite himself, the man would fit in perfectly with his family

"Tea would be appreciated..." began Byakuya before remembering Ulquoirra. The one downside to taking the Arrancar as his lover would be giving up tea, but he would if it made the other man more comfortable.

"A white or oolong , if you have it. Anything but green will be fine," offered the Arrancar with a nod to the Quincy before turning to Byakuya, one green brow cocking as emerald eyes fell to the couch. The Shinigami smiled faintly and escorted his lover to the sofa, settling at his side.

"I would not have you discomfort yourself for my sake," began Byakuya, taking the Arrancar's hand in his own, stroking the pale smooth skin.

Knowing green eyes caught his gaze. "Aizen favored green teas. I will not deny you one of your pleasures for him," murmured the Arrancar, his voice low and mild but laced with steel. A tiny smile pulled at the noble's lips as amazement for the man across from him once again rose in his chest. And to think that such a brilliant spirit had rising from the snake pit Aizen Sousuke had created.

"Your strength humbles me," whispered the captain, lifting one graceful hand and brushing his lips across the Arrancar's knuckles.

Blue eyes locked on the gesture, the Quincy giving the two of them a carefully cautious look. "Oolong," murmured Ryuuken, pouring each of them perfectly prepared cups.

Byakuya nodded his thanks and took a small sip, letting the light flavor dance over his tongue. "It is delicious, thank you," he told the other man quietly.

"You claimed to have some business with me, speak it," demanded the Quincy.

"Very well. You are, of course, correct when you say my family would never accept one of our number courting or being courted by a Quincy. Which is why I do not intend to present your interest in Rukia as such. This is not a romantic courtship, Ishida-san; I intend to present this to my family as a political alliance to reconcile the Shinigami to the Quincy. And in the ancient tradition, this peace will be sealed with a marriage. One of the heirs of the Kuchiki clan to the head of the house of Ishida," murmured Byakuya rather smugly.

Ulquoirra's idea was more brilliant than even the Arrancar realized, it completely removed the matter of Rukia's relationship from his family's control. While the family had a say in marriages, political matters were left to the purview of the head of the clan, others could object and argue, but they had no real way to block his will.

Blue eyes regarded him suspiciously. "A political match? You realize that Rukia-chan will be furious with you deciding her future so arbitrarily ?" asked the Quincy, taking a sip of his tea and sinking back into a comfortable looking leather chair.

"Given her recent behavior that concerns me far less than you might think,." retorted Byakuya with a certain amount of glee.

The other man paused, seeming to weigh the proposal. "A political marriage of the sort you suggest would involve a contract, outlining every aspect of the marriage," pointed out Ryuuken quietly.

"So it would," agreed the Shinigami, grey eyes watching the other man. "Naturally, during this time you and Rukia could become better acquainted." Blue eyes twinkled with wry amusement, the Quincy understanding his plan all too easily.

"Merely to confirm we suit, of course," purred Ryuuken.

"Of course."

The Quincy studied him for a moment, evaluating and calculating. "How long would you propose this negotiation last?"

"I would think three years a sufficient length of time to draw up the contract," responded Byakuya, taking a sip of his tea and sneaking a small glance at Ulquoirra. The Arrancar was taking in the discussion with the perfect blend of attentiveness and bland disinterest. The smaller man would be an amazing vice-captain, missing nothing and yet acting with restraint.

"And if I refuse to go along with your little game, Kuchiki-san?"

"I'll forbid Rukia to see you," murmured Byakuya with a smug little twist of his lips, knowing just how effective forbidding Rukia would be. But then again, the threat wasn't leverage against his sister, it was leverage against Ryuuken.

The Quincy smirked at him, blue eyes narrowing, all the smug confidence of a cat on the other man's face. "What makes you think for even an instant that your sister would accept you dictating such a thing to her?" asked Ryuuken, both of them knowing that Byakuya would have little to no hope getting the young vice-captain to obey him. Not about this.

"Oh, I know I have no hope with Rukia, but I have a hunch that you are a man of honor, Ishida-san and not a man to let a young woman suffer needless and cruel slurs when he could put a stop to them," murmured the noble.

"Playing upon my honor, Shinigami? You assume I have any."

Byakuya gave a minute shrug, taking a sip of his tea and studying the pale-haired man. "Ishida Uryuu is one of the most honorable men I have ever met. It has been my experience that men with honor as keen as your son's come from only two types of men. Men who are just as honorable or men who are the worst types of wastrels . Given that my sister holds you in some affection, I'm willing to bet you are the former," finished the nobleman.

"Touché, Kuchiki-san," replied the Quincy soberly. "Very well. Five years and your word that you and none of yours will not interfere in our relationship."

Byakuya blinked at the other man for a moment before setting his cup aside. "Five years? Really, Ishida-san, you expect me to hold off my clan for half a decade? Most people could tell you after five dates whether a relationship will work."

A smirk tugged one corner of the other man's mouth up, making him look rakish and boyishly devious, add the bright twinkle in his eyes and it was easy to see what drew his sister. "But we are not talking about a normal relationship, Kuchiki-san. We are discussing the marriage of a Shinigami noble to a Quincy, something not seen for more than three thousand years. And that overlooks the basic fact that if we married tomorrow Rukia-chan and I would be together for more than a century before I entered the Seireitei. Even you have to admit that such long lasting decisions can't be entered into lightly."

Byakuya sighed, the archer was right about that. He was making it a political marriage, and political marriages were more about the politics than the marriage. There would be a million tiny details to work out, enough to keep even his family busy for years. "Very well, Ishida-san, you will have your five years."

"And should Rukia and I not suit?" murmured Ryuuken neutrally, a rather unlikely possibility in Byakuya's opinion after having met the Quincy, but stranger things did happen. He was sitting next to an Arrancar he intended to claim as his consort after all.

"Your son's objections can be raised or some other minor cause that would let you both walk away with your honor intact," offered Byakuya, knowing how easily such negotiations could crumble. Ryuuken gave him a small diplomatic nod.

"Very well, Kuchiki-san. Although I believe I shall let you be the one to inform Rukia-chan of this change in developments," chuckled the Quincy.
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A Shadow of What Was