The Pact

Uryuu sighed, shoved his glasses up further on his nose and valiantly tried to ignore the almost painful blush that seemed to be decorating his pale skin from the neck up. “Well, I suppose that answers any questions I had about Ryuuken participating in the pact.”



“You should at least take him for a test run, Nyx,” Ama said, looking over her shoulder at her other half sibling and winking.



“You don’t even know what that means, Ama, so I suggest you not say things of that nature.”



“Not yet. But I’d like to find out,” Ama purred, looping her arms around Renji’s neck.



“Hey! Wait just a second here . . .” Renji started to protest.



Nyx rapidly took any further problems directly out of Renji’s lap by snatching Ama off of him by the back of her shirt and dragging her backward by a good three meters.



“Ama, no matter what you’ve been told about men by our idiot mother and the council, they are not toys to be used by us. They’re human beings.”



“Ow! Okay, Nyx, I’m not an idiot, you know.”



“I was beginning to wonder for a minute.”



Ama rolled her eyes. “Okay, whatever. Got any wild ideas as to why Ryuuken is chained down in one of the small holding cells? Naked no less. I was just wondering because that isn’t usually the way we hold prisoners.”



Nyx’s head whipped around to look at her sister so fast everyone in the room was amazed she hadn’t gotten whiplash. “What? When did this happen?”



“He’s been that way since they brought him here.”



“They must have sealed his Quincy abilities as well,” Uryuu said thoughtfully.



“What makes you say that, Uryuu?” Ichigo asked.



“Because he would have already torn the place apart to get out if they hadn’t,” Uryuu said simply. He glanced at Nyx, who looked like she was thinking hard on something. “Something’s wrong about this, isn’t it?”



“Yes. Something is very wrong about it. Are you positive about this, Ama?”



“Yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?” Ama asked, looking at her sister oddly. Her eyes suddenly went very wide. “Oh, goddess, you don’t think . . .”



“Yes. Unfortunately, I do think. Much as I don’t want to consider it as a probability, it seems that it is.”



“No way! No way in all thirteen hells would they try it. If Inanna got wind of it she’d slaughter them all.”



“True. But your grandmother isn’t here,” Nyx said, frowning thoughtfully. “No one even knows if she’s dead or alive. So, if they eliminate Ryuuken then there would only be . . .”



“Me and Uryuu in the way,” Ama said, looking terrified. “This isn’t good, Nyx.”



“No. It isn’t,” Nyx said, starting to pace. “They aren’t planning to give him a trial. They’re planning to execute him.”



“Mind telling the other people in the room what the hell is going on?” Ichigo demanded.



Nyx’s gaze turned to Uryuu. “How much do you know about your grandmother?”



Uryuu looked at her puzzledly. “Nearly nothing. My grandfather and Ryuuken never mentioned her. I don’t think I’ve ever even seen a picture of her or anything. Why?”



It was Ama who answered. “You never saw her because she’s here.”



“What?! Do you mean to tell me that Ryuuken’s mother is . . . Amazon?”



“That’s exactly what I’m telling you, little brother mine,” Ama said. “Didn’t you ever wonder why he has the full scope of all Quincy powers and then some?”



“I had always wondered that,” Uryuu said truthfully. “All right. What does that matter?”



“It matters because of what she is in this society.”



“Which is?” Uryuu prompted somewhat impatiently.



Nyx shrugged. “She’s the Empress of our people.”



Every one of the men in the room stared at her as though she’d grown an extra head. Ichigo scratched the back of his neck thoughtfully for a moment, trying to wrap his mind around what he’d been told.



“Soooo, that means Uryuu is royalty or something?” Ichigo asked. “That explains him being all prissy.”



“Ichigo, you are about to get an arrow in a sensitive spot if you don’t close your mouth,” Uryuu growled.



“Or something,” Nyx said. “Ryuuken and Uryuu couldn’t inherit the title since they’re male but they do still pose a significant enough threat.”



“A threat to what? Maybe you’d better explain what you think is going on, Nyx,” Uryuu said.



Nyx sighed heavily. “I don’t know if you know much about politics but this is fairly easy to understand. If none of the Imperial family survives, the council becomes the governing body. Therefore, since no one knows if Inanna is alive, eliminating everyone else-namely you, Ryuuken and Ama, they take over.”



“But you said that neither Uryuu nor Ryuuken can inherit the title since they’re men,” Sado said. “Why would they be a threat to those plans?”



“Because they could always have a daughter. Uryuu is certainly capable of it and Ryuuken is still young enough to produce another child.”



“Plus, he’s got a good job and is still pretty tasty for an older man,” Ama said.



“I can not begin to express how much was wrong with that statement, Ama,” Nyx said.



“I wasn’t planning on hitting on my father, Nyx. Ick! I was just making an observation. I can see why Mom is still all hot and bothered over him,” Ama said with a shrug.



Uryuu shuddered at the very thought. “Getting back to the subject at hand before I start projectile vomiting.”



“Yeah, please. Any girls either of them had wouldn’t have anything to do with the Amazon probably,” Renji said.



“Perhaps not. But any daughter from either of them would have a claim to the throne simply by the blood ties.”



“Sis, why would Mom bring Ryuuken here to be killed? She wants to keep him as a pet of sorts, we both know that,” Ama said. “It doesn’t make any sense.”



“Alexa probably talked her into it on that and grabbed Uryuu under the pretense of somehow forcing him to fulfill the pact as the last of the Quincy. Everyone she needs to be rid of in one spot. It would be very convenient for her to somehow orchestrate the demise of everyone after that,” Nyx said.



“But what about your part in the pact? That has to be a major threat, since any child you and Uryuu had would have double ties to the Imperial family simply by the fact that you’re my sister and Uryuu is a direct line of descent,” Ama said.



“It would be, if I had any intention of honoring the pact. Alexa knows there’s no way in the hells that I’d be forced into being a brood mare under any circumstances so the plan is fairly safe under those beliefs.”



Ama grinned a little at Nyx. “That’s true. You made that very clear I think. If Alexa’s whining about you putting her on the floor earlier is any indication.”



Nyx snorted. “I should have killed her then.”



“Look I really don’t care about any of this but how do we keep Uryuu from getting killed?” Ichigo said. “Annoying as he is, I’d kind of like to keep him around.”



“I’m honored you think so highly of me, Ichigo,” Uryuu said sarcastically.



“The main problem will be orchestrating things while playing ignorant as to what we suspect. Uryuu, will Ryuuken listen to you as far as strategy and planning are concerned?”



Uryuu shrugged. “I have no idea. Gods know he never listens to me about anything else. But if Ryuuken is good at anything it’s planning. Why?”



“I’m going to try to get him removed from the cell he’s currently in. If I can’t manage that I’ll unseal his abilities but he’ll have to keep them in check until I can find a way to get him out completely. It isn’t much but with his power it would give him a fighting chance in case something goes really wrong too quickly for me to stop.”



“I think Ryuuken would do that,” Uryuu said. “He’s an ass but not an idiot.”



“Good. Uryuu, come with me. Ama, take the other three and see if appropriate accommodations have been found for them,” Nyx said as everyone stood. “Without sexually harassing Renji.”



“You are no fun at all, Nyx,” Ama huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.



“Of course not. One of us has to be a grown up,” Nyx said, grinning slyly at her sister. “Also, contact my dad and Bane’s family, tell them that Cyan may be coming to one of them if things get really bad.”



Ama suddenly became very serious. “I’m trusting you with my life, you can trust me with Cyan’s, I swear it.”



“I know. Come on, Uryuu. I want Ryuuken to at least have his abilities restored to him by dawn,” Nyx said, motioning for Uryuu to follow her.



As they made their way from the house and out into the cool night air, Uryuu allowed a small smile to tug at the corners of his lips. If they pulled this off, Ryuuken would owe him. Big time. Not that he would ever acknowledge that but it was a lovely thought all the same.