Reio's Knights

By Spunky0ne

XXXXXXXXXX

(Byakuya is given a secret mission as the last request of the dead king. But what will he do when the king's wish requires him to become a criminal? Even worse, it requires the help of the most wicked shinigami ever born…yaoi, mpreg Aizen/Byakuya, Uryu/Tetsuya, Kisuke/

Ichigo)

XXXXXXXXXX

Chapter 1: Into the Darkness

What a torment a little taste of freedom can be.

I had thought nothing of sitting in the darkness for a little while, yes, unable to move, and contemplating my plans for the day of my release. What does a hundred years matter, or a thousand, or a hundred thousand, when time alone can't kill you?

When nothing can kill you?

If they tore out my heart, it would only grow back, just the same as it was before. A slash heals in moments. Illness dies before it can penetrate my cells.

I was always powerful, but before, I did fear death. Don't we all, when death can steal everything away? That fear drove me to make the hogyoku.

The hogyoku.

A talisman crafted from death, built by sacrificing thousands of lives…to make sure its master's life would never end. You can't buy immortality cheaply. Everything exists in a balance, right? So, naturally, if one soul is to defy death, then other lives will be the price. The debt, after all, must be paid. And it was easy for me not to care about the other lives I sacrificed to the orb. None of them mattered if I could end death. I see now that it wasn't ever me cheating death. Either way, death claimed lives…just not mine. We are content to sit and stare at each other, death and me…day in, day out, to spend our time close to each other, but never touching. And we both know that we will be there forever. I am surprised at the little feeling of nostalgia that thought gives me.

Why?

Don't we all strive to avoid death? Wouldn't we all desire a world without it? I used to think so. Until I cut the bonds of death and freed myself, I desired an end of death. Then, I realized that when I let go of death's hand, I lost something more than the ability of breathing that could be stilled or a beating heart that could be stopped. My followers were inspired by my fearlessness. But who needs courage when one is never risking his life? My followers were awed by my ambitions. But what good are hopes when one can never be stopped in pursuing them? So yes, it is easy to sit in the darkness, unable to move, only able to think. It is quiet and there is no pain. Just an emptiness I don't quite understand. What difference if the chair I sit on is in the dark or in the heavens? I am not a part of this world anymore and I can't leave it.

The irony.

A soft footstep brought the restrained criminal out of his thoughts and he listened as the person slowly moved towards him.

Ah, a visitor.

Who is this?

The steps continued in an unhurried fashion, lacking the menacing feel of an enemy, but showing no signs of any hesitation. Aizen breathed slowly, straining for some sense of the person.

Powerful…a taicho.

Precise and methodical.

This person's heart is not riled by my presence, and whoever it is, has no fear of being discovered here, so must have permission to enter.

Oh, of course.

Byakuya.

"Greetings, Kuchiki Taicho. It's been a while since we talked."

The footsteps slowed, then came to a stop in front of him.

"I mean, we did see each other briefly before, but there wasn't much time for talking while the world was coming down around our ears, was there?"

"Not that it would matter much to you if the world did end," Byakuya said softly.

"But floating around in dead space would be quite boring too."

His injuries have been healed.

He doesn't smile.

"Will you uncover my eyes, so that I can look at you?"

Byakuya said nothing in reply, but a moment later, the bonds on Aizen's eyes loosened and fell away. He blinked slowly in the soft kido light, focusing on the Kuchiki leader's solemn face and lovely dark eyes that looked back at him, revealing nothing of the man's intent.

Then, he noticed the kimono.

"You are dressed for celebration?" he inquired, admiring the fine, dark navy cloth and the pretty fall of pink and red petals that spread over one slender shoulder and down the noble's strong back.

"Yes."

Aizen smiled under his bonds.

"You were never one to waste words," he mused, "so I will ask. What are you celebrating, Byakuya?"

Aizen made a sound of surprise as the bindings on his face and hands suddenly loosened and fell away. Byakuya moved forward, one hand sliding into his breast pocket and removing a bottle of fine sake. He moved a small table so that it was between them, then sat down in a chair opposite him.

"It is your birthday, is it not?" Byakuya asked.

"It is," Aizen confirmed, "But you did not seem interested in celebrating with me in the last two years while I have been here. The only words I heard you speak while I was outside were about how it was an insult to all of you that I was brought out of Muken to help you fight Ywach."

"It was an insult," Byakuya said calmly, "but it was also necessary. And seeing you fight to protect Soul Society brought me to an understanding I did not have before."

"What was that?" Aizen asked, eyeing the noble curiously.

Byakuya gave no answer at first, but only laid out two small sake glasses and poured the sake. Aizen's smile warmed as he picked up his cup and raised it in Byakuya's direction, waiting for the noble to say something. Byakuya's face remained calm and unrevealing as he poured his own drink, then touched his cup to Aizen's.

"Will you drink to the return of peace to our home?" the noble asked quietly, "Despite the damage that is still being repaired and the occasional clashes with the retreating enemies, at least the war has ended and there are survivors to carry on."

Aizen gave him a soft smirk.

"Shouldn't you be thanking Kurosaki Ichigo for that?" he asked, "Or maybe that quincy boy who gave him the opportunity to kill Ywach?"

"I assure you that the other heroes who fought to protect Soul Society have all received the gratitude they deserve. Kurosaki Ichigo and his friends have returned home. But you…"

Aizen chuckled softly.

"What about me?" he asked, "What are you trying to say, Byakuya? I do appreciate the sake and the good company, but why bother? I am not suffering. I am in no pain."

"But you are," Byakuya said softly, warming his mouth and throat with a sip of the spirits he held.

"Don't waste your time worrying about me," Aizen chided him, "I am sure that the king's highest ranked servant has much more important things to do, ne?"

Aizen spotted it then, that moment…a flash of pain in the handsome grey eyes, a very slight twitching of his lips and a faint tightening of his fingers around the sake glass as he raised it and emptied it, then set the glass down.

"What was it you said before?" Byakuya mused, "The Seireitei monitors caught it clearly. My mind was fuzzy because of the sword that had just torn out my heart. But, I was sure you said that no one stands at the top…not you, not me, not even the gods. Those were your words, were they not?"

"They were," Aizen confirmed, "You…thought that I was speaking metaphorically?"

"Would that not be the expected response? You knew you were being misunderstood by the innocent and only understood by the ones who knew."

Aizen's eyes narrowed.

"Aren't you taking chances speaking to me like that?" he asked, "And tell me, Byakuya, which were you? Were you one of the innocent ones or one of the ones who knew?"

"You know you do not need to ask that question," Byakuya sighed, "I am a taicho. Of course I knew."

"And it didn't bother you at all that the king you swore fealty to, the one you served every day, and the one you almost died for…that king was a comatose man missing parts of his body? You didn't care that he had been an enemy a thousand years before? You didn't care about the lie that you let everyone else around you believe?"

Aizen paused, watching as Byakuya slowly blinked and he took a shakier breath.

"How much do you think I care?" Byakuya asked in a softer voice, "What was the alternative? I am a powerful man, but I am not a god. Even if I wanted to, I could not, as you said, fill that vacancy in the heavens. That being so, who am I to decide something like that? I have no choice but to defend Soul Society as best I can. And for the ones who cannot fight as I can, I want peace."

"Even if that peace is a lie?"

"You are a fine one to speak to me of lies, Aizen Sosuke," Byakuya said, frowning, everything you ever were to us was a lie."

"Yes."

"Everything except one thing."

Aizen gave him a look of surprise. Byakuya stood and set the table aside, then moved his chair closer to Aizen's.

"You do know that within this range, I can kill you with just my reiatsu," Aizen warned him.

"Yes," Byakuya answered calmly, "you are free to do that, of course. But aren't you the slightest bit interested in what I was saying? Do you think you can wait to kill me until after I say it?"

Aizen laughed softly.

"I should kill you for having such a careless attitude when it comes to your own life, or for being so confident while this close to me, but…I confess, I am interested. Tell me, then. What wasn't a lie? What did I tell you that rings true?"

"You want Soul Society to survive," Byakuya answered.

Aizen arched a curious eyebrow.

"Is that so?" he mused, blinking slowly, "But of course, you're right. My plans, unlike Ywach's, never included destroying the worlds, just leading them."

Byakuya nodded.

"As much as you didn't mind whether the rest of us lived or died, you did not imagine destroying our worlds and starting over. And as I was lying comatose, following my defeat by the quincy, As Nodt, it occurred to me that I was uncertain what a world led by you would look like."

Aizen gave him a look of more intense curiosity.

"You want to know what Soul Society would be like…?"

"With you as its king," Byakuya finished.

Aizen paused, studying his former colleague's comely face closely.

"Why? After all, I am sure that you didn't come here to let me go, yourself."

"I did not," Byakuya agreed.

"Then, why are you here, asking me to show you the world as it would be with me as Soul King? You know very well that I failed to become king. I was defeated by Ichigo and sealed away in here. I am immortal, but I am no one's god, Byakuya."

Byakuya's eyes lowered in thought for a moment, then rose again.

"Will you show me?"

"If I do, will you tell me why you asked?"

Byakuya nodded.

"I will tell you after you show me."

"Well, I'm not sure why someone like you would want to know, but…fine. Come closer. I can radiate reiatsu around me within a close radius, but things that require a steadier hand, I can only do while touching you."

Byakuya nodded more tentatively, pausing and taking a steadying breath before moving closer. He paused in front of the still bound prisoner, then slowly extended a hand, bringing to rest lightly on Aizen's bared hand. The former taicho looked up at him appreciatively.

"You are truly courageous to dare to touch me," he commented, "even though you've been invited. And I have to admit, you are the first to have physical contact with me since I fought Ichigo. Even when Kisuke's seal bound me, no one touched me directly. And even after the more recent battle with Ywach, the ones who lifted my unconscious body did not touch me directly."

Aizen's eyes looked more deeply into Byakuya's, drawn in further by the mingled presences of slight apprehension that was tempered with a surprising measure of hopefulness.

"Your hand is warm," he commented, "Are you trembling?"

"Would it not be completely appropriate for a mortal to tremble in the mere presence of a god, and even more so while touching one?"

Aizen's smile warmed.

"True. But, be glad, Byakuya. You've flattered me, and you've intrigued me so that I have no interest in killing you. I appreciate, as I said, the comfort of your presence, the fine sake and the birthday wishes. I am happy to reward you with the vision you've requested. Relax now and look back at me. You should begin to register the vision in a moment. Imagine anything you wish and you will feel like you are there."

Byakuya's dark eyes locked on Aizen's, and the former taicho felt a little twinge of honest sympathy at the weariness just beneath the calm surface.

The war weighs heavily on you.

No, not just the war, but your whole life. It is sad, isn't it? There's so little left of Kuchiki Soujun's fearless and wild little boy.

He felt Byakuya flinch as the vision in front of him formed, and he found himself returned to his youth.

Byakuya stood in the Kuchiki gardens, blinking as it registered suddenly that his body had changed. He glanced down at his smaller, thinner form and the wooden practice sword in his hand.

"This isn't what I…" he began, only to stop as a vicious flash step sounded and the hair tie was yanked out of his hair, "Damn you, demon cat!"

"Come on, Bya-bo, let's play!" Yoruichi giggled, flash stepping away.

"I'm the Kuchiki heir!" Byakuya snapped furiously, "I don't have time to play games with some stupid girl!"

He tensed, preparing to give chase, then stopped himself, just watching as she ran away. His heart pounded strangely and he stiffened as a thought occurred to him.

This…was it before?

He hardly dared to turn to face the walkway and his heart skipped a beat at even the thought of who he might see.

"Byakuya, segare, I am home."

Byakuya froze.

"This is not what I asked you to…!" he began to object.

But it is what you wanted…in you heart, Aizen's voice whispered in his mind, To one who needs to be reminded about what really matters, more than fealty to kings and royal dictates, I heard what your heart desired most and brought you here. It…was his birthday as well a few days ago, wasn't it?

Byakuya swallowed hard and turned to face his father.

Remember, here you are young and you are with someone who understands. It's fine for you to cry, Byakuya.

"Why are you crying, segare?" Soujun asked, moving closer.

Byakuya reeled as he caught his father's gentle scent and felt warm arms embrace him.

"I wasn't gone for so long. And we have a whole day to spend together before I go back."

Byakuya burrowed deeply into his father's shoulder

"Sorry, Father," he apologized, "I just…wasn't expecting you."

"Ah, well, what would you like to do?" Soujun asked, his pretty blue-violet eyes looking down into his son's darker ones.

Byakuya broke away from his shoulder, rubbing his eyes for a moment and smiling.

"Could we walk to the waterfall? Could we talk?"

Soujun gave him a stymied look.

"You…just want to talk, Byakuya? No training? No going to Saito's restaurant for his curry? No games?" he asked.

Byakuya shook his head firmly.

"We can do those things later, if you want," he answered, "but I have something to ask you."

"Hmm, this sounds serious," Soujun said, blinking in surprise as his son's hand slid into his.

He fell in with Byakuya, surprised that his usually energetic son remained quiet and solemn at his side while they walked through the gardens.

"Can you tell me the truth about something?" Byakuya asked.

"The truth about what?" Soujun asked curiously.

"I've…learned something," Byakuya confessed his youthful face blushing, "I know that I'm not supposed to know, but…I do, and I don't know to do about it, Father."

Soujun gave his hand a little squeeze.

"Whatever it is, it seems to have upset you. Go ahead and ask me. I will answer you honestly," Soujun promised.

"Please, don't ask me how I found out," Byakuya went on, "but…I know about him. I know that the king…is…"

Byakuya paused, struggling to find the right words.

"I know something is wrong with him. He…isn't really alive. He is missing parts of his body and, although he can communicate his thoughts, he can't speak."

Soujun's face pale and his looked back at the house and around the gardens, then quietly led Byakuya to a secluded corner.

"I don't know how this came to you," Soujun whispered to him, "but…"

"Please don't lie to me that it isn't true!" Byakuya pleaded in a soft, urgent tone, "Father, I know. I know it's true."

Soujun nodded and pulled him close.

"No wonder you were crying," he said, closing his eyes and pressing his cheek to his son's, "I cried when I found out about it too."

"What can we do?" Byakuya asked tentatively, "Why are they lying to everyone?"

Soujun took his son's face in his hands.

"I will tell you, segare," he promised, "but you must promise that you will never tell anyone who is not a taicho that you know this."

"I won't," Byakuya agreed, "But tell me why? Why is it that they are lying? Why do we have to keep it a secret?"

Soujun kissed him on the forehead, then took his hand and led him out of the gardens. They moved along a little trail that led out to a moonlit waterfall that crashed down a great cliff, into a lake that stood beside a wide open meadow. Byakuya sat down beneath a pretty sakura tree, waiting as his father joined him. Soujun took his hands and squeezed them gently.

"You've grown so much. I feel bad that my work takes me away from you. I think I'm going to turn around and you'll be a taicho."

Byakuya gave him a sad smile.

"And then, you won't have to be," Byakuya said, smiling up at him hopefully, "I know you want to retire as soon as you can, so that you can just take care of the archives and the gardens. I promise, I'll become a taicho as soon as I can."

"Oh, don't rush like that," Soujun said, smiling affectionately, "You shouldn't feel burdened. You're only a boy, segare. You shouldn't have so many troubling things to think about."

Byakuya ached to question him further, but he remained silent, just enjoying his father's light touches and close presence.

"You asked me why they lie," Soujun said finally, pulling Byakuya close and dipping his head to breathe in his son's pleasant, sweet scent, "Byakuya, they lie because the truth is too frightening for everyone."

Byakuya gazed into Soujun's eyes in silence.

"You are growing stronger and braver by the moment, but think about how you felt that moment when you knew the king was not really in command."

"I felt terrified," Byakuya confessed, "I know I'm not supposed to get scared, but…"

"Fear is not dishonorable," Soujun said calmly, "Everyone feels fear. I am afraid too. But, I have strength that can help Soul Society. And even though the king is not really leading us, we who are able, can and must maintain and protect our worlds. It is a burden, but we must bear the fear and uncertainty, ourselves, so that everyone else can be free to live in peace."

"But how are we to live in peace?" Byakuya asked, "Is it really kindness to let them know that their world is a breath away from destruction?"

"We are always a breath away from dying, segare," Soujun said sadly, "but it isn't death that we should focus on. It is life, son. We sacrifice our carefree lives so that the people here can live happily. Yet, even though we are burdened, not only with the truth, but with the work of protecting Soul Society, we are not alone. There are others who know and we can share our fears with them. You can always share your fears with me, Byakuya. I am always here."

Byakuya sucked in a pained breath as the vision suddenly ended, and he found himself back in the dimly lit cell in Muken, looking down into Aizen's placid face.

"Why did you do that?" Byakuya asked, "I asked you…"

"I know," Aizen answered quietly, "but that wasn't what was burning most viciously in your mind. I know what brought you here, and I hope that I was able to offer you a bit of peace. Consider it a show of gratitude for the sake and birthday wishes. Is that all you want from me? I can still show you what you requested, if you wish."

Byakuya gazed down where his hand still rested on Aizen's, his heart slowing gradually as the shock of the vision began to fade.

"Will you go for a walk with me in those gardens you showed me?"

"The ones that no longer exist because of the war?" Aizen asked.

"I will restore them, but yes, they are gone," Byakuya answered, "Will you go there with me?"

"If you like," Aizen agreed, "You have, after all, been good company. I do hope you will come and see me again, but I won't ask you to promise."

Byakuya sat down in the chair, facing Aizen's, keeping his hand on the other man's. He felt a little shiver as the darkness of Muken faded away, and the two stood in Kuchiki Manor gardens, looking down into a splashing koi pond.

"This is lovely," Aizen commented, "When I imagine gardens, I think about these, but I don't remember them with nearly the detail you do, Byakuya. Of course, you were there nearly every day, so that makes sense."

The two men turned out of the gardens and began walking down the path that led to the waterfall.

Is that what you do with your time?" Byakuya asked, "Imagine the world outside?"

"What else is there to do?"

"Well, you won't be in Muken forever," Byakuya mused, "You could be planning your next move."

"I think we both know how likely it is that I'll simply be released when my sentence is up. Fear of me will keep me in chains forever. But, I am a dangerous criminal."

"You are dangerous," Byakuya agreed, "but you are also someone who understands what the Gotei 13 and Central 46 struggle with every day."

"Having trouble living with the lies?" Aizen sighed, "Although, I do know it's kinder sometimes not to tell the truth."

"I sometimes wish I was not burdened with it," Byakuya said solemnly, "especially now."

"Oh? What's happening now? What could be worse than a king with no arms and legs…no heart?"

Byakuya closed his eyes against the truth, breathing slowly to regain his poise.

"Go on. I think I know already."

"The king was killed."

"I know."

Byakuya gave him a curious look.

"Why else would you be more burdened than you were before the war?" Aizen reasoned, "The only thing worse than a useless king is a completely empty throne? But, how is the balance of souls being kept then?"

"There is someone on the throne."

"Who?"

Byakuya leaned closer, breathing the truth into his ear in a whisper.

"Ywach."

Aizen's dark eyes narrowed.

"Ywach is dead…Oh, wait, of course. His body radiates tremendous reiatsu. That would be enough to stabilize the worlds. So, we've gone from a minimally functional king to a dead one. Interesting."

"I did not object to placing him there temporarily, but it seems that Central 46 considers the matter resolved."

"Of course they do," Aizen chuckled, shaking his head, "Now, instead of having the occasional interference, they can run things any way they like."

"Ywach's body will last for perhaps a thousand years."

"That's probably longer than you will live," Aizen commented, "Why are you worried?"

"I am worried because I do not just think of the here and now, or during my lifespan. I am a clan leader, I have to care what happens to our family, not just now, but that they have a future!"

"And you think that coming to me will help in some way to make that future?" Aizen asked, coming to a stop as they reached the tree under which Byakuya had sat with his father in his earlier vision.

Byakuya gave him a guarded look.

"I found something while I was in the royal realm," he confessed softly, "It is something that the king willed to me upon his passing. He entrusted it to the Kuchiki archive and I found it when I returned after the war."

Aizen looked back at him silently, his eyes widening as the noble withdrew a large, faceted prism from within his kimono.

"The king's prism," Aizen mused, staring in fascination, "I know the artifact, but…wasn't it missing?"

"It was. However, the truth is that the king placed it in his own body before he was imprisoned and made king. It remained there until he died. Upon his death, it disappeared and reappeared in the archive, as was his wish. You see, the king understood what his death meant. He knew Ywach would kill him, and he told that to the shinigamis so that they wouldn't die. Like you, even though he was once an enemy, he saw the value in our worlds. He also listened to the voices of the past kings and heeded their advice."

"And that was?"

Byakuya paused and took a steadying breath.

"The king…the true king, must be reborn."

"Ah," Aizen said, his brown eyes lighting dangerously, "but why come and tell me? Why not just see to this without the help of a backstabbing traitor?"

Byakuya looked down at the prism he held.

"It was his last order. It was stored in the prism and spoke to me as soon as I found it. You see, Sosuke, the king's desire was to see a true king raised…and the only way to do that is for me to join you in rebellion."