Devil and the Fallen Angel

By Spunky0ne

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A newly freed Aizen Sousuke witnesses a horrid betrayal involving a badly injured Kuchiki Byakuya and makes a reckless decision to abduct the fallen clan leader. He weaves a web of lies around Byakuya, who cannot remember the life he had before, but eventually realizes that the only right thing to do is to set him free. But when has Aizen Sousuke ever done the right thing? Aizen/Byakuya, yaoi, mpreg.

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Chapter 1: Snakes

I saw you lying still, with black snakes slithering around you...binding wrist and ankle, holding you down, and wrapped around your throat. Your eyes met mine as I tore you away, not to free you, but to make you my own.

My fallen angel.

The first sensation that returned as Aizen Sousuke woke was the feeling of cool raindrops striking his face. A heaviness weighed down his body that, at first, he thought, might just have been from exertion, but he quickly realized was the result of having been paritally covered with falling debris in the last moments of the final battle.

It was a battle I fought for survival, not for redemption. Now, before I am found, I should escape. I saw it in Kyouraku Shunsui's eyes. Central 46 will not ever forgive my crimes and let me go. If I want to keep breathing freely, I must disappear now, while they are still registering that the war has ended and they have not yet had time to start looking for me to incarcerate me again.

His eyes opened and he looked down at his bare chest, where droplets of rain had landed and were leaking down the smooth surfaces.

I wondered, when I sacrificed the hougyoku, if it would leave a scar to show its disdain, but there is nothing, no sign that it ever existed. I could possibly make another, I suppose, but what would be the use? I would first need to overcome the faults of the one before. It may be possible, but it will take time and effort. Add to that, I cannot attempt it here. I will be hunted and, no longer being immortal, I will be vulnerable.

He moved carefully, first his hands and upper body to check for broken bones and other injuries, then his trapped legs to work them free of the broken wood and bricks that covered them. He felt twinges of pain, but nothing that he expected would hold him back from escaping. Smiling faintly at his good fortune, he freed himself and stood, breathing slowly as dizziness swept over him for a moment, and he blinked his eyes to rid them of pooled raindrops.

He felt a powerful presence behind him and turned to meet the eyes of none other than Kyouraku, himself.

"You all right?" he asked quietly, in a serious tone that was more wary than concerned, "You don't look like you were injured too badly. That's probably a good thing for you, considering first, the human girl is injured and can't heal the ones with the worst injuries and secondly, what healers we have are spread as thin as our remaining forces. If you can walk, I suggest you start doing it now. I'm sure you're aware of what will happen as soon as everyone's over their emotional reactions to the end of the war."

"Yes," Aizen answered, studying the captain commander with curious eyes.

"What?" Shunsui said, smirking, "Did you expect me to apprehend you?"

"You are responsible for me," Aizen reminded him, "You still have the keys to Muken embedded in your heart. Not that it matters to me, because I was able to break free of the restraints, but mightn't they take action to punish you?"

Shunsui sighed.

"What are they going to do? Everything's in pieces...busted up. A lot of people have died. The noble houses took heavy damage, because Ywach seems to have shared your hatred of the king's chosen."

"Doesn't one always hate his oppressors?" Aizen asked calmly.

Kyouraku chuckled.

"I don't think they'll be up to oppressing anyone right away. That should give you time to get out of here and find somewhere nice to retire. Unless, that is, you still have lofty ambitions."

"If you're asking what my intentions are as far as the king, I don't have plans to renew my pursuit of killing him. But if the noble clans come after me, I have no problem eliminating them for trying."

"Yeah, I figured," Shunsui acknowledged, "So, in the interests of everyone's safety, it's best that you go."

"And what are you going to do out here?" Aizen asked.

"I'm looking for injured," the captain commander answered, "We have a number of missing officers to recover."

"I see. I won't keep you, then."

"See you around," Kyouraku chuckled, "Stay out of trouble this time, okay?"

"I will make an effort."

"You do that, and I'll make an effort not to have to come after you."

Aizen turned and flash stepped away, flinching at the soft burning that doing so caused in his overtaxed spirit centers.

But there will be plenty of time for healing, once I reach my retreat in the living world. Everything I need is there to live a comfortable life. I will be alone and mortal now, but it is better than going back to Muken. Even being there for a couple of years wore on my mind. The thought of going back is...distressing, even for me.

He felt that he had moved out of the area being searched by the Gotei forces and slowed to a walk, breathing in the fresh air and scenting the rain. He filled his lungs with the sweetness, closing his eyes to make himself a part of it again. But as he stood, enjoying his first moments of freedom, he heard nearby voices and quietly invoked his shikai to conceal himself. He moved towards the low, muted sounds, easing himself around more tumbled debris, until he came to a small clearing, where two noble males stood over the collapsed form of a third. The fallen man had raven-colored hair that was spattered with mud, and he wore a haori with the mark of the sixth division.

Byakuya?

But, the looks on the faces of those two. They look like relatives, but their eyes are tainted with hatred. I believe they are up to no good. Not that Byakuya's fate matters to me. As he is leader of the greatest of the clans, I have more reason to hate that man than anyone. Still, I despise turncoats...cowards who slink about, pretending at loyalty, while only waiting for the right moment to stab their comrade in the back.

It's why I never completely trust anyone.

Byakuya, I wonder if you regret trusting them now.

"Is he still alive?" asked the elder of the two black-eyed men who stood over the clan leader.

The younger knelt and touched the Kuchiki leader's throat, then looked back up at his comrade.

"He is alive, but there is massive damage, Father," reported the younger man, "There are broken bones, internal injuries, head trauma and his spirit centers have been all but destroyed."

Aizen thought briefly how it was strange that anything left in the three worlds could give him the moment of revulsion and the chill that passed through him at seeing how the two were looking at their unconscious and vulnerable leader.

The elder man looked around and scanned with his senses.

"I think it is obvious that his ability to continue as our leader has been compromised. He will likely never wake and even if he does, he will never be the same. Hardly a fitting end for such a man, ne Orochi?"

"I agree," Orochi answered, sliding his zanpakutou free.

His father's hand stopped his.

"No. Not like that," he warned his son, "Do not use your weapon. And do not let your power strike him directly. Mask your reiatsu and focus on the ground, just beneath him. We will strike together."

Aizen sighed in disgust and started to turn away, but as the elder Kuchiki counted down to the attack, he felt an odd rage flare in his insides and, still under the cover of his shikai, he flash stepped at the two, taking Byakuya up with one arm, while slashing at the two with his sword. Kido exploded from their hands, striking the false image of Byakuya he'd left behind and completely destroying it as the two attackers crashed to the ground.

"Wh-what was that? What happened?" Orochi panted, looking down at the slashes on their bodies, "Was it him? Was he not unconscious after all?"

"It doesn't matter," the young man's father said, working to staunch the flow of blood from his body, "He is dead. He won't be telling anyone anything. We will simply report that a fleeing quincy destroyed his injured body as we approached. Say nothing else and do not give them a specific location. Claim that the heavy reiatsu in the area still left from the fighting inhibited our senses."

"Yes father," Orochi answered, following as the elder man flash stepped away.

Aizen stood in silence, wondering what he had done as he looked down at Byakuya's bloodied, but still proud face.

There are no healers nearby and he can't wait for one anyway. But it would be foolhardy to delay leaving. As soon as the Gotei and Central 46 have gathered themselves, they will automatically cut off access to the Dangai. I need to pass through now.

"If you think you can survive a little longer, I will see to your healing, Byakuya," he said softly, extending his sword and opening the doorway.

He left the rain behind and entered the chill corridor that led from Soul Society to the living world. His footsteps echoed on the pathway and he could hear dribbled of the restrictive current dripping down from the ceiling as they passed through. Byakuya remained limp and pliant in his arms as he carried the noble along the passage, wondering at himself for keeping the Kuchiki leader with him.

It makes no sense to hold on to him, I suppose. He is useless as a hostage, if his own family wanted to destroy him. It's possible that those two were acting independently, but Byakuya has defied the Kuchiki elders repeatedly. His powers are useless unless his spirit centers heal, and they are obviously devastatingly damaged. He will slow me down, and if he wakes, he could attack me, I suppose.

Why take him with me?

I don't know how he'll be useful and not just a burden, but something tells me not to discard him.

It was, he thought, the same kind of inner voice that had led him to make the hougyoku, the scientist in him, the deep thinker, whose senses sometimes worked ahead of his conscious comprehension. He knew well enough to follow his instincts. He continued along the corridor, taking the fastest path to Karakura Town. He found the exit into Urahara's hidden training area still functioning and the heavily damaged shop abandoned when he arrived there.

Laying Byakuya in one of the beds he found, he searched the shop until he found the items he needed, two gigais that would slightly alter their appearance as well as the healing supplies and food they needed. he packed up the necessary supplies and returned to Byakuya's side, where he healed the noble's worst injuries as best he could, then he covered them in his shikai again and carried Byakuya out of the shop. He walked along the quiet street, marveling that most of the area was not damaged as heavily as the shop.

The living folk were not the targets of Ywach, after all, he reasoned, It was the shinigamis that he wanted to destroy. And I have to say that he certainly attended well to that before succumbing to Ichigo's power. But...I wonder what reception Ichigo is getting back in Soul Society. He is a Shiba, one of the banished house. He is part quincy, and although he did stop Ywach, he did kill Reiou, himself. The captured surviving quincies will be sure that everyone knows about that. But I am certain Ichigo will find a way to escape their accusations. The boy always seems to do that. He leads a charmed life.

Not so much like you and me, ne Byakuya?

He gazed down at the noble's more peaceful sleeping face for a moment, then continued on his way. He followed the road to the end of town and into a quiet neighborhood, where a large, well-appointed cottage stood, overlooking a calm, tree-bordered lake. Night had fallen as they arrived and a soft mist hung over the water. Aizen carried Byakuya to the entrance of the cottage and touched the barrier around it to allow them passage. He entered and found everything as he had left it, then nodded in approval and entered the master bedroom, where he laid the noble on the bed.

His hands moved slowly as he pulled away the torn clothing, baring a muddied, bruised and torn body that still somehow radiated both beauty and power. This he carried into the bathroom and deposited into a tub filled with steaming water and washed and continued healing until his flesh was clean and unblemished. He removed Byakuya from the tub and dried him, then carried him back into the bedroom and laid him in the bed.

After a moment of consideration, he slipped reiatsu suppressing bands on Byakuya's slender wrists and used kido to make a restraining field around him. He left the Kuchiki leader sleeping and walked out to the kitchen, where he made the first meal he had had in ages. He savored each bite as though the meal would be his last.

One can never be sure, I suppose.

Upon finishing, he yawned and stretched before making his way to the bathroom, where he slowly disrobed and stepped into the first hot shower since his incarceration. He kept his eyes closed and breathed in the steamy air, enjoying the sweets scents of the soap and shampoo as he bathed himself, then remaining under the hot spray for an extended time afterward, soaking in the warmth and chasing away the memories of the icy, dark prison that had held him.

When the water began to cool, he turned it off and exited the shower, then he stood on the warm bath rug, running the thick towel slowly over ever inch of his too pale skin.

But time will take away the pallor that the inside of Muken left me with.

He focused instead on the good, clean scent of the towel and the warm pleasure it brought as it slid over his skin. He turned and caught his reflection in the partially fogged mirror and huffed out a soft breath at how gaunt and unwell he still looked.

That will go away. Soon, all traces of that place will disappear from my body.

But he was well aware that his mind would never completely forget.

And that is a good thing. To forget what it was like would be a step in the direction of ending up in that place again. And even being returned there, I would not survive a day. Too many people want me dead.

He wrapped a yukata around himself and walked out into the bedroom, pausing to admire the dark, earthy wood that made up everything.

Lovely.

It was strange how much he appreciated the little things.

But being locked away will do that to a soul.

He stood by the bed for a time, gazing down at Byakuya's sleeping form, then slipped into the bed alongside the noble, careful to leave the restraining field in place in case the man should wake before him.

It isn't terribly likely, but Byakuya is a formidable man. Even without his powers, he is capable of making trouble. I'd like to avoid that.

He yawned again and closed his eyes, leaving it to the barrier he had placed around the property to alert him to any dangers. But none disturbed him as he fell into a deep, restorative sleep. Morning came and still he slept, then through the next day and well into the night again before he was rested enough and opened his eyes.

I am free.

He breathed slowly and let the thought fill his mind and make it peaceful.

I may be in exile for now, but I am free. And I suppose, once I have gathered myself, I can see about altering things more in my favor.

He turned his head and glanced at Byakuya, thinking quietly about how best to use the noble.

I suppose it depends on what is salvageable.

He stared silently as Byakuya stirred under the restraining field and his dark, beautiful eyes opened and struggled to focus. Gradually, it dawned on the surprised Aizen.

He can't see.

He sat up next to Byakuya and released the restraining field, watching as the noble's lips moved, but no sound emerged. He breathed a reassurance into the soft shell of an ear and a twinge went through his insides at the noble's complete lack of reaction to his voice. He touched the place over each spirit center, testing them carefully, then shook his head sympathetically.

I should have let him die. This is a travesty. I wonder if he knows.

"Bya..." he began, only to pause a moment later as the noble's shaking arms reached towards him and grabbed on to him tightly. At first, he thought Byakuya had recognized him and he wrapped his hands around the noble's wrists. But a moment later, he felt a chill shoot down his spine as it occurred to him.

He is not attacking, but clinging for safety.

Byakuya?

The greatest leader in the history of the noble clans is...helplessly clinging to me and hasn't a clue who I am?

He let himself be stunned for a long minute...

Then, a slow, wicked smile crawled onto his face.