Heart of a Demon
By Spunky0ne
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This one was the result of a request by Picklez80 for an Ichigo in distress story that would involve demons, much like Red Samurai, but focus on Byakuya/Ichigo with a lovely side of Katsuro/Tetsuya and Grimmjow/Renji!
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Chapter 1: Healing
What happened?
Where am I?
The last thing I remember is being face to face with Ywach and he said it was all over. I don't remember anything at all after that?
Did we win?
Is everyone okay?
Am I still alive?
"Ichigo?" queried a calm, male voice, bearing a weary intonation.
He felt a warm hand squeeze his gently, then a damp cloth cooled his face, coaxing a sigh of relief from his too dry mouth. Ichigo had to think for a moment before the name of the man seeped into his troubled mind, but his presence at the Shiba heir's side brought a shaky smile to his face.
"B-byakuya?" he managed softly.
"Yes. I am...relieved to hear to hear your voice," the noble answered, "Are you going to open your eyes?"
Ichigo chuckled, but was immediately sorry as pain flared in his chest and stomach.
"Oh!" he gasped.
"Do not move too much. You are, as they say, held together with baling wire and duct tape. Would you like another pain block?"
"W-well, not to seem weak or anything, yeah, that might be good," Ichigo admitted.
"You are not weak," Byakuya chided him, still in that calm, low voice that told Ichigo that it must be late at night, "The man who ended the atrocities of the quincy king could never be called such a thing."
"Is everyone okay?" Ichigo asked, his unaddressed worries returning as new life seemed to seep into his recovering body, "Rukia? Renji? Tetsuya? My friends from Karakura Town? Are you all right?"
"I am fine," Byakuya assured him, "and although many of us are still recovering and may take some time to heal, we will be all right."
Ichigo's eyelids fluttered and his eyes slowly opened and found Byakuya's slightly battered, but lovely face looking down at him.
Man, he looks like he hasn't slept in a while. Still gorgeous. Damn, that guy even looked beautiful before, when he was dy-!
The memory of Byakuya's near death at the quincy, As Nodt's hands returned full force, making Ichigo's heart throb painfully in his chest as a sound of distress escaped his parted lips.
"Ichigo?"
"S-sorry," the Shiba heir croaked uncertainly, "I just...everything seemed to catch up with me at once. Are you sure you're okay?"
A very small and pleasantly warm smile touched the noble's fine lips as he realized what had caused his friend's momentary distress.
"I am fine. I told you that. And you know how I hate repeating myself."
"Yeah," Ichigo chuckled, careful not to do so hard enough to hurt his aching innards.
"You need more rest," Byakuya said, washing his face gently again, "Go back to sleep for a while."
"What about you? You look pretty tired. Can I trust you to get some rest too?"
"I am waiting for word on my cousin," Byakuya explained, "Tetsuya was badly injured and very traumatized by the ferocity of the fighting when the quincies discovered the location of our evacuation site."
"They...Byakuya!" Ichigo gasped, trying to sit up and encountering strong hands that pushed him gently, but firmly back down, "D-did they...?"
"Tetsuya braced the strongest of the attackers, while our elders and the strongest fighters defended the pathway for the family to escape. Several of our family were killed, including a small group of women and children who were attacked as they fled. Tetsuya was badly injured, but he and the elders were able to provide cover so that most of the family escaped. Tetsuya was evacuated here because his injuries were life threatening and he had been chosen to serve someday in the king's mounted guard. He has been through several surgeries and is doing well physically, but..."
"You're worried about him. That's understandable," Ichigo said sympathetically, "Sounds like he had a really rough time of it."
"Tetsuya is a powerful shinigami, but his heart has never been in fighting and conflict. He only fights when he must, and he does not take pleasure in it. And when he sees people he cares about suffering or dying...he has a tendency to blame himself too readily for not doing enough."
"Well, he has the best healers, so he'll be okay, right?" Ichigo said soothingly, "And with someone like you looking out for him and guiding him, his heart will heal too."
"I hope so. I am very concerned that he hasn't spoken a word since he was brought here."
"Well, we're all getting over what happened, so, just rest yourself for now and give him time to come around."
"You're right, of course," Byakuya agreed, his voice sounding even more weary.
"If I'm right, then why are you still here and not resting?" Ichigo chided him, smirking.
"I told you. Tetsuya is in surgery and I am awaiting word on him."
"Well then," the Shiba heir said, taking an extra pillow and setting it on the edge of the hospital bed, "Put your head down and relax while you wait. I think you've worried enough about everybody else. You need to take care of yourself too. I...don't want anything bad to happen to you, you know?"
Byakuya sighed softly and slowly leaned forward, resting his head on the pillow and curling an arm around it, turning his head so that he could still see Ichigo's approving face.
"That's better. I'm sure they know where to find you, so let it all go for a while."
The two went quiet then, resting quietly and gazing out the window into the darkness. In moments, Byakuya was sleeping and Ichigo couldn't help but want to look at him.
He's really beautiful. I've always thought that. But it isn't just on the outside. It's everything about him. Even some of the stuff that bugs me about him is beautiful.
Ichigo's shaky fingertips extended and touched just some trailing flutters of the Kuchiki heir's satin black hair.
I'm so glad you didn't die, Byakuya.
Thank you for taking care of me.
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"What's that?" Grimmjow asked, peeking over Renji's shoulder at the hell butterfly that rested on the redhead's fingertips, "Another message from your dad?"
"Shut up," Renji sighed in annoyance, shifting uncomfortably as pain flickered under the bandages on his midsection, "I don't wanna talk about it."
"You gonna go and see him?"
"Hell no," Renji said irascibly, "The guy fucking ignored me for most of my life. And he didn't even choose to stop ignoring me. The only reason I even know about him is because we met while you and I were going to look for Tetsuya. The guy never gave two shits about me, and nothing he says will change anything anyway."
"I thought he said that he didn't know about you for a long time. Not until you reached bankai and your power got the attention of the king and royal guard."
"So? That was over two years ago I reached bankai. He could have..."
"What about what Urahara said, you know, about them not being allowed to...?"
"Bullshit," Renji huffed, looking away, "If he wanted to be friends at that point, cause he sure as hell had no right to pretend to be a father, he should have gotten permission to come to me then. He chose not to come to me, so he chose not to have anything to do with me. I'm not going to see him. That's it."
"Heh," Grimmjow chuckled, smirking, "He looked kinda busy anyway. He's been in all night with the healers managing Tetsuya's surgery."
"Thanks a lot!" Renji snapped, rolling his eyes, "You know how I feel...felt about Tetsuya."
"And I also know he cares a lot about your friendship," Grimmjow noted, "He couldn't take his eyes off your dad, though."
"Would you shut the hell up?" Renji fumed, "I thought you were trying to make me feel better, not worse!"
"What do you expect?" Grimmjow mused, chuckling, "I'm a freaking hollow! What would I know about cheering anyone up?"
He studied Renji's infuriated expression for a moment, then patted him on the shoulder.
"Come on, Red. Let's get outta here, okay? We can go back to my room and have a few drinks. I mean, we should enjoy this place while we can, ne? We have to go back to our own beat up worlds soon enough. Better enjoy the good things while they last."
"Eh, I guess you're right," Renji sighed, shaking his head and turned to follow Grimmjow out of the infirmary.
As they left, Renji couldn't help but notice the tall, red-haired man, still dressed in his black and red shihakushou and sitting quietly at Tetsuya's side in one of the healing rooms. The man glanced up and caught Renji's eye for a moment, before Renji gave him a look of undisguised anger and turned his back.
"You sure you don't wanna...?"
"No!" Renji snapped, flash stepping away.
"Huh, poor kid. I'd be pissed too," Grimmjow sighed, moving to follow.
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"Renji," Katsuro whispered to himself, watching as his son gave him a reproving glare and flash stepped away, "I don't blame you for hating me."
He sighed softly, then turned his eyes back to the unconscious shinigami who laid in the hospital bed in front of him.
"Come on, now," he said gently, "You've been sleeping for a long time. I was hoping you'd open those big blue eyes of yours and at least acknowledge my presence."
Tetsuya's eyelids cracked open slightly and his eyes moved sluggishly, trying to focus.
"B-bya...?
"He's fine," Katsuro assured the younger man, squeezing his hand comfortingly, "We'll let him in to see you as soon as you are out from under the anesthesia. You're still pretty groggy."
Tetsuya's eyes found Katsuro's and held them quietly, but he made no further attempts to speak. But there was gratitude in his expression and his hand moved slightly in Katsuro's, making the king's samurai smile warmly.
"You're welcome," he breathed softly, "You and the others fought hard to protect everyone. That didn't escape the attention of the king, Tetsuya. He is very impressed with you."
Tetsuya's eyes took on a haunted look and he closed them again.
"It's all right," Katsuro assured him, understanding instantly the meaning beneath the heavy expression, "I know such things are not much comfort to you right now, but...just rest. I will have your cousin brought to you as soon as you are recovered enough."
He slowly cooled the young noble's comely face with a wet washcloth, then sighed and set another pain block.
"Master Samurai," said a youthful male voice from the doorway, "the king has asked for you to come to him, sir."
"Of course, Jun," Katsuro answered, rising and stretching, "Will you go and inform Kuchiki Byakuya that he can see his cousin now?"
"Yes sir," the messenger responded, bowing, then flash stepping away.
Katsuro exited Tetsuya's treatment room and paused outside the door, touching the arm of the king's personal healer.
"Yasuo," he said quietly, "I have been called to see the king. Will you please make sure that Tetsuya is not left alone?"
"Of course," the healer answered, stepping into Tetsuya's room, "I was just about to examine him."
"His vital signs have remained stable through the procedure and ever since, but when he woke, he seemed...troubled."
"One can imagine," the healer said sadly, "He's been through a lot."
The healer looked from Tetsuya to Katsuro and smiled.
"But he is fortunate to have so many people supporting him as he heals."
"Yes," the samurai agreed, a thin shaft of discomfort passing through him, "he is fortunate."
Katsuro took his leave of the healer and walked slowly out of the infirmary. He made his way through the quiet hallways of the palace, his bright, red-brown eyes focused on the floor a few feet in front of him and his mind still back in the infirmary. He flinched slightly as he sensed his angry son's riled reiatsu within one of the rooms and he felt a throb of regret.
I wonder if I'll be able to patch that one up. I would go now and speak to him, but for his majesty's summons. Perhaps in the morning...
He continued on to the throne room, pausing at the door as the guards recognized him and bowed briefly, allowing him to pass.
"Ah, my samurai," the king greeted him.
"You are up late, your majesty," Katsuro noted.
"There is much to attend to," the king answered, blinking slowly.
"What can I do to serve you, your majesty?"
"I understand that Shiba Ichigo is stable now?"
"Yes. He will make a full recovery."
"And Kuchiki Tetsuya?"
"He is improving after the latest surgery, but his will be a longer period of recovery. Yasuo expects he will recover fully with time, but has indicated concern about his emotional state."
"Yes, I heard about what happened," the king sighed, "It made me wonder if choosing him was the best thing. One needs to be emotionally strong to serve with the mounted guard. His powers are definitely noteworthy, but..."
"I have confidence in him," Katsuro assured the king, "He is young still. There is time for him to grow into readiness."
The king's eyes fixed on the samurai and Katsuro looked back at him silently.
"I am aware of what measures you took to see that he would not die. I am grateful for your dedication to saving him, but I am also curious. Why did you share your life force with him?"
A very light blush touched the samurai's features and he gave the king a warm smile.
"His majesty wanted Kuchiki Tetsuya to live," he said firmly.
"Oh?"
"And," Katsuro went on, "After how hard he fought to protect his family, a family in which many looked down on him and refused to acknowledge him, I could not simply stand by and watch him die."
"He has...touched your heart, my samurai?" the king inquired softly.
Katsuro paused, picturing the younger man's comely face and feeling for a moment as though Tetsuya's slender hand still laid in his.
"Yes."
"Then, I will leave his healing in your hands. You and Yasuo have managed to save his life, but the burden of healing his heart will fall to you."
"I understand, my lord."
"Very well. Go and rest now."
"I will, your majesty," Katsuro said, bowing.
"And Katsuro," the king said, making the samurai straighten and look back at him questioningly.
"Your majesty?"
"There is someone else with whom you must make things right."
"Yes, my lord. I understand."
Katsuro took his leave of the king and started back towards his room, his mind weary and troubled.
"But fixing what went wrong between my son and me may be something I can't do," he whispered, "After all, I made a choice that hurt him. If he chooses never to forgive me for it, I can do nothing."
He paused as he reached the door to the room in which he had sensed Renji earlier and found traces of it still, but also hints of drunken thoughts and flickers of recent sexual activity. He sensed also the presence of the blue-haired hollow's reiatsu and opted to leave the two to sleep.
"Ah well. The war has ended. There is always tomorrow," he sighed, continuing on towards his room.
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"Nii-sama?" Rukia said, slipping into Ichigo's room, then pausing as she spotted her brother sitting in the chair by the Shiba heir's side, his head resting on a pillow and Ichigo's fingers threaded lightly into her brother's raven-colored hair.
Ichigo looked up at her and smiled, withdrawing his hand from where it touched Byakuya's hair as the Kuchiki heir stirred and lifted himself.
"Rukia?" he queried, blinking, "Is there news about Tetsuya?"
"He came through the surgery fine," Rukia reported, "Yasuo-san told me that you can visit him now. He also asked me to remind Ichigo that he should get up every so often now and try to walk a bit."
"That's good," Ichigo said, nodding, "I want to see Tetsuya too."
"Do you want me to help you?" Rukia offered.
"You should go and rest," Byakuya suggested, "I have had a little sleep now and I will assist Ichigo."
"Are you sure, Nii-sama?"
"Yes. Go on now."
Byakuya watched as the young woman left, then climbed to his feet and helped Ichigo out of the hospital bed.
"Thanks for convincing her to go," Ichigo said gratefully, "She looked really tired."
"She has been constantly at Inoue Orihime's side since they arrived here," Byakuya explained, "Orihime's condition has improved, but she is still too weak to be healing anyone yet."
"Ah, but it's good she's all right."
"Yes."
Ichigo felt a smile reach his lips as Byakuya's arm curled around his waist and a flutter of sakura scented hair tickled his cheek.
"Th-thanks," he sighed.
"Are you in any pain?" Byakuya asked quietly.
"Naw, I'm okay. That pain block is still working, I guess."
"Very well, come then. Tetsuya's treatment room is just down the hallway."
Ichigo leaned heavily against the Kuchiki heir's warm shoulder, limping along as Byakuya supported him. They worked their way slowly down the hallway and entered Tetsuya's room to find the bed empty and the king's healer looking around frantically.
"What is it? What's happened? Where is my cousin?" Byakuya asked breathlessly.
"I don't know!" the white-faced healer answered disbelievingly, "I adjusted the limiter to allow his reiatsu to begin circulating a little and he just...disappeared!"