Blood dripped slowly onto the hot sands.
Byakuya lifted his sword, eyes narrowing as he watched the approaching horde. Dead things surrounded him, their horny and gnarled bodies broken and shattered. But his blood had joined theirs, and he had exhausted almost all his reiatsu. He could no longer summon his ban kai, and there were still more than enough to finish him.
A fitting end for a Taichou. He thought, almost detached, as a more massive creature forced his way to the front. He had no idea what these beasts were, but they were not hollows. The powers they used were nothing like what he was used to, nothing that he had felt before. I will die on my feet, with my sword in my hand, falling to an enemy of power. Living was always better, of course, but very few Taichou got to die in their beds.
Then there was a waver in the ranks of the monsters. At first he'd thought he'd imagined it, but a section of them began to part. He blinked as he saw the monsters almost grovelling, dropping their weapons and behaving as though they were pleading for mercy. A slender form walked between the ranks of creatures and the powerful thing facing him snarled. Byakuya stared, taken aback as he saw the youthful face of a boy barely into adulthood. Bright orange hair, cut short, framed a handsome, hard edged face. Three red marks decorated one cheek and they seemed to glow as the boy turned his head, looking over the horde with indifference. He was wearing black armor that, Byakuya realized, had been fashioned from the skin of some of these twisted beasts. It looked like leather, soft and supple, but Byakuya knew how tough those hides really were.
"What do you want?" The creature that seemed to be in charged growled, his voice gravelly. The boy tilted his head to one side for a moment, before walking over to stand in front of Byakuya. Byakuya met his eyes and saw they were a liquid gold, beautiful and dangerous. Booted feet crunched on the sand as the boy came so close, he had to fight not to step back. But he held still, just meeting that feral gaze and was finally rewarded with a smile.
"I think I want this shinigami." The boy said, reaching out to touch a lock of black hair that was twisting in the wind. Byakuya dared not even breathe, as he saw many of the monsters surrounding him beginning to slink away. Was this a reprieve, or was he going into even greater danger? "You all have the conversational abilities of a qwii bird. Get lost, shoko." He said casually, as if the beast threatening him was nothing more irritating than a fly. The creature roared and struck out with one great hand.
Byakuya watched as that hand flew away, leaving a spurting stump. The monster froze for one moment, then fell apart into two pieces. The strikes were so fast that he could barely follow them. Even if he had been at his full strength, he was certain he would not have been able to handle those strikes. The rest of the monsters howled in terror and began scrambling over each other to run away.
That did not stop the boy from killing them in droves. The sand was soaked in blood and body parts when they finally managed to flee or die. The boy flicked the blood off his sword, a blade as black as midnight, before sheathing it.
"Stupid bastards." The boy said factually before turning to Byakuya and looking him over. "You're not healing yet?" He sounded slightly surprised and Byakuya blinked slowly at him.
"I am a shinigami. We are strong, but we do not heal that quickly." He said quietly. "What do you want from me?" This boy had to be a new kind of monster. Yet, he seemed so much more human than anything he'd seen in this hell of sand and heat. The boy lifted his eyebrows before giving him a wry smile.
"I want to know my father's people, shinigami. Perhaps you can teach me their ways. I already know how my mother's people do things, and I wish I didn't." The boy kicked a piece of a corpse away contemptuously. "Come with me and I'll take care of you."
"And if I do not?" He asked, meeting those gold eyes, and wasn't very surprised when lips curved into a cruel smile.
"I go tell those assholes I've reconsidered, and you are not under my protection. They'll be back in a flash." He examined the nails of one hand before looking up again, golden eyes laughing. "In fact, I bet plenty of them are hiding just out of sight, hoping I'll decide I don't want you. They do so love fresh meat." Byakuya extended his senses and realized the boy was right. There were many watchful presences not too far away, radiating terror and bloodlust in equal measure.
"Very well." He said, quickly coming to a decision. It would be much easier to escape from this boy when he was healed and recovered than to try escaping from the monsters when he was exhausted and injured. "What is your name?" He asked. "And what are you?" That was a question he dearly wanted answered.
"You can call me Ichigo. As for what I am, it's complicated. I'll tell you later. Let's get out of here before someone gets stupid again." Ichigo said emotionlessly before turning away. Byakuya followed him, wincing faintly at the way the gritty sand struck his wounds. "If you need me to carry you, just say. It would be faster anyhow."
"I can walk." Byakuya said. He didn't want the boy to touch him. It would feel far too vulnerable, and he did not trust Ichigo at all. The boy said nothing for a time before pointing at a rock formation.
"You see the hole in the top? I made that by jamming a se-fa-kra right through it." He said conversationally and Byakuya suddenly froze. He knew that word, although it was not in a language he had ever heard used.
"That is a kind of demon?" He asked carefully, making sure he'd heard right. The boy glanced back at him, puzzled.
"Of course. Where do you think you are, exactly?" He asked and Byakuya felt his gorge rise. He'd honestly thought this was some kind of pocket dimension. But if this boy was correct, then…
"This is Hi-Vikir-Stei?" He asked and was sickened as the boy nodded. "How can you survive here?" The boy was so human. How could he survive in the dimension all the demons of the world had been banished to, after the shinigami came to be?
"It's where I belong." He said indifferently and Byakuya considered trying to kill him. But then he discarded the idea. He was simply too weak at the moment, and this demon was helping him for now.
But it was the duty of all shinigami to destroy demons, and he would always fulfill his duty.
Ichigo's lair, as it turned out, was a cave, carved into the side of a massive rock formation.
"-And then I chopped his head off." Ichigo completed his story, knawing on a dripping piece of meat. Byakuya was struggling not to be sick. Watching him tear the limb from a living demon had been bad. The pathetic way it had screamed when Ichigo's fangs had found its throat had been worse. Now he was eating the arm, and that was just disgusting, although he supposed it made sense. It wasn't like there was much to eat here. "And now it's your turn. Tell me a story." The boy demanded and Byakuya blinked, momentarily distracted from his nausea.
"What kind of story?" He asked and the boy tilted his head, thinking about it.
"Tell me about the Kurosaki clan." Ichigo asked and Byakuya stared.
"The Kurosaki?" That was utterly bizarre. They were a very minor clan, in service to the Shihoin clan. There was nothing remotely interesting or noteworthy about them. "What do you know of them?" Why should demons concern themselves with such a minor house? Ichigo sneered, tossing aside the broken remains of the arm he'd been devouring.
"All I know is my father's name. He was Isshin Kurosaki. My mother's family gave him the 'honor' of naming me before they tortured him to death. I never knew him, which is why I'm asking you." Ichigo said and Byakuya's eyes widened. Was he suggesting…?
"Tell me what you are and I will tell you what I know." He said softly. Ichigo's eyes flared for a moment, but then the boy shrugged.
"Why not? I probably should have started with that story, but I was proud of chopping that shoko's head off." Byakuya made a mental note that shoko was clearly an insult, not a name. "I'm Ichigo Kurosaki, I guess, although I don't really claim the last name. My father somehow stumbled into this place a thousand years ago. Some kind of accident I guess. As you might imagine, the demons were overjoyed to see him. Unfortunately for him, a demon lord caught wind of him and had him taken alive." Ichigo paused, scowling for a moment at nothing. "They spent a while breaking his mind and will. When they were done with that, they enchanted him to the point that he couldn't tell up from down. Then they convinced him that various female demons were his beloved wife. They pampered him through that stage, making sure he survived long enough to make me. That took about three hundred years. A lot of miscarriages and stillbirths."
"Why?" Byakuya asked, fascinated and horrified. "Why would they want a hybrid so badly?" He'd had no idea humans and demons could mate and produce offspring. There were no records of such a thing, so it must be incredibly rare. Ichigo grinned, leaning back against the cave wall.
"You saw me fight, and you ask that?" He laughed, sounding almost like a normal boy. "Hybrids are incredibly rare, but when one is successfully hatched and raised, we can surpass even a demon lord. Something about the spiritual essence of a shinigami and a demon fusing together. But more importantly, we can be used as a chink in the armor of the banishment." Byakuya's breath caught and Ichigo smiled. "Using a special ritual, a half-breed child can be used to call to Soul Society and open it to Hi-Vikir-Stei." Byakuya reached for his sword, even knowing that if he drew it he would likely die. A demon lord could only be taken by many Taichou.
"Are you the reason demons are spilling into Soul Society?" He asked, quiet but deadly. They hadn't been aware they were demons, but the strange monsters had been appearing for months. Ichigo looked surprised.
"No, I'm not. That ritual has to be performed by blood kin, and I wiped out my mother's family. There's not a single one left to perform it. Demons are in Soul Society? That's strange. I'll have to look into that." Ichigo's gaze was far away and Byakuya let go of his sword. He wasn't sure why, but he believed the hybrid. "Weren't you going to tell me about the Kurosaki clan?"
"I'm afraid there isn't much to tell." Byakuya admitted. "They are a very minor house. I only know of one Kurosaki, but he is not in my unit and not likely to advance any further." The only reason Byakuya knew of the man was because he'd decided not to take him into his unit. Ichigo sighed.
"And here I was vaguely hoping I might come from princely lines. Hah!" Ichigo shrugged and patted the hilt of his sword. "Well, it isn't a surprise. Father's zanpakuto couldn't give me much information, but I had a feeling his origins were humble."
"You have your father's zanpakuto?" Byakuya extended his senses and found that Ichigo's sword was indeed a zanpakuto, but the power in it was strangely muted. Also, the link to Ichigo seemed tentative at best. The demon boy nodded.
"Father's last wish was that it stay to protect me. The demons tried to take it from me more than once, but it always managed to come back. I can't talk to it much though." Ichigo sounded a bit sad. They sat in silence for a moment before the boy shook his head. "But I seem to be doing all the talking! Tell me a story, Byakuya. Whatever story you like best." That made Byakuya smile, faintly. Despite his amazing power Ichigo still sounded like a boy.
"Let me tell you about how the clans were created by the Soul King." He said and told Ichigo the story. The boy listened intently and Byakuya found himself pausing frequently to explain very simple things. But how could a boy know what a sakura tree was? Or a silk worm? His concept of a garden was vastly different from any human or shinigami's.
"You said the Kuchiki clan smell like a sakura blossom?" Ichigo asked when he was done, and Byakuya nodded. "Can I smell you?"
"No." He said repressively and Ichigo smiled, golden eyes glinting with good humor. "Perhaps we should get some sleep?" Although he wasn't sure how much he would get. The cave was already cold and it was barely sundown. How cold would this desert get? Ichigo glanced outside and nodded. "Do you have any blankets?" If it was going to get much colder, he would need them. Ichigo looked slightly puzzled.
"I'm not even sure what you mean." He said cautiously. Byakuya hesitated. That was a rather basic concept, but perhaps demons didn't use bedding.
"Coverings like the ones I'm wearing, to preserve body heat." He explained carefully and Ichigo looked at his clothes before shaking his head.
"We don't have anything like that here." He said and Byakuya sighed, nodding. He'd expected as much. Ichigo looked at him a moment, gold eyes blank, then stood and began removing his armor. Byakuya felt a stab of unease as he realized the hybrid wasn't wearing a stitch of clothing beneath it. Yet, his skin seemed unchaffed by the harsh leather. "But my skin is warm. I can keep you warm." Grey eyes met blank gold and Byakuya suddenly realized, to his shock, that Ichigo did not want to do this. He'd actually expected the demon hybrid might show interest in his body. Demons were notorious for rape, and the boy had to be quite lonely. But instead, his eyes were empty and void of any emotion as the demon boy sat down beside him.
"You don't have to do that." He said, shaken by the look in those eyes. If Ichigo had shown lust, he would have refused in disgust, but this was different.
"You're shivering already. I think I need to. But please, do not face me." Ichigo's voice was remote and Byakuya hesitated before lying down, facing away from the hybrid. Ichigo curled up behind him, draping an arm over him and Byakuya found he was not just warm, he was nearly hot. He felt feverish but he could only assume that was the boy's normal temperature. The heat soon seeped into his clothes and the shivering eased. At first he could sense a great deal of tension in Ichigo's curled body, but that gradually eased as he did nothing. The hybrid's face pressed into his hair before Ichigo spoke.
"You smell nice. Is that the sakura?" He asked softly and Byakuya nodded.
"Most likely it is." He answered, letting himself drift away. He almost missed the whisper behind him.
"I wish I knew what a flower looked like…"
Light assaulted his eyes and Byakuya hisses softly as he shifted. Myriad injuries twinged and he was tempted to stay unmoving. But he had to tend to bodily functions. Ichigo was no longer beside him, and as he sat up and glanced around the cave he could see that the hybrid was gone, most likely to find his own breakfast.
Reminded, Byakuya pulled out a field ration and his flask of water. The water was nearly empty, but he had eight field rations, more than enough for a week. He would have to ask Ichigo to find him some water, but surely the hybrid needed to drink. He hoped so, at least. If there was no water in Hi-Vikir-Stei he would soon be in difficulties. And the whole mission would not fare much better. Reminded of his duty, Byakuya summoned up a hell butterfly and began a report.
Soutachai, I have made contact with a friendly local. Unfortunately, I have no good news to report. This is Hi-Vikir-Stei and the forces invading Soul Society are demons. I am badly injured and in need of rest and replenishment, and will try to convince my contact to take a more active hand in events. He claims to be a demon-shinigami hybrid. I would like to request any information we have on such a breeding. Byakuya sighed to himself as he let the butterfly go. He was certain that Yamamoto would consider Ichigo an abomination as terrible as the demons. But if he could convince the hybrid to help them, perhaps the old man would change his mind. He was half shinigami, after all.
Deciding he had lazed around enough, Byakuya stood and made his way to the exit of the cave. He paused, regarding it with a frown. There was a strange energy there that reminded him of a kido, but raw and untrained. He carefully reached out to touch it and found that it seemed to do absolutely nothing. Shaking his head, he stepped out and into the harsh light of day.
He hadn't realized Ichigo's cave was quite so high in the sky. The hybrid had carried him up, and he had been in no condition to really observe during that swift ascent. But the cave was situated behind a natural outcropping in the stone, and there was plenty of space for him to move around. Below him, the desert stretched outwards in endless sand dunes. He could see no demons on the sands, but perhaps it was too early for them. Or perhaps they were busy elsewhere.
With the Divisions. Byakuya felt a chill at the thought, and passionately wished he could return to the base camp they had set up around the rift. But his reiatsu was still too weak, and Ichigo had no reason to help him yet. He would have to work on the hybrid for a while, earn his trust, before asking to be escorted back. If the demon boy chose to help him, Byakuya had no doubt that he would make it back to the Division.
Gazing over the red sands, Byakuya noticed that the demon desert had a kind of stark, brutal beauty. Great stone formations reached for the sky, harsh and immense. Then his breath caught in his throat as a dozen little jewels seemed to drift towards him.
"What is this? …Ah." Byakuya relaxed as he realized they were birds. Shockingly beautiful, they were tiny but had long feathers and were all jewel-toned. He reached out his hand to a beautiful aquamarine specimen, smiling at the large eyes and the tiny beak. It was incredibly cute and stooped to land in his hand-
Then a hard hand grasped his collar and Byakuya gasped as he was yanked back. He managed to catch himself just in time to see a sword flash out, bisecting the unfortunate bird. It fell in a splash of blood and feathers and the other scattered, flying away madly. Byakuya stared in shock at the fallen bird, then turned on Ichigo in a fury.
"Why did you do that? I didn't think you were demon enough to enjoy pointless cruelty!" He snapped in anger. Grey eyes met molten gold, and held.
"Pointless? Dammit shinigami! This is Hi-Vikir-Stei! Nothing but demons live here!" Ichigo snapped and Byakuya faltered. It had never occurred to him that the pretty, jewel-toned birds might be dangerous. Ichigo stooped to pick up a long feather. "Hold out your hand. Do it!" Feeling many misgivings, he held out his hand. Ichigo lowered the feather until the tip just touched his palm and Byakuya hissed as a drop of blood rose on his hand. "Those were qwii birds. The feathers are like razors and they spit acid venom. Demons keep them as pets and bred them to be pretty, but they've always had a place in the torture chambers." Ichigo's anger ebbed, turning into concern. "Nothing here is safe, Byakuya." Then he shook his head, speaking almost to himself. "You're too soft for this place."
"I am a Taichou." He reminded the hybrid. "Nothing about me is soft." Byakuya wanted to be offended, but found that he could not. Ichigo was concerned for him, and that was an emotion that should be encouraged in a half-demon. The redhead gave him a half smile before pulling off one of his gauntlets.
"I'm not referring to your power." He said, then stroked the feathers of the dead bird with his bare hand. Byakuya watched as Ichigo displayed his palm, which was unmarked. "I mean your skin. You're soft, and it's sweet, but you're not suited to this place. How long can I keep you with me before you die?" Byakuya met Ichigo's eyes again, wondering if that was a threat. But what he saw in those eyes was loneliness as full and deep as anything he had ever felt.
"You will have to return me to my Division." He said softly and saw a flash of pain in those golden eyes. "But not yet. I will stay with you for a while."
"Good." Ichigo nodded, pulling back on his gauntlet and looking at his cave. "Now how did you get out? My barrier keeps demons out, I thought it would keep you in." He sounded puzzled and Byakuya shrugged. He didn't know, and didn't want to be cooped up in the cave in any case.
"Perhaps we could go find some water?" He suggested and to his disappointment, Ichigo looked puzzled.
"Water?" He asked and Byakuya sighed to himself.
Ichigo was right. Nothing in the land of demons was safe.
Master. Byakuya propped himself up on one elbow, looking down at Ichigo. The young hybrid was deeply asleep, and looked surprisingly beautiful when he was completely relaxed. Glancing behind him, his gaze stopped on his zanpakuto. I have made contact with Ichigo's zanpakuto.
"You have?" He said softly, surprised. He hadn't asked Senbonzakura to do that. "What have you learned?" He kept his voice down although he wasn't too worried about awakening Ichigo. The hybrid had managed to draw water out of the earth and Byakuya had refilled all his flasks, but the effort had been exhausting to him. He had fallen asleep as soon as they reached the cave.
Everything he has said to you is true. The zanpakuto is named Zakanata. He is in a very poor state. Senbonzakura sounded solemn and slightly distressed at the condition of his fellow zanpakuto. He suffered terribly during his master's torture, and barely managed to bind himself to Ichigo's soul. He says that his duty is to remain until Ichigo can enter Soul Society. He will only rest when that is done. Byakuya's gaze fell on Ichigo's black sword. The edge of it was chipped, reminding him of Zaraki's weapon. But instead of being a sign of personality, he thought the damage to the zanpakuto reflected the damage to the spirit within.
"A highly unnatural situation." Byakuya observed, feeling Senbonzakura's agreement. Normally a zanpakuto spirit followed his owner into death, and was reborn when another shinigami's soul called for him. The memories of each life were lost with rebirth. Zakanata had severely overstayed and he could only imagine the spirit's anguish. "Why did he agree to it?" Byakuya was certain that if he asked Senbonzakura to do such a thing, the samurai would refuse.
I cannot say. When I asked, he started to weep and asked me to leave. Byakuya flinched at that. He'd never heard of any zanpakuto being reduced to tears, and couldn't imagine Senbonzakura in such a state. Reaching out, he gently rested a hand on the black blade and tried to send it what comfort he could. But he could feel nothing from it.
"We must take him to Soul Society then. It is not right to leave them here like this." He said softly. He'd already been thinking that. Ichigo was more human than demon and leaving him here would be cruel, even leaving aside the suffering of his zanpakuto.
Thank you, Master. I did not want to ask but I do not think Zakanata can endure this forever. I suspect he will eventually go insane, and possibly harm Ichigo as well. Byakuya's lips tightened and he sighed. That was another thing he'd never heard of, a zanpakuto going insane. But if any situation could drive a spirit to the brink, this would have to be it.
"Who are you talking to?" Ichigo's drowsy voice interrupted his thoughts, and Byakuya looked down into sleepy golden eyes.
"My zanpakuto. Go back to sleep, Ichigo. It's very far from morning." He said softly but the hybrid shook himself, sitting up. Byakuya had to avoid looking at his nakedness. Ichigo was perfectly formed and his deeply tanned skin was surprisingly attractive.
"Let me go check something." He said softly and left the cave, still naked and unarmed. Byakuya stared after him, surprised, but Ichigo was only gone for a moment before he stepped back inside. "I thought so. Would you like to see something beautiful?"
"If you get dressed and take your zanpakuto." Byakuya said repressively and Ichigo smiled, quickly pulling on his armor. "How far will we have to go?"
"Not far at all. It's right outside." Ichigo said and Byakuya followed the demon boy, a bit confused. But the confusion was resolved as the hybrid pointed at the sky. "Isn't it beautiful?"
"Yes." Byakuya said, awed. He'd seen the northern lights before, on a trip to the living world. But they had been blue and green, and only one slim line. What he was seeing now was pink, blue, gold and green, shading together and dancing in rows along the sky. As he watched two of the lines seemed to tangle and curled around each other like a luminescent hurricane.
"I don't know what they are." The hybrid said, eyes fixed on the heavens. "I tried to touch them once." Byakuya glanced at him, surprised, and saw the colors of the sky reflected on his skin. That, too, was strange and beautiful. "I flew so high that I could hardly breathe and there was ice on my skin. And I never got close. They must be so high."
"It is called the aurora borealis, the northern lights." Byakuya told him, before taking one of Ichigo's hands. He wasn't sure why he did it, but it seemed right. "They say it's an effect of the sun and the air, and it only happens on the roof of the world. I don't know why it would happen here as well, but it is beautiful. Thank you for showing me, Ichigo." The hybrid gave him a heart breakingly sweet smile.
"I'm just glad you're here to show it to, Byakuya." And they stood together, watching the play of light in the heavens.
