Dying Beautifully
By Spunky0ne
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Chapter 1: What Happened at Sunset
"Good evening, Byakuya-sama," Kuchiki Torio greeted his cousin, stepping into the dressing area in the clan leader's bedroom and taking up a position in front of him.
"Good evening, Torio," Byakuya answered, standing quietly as the attendant undressed him and then wrapped his pale, slender body in a lovely, dark blue silken yukata, "Has Tetsuya returned from his rounds yet?"
"Not yet, sir," Torio answered, "But he should be here soon."
"Hmmm."
Byakuya's mind drifted as Torio's warm hands continued to move, first finishing with dressing him, then brushing out his long, raven-colored hair. He left then to make tea, while Byakuya exited the dressing area and laid down in his soft bed, reaching over to turn out the lights, then turning his head slightly to look out through the open garden doors at the stars and rising moon.
A short time passed before he saw a dark shape appear in the doorway and Tetsuya slipped into his room. The younger noble said nothing as he crossed the hardwood floor on silent feet and slipped into his cousin's bed, smiling as Byakuya's arms wrapped around him and the Kuchiki heir's lips found his and caressed them hungrily. He moved easily with his cousin as Byakuya laid him on his back and nuzzled under his chin, before kissing his way down the length of Tetsuya's graceful white throat, while his fingers shamelessly teased the erect pink nubs on his chest until the younger noble's eyes went hazy with desire and he lost the ability to speak. Byakuya followed the path of his fingers with warm lips and a devilishly skillful tongue that swiftly left Tetsuya breathless and panting barely audibly. Byakuya paused and brought his lips to his reeling cousin's blushing earlobe.
"I want so much to make love to you, but I dare not. After what they did to Hisana...I couldn't take the risk," he confessed.
"Shh," Tetsuya breathed, touching his lips with soft fingertips that Byakuya nipped at playfully, "You know you don't have to explain. I understand. I am blessed to have this much of you."
"And I am blessed to have you. Tetsuya."
Tetsuya turned in his arms and began a slow crawl down Byakuya's slim, but beautifully muscled torso, honoring the white flesh with soft, affectionate kisses and small sweeps of his warm, pink tongue. The clan leader's head tipped back and his eyes closed. His fingers wove into the tumbled waves of Tetsuya's black hair, tightening slightly and nudging him downward. Smiling, Tetsuya complied, tracing his cousin's navel lightly, then following the path of fine black hairs to the firm, erect privates that awaited his attentions. Byakuya groaned and shifted as Tetsuya's breath teased him, then that warm, feisty mouth possessed him. His heart pounded at the gripping sensations, the tickles inside and the pleasure that mounted slowly, before gathering inside him and expelling itself forcefully.
He was careful, as was his lovely partner, to make no sound, but to keep the exchange as soft and breathless as the quiet night. In the minds of both men, the specter of Hisana's death reminded them of the necessity.
It was easy for them to do. Hisana was fragile already. Her life in the lower Rukongai was so difficult, it left her weak and vulnerable to them. And unwisely, I assumed that their vote to accept and bless my marriage to her meant that was the end of their objections.
I was naive.
I will never take that chance with your life, Tetsuya. I could not bear the consequences. Instead, I will accept the guilt of not being able to love you fully, of hindering your ability to move forward with your own life. Someday, I will be forced to let you go, but we have here. We have now.
Let us make the most of it!
He dragged his cousin back up to meet his lips and plunged deeply into Tetsuya's mouth, savoring their mingled flavors. Then he descended the younger noble's pale, sweat misted body, honoring every inch with solemn kisses, and returning readily the pleasure Tetsuya had offered him. Byakuya's dark eyes watched closely as his usually tranquil cousin writhed and panted heatedly, his blue eyes almost feral and shimmering brightly as pleasure finally had its way with him and left him helplessly undone.
Tetsuya laid still for a time, recovering, then turned onto his side, smiling contentedly as his cousin's body curled around his from behind and their eyes looked out at the lovely, icy and pale blue moon.
"I love you," Byakuya whispered, his breath warming the flesh of Tetsuya's pale throat and making it blush.
"And that love is happily returned," Tetsuya assured him.
They drifted off, their resting bodies blanketed in cool moonlight. Neither moved again, but to breathe until just before dawn, when Tetsuya opened his eyes and kissed his cousin's cheek and lips affectionately, then slipped out of his arms and walked back to his room to shower and dress. He emerged again a short time later and entered the gardens, where he looked around for a moment, then gave a soft whistle.
The bushes in front of Tetsuya rustled slightly, and a moment later, a lovely black equine head peeked out at him.
"There you are, Arashi. Come, it's time to make our rounds."
The stallion blew out a soft breath and exited the brush, pausing to shake of a few leaves and petals that had fallen onto his sleek black coat, before moving towards Tetsuya and standing quietly as he mounted.
Did you sleep well? Arashi's wispy voice whispered into the noble's mind.
Very well, Tetsuya replied, It was a wonderful evening.
The stallion peeked at him over a satin shoulder.
But you only had tea together...talked and...
Love is in the simple things, Tetsuya explained, To be looked at the way he looks at me, to receive his smile that makes me smile too. To feel such warmth in his touch as I feel nowhere else...that is the essence of love, Arashi.
The stallion huffed out a skeptical breath and moved easily along the garden trail, carrying Tetsuya from one guard post to the next, where he questioned the guards on watch and signaled the morning shift change. He had just returned to the gardens, where Byakuya and Rukia awaited him at the garden table, when the three caught sight of a silvery glint in the sky that twinkled oddly as it descended and headed towards them.
Byakuya stood, watching as the small creature moved closer, then reaching out to capture the pure white butterfly on his fingertip.
"Nii-sama!" Rukia exclaimed softly, "Nii-sama, what is that?"
"It is the royal messenger of the king," Tetsuya said in a stunned voice, "They are rarely sent to Soul Society."
The three watched breathlessly as the eerily beautiful insect delivered its message.
Executive order to all clan leaders, to Kyouraku sotaicho and to the Central 46 council...The king, his personal guard and the royal family have fallen. Emergency procedures are in effect and a team has been dispatched to secure the last remaining soul bearing his majesty's blood. The envoy will meet at the hall of the Noble's General Council, where the new king and consort will immediately be crowned.
The three stared at each other in disbelief for a moment.
"How can that be?" Rukia whispered, "All of them...?"
They had only a heartbeat to absorb the idea, then the Seireitei alarms began to ring loudly.
Red alert, Red alert. All stations prepare immediately for the passage of the royal envoy!
"Go," Byakuya told his shocked sister, "Your taicho will need your help."
He turned and accepted Tetsuya's hand as he mounted Arashi. Tetsuya climbed up behind him and touched the stallion's sides with his heels to send him into a gallop. They raced out of the manor gates and onto a long street, where surprised citizens paused amidst their daily routines and watched the stallion race by, while the Seireitei alarms continued to wail. Everything began to blur as Arashi quickened into flash steps, blazing along the streets and carefully avoiding the emerging defenders. He slid to a stop in front of the Noble's Council Hall and Byakuya and Tetsuya slid off his back and hastened up the front steps. They joined the gathering crowd of clan leaders and representatives, taking their place in the designated family section as the grand councilor appeared and brought the impromptu meeting to order.
"Greetings," he said solemnly, "As you will have been informed by now, there has been an attack on the royal palace, and all within were killed. The attack took place six hours ago and emergency procedures were begun immediately. We have recovered the king's prism and have consulted it to gain its wisdom as we move forward. The souls within the prism have revealed that there is one remaining heir of royal blood."
He paused for a moment, his aged face paling as he steeled himself. The doors behind him opened and council guards led in a tall, brown-eyed man who wore a simple tan yukata, and whose presence caused a wave of dismayed voices to rise within the chambers.
"Aizen Sosuke!" Tetsuya gasped, laying a protective hand on Byakuya's arm, "He is...?"
"I know this is a shock to all of you, as it is to me," the grand councilor went on, "but the information is confirmed. Aizen Sosuke is now the rightful king. As such, he can no longer be imprisoned, but must return to the palace at once, before the worlds become unbalanced and begin to fall apart!"
A rumbled of voices ran through the room as Aizen moved forward and stood in front of the gathered councilors. The grand councilor swallowed hard and hesitantly extended a hand, offering him the lovely, multi-faceted prism. Aizen accepted the prism with a smirk and looked into it quietly.
The gathered leaders and representatives watched in horrified silence as the prism glowed in acceptance, then offered up three images, while whispering voices laid out the prism's command.
Aizen Sosuke is heir to our power, the voices of the former kings ordered, And his consort will be Kuchiki Byakuya.
A shocked buzz rose up all around and the grand councilor called for order again.
"But...the consort must be virginal," the grand councilor said in a confused tone, "To bear the next royal heir..."
It is the bearer that must be virginal, the souls within the prism corrected him, The king and consort will be Aizen Sosuke and Kuchiki Byakuya. The royal bearer will be Kuchiki Tetsuya.
Byakuya felt all eyes turn to look at them, and felt Tetsuya's hand tremble where it touched his arm. He rose quietly, bringing his stunned cousin to his feet with him, then looked calmly up at the grand councilor, ignoring Aizen's wickedly glinting eyes.
"We understand what is expected," the Kuchiki heir said in the calmest voice he could manage.
The room erupted into chaos and Tetsuya's frightened eyes found Byakuya's as he moved closer to his cousin.
"How can this be?" he whispered, shaking harder as the reality began to set in, "That man, the one who betrayed all of Soul Society and tried, himself, to kill the king. That man is going to sit on the throne? And we are...?"
"It will be all right, Tetsuya," Byakuya promised, pulling his cousin close as the voices of the gathered leaders rose into roars and arguments began to break out.
Amidst the uproar, no one noticed as the grand councilor stepped back and Aizen stepped forward. But all of the gathered members froze as the former prisoner's reiatsu rose, quelling their objections and leaving them pale-faced and staring.
Aizen held up the prism for a moment, then set it on the podium in front of him.
"All of you know that the voices we hear from within the prism are the voices of kings and consorts past," he reminded them, "Their will cannot be overcome by anyone else's. The prism is incorruptible. It has named the consort and bearer, and they are to come forward now to be officially accepted."
He focused his eyes on Byakuya and his white-faced cousin, who exited their section and proceeded to the podium amidst perfect silence. The two ascended the white stone steps and joined Aizen in front of the now glowing prism as the voices from within it rose again, blessing and confirming the royal couple and their bearer. Not a soul within the room made a sound as the three turned and headed towards the exit doors.
Armed royal sentries surrounded them as they exited the building, then two sentries moved out ahead of them and opened a doorway into the royal realm. The group passed through, emerging into a small anteroom near the throne room, where the sentries stopped them.
"Your majesty, we have prepared a pathway to your temporary chambers. Attendants are still removing bodies and cleaning," the man explained in a shaky voice.
"It's fine," Aizen answered solemnly, "Lead the way."
The sentries led the royal chosen through a series of passages within the walls, then out into a large suite that had been emptied of its former occupant's belongings and prepared with the necessary comforts for the incoming royals.
Aizen stopped them as the doors to the room closed.
"Will you tell us now what happened?" he asked, frowning, No one has said how the royal family perished. What enemy is strong enough to do that, but not intelligent enough to take the prism as well?"
The pale-faced sentry swallowed hard and his voice shook as he answered.
"Th-the king was able to deliver the prism to a trusted attendant, who hid himself within the royal archive and was not found by the attackers. Knowing that they could not proceed without it, the attackers fled."
"I see. Thank you."
"Your majesty, we will protect you carefully, but you must understand, the ones who did this are extremely powerful. They will return for the prism, so you must keep it protected. The consort and bearer must also be protected. They, along with you, are the only future for the royal family. If you are lost, then we all are!"
"I will keep that in mind," Aizen said smoothly, "Now, if you will excuse us, I need to speak with my queen and concubine."
Tetsuya paled and Byakuya bristled at the words. Neither made an objection as the sentries exited and took up their posts outside, but Byakuya stepped forward, scowling furiously as soon as they were alone.
"How did you do this?" he demanded, "This is some kind of illusion! It has to be! How?"
"I assure you, if it is an illusion, it is not mine," Aizen said calmly, "And rather than questioning something you already know to be true, what you ought to be questioning is...if the king and royal guard fell, and the palace was overrun, why would the enemy leave?"
Byakuya stiffened and Tetsuya made a sound of dismay as they realized.
Not all of them will have left!
"You have more frightening things to worry about besides me being chosen as king. While the prism's choice is beyond question, everything around us is suspect. We need to protect ourselves."
"And how are we to protect ourselves against an enemy that has already slain the king, his family and the royal guard?"
"We are going to have to watch out for each other carefully," Aizen proposed, "We can't afford to completely trust anyone around us. But I have been in that situation before. The prism will provide us with some foresight and protection, still, we will need to always be cautious. We have to find where the enemies are hiding and eradicate them."
"Who are these enemies?" Byakuya mused, "Who could do this?"
"Didn't you feel the reiatsu as we were led near the throne room?" Aizen queried.
Byakuya looked back at him questioningly.
"Spirit demons," he said with certainty, "There is no question."
Before the other two men could respond, a tapping sounded on the chamber doors, which opened to admit a group that contained several familiar faces.
"Torio! Koji!" Tetsuya called out in a relieved tone.
"We have brought your staff from Kuchiki Manor to serve you," one of the sentries explained, "We imagined it would be better for you to be served by people you know well. And for your protection, we have brought several members of the old guard. They are retired members of the royal forces and a few surviving officers from the house forces. The two men on the right are old guard member Hotaka and Commander Yemon of the king's mounted guard, the Kishu. They will protect and train the bearer, as he is bonded with his stallion, Arashi and will serve with them after the heir's birth. The prism also identified those five shinigamis as competent protectors for the royal couple."
Kurosaki Ichigo, Byakuya mused inwardly, Urahara Kisuke, Yoruichi, Renji and Rukia!
And finally, as advisor, we have brought you Kuchiki Ginrei.
Grandfather!
"It is hard to know what the enemy will do next," the sentry went on, "But they will find it harder to infiltrate because you have people you know around you."
"We'll protect you," Ichigo promised, "That's why we're here."
"Thank you," Aizen said quietly, "To your posts, then."
He watched as the group exited, leaving them alone again. Aizen turned back to where Byakuya and Tetsuya stood, side by side, watching him warily.
"Well, then," the new king said, smirking slyly, "We should see to the consummation and making of the heir."