The Beast-Prince
(By request for Mpreglover11! :) Wasn't planning to do anything new, but reviews and chat get slow around some holidays, so I got sideswiped by Mpreg's amazingly different pairing of Kenpachi with Tetsuya. I have no idea how this will go because I never considered putting these two together, but as soon as Mpreg suggested it, the idea just wouldn't get out of my head. It is also a Bya/Ichigo story, so those two will be alongside the main couple with Byakuya both attempting to guide his gentle cousin and to rein in the very enthusiastic and irreverent Kenpachi. With Renji there to add perspective, this should be amusing while also being hot in the love zone! Tetsuya is a shy person, but with the right lover, he turns into a feisty little devil. Kenpachi should appreciate that...)
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Chapter 1: A Knife in My Heart
Why are you sad? You recovered your real strength and you were able to defeat me. I understand that many fights will go back to being boring little games for you. But now you have enemies to fight, friends to compete with...and more importantly, your partner who awakened with you...
"Fuck," Kenpachi sighed discontentedly, "Nothing's been the same since she died...since I killed her."
He let out a long breath of resignation, contemplating the darkness that was falling over the empty training grounds.
What the hell am I gonna do now?
He scowled as a deep, rough voice rose up in his mind.
You could stop your incessant bitching for one thing.
"Nozarashi," Kenpachi growled softly, "Bastard spends years not talking to me and now he won't shut the hell up..."
I'm bored.
I need something to fight...
He glanced back at the eleventh division headquarters and sighed, then shook his head and broke into a run. Sensing powerful reiatsu, he headed to the west, angling towards the Rukongai.
"Hey Kenny, where are you going?" called Yachiru, bounding after him.
"I'm bored. I'm going to fight something," he called back.
"Okay, wait for me!"
"Naw, you catch up."
He ran faster, enjoying the deeper breaths he took in that smelled like rain and seemed to freshen body and spirit. The reiatsu he had sensed flared more brightly, coaxing and teasing him until he erupted into flash steps.
"Wow Kenny!" Yachiru yelled appreciatively, "You learned how to flash step! FINALLY!"
"Eh, shut up..." he muttered, "I just want to get there before whatever it is leaves."
"Did Byakushi teach you that?" the girl persisted.
"Yeah. Yeah, he did. And I taught him a couple of tricks while we were sparring too. He's good. Maybe we should go over there later."
"Nope," Yachiru said firmly, "Byakushi's got a bun in his oven. No fighting for six more months."
"Aww, damn it all to hell, really?" the big man groaned, Remind me to kick Ichigo's ass for that. Now he's not just avoiding fighting me, he's knocked up my favorite sparring partner too! I'm gonna kill that little shit!"
"Um, aren't you forgetting something?" Yachiru reminded him.
Kenpachi blinked, then realized he had stopped running while they had been talking. Grunting determinedly, he located the riled reiatsu again and flash stepped towards it. As he moved closer, he recognized that there were two distinct reiatsus, one captain level and one unfamiliar.
Unfamiliar and more to my liking.
He laughed more contentedly and sped towards the place where the two were entangled, his sword already out and humming with readiness.
This is a very satisfying reiatsu, Nozarashi sighed contentedly, "And I think it's about to finish its opponent."
"Good, no one to get in the way of us having fun," Kenpachi concluded.
He emerged from the trees and skidded to a stop, staring at the strange sight that was playing out ahead of him. In a large clearing, rows of people, dressed in black and carefully hooded, gathered around a huge stone altar. Across its surface laid a very lovely and pale, naked young man, his wrists, ankles and waist lashed tightly to it. His reiatsu swelled wildly around him as he struggled to break free. But it was to no avail. His captors gathered around the altar, chanting loudly as a mist opened up over the captive man's body and a harsh red light poured out. The young captive looked up into the strange light and blanched, then he fought harder, crying out in terror as something began to pass through the opening.
"NO, LET ME GO!" he howled, straining until the skin under the bindings tore, "HELP ME! HELP ME, SOMEONE!"
Kenpachi's green eyes widened at how the young man's cry seemed to pass all of the way through him. He swayed dizzily for a moment, feeling a sense much like waking up from a very deep sleep. He exploded into flash steps, knocking aside the chanting men. His sword slashed, freeing the naked man as he propelled himself towards the beastly red monster that had been called out of the abyss.
"This is more like it!" he shouted happily, not noticing at all as the young man tore the bonds from his body and jumped down off of the altar.
As Kenpachi threw himself at the malevolent spirit, the male captive released flashes of kido and flash stepped wildly to escape the reaching hands of the men who had abducted him.
"You are food for the beast!" one of the hooded ones hissed, "Accept your fate, little transcendent!"
"What are you talking about?" the young man objected, "I am no transcendent! I am just a half-blood! I am nobody. I don't understand!"
"Accept your fate," another enemy intoned warningly.
The others closed in around him, chanting the same phrase repeatedly.
"AcceptyourfateAcceptyourfateAcceptyourfateAcceptyourfate!" they chanted, pressing in.
The young man looked desperately to where his rescuer was entangled with the hideous thing that had emerged from the spell mist the dark ones had conjured.
"Oh, this is not good!" he mused, looking around.
"Hiiiiiiiiiiii-yah!" bellowed Yachiru, crashing through the group of men and sending them tumbling wildly in all directions.
The men snarled and tried to regroup, but the naked man's kido flashed and Yachiru's little body assaulted them viciously, swiftly leaving the men in a scattered mess of dark clumps on the ground. As the last fell, the naked man made a sound of pain and collapsed, blood leaking from numerous wounds on his slender body. Yachiru dragged him quickly away from the fighting and worked at healing his injuries, while watching out of the corner of an eye as Kenpachi moved in blinding flash steps and his sword blazed this way and that.
"Wow, he's really having a good fight!" Yachiru said appreciatively.
"M-miss," the young man panted, "That...thing is a spirit demon!"
"Huh?" Yachiru queried, looking at him blankly.
"It's a spirit demon!" the man said again, "It will leave him with poison inside that will swiftly kill him. I can slow it down, but I have to get to him."
"I don't know," Yachiru said uncertainly, "Kenny doesn't like to be bothered when he's fighting, and he might cut you in half if you get in the way."
"Well, he just saved my life. I am not going to let him be killed!" the young man insisted, flash stepping towards the captain and the demon.
He launched himself into the air and swept over the two, touching the fighting shinigami lightly on the face and breathing a soft command.
"Shussui!"
Kenpachi's eyes rounded as he felt something cool sweep through his veins and the wicked burn of the spirit demon's invasive reiatsu seemed to retreat.
The young man landed just out of their range and turned back.
"You must finish him quickly!" he cried, "My power will hold off the poison, but only long enough for a few more strikes."
"Gotcha!" Kenpachi assured him.
The young man breathed a sigh of relief and finally thought to look around for something with which to cover himself. But as he moved, he felt an odd trickle on his chest. He looked down in surprise and found a neat row of claw marks where the spirit demon had slashed him across the chest.
"Oh!" he gasped, "Sh-shussui!"
Cool liqid flowed through his veins, protecting him from the demon's poison, but the loss of blood made him dizzy. He staggered and fell to his knees
"Please hurry!" he panted desperately, his eyes rolling back and his body shaking and finally giving way.
Yachiru appeared at his side and pulled him back from the two still fighting.
Kenpachi threw himself at the beast, loosing a monstrous snarl and slashing at blinding speeds. The demon hissed and spat, burning the ground around them and slashing with his sharp claws.
"All right, you little shit," Kenpachi snapped, "I'm getting giddy again, so I think it's time to put you down.
He put on a final burst of speed, slashing furiously and making a wind rise up around them. He raised his reiatsu and surrounded the beastly thing's body, roaring with a vengeance as it crushed inward, joining with the slashes to turn the spirit demon into an explosion of blood and ghastly green reiatsu.
"Fuck!" Kenpachi exclaimed, dancing back and watching the demon flicker oddly and disappear into a large puff of poisoned green gas, "That thing was nasty!"
He shook his head grimly and walked back to where Yachiru leaned over the naked and now unconscious young man.
"Is he alive?" he asked gruffly.
"Right now he is," Yachiru confirmed, "But he said that the poison will kill both of you if you don't get an anti...an...anti...he said you have to get a cure or you'll turn into a demon too!"
"What a damned pain!" Kenpachi complained, "We're pretty far from the fourth division."
"We can go to Karakura Town," Yachiru suggested, "Orihime Inoue's power should be able to help."
"All right, whatever," Kenpachi sighed indifferently.
He opened a senkaimon and started to step inside, but paused as Yachiru cleared her throat and pointed at the collapsed, naked and very attractive shinigami.
"Aww, hell, all right. I suppose he did help so I could enjoy the fight longer. Come on."
Kenpachi lifted the unconscious man into his arms, blinking as a soft, sweet scent broke across his senses.
He smells a little like Kuchiki...but sakura and something else...leather? I like that.
A soft chuckle rumbled through his chest as the close contact with the younger man sent a warm throb of arousal through his loins.
I feel kinda strange.
"We've gotta hurry, Kenny!" Yachiru said urgently, "I don't want you both to turn into monsters!"
"Would you stop fussing?" Kenpachi complained as the two flash stepped into the precipice world and down the dark corridors, "I'm going, sheesh..."
They located the Karakura Town exit and burst through, coming down to land lightly on the sandy ground in Kisuke Urahara's underground training area. As his feet touched the ground, Kenpachi felt a sharper burning in his chest and made a sound of surprise and pain. Still holding the naked young man against him, he sank to the ground, groaning and losing consciousness as Yachiru yelled for the shopkeeper.
A blistering flash step sounded and Kisuke appeared in front of them. He looked from Yachiru's worried face to Kenpachi to the naked man he clasped. Blood splashed their bodies all over and Kisuke felt a twinge of concern at the deep wounds.
"Looks like we'll be needing Orihime," he mused, pausing to send a hell butterfly before kneeling at Kenpachi's side.
"What happened to them?" Kisuke asked, "They got ripped up pretty bad."
"Kenpachi sensed something big and he went to see what it was," the pink-haired vice captain explained, "It turned out there were these people in black that took that guy's clothes off and tied him up. They were chanting and there was a mist over the guy. Then, this monster with red and black skin dropped down and Kenny wanted to fight it. The naked man said that the thing was a demon and it was poisoning Kenny! He said a funny word and Kenny got stronger again, but he said it was only for a little while and then the demon slashed him with his claws and he was bleeding and used his spell on himself!"
"Whoa, slow down," Kisuke chuckled, "I can't keep up with you. But don't worry. Orihime's on the way."
He leaned over the naked man, studying him more closely, then making a sound of surprise.
"What's wrong?" asked Yachiru, "Is he becoming a demon?"
"No, not yet," Kisuke said, shaking his head, "I just realized I know him! This is Byakuya's younger cousin, Tetsuya Kuchiki. He went missing tonight under suspicious circumstances. Half the Seireitei is looking for this guy!"
"Well, we found him!" Yachiru said proudly.
Her voice dropped into a loud whisper.
"But before we let anyone else find him, we ought to get him some clothes to wear!"
"Don't you worry about that," Kisuke laughed, "I'll take care of him. But I need you to go back to the Seireitei and let Byakuya know that Tetsuya's been found."
"Okay!" the pink-haired girl said enthusiastically.
Kisuke smiled and shook his head as she disappeared into a senkaimon.
"Cute."
He leaned over the two unconscious men, infusing their bodies with healing power, but feeling an edge of anxiousness until voices sounded at the top of the training room ladder and Orihime quickly climbed down to join him.
Even before reaching him, she was already releasing her power. Golden oval shields swept over Kenpachi and Tetsuya, adding her power to Kisuke's and working to reject the demon's poison.
"Thanks," Kisuke said gratefully, "These two got into some serious trouble out there. Whatever they tangled with wasn't something we usually see in Soul Society."
"What was it?" Orihime asked, paling.
"Well, Yachiru said it was a spirit demon," Kisuke explained, "But spirit demons are the former agents of an old dark transcendent of the royal realm. If they are here, then they are on a blood hunt. What I don't know is why. I would try to get it out of the demon, but I'm sure, being Kenpachi, he turned it into mincemeat before coming here for healing. Damned shame. I want to know who grabbed Tetsuya and why. I need to study this some more."
He looked up as Byakuya and Ichigo arrived through the senkaimon and joined him at Kenpachi and Tetsuya's side.
"What the hell happened to them?" Ichigo exclaimed.
"They were attacked by something we don't usually see here...a spirit demon," he explained, looking meaningfully at Byakuya, who inhaled sharply and nodded.
"That does not bode well."
"No," Kisuke agreed, "I mean, it could be an isolated one, but those things are usually on a blood trail of some kind, and this one was conjured, using Tetsuya as an intended sacrifice...from what Yachiru told me."
"A sacrifice!" Byakuya repeated in a furious tone.
"Yeah, something really weird is going on and..."
Kisuke paused and his eyes widened as, in front of them, golden reiatsu suddenly exploded around Kenpachi. His body shuddered and his hand moved, causing the long, rough fingertips to touch Tetsuya's very lightly. White reiatsu flashed brightly in response, all around Tetsuya's still naked form.
"Whoa!" Ichigo yelled over the rising wind, "What's going on?"
Kisuke and Byakuya exchanged stunned glances, watching raptly as the two reiatsus swirled around each other, then started to merge.
"Tetsuya!" Byakuya hissed softly, watching as the spinning energies bound themselves together.
Their reiatsu flared wildly, one more time, then slowly died away, leaving the three men and human girl staring down at the two now fully healed men.
"Weird!" Ichigo exclaimed.
"I'm with him," Kisuke said, staring, "Byakuya, I have a really bad feeling about this."