Fallen Gods
By Spunky0ne
(For Sariniste I know you're waiting for To Die For and Dark Heart, White Soul. I will get those up and going soon. I am just having trouble with the plots and it's taking some time to think things through. In the meantime, I thought you might enjoy a new Aizen/Tetsuya story. It begins with a short abduction in which Tetsuya learns some disturbing facts about Aizen's reasons for his betrayal. After his release, Tetsuya begins to question if there might just be some truth in the things Aizen whispered to him during their time together…Aizen/Tetsuya, Byakuya/Haschwald, Bazz-B/Renji, Grimmjow/Ichigo…yaoi, mpreg)
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Chapter 1: Wreckage
A bolt of blue lightning flashed brightly across the clouded sky, illuminating the stiffened body of the quincy king as a white arrow pierced it, then the heavy slash of Ichigo's blade nearly cut him in half. A short distance away, Aizen Sousuke crawled through the driving rain and thick mud, on one hand and his knees, blood still leaking from the stump of a missing arm. He knew better than to remain in the area, but summoned what power he could to cover his escape. Then, he dragged himself into the bushes and headed for a nearby wooded area. The clearing behind him went eerily silent as he felt Ywach's burgeoning reiatsu recede.
The first thing that will happen as soon as Gotei forces reach them is that they will begin looking for me. I'm not about to be tied to that damned chair again. No, I don't intend to be their prisoner anymore. But…getting away while in this condition will not be so easy. The hougyoku will heal my injuries, but it will take time to regrow an arm. I don't have that kind of time to spare.
He moved steadily away, panting softly and listening for any telltale signs behind him. The rain pounded down, obscuring the trail of leaking blood and reiatsu he left behind. So intent on the area he was leaving, he barely noticed the boundary he crossed and the sign denoting the edge of the Kuchiki family estate.
I barely know why I stayed to help them, he mused inwardly, I know that Central 46 will not care that I assisted them, and in truth, I had no change of heart about my actions from before. It's only that Ywach was a threat to everyone's existence. He would have ruined the three worlds and when he rebuilt them, he might have included in his plan, a way for him to deprive me of the hougyoku and my life. At least the shinigamis can't kill me. And as long as I live, there is the chance to renew my plans to fill that vacancy in the skies.
His aching mind went into a spin and he lowered his head, trying to slow his breathing and blink the stars out of his visual field.
I really don't want to pass out where I can be found. I just need to hide for long enough so that the hougyoku heals me.
He waited until he could see properly again, then resumed his slow crawl through the long, dripping grass and bits of brush that lined the trail he followed. He reached a gate and peered through, frowning as he spotted the still smoldering ruins of Byakuya's home and the lovely gardens that had graced the estate grounds for over five hundred years.
Such a shame. This was probably the most beautiful garden in all of the Seireitei.
He heard a low sound of pain coming from somewhere ahead of him and moved forward slowly to the place in front of him where a young man with sodden, tumbled black hair and wearing the uniform of Byakuya's personal guard laid, curled and shaking softly on the ground. His first thought was to kill the man, but he realized swiftly that his own powers were dreadfully weak and the young man seemed injured beyond being a threat to him. The escaped prisoner crawled to the young man's side and leaned over him, studying the deep slashes on his slender body that still leaked blood.
It was then that he spotted the healer's insignia on the man's arm. He bit his lip gently, thinking for a moment, then he quickly hypnotized the injured man so that he saw a stranger whose gentle looking features would inspire the man's trust.
"Hold still," he instructed the guard, "I need to stop the bleeding or you are going to bleed to death."
The young man groaned, but calmed under his extended hand. Summoning the dregs of his remaining power, Aizen focused on the worst of the wounds, healing the man just enough so that he regained some of his senses and laid still, looking quietly up at the stranger who had found him.
"What is your name?" Aizen asked, "I see you are a member of the Kuchiki house guards."
"T-tetsuya," the young man answered in a shaky voice, "I am, Byakuya-s-sama's personal bodyguard and healer."
Aizen nodded.
"You are a trained healer?" he inquired, "I know you are too drained to restore my reiatsu, but do you think you can bandage a few of my wounds? Having but one arm and no medical supplies…"
"I think I can help you," Tetsuya said, sitting up slowly and holding a hand to his side as he moved.
He picked up a small medical bag that had landed on the ground near him when he fell and he searched the contents, removing a few items he used to clean and treat the worst of the stranger's wounds. He glanced at the heavy bandages on Aizen's chest.
"Don't worry about that one," Aizen instructed him, "You have helped plenty. My reiatsu is beginning to restore itself more quickly now."
I wonder if I should take him with me. I will require medical care while the hougyoku regains some power. Being under that seal for so long has drained it badly.
Tetsuya glanced back in the direction the stranger had come from, his sapphire eyes troubled.
"I had heard that the noble families were in hiding," Aizen said conversationally, "Why are you not with them?"
Tetsuya's eyes turned to meet his for a moment.
"I sensed that the quincy king was nearby and the worlds were shifting as though they were coming apart," Tetsuya explained, "I opened a pocket dimension and evacuated everyone into it."
"But you didn't stay safe inside with them," Aizen observed, "Why is that?"
Tetsuya frowned.
"I told you before that I am Byakuya-sama's personal bodyguard and healer. His order was to keep the family safe during his absence. They are safe and the war has ended with the fall of the quincy king. I was returning to him to care for him, then to accompany him to the evacuation site."
"You are sure that he is still alive?" Aizen asked.
Tetsuya nodded.
"He has been in the royal realm, defending the king, but he will return, now that Ywach has been defeated."
Tetsuya paused to scan the area around them, visually first, then with his reiatsu.
"This area is clear of quincies," he told Aizen, "You should be safe here until you are recovered enough to leave. Thank you for assisting me. You may feel free to partake of food, drink or medical supplies you can find in the wreckage of our home. I would stay with you, but I must be there when Byakuya-sama arrives. I…"
Tetsuya's words stopped abruptly as the man in front of him whispered a soft command.
"Shatter."
The noble stiffened, staring, and his blue eyes rounded in surprise and terror as the illusion around Aizen fell away, revealing him completely. Aizen moved swiftly to his side and wrapped an arm around his waist, heavy reiatsu holding him in place as the escaped prisoner breathed into his ear.
"Listen carefully if you want to live, Kuchiki Tetsuya," he said warningly, "I am also grateful to you for healing me enough that I have some power to defend myself. But…as much as that is true, I need a healer to care for me until the hougyoku regains more of its powers. I have no reason to harm you, and I promise you that I will not do so, as long as you obey my commands. I will not ask you to do anything to harm anyone. I know that healers are carefully trained to only use violence as a last resort. I will not be violent with you as long as you give me no cause to do so."
He paused, feeling the shiver that passed through his captive as Tetsuya gathered himself.
"Do you understand, Tetsuya?" he asked.
Tetsuya gave a tentative nod.
"You will not hurt me if I obey your commands and you will not ask me to hurt anyone," Tetsuya repeated in a calm, quiet voice.
"Good. We understand each other," Aizen said approvingly.
Tetsuya stood, silently watching as Aizen picked up the noble's fallen blade and fastened it at his waist, next to his own. He set Tetsuya's wrists in a strong kido binding, then laid a measure of cloth over them to hide them.
"Come with me," Aizen directed the younger man, "We must cross over, into the Rukongai before the guards return to the Seireitei gates."
Tetsuya paused, looking back in the direction he had sensed the quincy king. Aizen followed his gaze, thinking for a moment, then he slipped an arm around him and guided him away.
"Don't worry," he said soothingly, "you will be home with your cousin soon."
Tetsuya gave him a doubtful look, but gave no answer.
Aizen smiled.
"Come now, Tetsuya. We must be on our way."
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Byakuya stood near Shunsui and Kiuske, watching as a barely recovered Tenjiro worked at healing two quincies who laid, submerged in the White Bone Pond. He breathed a litany of curses, swirling the water around the two, then launching them across the chamber, into the Bloody Hell Pond.
"How are they doing?" Kisuke asked, watching the two motionless men closely, "Are you sensing any signs of improvement?"
"Huh," Tenjiro huffed, "I guess anything's an improvement from dead, right? So, yeah, there's improvement. Now, they're ninety-nine one hundredths dead!"
"Well," Byakuya said solemnly, "their bodies have not degraded. There is still hope."
"And what are you gonna do with a couple of almost dead quincies, Kyoraku-san?" Kisuke asked, "Neither one is a good candidate to help keep the balance of souls. What's on your agenda?"
Shunsui continued to gaze down at the slowly recovering quincies as he considered.
"I've had word from the Seireitei that Ywach's body is emitting huge amounts of reiatsu, even though he is dead," he said calmly, "Ichibei thinks that he can preserve and contain the corpse, and that it will provide the power we need to keep the balance indefinitely."
"He thinks that," Kisuke repeated, frowning.
"Have you got a better idea?" Shunsui asked, matter-of-factly, "You know the story behind the king we already had. We were already compensating. This is just a continuance of that."
"Kyoraku Sotaicho," Byakuya said, sternly, "has anyone considered attempting to awaken the king's prism? Considering that, while we have Ywach's body, which seems to be strong enough to maintain the balance of souls, but we have no assurances, I think we must act to seek alternatives, whatever they might be."
"The king's prism?" Tenjiro sneered, baring his bright teeth, "Are you nuts, Kuchiki? There's a reason that thing went dark. It was made to guide the official heir, and the last king's heir died before he could assume the throne."
"Actually, he was pretty viciously murdered, if I remember correctly," Kisuke said, smirking slightly at the nasty scowl Tenjiro shot at him, "But, there's the simple fact that, although the prism went dark, and it hasn't shown any sign of coming back to life, it also hasn't disintegrated. It's dormant, but that doesn't mean it's dead."
"It might as well be," Tenjiro scoffed, turning his attention back to the two quincies.
He dragged the blonde-haired quincy out first, and launched him back across the room, into the White Bone Pond, then did the same with the red-haired quincy.
"You know, this is fucking nonsense, throwing effort into saving these two," he complained bitterly, "The bastards killed our fucking king! They killed half the goddamned Gotei 13! And you want me to bring'em back to life? I'd rather be dancing on their fucking graves!"
"I think we get the picture," Kisuke chuckled, good-naturedly, "But I think Kyoraku-san is right that they're going to be helpful in bringing the end to hostilities between our people and theirs."
"How's that?" Tenjiro scoffed, "They were out there, murdering our guys. They'd still be out there slaughtering them if their own king hadn't done them in, himself!"
"We get that part," Shunsui assured him, "I know it's frustrating, but I think we're better off with these guys alive than with them dead."
"How do you figure?" Tenjiro asked, scowling.
"Well, take Officer Bazz-B, here," said Kisuke, "We've learned that Bazz-B is actually the heir to the quincy noble family, Black."
"And what the hell good is that?" Tenjiro demanded, "You think a bunch of stuffy quincy nobles are gonna…?"
"Ywach slaughtered the noble leaders when he wanted to become king," Kisuke explained, "According to our intelligence, Bazz-B had no love for Ywach. He joined the military, pretending to follow him, but was really waiting for an opportunity to kill the king. And when Ywach went murderous with his own, near the end of things, Bazz-B worked with our side to go after him. Blondie, there, stopped him."
"The blonde quincy, Haschwald," Shunsui went on, "was Ywach's right hand man. He was at Ywach's side from beginning, until bitter end, when Ywach took back his powers and Haschwald began to die."
"It looks like we've been able to stop these two from dying," Kisuke said, "And that can be a good thing or a bad one, depending on how it's handled."
"We want it to work in our favor," Shunsui said firmly, "and I think that if we engage the right person, we can make that happen."
He turned his eyes onto Byakuya, earning a curious look from Tenjiro.
"What's he gonna do?" the spring demon asked, shaking his head, "You don't think these guys are gonna just jump onto our side. A day or so ago, they were trying to kill us all! Yeah, their king was a shit and tried to kill them, but they know a lot of shinigamis want to kill them too. Why would they work with us?"
Byakuya turned his dark, grey eyes to meet Tenjiro's.
"The quincies no longer have Ywach's protection," the noble explained, "There will be chaos in the shadows, and someone is going to have to step in to fill the void."
"Ywach named Ishida Uryu heir to his power," Kisuke explained, "but Uryu abdicated, so the quincies have no one right now. Byakuya thinks that if he cultivates an agreement with Officer Bazz-B and Haschwald, the two can go back and help to hammer out a deal so that our people will stop trying so hard to kill each other. I think we've all seen how killing each other is a really bad idea. If we do this right, we can stop the next blood war before it can ever happen."
"I don't know," Tenjiro mused, gazing down at Bazz-B tormented face, then lifting him and throwing him back into the Bloody Hell Pond, "This is risky."
"Letting the quincies scrabble for leadership is even more risky," Shunsui said with certainty, "I think if we help these two to get back on their feet and make a show of their release, we can secure some negotiations that will keep us on an even keel."
"Well," Tenjiro said, thinking quietly for a moment, "what if the two here don't wanna help? What if I go to all of this effort and they just wanna start the fucking fight again?"
"We'll kill them then," Shunsui said calmly, "But I'm hoping that it won't come to that. We took heavy losses, but the quincy losses were heavier. All of the Sternritters are dead but these two. The king is dead. I think maybe the quincies in the shadows will realize they're in deep trouble, and they'll be receptive to some kind of deal. With Byakuya's negotiation skills, I think this can work."
"And if it doesn't," Kisuke said, "we're no worse off for trying. We've got the last two Sternritters here and under our control. We can just let them sit in Muken and think about it, if that's what they need to do."
He paused as a hell butterfly floated into the room and hovered in front of him.
Kyoraku Sotaicho, a Squad One officer's voice said urgently, we have searched the battle site and have recovered Kurosaki Ichigo alive. Abarai Renji is injured, but responding well to treatment. But sir…we were not able to locate Aizen Sousuke. It seems that he has managed to escape!