Demon's Kiss

By Spunky0ne

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A demon who has stolen Renji's soul makes an unholy deal with Byakuya to save him. Granted one year to be with his true love, Byakuya resolves to give Renji a child to remember him by.

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Chapter 1: Fury of the Fallen

Swollen raindrops splashed down on the ruins of the quincy king's palace, pelting the shattered stone columns and soaking the fallen standards. Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled, causing a soft vibration in the air and beginning to rouse the collapsed shinigami that laid amongst the wreckage. His slender form quivered and he dragged himself out from under a pile of debris, his mind struggling to remember where he was and how he had come to be in that place.

We were trying to reach the palace, he recalled, It seems that Ichigo was able to defeat Ywach, but...

A man's face flashing in his mind.

Renji?

He looked around, shivering in the icy coldness, but however chilled he might have been, it couldn't compare to the heart-numbing freeze that stabbed his insides as he spotted one of the horrific golden-eyed demons that Ywach had summoned to fight for him. The beast was turned away from him, leaning over a heartbreakingly familiar red-haired man, its lips pressed to the man's bared and bleeding chest and its golden eyes reflecting the deep pleasure of feeding on a powerful soul.

Instantly, Byakuya's broken sword was in his hand and he flash stepped forward, forgetting the weight of the damage he had already suffered in the prior battle. He drove his weapon into the demon's leathery back, and loosed his shikai to destroy the creature from the inside. To his dismay, a burning pain flashed through his strained form, and although his sword remained driven through the howling demon, his weapon failed to release. Fresh chills ran down his spine as the demon gave an enraged hissed and spun around, throwing Byakuya off its back and crashing down into the debris. Byakuya gasped at the crushing impact, and his mouth filled with the coppery flavor of his own blood.

The demon turned and stalked towards him, baring bloodied fangs in a deadly, hateful sneer. Byakuya tried to move, but the demon's reiatsu filled the air around him, pushing down and forcing him to remain on the ground. He managed only harsh, panting breaths as the beast closed in on him, moving unhurriedly and studying him closely

"What a stupid, impulsive thing to do," the demon scolded him, "You haven't the reiatsu left to challenge me. Your body is dying, Kuchiki Byakuya, and yet, you have the audacity to challenge the king of the spirit demons?"

"I w-won't let you take Renji!" Byakuya spat, throwing his badly injured body against the demon's reiatsu and making the beast's eyes widen as he broke through and nearly landed another blow.

The demon screeched and slashed across the noble's chest, making blood explode around him as he collapsed onto the tumbled ruins again. It moved in close and turned Byakuya onto his back, glaring down into the noble's defiant grey eyes.

"All of this for a dead mongrel?" the beast asked, its lips curling with disdain, "You are an enemy, but you are a noble son. You should know your place!"

Byakuya glared back at the demon as it increased the strength of its reiatsu until the noble's hand shook violently and his broken sword slipped free, clattering on the broken stone as it fell away.

"There is nothing you can do," the demon said, its voice going deeply calm, "You can't slay the king of demons with a broken sword and a body in that kind of condition."

"What can I do to convince you to spare Renji?" Byakuya managed in a shaky whisper.

The demon smirked and shook its head.

"Your fukutaichou is dead," it said firmly, "I devoured his soul. He belongs to me now."

"But...his body is still here. It hasn't diminished," Byakuya panted, "I have read about your kind. I know you c-can restore him!"

The demon's thick black eyebrow arched in surprise.

"You have read about demons?" the beast asked, looking impressed, "But that makes sense. The Kuchiki family is appreciative of Seireitei history. You are tasked by the king with recording the Seireitei's past and preserving its most treasured artifacts."

The demon leaned closer, loosing fiery breath to sting the cuts on Byakuya's torn flesh.

"It would be a waste to use someone like you for food, Byakuya. I have a much better use for you...but...I admit that the way I wish to use you requires that you submit of your own free will."

"I don't understand," Byakuya said, shaking his head and frowning, "What do you mean?"

"You are in love with that man, aren't you?" the demon accused him, "That's what makes you willing to make some kind of agreement with me, isn't it?"

Byakuya hesitated for a moment, his eye straying to touch on Renji's motionless form.

"It's okay to say it in front of him," the demon teased, "He's dead. He can't hear you."

Byakuya's eyes closed and his face took on a tormented look. The demon made a sound of impatience.

"Don't bother to answer. I know you're in love with him, whether you ever told him or not. But you need to understand that you will have to leave him behind if you want to save his life."

Byakuya took a steadying breath and forced his shaking body to calm.

"What are you offering me?" he asked softly.

"I am offering to spare your lover's life," the demon said, smiling.

"But you want me to never admit to him that I love him?" Byakuya asked, frowning, "Is that all?"

"Oh no, no, no," the demon laughed, "I want more than to break you up. I have already killed him. You're broken up as it is! I want something else entirely, but you will have to give up everything...your love, your family and leadership, your taichou's position and...your very life."

"And what will I be giving them up for? You will give Renji back his life if I give up these things?"

Byakuya flinched as the demon's clawed fingers caressed his cheek.

"I will agree to give Renji's soul back, if you will agree to become my consort," the demon announced, earning a shocked stare from the spellbound noble, "I will have to devour your shinigami reiatsu and fill you with demon reiatsu to transition you gradually, but eventually, I can make you into a demon, like me, and you may have the honor of becoming my mate."

The demon watched closely as Byakuya's eyes reflected first anger, then worry as he looked back at Renji's body.

"I c-can't," Byakuya began.

He froze as the demon's claw tip touched his lips and its lips touched his earlobe.

"Of course you can," it whispered, "You love that ridiculous mongrel, ne? I know you do. I saw what your face looked like when you realized he was dead. He doesn't have to stay dead, though. All you must do is agree to my terms. And I'll tell you what. I will even give you some time to be with him. But, you should answer quickly. Can you see? He is beginning to fade, Byakuya. You will lose him forever if you hesitate for too long."

"What time will we have?" Byakuya asked, closing his eyes, "Will there be time enough for me to bear him a child?"

The demon growled warningly.

"You must expect I would want to leave an heir to my leadership, and if Renji is the father, my clan will allow him to raise our child at Kuchiki Manor. My cousin will be given regency until the child is grown and can inherit leadership. I don't think granting me that is asking too much. You wouldn't want to see a noble line end, ne? You seem to value that as we do."

"Yesssssss," the demon hissed, agitation in the sound, "what you say makes sense. So, here are the rules of the agreement, Byakuya. I will restore Renji's soul and he will live. You will have one year to give him a child, and when that year ends, you will fall into a deathlike state and I will come to claim you. You are never to tell anyone about our agreement. If you do, I will take back Renji's soul and you will die too, as well as any child you have. And when the time comes, you will not resist me. You will submit to me and allow me to transform you. You will agree to marry me officially in front of our lords...and you will never leave me. Do you understand and agree to this?"

Byakuya's lips trembled as he forced out his answer.

"I understand, and I agree to your terms."

"Then," the demon said, smiling more warmly, "I will tell you my name and we shall seal our bargain...with our first kiss."

Byakuya forced his body to calm as the demon took his hands and looked into his eyes. He felt the demon's awful power swell and curl around them as the beast's face came closer to his.

"I am Kurokatsu," the demon said as he closed the distance and claimed Byakuya's lips.

Black and gold light flared around the two and Byakuya stiffened as he felt the demon's tongue plunge into his mouth. Terror gripped his slender body as wicked tendrils seemed to slide down his throat, into his chest, wrapping around his heart and squeezing painfully.

Don't resist me, the demon's hiss echoed in his mind as the pain in his chest became unbearable and his spirit centers burned all through his insides.

Byakuya's vision dimmed and the sound of blood rushing in his veins filled his ears until he couldn't hear anything else. As he began to lose consciousness, Kurokatsu lowered him very slowly to the ground, letting the tendrils and then his hot, invading tongue retract. He nuzzled Byakuya's soft cheek and brushed their lips together one more time, before smiling and fading away.

We will be together again soon...

A short distance away, Renji took a sudden, stinging breath and groaned uncomfortably. Opening one red-brown eye, he found himself looking up into the dark clouds as fat raindrops fell into his eyes and splashed down on his face.

"F-fuck!" he swore, struggling until he wrangled his lanky body into a seated position, "What the hell happened?"

He rubbed the bump on the back of his head, then flinched at a strange, burning feeling on his neck. He touched the area experimentally, his insides quivering as he remembered the huge, leathery skinned demon that had crashed into him and knocked him out.

I don't know why it didn't kill me. I was out cold and helpless...

He swallowed hard and looked around, then let out a surprised yelp as he spotted Byakuya's fallen form.

Oh shit! Is that why? He came to save me?

"Taichou!" he yelled, forgetting any concern that the demon might still be around somewhere.

He scrambled across the wreckage, tearing his already shredded uniform and making fresh cuts on his legs and knees.

"Taichou!"

He reached Byakuya's side and expelled a ragged breath, taking in the horrific sight of the deep slash across his chest and the dozens of smaller bleeding injuries all over his commanding officer. Immediately, he tore pieces off what was left of his uniform to stop the bleeding. He placed his hands over the area, infusing it with healing power as he gazed worriedly down at Byakuya's deathly white face.

He heard approaching footsteps and called out heedlessly.

"I need a healer over here now!"

"I can help!" Orihime exclaimed, dashing ahead of a limping and disheveled Ichigo and falling onto her knees at Byakuya's side.

Her power swelled into a golden oval over the unconscious noble and his lesser wounds began to disappear.

"Thank you," Renji said gratefully, "He got hurt protecting me. I was fighting one of those demons that Ywach summoned, and it knocked me out. Taichou must've defeated it, cause when I woke up, it was gone. It would've eaten us if he hadn't killed it."

He watched sadly as Orihime continued to heal Byakuya.

"Is he gonna be okay?"

"I think so," Orihime said confidently, "There is a lot of really bad reiatsu in his wounds, but my power is rejecting it. It's just taking a long time."

"Renji," Ichigo said, panting softly as he knelt beside Orihime, "are you okay?"

"I think so. Yeah," the redhead answered, looking himself over, "I didn't get slashed or anything, just knocked silly. Taichou took the worst damage."

Renji took a steadying breath and smiled at Ichigo.

"Looks like you were successful."

"Yeah," Ichigo sighed wearily, "Ywach is gone. He's not coming back this time."

"I'm glad," Renji said in a relieved tone, "There's a hell of a mess to clean up, but I don't think the quincies will be able to fight anymore."

"I don't think they want to," Ichigo said, smiling over his shoulder as Uryu stumbled forward to join them.

"I'm going to make peace with the shinigamis," Uryu promised, "Ywach was just using us all for his benefit. He made that plenty clear to everyone. I don't think either side really wants this war to continue."

"You're right," Renji agreed, "Too many people have been hurt and killed for that bastard."

He looked up at Uryu and gave him a friendly smirk.

"Glad to have you back."

Uryu met his eyes warmly.

"I never left you," he said solemnly, "Even though I had to go to him and obey him, I always knew who my real friends were."

"I just hope Central 46 doesn't do something stupid and make things worse," Ichigo commented.

"I wouldn't set your hopes too high," Renji huffed, shaking his head, "They do some really stupid things sometimes."

He started to say more, then went silent again and listening as voices sounded in the distance. Ichigo stood, shouting and waving as a group of healers came into view, led by Kyoraku Shunsui.

"Kyoraku soutaichou!" Renji exclaimed in a relieved tone.

He spotted a familiar woman standing beside the Gotei leader.

"Rukia!" he and Ichigo exclaimed together.

"I found Rukia-chan in the debris and the healers took care of her wounds," the captain commander explained, "We're evacuating injured soldiers to Tenjirou's place and making a sweep of the area to make sure it is clear of enemies."

Kyoraku turned his eyes on Uryu, who looked back quietly and said nothing.

"I understand that with Ywach dead, you are supposed to become the next king?" he asked.

"Yes," Uryu confirmed, "Ywach announced it publicly before we left the shadows and came to Soul Society."

"And you intend to take that position?"

"Yes," Uryu confirmed, "And my first act will be to work with you to make peace between our races. Ywach wasn't just an invader in Soul Society. He marched across the quincy lands first, slaughtering his own noble lords and laying waste. The majority of those left alive know this. I think our people can reach an agreement."

"I hope we can," Kyoraku said sincerely, "but we have some cleaning up and taking care of people to do. How is Byakuya?"

"He is doing better," Orihime assured the Gotei leader as she retracted her healing oval, "He should wake up soon."

"We have to keep looking for some missing folks," Kyoraku explained, "but Hanatarou can go with you to carry Byakuya back to Tenjirou's place."

"Don't worry, I've got him," Renji assured the others, gently lifting Byakuya into his arms.

"Are you sure?" Kyoraku asked.

"Yeah, you guys keep looking for survivors. They need your help. I'll get Taichou back."

Renji left the others to search and headed back in the direction of Tenjirou's palace. He was a short distance from his destination when he felt Byakuya stir in his arms, and he paused, seeing that the noble was finally awake.

"Taichou!" he exclaimed, nearly dropping Byakuya, then setting him gently on his feet.

Byakuya leaned heavily against him, burying his face in Renji's shoulder.

"You all right now?" Renji asked.

Byakuya's head turned and his grey eyes looked up into Renji's, sending a wave of shock through the redhead as he noticed the tears in them.

"Taichou?" he whispered, brushing one of the tears away as it started to leak onto the noble's proud face.

"I'll be all right," Byakuya assured him, "I was just...disoriented. I...I thought that..."

He paused, swallowing hard as the demon's warning sounded in his ears.

"Do you think you can walk?" Renji asked, "We're almost to..."

Renji's words disappeared as Byakuya's slender hands captured his face and the noble's lips captured his.

"Wh-whoa! What're you doing?" Renji gasped, reeling as those soft lips warmed his sweetly, "T-taichou?"

"Sorry," Byakuya apologized, lowering his eyes, "Maybe I shouldn't have done that but...when I thought you were gone, I promised myself that if you were really all right, I would be honest and just tell you...that I am in love with you. I have been for a long time. I just couldn't say it. But...if I don't..."

He made a sound of surprise as Renji's arms tightened around him, and the redhead returned his kiss with an even more passionate one.

"It's okay, Taichou," Renji assured him, "cause the truth is...I've been in love with you for a long time too!"