Chapter 2: Storm
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YET ANOTHER HAPPY BIRTHDAY POST IN BYA'S HONOR!
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(Thanks so very much to Kisuke Byakuya (Oh, there will be some storm damage, that's for sure. Ichigo is experiencing his first love and first heartbreak all at once, so he'll be volatile.), Yukino76 (Ichigo will be a mess, and that mess will be a reckless mess.), Blood87 (More is delivered!), Tiffany91 (Ichigo made an impulsive move, catching Byakuya at a vulnerable moment. Both are going to be devastated, but where Bya tries to accept the rules, Ichigo, will, of course, be more defiant.), Featherfoot (Yeah, tissues are a must!), Picklez80 (You are so very welcome! But, I think you've created a monster storyline this time! Yikes...), Tmp3475 (Yeah, it's better that he was able to share what he felt, although things will get messy.), Ezratheblue (Yes, I definitely have a hard time writing Bleach boys being mean to each other. The tragedy here is that the boys are very much in love. It's just Byakuya has been conditioned to accept the rules, while Ichigo breaks them constantly. This will get extremely complicated and something unexpected is going to throw this thing for a loop!), Ashesofthefirststar (I will keep that in mind. I think I do tend to roll towards Byakuya pursuing Ichigo, but I like it the other way too. And I started Winter Knight with that approach. We'll see how that goes. I'll have to stretch my brain for more ideas like that.), Gemnika (I feel guilty after writing this chapter!), Hisuiryuu (Yes, poor Ichigo, but there is a turn coming that will give Byakuya a shot at making up for his mistake.), Phoenix220 (You know me so well! lol) Enjoy the new chapter! Love to all, Spunky)
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Byakuya flash stepped into the quincy king's throne room with Toshiro and Kenpachi on his heels. The three skidded to a stop, their eyes coming to rest on Rukia, where she sat at Orihime's side, infusing the human girl's body with healing reiatsu.
"Rukia," Byakuya panted in a relieved voice, "Are you and Orihime all right?"
"We're fine," Rukia assured him, "Orihime isn't badly injured. I healed her and I'm now just stabilizing her reiatsu."
She followed Byakuya's gaze to the open portal in the center of the room.
"Ywach passed through to the Seireitei," she added worriedly, "And Renji and Ichigo followed, despite his threats to give them a terrifying death."
"Sounds like our boys!" Kenpachi laughed, stepping forward, "What say we go and join them?"
"Shouldn't we scan the pathway and make sure there are no tricks?" Toshiro asked, frowning.
Byakuya's lips twitched slightly and he examined the portal for a moment.
"Rukia, did you witness anything out of the ordinary when they passed through?"
"No," Rukia answered, "nothing at all. There was just a little flash of power as they entered."
"Then, let's go," Kenpachi urged them.
"What do you think, Kuchiki?" Toshiro asked his more reserved comrade.
Byakuya moved forward, extending his senses and examining the passage closely.
"I do not sense anything inherently dangerous in the entry, but we should enter fully shielded and be ready to fight upon our arrival."
"Eh, you bunch of sissies!" Kenpachi complained, "Let's go!"
He dashed through the portal entry, setting off a little flash of golden light as he disappeared. Byakuya and Toshiro exchanged glances, then Byakuya looked back at Rukia.
"There are no more enemies here," he commented, "You should be safe until more of our comrades arrive. Still, be vigilant."
Rukia nodded.
"I will, Nii-sama," she promised.
Byakuya nodded and flash stepped through the portal entry. He felt the heat of the quincy power that flashed around him, then felt a moment of intense disorientation. He spun through blackness, so fast and with such force that his senses could not center themselves to tell him what was happening. His body was ejected suddenly, thrown out, into a smoky ruin and it was only his sharp reflexes that kept him on his feet as he landed.
The choking smoke blinded him for a moment, and he was vaguely aware of Kenpachi swearing and climbing to his feet, off to one side. A moment later, Toshiro shot out of the portal, landing expertly, near Byakuya's side. The three arrivals blinked and looked around, catching their breath together as the quincy, Uryu, cried out from nearby.
"NOW, KUROSAKI!"
"Let's get that little quincy bastard!" Kenpachi shouted, raising his sword, only to find his hand blocked by Byakuya's.
Kenpachi glared at the noble, snarling.
"What th'hell, Kuchiki? You saw that little fuck leave with their king!"
"We also sensed that his power wasn't stolen back by Ywach when the others' was," Toshiro said, more calmly, "Kuchiki, are you sure we shouldn't…?"
The three watched with widened eyes as Ichigo swung his sword at the quincy king, slashing across his black form and slicing it neatly in two. Ghostly screams erupted all around and dark power roared through the area, shaking the ground, then sending fighters and observers crashing down.
Byakuya crawled blindly through the choking smoke, coughing and feeling his way with his hands. He tried to angle himself in the direction of the place where Ichigo had been, but denied any sort of reference point, he quickly became disoriented. He came upon a collapsed body and touched the person's arm, sensing the reiatsu. His breath caught at realizing that the unconscious man was Aizen Sousuke. He swiftly bound the traitor in a powerful kido, then sent another shock through him to make sure he did not wake. He realized then that the smoke was beginning to clear and spotted Toshiro near his position. Wordlessly, he turned Aizen over to the Squad Ten taicho, then he continued in the direction in which he had last seen the shinigami substitute.
"Ichigo!" he called out, choking on the still sooty air, "Kurosaki Ichigo!"
He heard a groan and headed towards the sound.
"I've found Abarai!" Toshiro yelled, flash stepping to the fallen fukutaicho's side.
"Ugh…" a male voice muttered, somewhere ahead of the noble.
Byakuya hurried forward and found Ichigo facedown and clawing at the dirt. He laid a hand on the young man's shoulder, then ducked aside as a flare of reiatsu exploded out of Ichigo's hand.
"It is me!" Byakuya said sharply, "Ywach is dead."
"Dead as a doornail," Kenpachi concluded, looking down at the puddle of bloody goo mixed with two lumps of mangled flesh and snapped bone on the ground, not far from Ichigo, "Damn, no fun at all. All the good ones are dead or out cold!"
"Just be quiet and keep an eye on that thing," Toshiro snapped, glancing back to where second division was beginning to appear near Aizen's bound form.
Ichigo laid on the ground in front of Byakuya, groaning again as his eyes opened and saw only tumbled earth and one of his clenching hands.
"Ugh!" he managed again, "B-bya…?"
"I am here," Byakuya assured him, curling an arm around him as he rolled onto his back.
Fresh shards of pain wracked his beaten body and he gave another guttural groan, gazing up at the noble through agonized eyes.
"B-bya…kuya?"
"Be quiet," Byakuya admonished him in a gentle tone, "You are barely in one piece. Lie still and let me take care of you."
"O-okay," Ichigo answered, smiling dazedly up at him, "Th-thanks, Byakuya."
"I told you to be quiet."
"'kay."
A huge thunderclap sounded suddenly, rumbling the ground around them. Byakuya looked up and frowned at the sight of the threatening clouds.
"We should find shelter," he sighed, lifting Ichigo carefully.
He felt a worried jolt at the lack of any response and glanced down at the shingami substitute, reading the pain and the weakness of his reiatsu.
"We'll not go very far. You are in no condition to be moved, but we need to get out of this."
Byakuya stiffened as a warning siren rose up and shrieked painfully in his ears.
Intruder alert. Intruder alert. Reports of desperation attacks occurring in multiple areas. All healers move injured to safe zones as soon as possible. All remaining troops, engage the enemy!
"Wh-what's…goin' on?" Ichigo managed dazedly.
"I thought you were unconscious," Byakuya chided him, carrying Ichigo away from the others and heading for a small cave he knew stood nearby, "You should be resting."
"B-but they said…"
"Never you mind what they said. You are not a Gotei officer. Those orders don't apply to you. Not to mention that in your current shape, you could not fight off a hell butterfly."
"Hey, that's not n-nice," Ichigo complained.
"But it is true."
"You s-still shouldn't say that to someone, especially when a guy is injured."
"I do not think a person who is injured and weak as a kitten should be wanting to go and fight, or should even be talking so much."
Ichigo giggled weakly.
"You're mean. You know that?" he laughed, grabbing at his aching head.
"I am sensible, unlike you right now. Please hold still. I need to restore your reiatsu and heal your wounds. Then, you must rest. The rain is coming down too hard for us to leave here any time soon."
Ichigo's smile faded as the pain began to break through again. He shivered under Byakuya's hands and his teeth clenched. Noting his discomfort, Byakuya increased the sedative kido he was employing, then continued his work on the shinigami substitute's wounds. Ichigo gave a shuddering sigh and fell still, just looking quietly up at the noble as he finished the healing and removed his oken cloak to cover him.
"H-hey," Ichigo managed drowsily, "You're gonna get cold."
"I am fine."
"C-c'mon, lie down and keep me warm. I promise I'll rest."
Byakuya looked back at him with a conflicted expression.
"What's wrong?" Ichigo asked, "Why are you looking at me like that?"
Byakuya shook his head and took a stinging breath.
"I suppose we are not going anywhere and it is very cold. You need to be kept warm so that you will not go into shock."
Byakuya moved away for a moment, with Ichigo's eyes squinting and struggling to follow him.
"What're you doin'?"
"I am setting a negative reiatsu cage around us, so that we cannot be sensed by any enemies. As much as you need sleep, I do also. I need to be able to protect us if we are attacked when we emerge."
"Well," Ichigo chuckled, holding a hand to his aching side, "no one's emerging from anywhere for a while, so come and lie down with me."
Byakuya gave him a stern look.
"As long as you promise to rest."
"I told you I would," Ichigo laughed, grunting as a twinge of pain moved through him again.
Byakuya returned to his side and slid under the cloak, laying down on his back and pulling Ichigo so that the injured man laid partially on top of him. He scowled at the aroused grin the younger man gave him.
"Now, you're teasing me," he mumbled, nipping at Byakuya's lips.
The noble wrapped a hand around his wrist and pulled away.
"What's wrong?"
"You promised you would rest," Byakuya said in a low, controlled voice.
"I will," Ichigo said contritely, "I just…I was thinking about what happened, y'know, up there, and I wanted to feel close to you like that again."
"You are no shape for lovemaking," Byakuya scolded him, "Go to sleep."
"Okay," Ichigo whispered, stealing a last, melting kiss that left Byakuya's heart stinging, "Just don't go anywhere, all right?"
"I will not leave you," Byakuya promised, hating himself for the misleading use of words, "Rest."
He watched as Ichigo drifted off, lulled by the light brushing of the noble's fingers on his cheeks and throat.
This is killing me.
How and I supposed to end this?
Byakuya remained awake as Ichigo slept. Dogged by vicious throbs of guilt and regret, he struggled with his options, until weariness overtook him and he drifted off into a discomfited slumber, filled with nightmares and leaving him sweating and tensed in Ichigo's tight embrace.
When he started to rise out of sleep again, he felt warm hands exploring gently beneath his clothing, and Ichigo's hot, feisty mouth seeking his as though starved.
"Ichigo…" he moaned, only half awake and his mind still hazy from troubled sleep.
"Shh, it's my turn now," Ichigo whispered, "I let you take me before, and now…"
I cannot let him…
I might…
But we were already together in the royal realm, and without a protection charm. Ichigo obviously does not know that…
Ichigo's hand slid down, over his soft belly, seeking his already alert privates.
"Ichigo, stop!" he objected, trying to turn away.
"What do you mean, stop?" Ichigo asked, pinning him gently and looking down into Byakuya's widened eyes, "Byakuya, what's wrong? You said before that…"
"I know," Byakuya said, sitting up and closing his clothing self-protectively.
"What are you doing?" Ichigo asked, looking confused, "I thought you were in love with me. I thought you wanted me too. Is it that I wanted to take you and that isn't okay, for some reason? I don't have to…"
"It is not that," Byakuya said, taking Ichigo's hands in his and lowering his eyes dispiritedly, "Ichigo, I have to be honest with you. This…what we are doing? This cannot happen. I am…sorry that I misled you before. I did not mean to. The emotions I expressed to you were real, but in that condition, I was not able to…"
Ichigo's face paled and he gave the noble an incredulous look.
"You knew?" he asked disbelievingly, "You knew that we shouldn't, but you went to bed with me anyway?"
Byakuya stared back at him, lost for words, and his face as white as Ichigo's.
"Will you at least tell me why?" he asked in a trembling voice, "Is it because you are expected to have kids? Byakuya…"
"It is not because of that," Byakuya said, struggling to find the right words, "There is a long standing rule for the protection of clan independence that no leader or heir of one clan can marry the leader or heir of another."
"Whoa!" Ichigo exclaimed, "You knew about me being a Shiba? Byakuya!"
"I did not know when we were together, I promise you," Byakuya insisted apologetically, "It was only after, when Tenjiro told me who you were."
"And, just like that, you don't…? Because of some stupid law? Really?"
"It has been in effect since nearly the beginning of our known history," Byakuya explained in a shaking voice, "Among the great clans, it is paramount that one does not simply swallow up another."
"Our clans aren't going to swallow each other up!" Ichigo yelled, pulling back and glaring, "What kinda bullshit are you handing me? Are you for real?"
"Ichigo, I did not know! I swear it!"
"Like I can believe anything you say! You said you love me!"
Byakuya gave him an agonized look.
"I do love you!"
"But, not enough to go and tell those stupid old men that!" Ichigo accused him, "Not enough to stand up to them and tell them that we're going to do what we damned well please. No, just like that, it doesn't matter that I GAVE YOU MY VIRGINITY!"
"Ichigo, please…"
"You ASSHOLE!" Ichigo raged, striking out with a fist and sending Byakuya crashing to the floor of the cave, "How could you do something like that to me? Do you know how shitty that is to do to someone?"
"I told you," Byakuya panted, remaining collapsed on the ground and reaching up with one hand to touch the bleeding bruise on his cheek, "I did not know that we could not be together! I was not trying to take advantage of you. I feel as bad as you do about all of this."
"No, you don't," Ichigo said coldly, his eyes filling with indignant tears, and beginning to overflow, "You don't have a clue!"
"Ichigo, I am…so…v-very sorry!" Byakuya whispered, his heart aching fiercely at the horrific expression on Ichigo's face.
Ichigo turned towards the cave entrance, loosing a burst of kido that shattered the protective cage they were in and made the cave rumble ominously.
"What are you doing?" Byakuya objected, scrambling to his feet, "Ichigo, it is pouring out there and you are injured…"
"Get away from me!" Ichigo cried, his reiatsu flaring and forcing the surprised noble back against the far wall of the cave, "Don't you ever come near me again! Don't look at me. Don't speak to me…"
"Ichigo!"
"I never want to see you again!"
Byakuya stared in shock as the shinigami substitute burst out of the cave and disappeared into the howling storm.
"Ichigo, don't!" he cried, moving to follow.
Raging wind rose up, hissing in the trees and trying to push him back. Byakuya flash stepped wildly, trying to sense Ichigo's direction, but the buffeting wind and whipping limbs seemed to attack from all directions. Byakuya stumbled forward, holding his arms around his slender body and blinking water out of his eyes. He called Ichigo's name repeatedly, his haunted mind repeating the warning they had received before.
If the quincies find him…
He took a step and felt open space beneath his foot. Violent wind struck his back, driving him over the edge of a cliff he hadn't been able to see or sense. He fell soundlessly, crashing down into rushing water and stunned for a moment by the impact.
Kami, if Ichigo fell into this!
Byakuya's body slammed into a rock, then was dragged down, under the water. He thanked his lucky stars for the gift that his cousin had given him…a small charm that held a drop of water from his cousin's shikai. He felt Tetsuya's power curl around him, both allowing him to breathe as he struggled to escape the raging torrent, and also summoning a tall black stallion that appeared within moments and threw himself into the water, barreling towards Byakuya and snatching him up in bared teeth, dragging him in the direction of the shore. They crawled out of the water and Byakuya collapsed on the shore, panting hard and seeing stars as the stallion nudged him with a wet nose.
"Arashi," he managed in a ragged voice, "f-find Ichigo!"
I am going to carry you to safety first, the stallion's soft voice whispered insistently into his mind.
"B-but, Ichigo is…"
The darkness closed in, stopping the noble's words and leaving him senseless and unmoving at the edge of the water. Arashi looked down at him for a moment, then flinched at the shoulders, raising lovely black wings that he used to maneuver the collapsed shinigami onto his back. He curled his wings around the unconscious Kuchiki leader and found the trail leading back home.
"Ichigo," Byakuya whispered deliriously, "Ichigo, come back. I am sorry. I am so, very sorry!"
