Chapter 4: The Seeding

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(Warning…although what takes place in the chapter is not graphic, it is non consensual, so it could be upsetting for some readers. Proceed only if it will not be too disturbing for you. My gratitude going out to Anon (So glad you like it!), Willow (You've got it!), Aizenfan6969 (Taishiro is a very wicked man.), TMP3475 (Byakuya is adept at managing amidst the tons of rules and expectations. He manages here to find a way to keep his child close to him, but at the same time, keeps the child protected from the fallout of what is happening. Both being dedicated to Byakuya and people who have a soft spot for kids, Renji and Tetsuya will love Byakuya and Ichigo's baby to pieces!), Yukino76 (Oh, Taishiro is nothing like Toshiro Hitsugaya. This guy, Niwa Taishiro, is the embodiment of evil…just not powerful in the same way as Aizen or Ywach. His game is manipulation and domination. Ichigo is in serious trouble.), Phoenix220 (Aww, you know even though I am really mean to the MCs, I always pay off with a great end to the story. It's worth waiting out the scary stuff to get to that! I promise, it will be amazing.), Periwinkle and Winterheart2000 (I'll have more in a jiffy!), Picklez80 (Yes, Ichigo will take serious damage. It will take a lot, once he gets away, to heal what this monster does to him!), Kittykins (Here you go!), Hisuiryuu (I think Byakuya will get signals quickly, but both he and Ichigo have their work cut out for them!), SesshoumaruFreak (Aww, thanks for the good wishes! I am doing great now, and am back to my updates!)

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A chill ran down Ichigo's spine as he registered the door to the room was closed and he felt the touch of Taishiro's hot breath on his earlobe and neck. He stiffened as the other man's hand wrapped tightly around his wrist and Taishiro's voice sounded again in his flushed ear.

"Look closely and understand," Taishiro warned him, "I can get what I want, whether it's by ruining Byakuya or by using you. It doesn't matter much which path I take. But, it matters to you, doesn't it, Ichigo?"

"Why?" Ichigo demanded, "Tell me why you're doing this!"

Ichigo gasped as Taishiro's hand touched his back, then a hard jolt of kido took him off his feet and sent him crashing to the floor. Before he could pick himself up, the Niwa heir's foot struck his unprotected side and his body flew across the room, slamming into the far wall, where he collapsed, panting and shaking as he realized that, not only was his power stripped away, but the band on his wrists seemed to be sucking the strength out of his limbs.

"Are you surprised?" Taishiro said coldly, "Ichigo, I know exactly how strong you are. I know that normally, I would not be able to touch you before you took my life. But, something that life has taught me? Everyone has a weakness that can be exploited. Everyone, even you."

He stepped across the room and dragged Ichigo to his feet, holding him there as he glared into the Shiba heir's violent golden brown eyes.

"Do you still think you can fight me, Ichigo?" Taishiro asked warningly, "Do you need a lesson in just how much I can ruin your life?"

"You bastard! You're not going to get away with this!" Ichigo roared, shoving the Niwa heir so that he tumbled away and into another of the walls.

He dove forward, gasping harder as he felt the band on his wrist pulsate, then suffered a feeling of intense dizziness. Taishiro rose slowly, remaining turned away as he gathered himself, then turning wicked, hateful eyes on the incensed Shiba heir.

"I knew you were both stupid and reckless, Ichigo, but even I didn't expect I would have to prove to you your helplessness so directly."

He touched the band on Ichigo's wrist and Ichigo's legs collapsed, leaving him kneeling. Taishiro moved to a desk in the chamber and he picked up a remote control. He touched several buttons, making a screen drop down from the ceiling, then the lights in the chamber dimmed and an image appeared on the screen. Ichigo's eyes rounded as he recognized Sado immediately. The tall, quiet youth appeared to be leaving their school and walking down a little side street, on the way home. A jolt of panic struck Ichigo's insides as a car rounded the corner and bore down on the young man.

"I am having your friends watched," Taishiro said icily, "I know precisely what your friends mean to you. I know what it would do to you if you lost one, so this will not be lethal. It is, after all, just a warning, right?"

The car careened towards Sado, who sensed it just in time and dove out of the way as the car roared by and disappeared down the street. Beads of sweat ran down Ichigo's face as he watched Sado shake his head in wonder, climb to his feet and walk away.

"Sado," Taishiro intoned softly, "Uryu, Orihime, Tatsuki, Rukia, Renji, Tetsuya. In a moment, I can take any of their lives. And I promise you, the next time you even look like you are going to lay hands on me, I will have one of them killed. Do we understand each other, Ichigo?"

"Yeah," Ichigo answered in a low, rough voice, "You can ruin Byakuya's reputation and you can kill my friends. I get it. What I don't get is why. Why are you doing this?"

Taishiro touched another button on the remote, making the screen disappear back into the ceiling of the room. He moved slowly to Ichigo and knelt in front of him, looking into his still angry eyes as he continued.

"I am the heir to my clan, and we are in a position to have greater influence over Central 46," he explained, "My father is old, and he is not likely to live much longer. I will be made head of the household, and I want what is best for my household. What is best for us is to gain influence with the five great clans. You are my key to doing that."

"That's why you wanted to force me to marry you," Ichigo concluded.

Taishiro gave him a chilling smile.

"I would have tried to sweep you off your feet more romantically, but you are very headstrong and too powerful to overcome in most ways. Besides, anyone with a brain could see that you and Byakuya were attracted to each other. Flirting wasn't going to work and neither was negotiation."

"So, you just waited for a chance to get something to use to manipulate the situation in your favor," Ichigo hissed furiously.

Taishiro's smile took on a smug look.

"I have to thank you for being so kind as to make it so easy for me. You can't imagine my joy when I saw you take Byakuya down and dominate him like that on his own grounds."

"We were on private property and YOU HAD NO RIGHT TO SPY ON US AND TAKE THOSE PICTURES!" Ichigo shouted, balling his hands into fists and grinding them against the hard floor.

Taishiro shrugged.

"Go and complain to the Kuchiki elders," he said off-handedly, "or complain to your own. I don't think that you'll get a lot of sympathy after I splatter these pictures all over Soul Society. And I don't just have pictures, Ichigo. I have video of the whole steamy, lascivious thing! If you defy me in any way, shape or form, I will make sure that no one in the Seireitei misses a sordid moment of your debauchery of the Kuchiki head of household. Can you imagine the dishonor, Ichigo? Can you imagine the shame?"

Taishiro paused, glaring into Ichigo livid gaze, "And…just in case you get any ideas about killing me and taking the video and pictures from me? Know that I've thought of that already and I've protected copies in a place you can't find them. If I die, they will be leaked to every news outlet in Soul Society. Byakuya will never be able to show his face again. And you…your clan that has just had its honor restored will fall again into obscurity. You and Byakuya will lose everything."

With the last word the Niwa leader spoke, the fight seeped out of Ichigo's glaring eyes and his shoulders slumped in defeat. Taishiro smiled more warmly, but Ichigo only felt ice in his chest and stomach at the sight.

"I think we understand each other," he said in a more relaxed tone.

"You haven't told me what you want," Ichigo replied, looking down at his clenched hands.

"I did," Taishiro corrected him, "I want you to marry me."

Ichigo's frown deepened and he gave the other man a confused look.

"You want to marry me?" he mused, "What will that do? I don't think we can get married. My clan made me take an oath to pass on my abilities by having kids. We're both guys."

Taishiro gave him a look that was a mixture of surprise and amusement.

"What?" Ichigo asked, his heart skipping, "What's so funny?"

"Byakuya didn't tell you?" he asked, smirking, "I mean, I suppose he might not, considering he isn't one of us."

"One of you?" Ichigo said in a mystified tone, "What are you talking about?"

"His cousin is, although the Kuchiki elders have been careful to keep that very quiet."

"I don't get it. What are you saying? Are you saying that there's a way that two guys can make a baby together? I don't believe it!"

"Of course you don't believe it," Taishiro said in a condescending tone, "because your deserter father raised you in the human way and you have no concept that your shinigami soul is different from a normal human one."

"I know my body is different when I shed my human form," Ichigo argued.

"You don't know how it's different," Taishiro said haughtily, "It is hard for you to imagine, I suppose, and the practice was condemned as unnatural by Central 46. There was even a secret group of nobles who tried to kill anyone who had the gene for it."

"The gene for what? What the hell are you talking about? Just tell me!" Ichigo yelled.

Taishiro nodded.

"Has Byakuya spoken to you about the first quincy war?" he asked.

"A little," Ichigo said, scowling, "It was a lot like this war."

"It was," Taishiro agreed, "only in that war, we didn't have anyone like Byakuya's little freak cousin, who thought enough ahead to have a plan to protect the women and children of the noble families if the Seireitei fell under direct attack. Such a thing was almost unheard of, so I guess it's understandable. But in that first war, such lack of foresight caused the deaths of thousands of women and children. When that war ended, the noble families were in ruins. There weren't enough females to bear new young, and the clans were in danger of losing their place at the head of Soul Society. But it happened that a very bright scientist of the time realized that with a little bit of help, a male soul's spirit particles could be affected so that when infused with the reiatsu and semen of another male, it would form a spirit chamber that would capture the essences and mature them into a child. The men who agreed to undergo this procedure were called the breeder males. They are the reason that the noble clans are still here and in power."

"If they were so important, then why hasn't anyone ever mentioned them to me?" asked Ichigo.

Taishiro's smile faded and his jade eyes clouded.

"The breeder males saved the noble clans," he said again, more slowly, "and…once the clans were out of danger, Central 46 thanked them by outlawing the practice of making breeder males. And when they realized that some of the males born of breeder males were natural breeder males, they started imposing restrictions to keep them from bearing more children. That is also when an illegal group formed that captured and murdered as many of the breeder males as they could. Most of them died and the deaths were never publicly attributed to that group. It was a huge, diabolical conspiracy, and ever since, breeder males who have figured out what they are, have been exceptionally careful not to make themselves too public about their ability. Even though people know that Kuchiki Tetsuya is a breeder male, he is under strict orders not to speak of it publicly and he is supposed to have any children he or any male partner bears quietly…out of the spotlight."

"Tetsuya's a breeder male," Ichigo said, frowning, "Does that mean that Byakuya…?"

"Byakuya has no breeder males in is direct line of descent. And you don't either."

Ichigo stiffened as Taishiro's words from a few minutes before returned to him.

"You said one of us," he whispered, barely audibly, "You're a breeder male."

"I am," Taishiro revealed, giving Ichigo a measured look, "And because of that, I can either be impregnated or I can impregnate an unseeded male."

"Unseeded," Ichigo mused, almost choking on the word, "But, Byakuya and I…"

"You had sex," Taishiro observed, "but neither of you is a breeder male, so even though you gave him your seed, his body could not form a spirit chamber. There could be no child. If one of you was a breeder male and you had impregnated him, a factor in your body would prevent us from conceiving, but that will not be a problem for us."

Ichigo's breath caught and a heavy realization jolted him.

"You wanna…?"

"Yes, I am going to impregnate you, Ichigo. You will have my child and you will tell everyone that it is because you are a breeder male!"

"Me?" Ichigo said incredulously, "But my family's gonna know…"

"No one really knows where breeder males will pop up," Taishiro explained, "Because of the attempt to kill them all, a lot of breeder males hid their ability. Records were changed and lies were told. No one will know you are not telling the truth. There is no way to be sure you're not."

"And what is forcing me to marry you and have your child going to accomplish in the end? You say you want more power?"

"Yes," Taishiro conformed, "My clan is not one of the five great clans and we are competing with many others, but a marriage into the newly restored Shiba clan will raise our status and give my clan more influence in Central 46. Marriage is often used as a way to gain power in the clans. Surely Byakuya told you that."

"Yeah, he did," Ichigo confirmed, "but that isn't how my family works, so you're gonna have a hard time convincing my dad to…"

"To let you marry me?" Taishiro said smugly, "I don't have to convince him. You will. You see, Ichigo, the room we are in is carefully soundproofed and shielded. No one will know what happens in this place."

Ichigo stared at Taishiro, his eyes darkening.

"We will make our baby now, and then you will confess to your father that we have been having an affair, and I have made you pregnant. You will conclude that it is because there must be a breeder male in your history. We will be forced to marry to prevent our families from being disgraced. You will never, at any time, tell anyone the truth. That band you are wearing keeps a record of everything, visual and audio. If you tamper with it, I will know. If you speak about it, I will know."

He gave Ichigo a deadly look.

"If you lie down with Byakuya again, I will know. I said that you are mine, and that is the reality you live in now, Ichigo."

Taishiro picked up one of the pictures of Ichigo and Byakuya and placed it on the floor between the two of them.

"He is a beautiful, powerful man," the Niwa heir said quietly, his fingertip tracing Byakuya's lovely, impassioned face, "I would love to make him my plaything instead, but his clan is too well prepared to fight me. Your clan members tend to be powerful and brash, but, please forgive me, not so smart. Despite you being powerful enough to kill a god? Your power will not save you and it will not save Byakuya if you cross me."

"Yeah, you made yourself clear," Ichigo said, closing his eyes against the words.

"Good," Taishiro said approvingly, "then we are free to relax and begin. Ichigo, I know I have trapped you into this, but I do not intend for your life to be overly distressing for you. I will try to please you."

"You make me sick," Ichigo spat, "Don't try to sugarcoat what you're doing. I don't wanna do this and you know it. You call it an agreement. I call it extortion and rape."

Taishiro grinned.

"Call it what you want, I suppose. I was only trying to make it less painful for you…but you seem to like pain, and…I think I can indulge you."

He touched another button on the remote and a door opened, leading into a previously hidden room.

"Come," he said, taking the hand that bore the silvery band, "Come with me, Ichigo. Let's begin."

Ichigo flinched at his touch and the feeling of sickness inside him increased. Heat flashed on his face and throat as indignant anger stiffened his body, making his chest heave as he came to his feet and followed in unsteady steps. He stopped just inside the hidden room, his heart skipping, then racing as he spotted the bed in front of them that had been fitted with soft, but secure restraints. Given no other option, he followed in hesitant steps to the bed and stood silently, glowering as Taishiro's hands carefully undressed him.

"Lie down."

Ichigo stared at the bed, a lump forming in his throat and a cold feeling in the pit of his stomach. He flinched as the still fully dressed Niwa heir pressed up against him and glared into his disgusted eyes.

"I hope you don't mind a little pain with pleasure," he said smirking and running his fingers along a well defined bicep, "I like to see my lover's muscles flex. I appreciate your strength, your crushing power, Ichigo. I am…very pleased you will be mine."

He moved forward, bringing Ichigo to the edge of the bed, then watched closely as the Shiba heir laid down and held still as his wrists and ankles were restrained. Ichigo closed his eyes, trying to force out the sight of the little room, the bed, the restraints, the man who was slowly undressing, then sliding in next to him. As Taishiro's hands began to touch and explore, he imagined they were Byakuya's slender hands, baring him and stroking his most sensitive places.

"I know you are thinking of him," Taishiro breathed into his ear, "You defy me in little ways, but I know just how to make you do what I want."

A hard gasp escaped ichigo as a shock of pain went through his body, making his muscles tense reflexively.

"Beautiful," Taishiro said in an oddly distant voice, "You're so very strong, aren't you?"

Ichigo writhed as his body registered another shock of pain, then cold fingers crawled along a sensitive thigh.

"Strong things need to be dominated," Taishiro intoned, his touches becoming more invasive as he turned and kissed Ichigo where his pulse pounded on his sweating throat, "You are most beautiful this way, and you deserve to be appreciated. I assure you, I am up to the job."

Ichigo's mind went into a spin as pain and pleasure began to mix and blur frighteningly in his head. He clenched his teeth, trying to hold back the sounds that wanted to escape him.

This guy is a monster. I have to find a way to get this band off and get away from him! I just need a minute…one minute to let Byakuya know…

A sudden, sharp pain brought Ichigo out of his thoughts and slammed him back down into his heavily bound body, and as the man beside him shifted and took possession of him, deep in his chest, Ichigo's heart froze and began to shatter.