Chapter 4: The Sea Anemone and the Clownfish

"Why did you react that way?" Aizen asked, looking down at the hougyoku, "Tetsuya's powers are sealed away. He poses no threat to you or to me. He cannot attack us and he can do nothing to stop us. So…why?"

When he earned your kiss…I felt something. You have never wavered in your resolve to be king. Your desire to reach that goal has been a constant since you crafted me. But when you kissed him, your desires were affected.

Aizen laughed softly.

"So…you worry that Tetsuya will somehow convince me to change my course? To abandon what we have worked so hard and sacrificed so much to obtain? I think you overestimate him…and his ability to affect me."

Perhaps. Perhaps it was an instinctive response, because I did not understand.

"Then you do not seek his death now?"

I do not know.

Aizen sighed.

"Do you sense any lack of resolve now?" he asked

No.

"Do you fear I will develop one by keeping him close to me?"

I do not know. But if you plan to have him near us, then you must show some caution. You must establish control over him. You must make him powerless. And you must be willing to kill him if he becomes a threat.

"I have not let anything deter me from the path I've chosen. Tetsuya will not be able to dissuade me, no matter how much I grow to care for him. He will not be able to overcome me, because I will take away his power to do so. May I assume then that this will be enough that you will not seek his death again?"

As long as he is not a threat, I will not strike at him.

"Very well. It is almost time for the endgame to begin. But while the pieces fall into place, I will explore this man. I want to know what makes him different. I want to know why you couldn't detect his desires."

Then we are together in purpose. I want to know these things as well. But remember what I said. If he poses a danger to us or our mission, he will die.

"Of course," agreed Aizen, "That goes without saying. No one will stand in my way. No one."

XXXXXXXXXX

Tetsuya's eyes opened and he sat up slowly, shocked at waking after feeling something he had thought to be his death. He knew well what he had felt in the wake of Aizen's kiss. He had witnessed death from many angles and knew its markers well. So when the feeling had stolen over him, he had understood that it was the end…and he thought he had come to terms with it.

But apparently, someone had not…

He remembered then, the look of surprise that had registered on Aizen Sousuke's face as the deadly blow had found its mark.

So how is it that I am still alive?

The door opened and Haru entered the room, bearing a tray of fresh food. He still smiled, but there was a wariness in his eyes that hadn't been there before.

"Haru-kun," he said softly, "Come here."

The boy placed the tray on the nightstand and moved closer, sitting down on the edge of the bed. His eyes had a sad, weary look to them, that was all too familiar.

"I am all right now," he assured the boy, "if that is what you are worried about."

Haru nodded briefly.

"I am glad, Tetsuya-san. I was here when Orihime-chan was called to heal you."

"Orihime brought me back from death?" Tetsuya asked, blinking, "but then, I shouldn't be surprised. The Gotei 13 has acknowledged that her power to reject fate is exceptional. That is why they…"

He broke off, shaking his head.

"I will simply count myself as being fortunate I did not die."

"And you will eat now?" asked the boy, "I hope you will, Tetsuya-san. My mother makes your meals herself, and she is a wonderful cook. If anything can bring your strength back quickly, it is her cooking."

"Well, I must admit to feeling some hunger now, but kami, there's enough for three of me there, Haru-kun! I hope I can count on you to sit with me and help me to manage this. I do not wish to disappoint someone who went to such effort on my behalf. Will you help me?"

Haru laughed and nodded as Tetsuya lifted the tray onto his lap.

"The story is all over the fortress now…how you mysteriously died and Orihime-chan brought you back to life," the boy said through bites of fresh bread and sweet, ripe strawberries.

Everyone loves a good story, ne?" Tetsuya commented, suddenly finding his appetite again, "I am sure there are all kinds of wild tales about it. So what gossip have you heard?"

"I'm not supposed to listen to the grownups gossip, Tetsuya-san. It's bad manners."

"Of course it is," the noble agreed.

He leaned closer to the boy.

"But it is also in our nature to be overly curious…especially when we are young. So tell me what you heard."

"Michi told everyone that you defied Aizen-sama and he made an example of you. But I called him a liar right to his face, because I was here and Aizen-sama was angry with everyone and impatient while Orihime-chan healed you. That made Shigeo say that Aizen-sama fell in love with you at first sight, and Gin-san had you poisoned. I wanted to hit him for saying that, because my mom made your food that day and you didn't even touch it."

He fell quiet for a moment, gnawing thoughtfully on an apple slice and looking up at Tetsuya with curious eyes.

"So what really happened?" he asked, "How did you die?"

Tetsuya shook his head.

"I am not sure," he said quietly, sipping at his tea, "but I think that…"

He paused as the door opened and Aizen entered the room. Haru's smile faded and he quickly slid off the bed and began to clear away the used dishes. He bowed briefly and left the two men alone in the room.

"I am glad to see you are taking better care of yourself, Tetsuya," Aizen commented, "I find that encouraging."

Tetsuya looked up at him expectantly.

"I imagine that you are curious about what happened," the leader of the hollows said quietly.

"I know I encountered death," Tetsuya replied, "I am clear on that, but not so clear as to why you would kiss me like that and then seek to destroy me."

"I am very connected to the hougyoku and so am sensitive to its needs. When it encountered difficulty in reading you, it determined you could be dangerous. The attack was unfortunate, but I have dealt with the issues that caused it. You need not fear further harm from me or from the hougyoku."

Tetsuya felt keenly that he was not being told everything, but felt the need as well for extreme caution.

"But there are some precautions I will take to protect you. You may find them difficult to accept, but it is necessary to ensure your safety. Lie down."

Tetsuya froze for a moment, a chill cutting through him as he considered what the precautions might be. Then, Aizen's hand came to rest on his chest and the noble slid down the pillows and onto his back. He flinched and swallowed nervously as the other man's hands loosed the tie on his yukata and bared him. He took a sharp involuntary inhale as Aizen's hands touched his chest and abdomen, then realized that the other man was finding his spirit centers.

"What are you going to do?" he asked, staring.

A small stream of Aizen's reiatsu touched the first spirit center and Tetsuya felt the seal that was placed upon it.

"What?" he gasped, his eyes widening with shock, "My powers are…"

"Already sealed away, yes," Aizen agreed, "but I require a deeper seal that will also separate you from the voice of your zanpakutou."

"But why?" Tetsuya asked in dismay, as Aizen's hands moved and another spirit center was sealed, "Her voice? Her voice has no power, Aizen Sousuke. And it is one of the few comforts I have left! Why are you taking her away?"

"The hougyoku requires it if we are to remain in close contact. It is unfortunate, but it seems that you are not without company here. I am sure you will not be overly lonely. And I will release the seals before I release you."

"You plan to release me?" Tetsuya asked, shaking his head in confusion.

"When I leave for Karakura Town, you will be freed. You may then choose to follow me into the spirit dimension or to return to your clan."

"I…don't understand. What exactly are you asking of me?" Tetsuya queried uncertainly.

Aizen finished sealing the last of his spirit centers and helped him sit up again. Tetsuya looked back at the leader of the hollows curiously, not even sparing the attention to cover himself.

"Tetsuya, you seem to have, among other things, an affinity for animals, ne?" Aizen asked.

Tetsuya considered the question for a moment, then nodded.

"Do you know about the sea anemone and the clownfish?"

"A bit," Tetsuya said, "but not so much as I have never visited the sea."

"The sea anemone is a lovely and deadly, meat eating killer. It is beautiful enough to attract other sea creatures to it, and it stings them and consumes them. It is barbaric, perhaps, but it is how the sea anemone survives. But even for all its dangerous nature, the anemone does not exist alone. Although fish are a source of food, the clownfish is not consumed by the anemone. It swims unafraid in the very place where others are consumed. The clownfish's beauty helps to attract prey to the anemone and its presence provides for the cleaning and care of the anemone. In return, the clownfish is granted safety from predators and food it gathers from the anemone's kills. The clownfish is deceptively fragile and vulnerable looking, but is actually very aggressive. But the two share a symbiotic relationship that benefits both."

"I understand," Tetsuya said tentatively, "but…"

"I am an extremely dangerous person. And I will not stop being dangerous. I will not change myself or my plans, Tetsuya. Understand this. But…you have value to me, so I will protect you. I will take your powers, so you will be vulnerable. But I will also offer you very capable protection from those who would harm you."

"In return for what?" asked the noble, "I have nothing to offer you…especially if I am powerless."

Aizen said nothing, but leaned closer and raised his reiatsu. He touched Tetsuya's bare chest and the noble dropped down onto his back again. He looked up into Aizen's brown eyes as the man's fingers began to touch and traces a meandering path that began near his face and followed the lines of eyes, nose, lips and jaw, then down the graceful, white throat, over chest and soft belly, naked hip and soft thigh, down to his very toes. Then Aizen nudged him onto his stomach and continued the slow dance of touches down his back until a soft blush had risen on the noble's face and throat, and Tetsuya was relatively sure there was nowhere on his body that Aizen's fingers had not touched. And all along his skin, a softly lit trail was marked. Tetsuya stared wonderingly as Aizen coaxed him onto his back again. The brown eyes captured his, holding him spellbound as Aizen explained.

"The markings I have placed on you serve both to identify you as my own, and to protect you from attack while we are together, here in Las Noches. At such time as I release you, the markings will fade, as will their protections…and when they do, your own powers will return."

"But why? What do you want me to do? I cannot help you…"

"No. I did not ask you to help me in any way. I ask only for your companionship, Tetsuya. You will remain here and you will be my companion until I leave for Karakura Town. After that, you will be freed and you may choose to follow me or not, as your heart dictates."

"You want my…companionship? Do you mean then to toy with me sexually?"

Aizen lifted himself slightly and bared his body, watching the fear building in Tetsuya's eyes and shaking his head solemnly.

"I will not toy with you. I will claim you sexually to seal those markers to your body and we will be lovers for the time you remain here."

"Aizen Sousuke…I cannot be your lover, not even if not for our differences over your plans. I am a half-breed. We are forbidden to engage in sexual behaviors…"

Aizen frowned.

"You are not allowed…"

"My clan wishes to protect the great power that runs in the Kuchiki blood, and not to share that power with the less powerful people of the peasant class. Where a noble transgresses and marries a peasant, they are not allowed to bear children. In cases where they do, the child is banned forever from indulging in sexual behaviors, as these may lead to procreation and transfer of that power to lesser beings. I am not allowed to engage in sexual acts or to marry or produce children."

Aizen smirked.

"I did not ask for your hand, nor to procreate. I asked you to be my lover. But no matter. You ceased to be under the control of your clan the moment your body was laid at my feet Kuchiki Tetsuya. The only one that will decide such things is you. So I will ask you now…will you leave that injustice behind and accept my protection? Will you act as my companion and lover for the time we remain here?"

"You are asking me to exchange political slavery for sexual."

"I am asking you if you will accept my protection while you are here and be my companion and lover."

"You are asking?" Tetsuya asked skeptically, "And what if I refuse you?"

"Then you will simply be kept in the prisons below the fortress until I leave. I will not harm you, but you will be more vulnerable."

"And I will still have no powers."

"Do you need time to consider, Tetsuya? Would you like some time alone?" Aizen asked.

Tetsuya closed his eyes and took several slow, steadying breaths.

"You do not realize how difficult that question is," he said softly, "because if I accept and we are intimate, I will pay the price for that upon my return to the clan."

"I will take care of that. There will be no backlash. They will learn nothing of our agreement."

"Why?" asked Tetsuya, "You could have anyone. Why me?"

"You are different, Tetsuya…quite lovely and unique. I want to explore you in greater detail. No one has gone beneath the surface of you. I will do that. I will know all of you. And in return, I will reveal myself to you."

"And the hougyoku is content to allow this?" Tetsuya asked, "The same hougyoku that caused you to kill me?"

"The hougyoku is content, given the sealing away of your powers. If you are powerless you are not a threat."

He paused and touched the noble's face gently.

"Will you do this, then? Will you be my lover, Tetsuya?"

Tetsuya breathed in the dangerously tempting, masculine scent of the other man and gazed at the handsome body waiting beside his.

I would be lying to say I'm not tempted. He is a beautiful, deadly man. And he has said he will reveal himself…

No one knows what is inside Aizen Sousuke.

He lets no one beneath the surface, yet he offers this to me?

I want to know why.

I want to understand.

No one else ever has.

But I will…

"I will, Aizen Sousuke," Tetsuya whispered, "I will."

"Call me Sousuke," the brown-eyed shingami said, smiling and leaning down to claim his lips.

"I will…Sousuke."