Chapter 8: Hope Returns

"Hajime," Byakuya said in a quiet, serious tone, "Renji and I want to speak to you about something."

The dark haired boy glanced up at Byakuya and smiled, then he continued digging into the soil, making a small hole. When it was of sufficient size, Byakuya removed a small bright flowering plant from the box sitting next to him and, holding a hand carefully beneath the clump of soil at its base, placed it in the boy's palm. Hajime lowered the soil and roots of the plant into the hole he had prepared and filled in the space around it, patting the soil down with gentle fingers. He sprinkled a small amount of water on it, then leaned forward and whispered something to the newly planted flower. He moved over slightly and began to dig the next hole.

"Hajime, do you remember the day you gave me the magical hug?" Byakuya asked.

Hajime nodded, still looking down at the soil he was working with his hands.

"Well, Renji and I did not realize that your magical hug was going to make it possible for me to have children. Because I am male, my body simply wasn't built for bearing children. It is the female who is supposed to carry the child."

Hajime turned and looked up at him with wide eyes.

"But you said you wanted to have a baby girl," he objected.

Byakuya handed him another small plant and watched as he set it in the soil, sprinkled water on it and bent to whisper to it.

"Yes Hajime, I said that. But I think you misunderstood. When I said that, I simply meant that we would have a female help us to have a child…as we did when Takeshi and Chisaki were born."

"I only have fathers," the boy said, looking up at Byakuya with a confused expression, "I don't have a mother."

Renji shook his head and ran a hand over his face, then smiled.

"Yeah, well, that was different. That isn't usually how it works," he said.

"You were a gift from the spirit king," Byakuya added, "You were not born in the normal way."

"Takeshi and Chisaki have two fathers and one mother," the boy replied, glancing up at them.

"That is because of Kisuke Urahara's invention that allowed the two of us to be Takeshi and Chisaki's fathers. That was special too," Byakuya responded.

He watched as the boy planted the next flower.

"In any case, what we are trying to tell you is that it wasn't right for you to use your power to make me have children, Hajime," Byakuya said calmly, "As I said, my body simply wasn't meant to carry children."

"I didn't make you have the babies," the boy said, digging the next hole, "Daddy Ren did."

Renji stifled a chuckle and tried to look serious.

"That is true," Byakuya said, glancing at Renji, "but you did change my body so that it could carry children, didn't you?"

The boy nodded.

"I thought you wanted to."

"Yes," Byakuya said, his voice still calm and quiet, "well, we seem to have had a misunderstanding. You have very strong powers, Hajime, but you are still quite young. With time, you will learn the correct times and places for the use of those powers. But for now, you must allow us to guide you. Your magical hug does have a purpose, but it wasn't right to use it in the way that you did."

The boy's eyes clouded and he looked down at his hands.

"You don't want to have babies?" he asked, his voice trembling.

"I did not wish to actually give birth to them…no."

Hajime blinked and sniffed, and a tear ran down his face. Byakuya brushed it away and gave the boy a gentle hug.

"Do you want me to fix it, then?" Hajime asked, sniffling again.

Byakuya shook his head. He picked up another seedling plant.

"No, Hajime, the babies are already alive and growing inside me."

He stroked the petals of the flower on the small plant.

"Where life grows, we have a responsibility to nurture it, to help it grow. Even though I did not wish to carry children in my body, as they are already there, I will take care of them."

"But you don't want them?" Hajime asked, teary eyed at the thought.

Byakuya pulled the boy onto his lap.

"Of course I want them. Hajime…I am only saying that it was a mistake for me to have them this way. That's all. In the future, you are not to give out any more magical hugs. You need to be fully trained so that you will know the right time and place for such powers. Will you give me your word that you will not use this power again without permission?"

Hajime nodded.

"I promise."

Byakuya leaned forward and kissed him on the forehead. The boy hugged Byakuya, then pulled away, smiling.

"No magic that time," he said, slipping off of Byakuya's lap and returning to the flowers he was planting.

He dug another hole and waited as Byakuya handed him a plant.

"Daddy Bya?" he asked softly.

"Yes, Hajime?"

"If someone is crying because they can't have a baby, is it okay to make them so they can have one?" the boy asked.

Byakuya considered the question for a moment.

"Well," he said finally, "I suppose if you were older and fully trained as a healer, you could use your powers to help someone like that to have a child. That would be considered a proper use of your powers. Why do you ask this, Hajime?"

"Because…because it made me sad when I saw her crying…and I didn't know…"

"Hajime," said Byakuya, exchanging worried glances with Renji, "you used this power on…someone else?"

The boy hesitated and nodded.

"Aunt Hotaru…but it was only because she was so sad! She said she wanted to have a baby with Uncle Rikichi…and she's a girl…and…"

He looked up at Byakuya helplessly.

"and she said it made her feel really good. She walked around with me in the garden and talked to the people there…and she told them that I have a magical hug. She told me to show them…"

Renji clapped a hand over his mouth and his eyes went wide. Byakuya went silent for a moment and stared open-mouthed at the boy. He dropped his forehead into his hand and closed his eyes tightly, trying to stave off the instant stress headache he felt coming on.

"Hajime…" he said finally, "Do you remember who else you gave magical hugs to?"

"I…I didn't know all of them," Hajime said, his eyes wide and starting to fill with tears again, "b-but there was a lady with red hair…and…and Daddy Ren's friend that doesn't have any hair. There was Daddy Bya's friend with long white hair…and, um…and Ichigo. I don't remember if there were any more, but I didn't hug the head captain, because Aunt Rukia said I had to go to bed before I turned into a pumpkin."

He leaned forward and whispered.

"She told a lie! I won't turn into a pumpkin and I know it!"

"Hajime," said Byakuya, struggling to remain calm, "would you go and wash up? We'll be going to see Captain Unohana soon…and…remember…no more magical hugs."

"Okay Daddy Bya, I promise."

Hajime got to his feet and flash stepped toward the house.

Byakuya buried his face in his hands and sighed.

"It was the day of the memorial…" he said, rubbing his eyes, "Kami, half the Seireitei was here!"

Renji didn't answer. Byakuya looked up just in time to see him explode into uncontrolled laughter. He dropped to his knees next to Byakuya, laughing until tears rolled down his reddened face. Byakuya glared at him, his reiatsu rising sharply.

"Renji…I fail to see how you can find this situation even remotely funny," he said darkly.

"Ah…hah, come on Bya…aha…you know not everybody went home from that memorial and got lucky…"

He descended into another fit of laughter.

"Renji…"

"Aha…B-bya, Ikkaku? I don't remember the last time he got lucky…haha…not that way, anyhow! And it was a memorial, for kami's sake. Who…aha…who does that?"

"No one said that it had to be the day of the memorial, Renji. And obviously, you have forgotten the well-known phenomenon known as comfort sex…though I don't know how you could, as often as we have shared it!"

"Shit! What about Ichigo?"

"Renji, please, stop and make some attempt to be serious…"

"Aha…what if he'd managed to hug the head captain? Hahaha! Has that guy ever gotten lucky?"

"RENJI!"

Renji bit down on his lower lip and sobered. He moved closer to Byakuya and put an arm around his shoulders.

"Look, I'll talk to Captain Unohana. You don't have to do anything. We'll try to handle this quietly…"

"Renji, how can we handle this quietly? Our son set numerous others up to be impregnated! I think they're going to realize that…and sooner or later, they'll connect the dots…"

"Well," Renji said, giving the noble a sympathetic pat, "we'll get through it. Really, take a breath and think about it, Byakuya. It isn't the worst thing that's ever happened. Sure, it's going to take them by surprise, but you know that Hotaru is going to be happy. So, at least one of them won't be out to kill us."

Byakuya closed his eyes and shook his head resignedly.

"But Ukitake?" he moaned softly.

"Yeah…he's kind of frail for that."

"Rangiku?"

"Bya, it was bound to happen sooner or later."

"What about Ichigo?"

Renji covered his mouth and bit back the laughter, then his eyes widened with shock as a decidedly wicked gleam appeared in Byakuya's eyes for a moment, then just as quickly disappeared.

"Renji," he said, his reiatsu calming, "I think we had better both accompany Hajime to his appointment with Captain Unohana. We'll want to assist her in mitigating the consequences of this."

"Yeah, all right," Renji said, rising and helping Byakuya to his feet, "but you're already showing and they'd be almost as far along. Of course, they might not show as soon if they're not having twins. But in any case, I think they've probably figured things out by now. They just haven't figured out how."

"Let's hope they don't."

XXXXXXXXXX

Kenshin sat in the window seat of his new room in Las Noches, staring out at the lights that shined across the desert from the soul reaper base in the distance. It wouldn't be long now. His training was moving along quickly. He knew Byakuya's abilities inside and out and was well on the way to knowing Renji Abarai's as well. Then he would leave Las Noches and travel to the Seireitei. He would make them pay. He reached down inside. He felt the ache inside again…the one his father told him was the result of the separation from his twin. Sighing softly, he stared out into the darkness.

The door opened and his father stepped into the room. He sat down beside Kenshin, following his eyes to the lights shining in the distance.

"You feel it again, don't you," he said softly, "that pain from having lost your twin, from being separated from your own zanpakuto. But you will make them pay for that, Kenshin. You and your brother's zanpakuto will take them by surprise and you will kill them."

He put his arm around the youth and Kenshin let his head come to rest on the warm shoulder.

"You are growing very strong, Kenshin," Aizen said, squeezing him gently, "Despite not having a ban kai, you will be able to use stealth and intelligent strategies to overcome them. This has been too long in coming. You and I have suffered greatly…and we will deal them great suffering in return. Then we can continue with our plans to rule the known worlds. The great legacy I will build will be passed on to you someday. I meant for it to belong to you and Akira, but we cannot undo what they did to him. Even conquest and the realization of our dreams won't bring him back, but we must do something so that we can at least have peace."

Kenshin placed his hand on Aizen's.

"I'm sorry they hurt you like this. In a way, I am lucky, because although I do ache for my lost twin, I don't feel the pain as deeply as you do. Even though you were able to use your zanpakuto to show me pieces of the past that I shared with Akira, it still has a feeling of unreality to it…as though it might have happened to someone else. But it is a relief to know something of my life. I felt so empty when I first woke. I felt lost."

Aizen took his hand.

"Come Kenshin," he said, pulling the youth to his feet, "It is time for you to sleep. I will share another memory with you as you dream. Come."

Kenshin rose and followed Aizen to the bed. He slipped into it, then relaxed and closed his eyes. He felt the calm golden light rising and wrapping warmly around him. It was easy for him to reach for the memory that was already forming, to let go of awareness, to fall into the dream.

Aizen watched until the youth was fully asleep and surrounded by the illusion. Smiling to himself, he rose and walked to the door. He paused and looked back, admiring the powerful boy he now claimed as his own. It was the perfect revenge really. Now there was a part of Byakuya that would never defy him, would never despise him and would never leave him. Byakuya would die knowing that his son had been taken and made over. The noble's own son would take his life, then return happily to the one who had destroyed his family.

"Perfect," he whispered.

XXXXXXXXXX

Chisaki soared through the darkness of the Hueco Mundo desert, alongside Rikichi's swift eagle form. They circled Las Noches, employing their night vision while silently memorizing the layout of the base, guard postings and anything else that seemed important.

As much as she despised Las Noches, as much as it hurt her to return after Takeshi's death, the girl had jumped at the chance to accompany her uncle to the base for this night reconnaissance mission. Hotaru would have gone and used her falcon form, but as she was now pregnant, it had been deemed too dangerous for her to use her shinigami powers…especially in enemy territory.

The eagle and the black hawk turned together, sweeping in close for a final look. As they closed on the edge of the base, Chisaki noticed a soft glow beneath her chin. She looked down for a moment at the wolf pendant that still hung around her neck. A gift from the spirit prince, it was only supposed to glow when she was near Takeshi. She gasped softly, worried now that she would be spotted by enemies.

Rikichi's head turned.

"What is that?" he asked quickly, "Put it out before we're seen!"

She turned away from the base with Rikichi at her side.

"I don't know what's wrong with it," she told him quietly, "It's not supposed to be glowing."

"Can you remove it and hide it?" Rikichi asked.

"I can't take it off. It doesn't come off."

She shifted her feathers and tilted her head.
Rikichi nodded.

"Good enough," he told her, "We have what we need. Let's get out of here before we are seen!"

Chisaki turned with the Squad Six vice captain and remained at his wingtip as they swept back across the desert together. But Chisaki couldn't get her mind off of the strange behavior of the pendant. It was only supposed to glow when she was near Takeshi, who wore the other pendant. The pendants were not removable…even after death, so that meant that either they had taken Takeshi's body to Las Noches for burial…or…

"Kami…could it have all been a lie?" she whispered to herself.