Chapter 10: Tormented
(AN** Hi! And thanks so much for reading along! I have had a few people asking questions about Byakuya and Hisana's relationship in the story…mostly whether I will still have them getting married and such, and here's the scoop without saying too much. They will be married in the story, as they are in canon, but as much is left undefined by Tite Kubo, I will put a creative spin on their relationship that is unique, while still conforming to what is revealed in the manga about the couple. And Hisana will be no threat to the Aizen/Bya pairing in the story…although Sousuke might not see it that way! I hope that clarifies things without giving too much away. Anyway, thanks again for reading and sharing your thoughts! Love, Spunky)
"You are dismissed," said Soutaichou, watching solemnly as the taichous turned and made their way out of the meeting chambers.
Aizen Sousuke turned and walked out alongside Kuchiki Ginrei.
"Kuchiki taichou," he said quietly, "Have you had any word from your grandson?"
Ginrei shook his head briefly.
"There has been no word since his reiatsu disappeared yesterday," the noble said in a low, weary tone, "I will going back now with a search party."
"Would you like any assistance?" the fifth division taichou asked.
"That will not be necessary," the noble assured him, "There are more than enough squad members to conduct the search. I do appreciate the offer, however. I know that you and my grandson have become close. He has calmed a great deal while he has been under your guidance…and it has been the most content I have seen him since Soujun's death."
"Well," said Aizen, "Byakuya-san and I share many interests. It is a pleasure spending time with him. I do hope he is found soon."
"I do as well. Arigato, Aizen taichou."
The noble nodded briefly and turned towards his division.
"So," said Gin, approaching from behind him, "Is there any word about your missing friend?"
"Not yet," Aizen said softly.
He turned in the direction of the fifth division, only half-listening as Gin continued talking. He waited until they were close, then touched his zanpakutou and whispered the release command, leaving an illusion of himself to follow Gin back to the division and moving in the direction of the Rukongai. He passed through the upper sections, his mind turning circles as he tried to come to terms with the possibility that his lover was truly gone. Byakuya's voice echoed in his mind, tormenting him with the memories of just how fulfilling their union had been.
Byakuya rested senselessly beneath him, his body still shaking as he worked to catch his breath. Aizen saw a tear on one porcelain check and felt a soft shock pass through him.
He lifted himself off of his young lover, pulling him close.
"Are you all right?" he asked softly, "Byakuya?"
The youth nodded briefly as Aizen brushed the hair out of his eyes.
"It wasn't…too painful, was it?"
Byakuya shook his head, still unable to find his voice. Aizen held the youth against him, feeding him gentle kisses and breathing soft, affectionate words into his ear as he calmed and gathered himself. When he seemed more composed the older man released him and sat, quietly watching as Byakuya struggled for words.
"I am sorry to have worried you," he whispered finally, "It's just that…that…no one ever wanted this part of me. N-no one ever loved this part of me. They wanted to kill it…to…make it disappear. But you…you…are different. That's why I couldn't say 'no' to you anymore. I had to let you in. You are the only thing that is keeping me alive inside."
"Byakuya…" he whispered, letting his senses extend around him, searching for the slightest trace.
"What you have seen is an illusion. Kyouka Suigetsu's power is that it can control the senses of the ones who see his shikai. He controls their senses and they see, hear, taste, touch, smell and sense whatever he wants them to. This is the power I have been using to conceal our private interactions. Even right now, I am using this power."
"That is why you can approach me anywhere…and can make me believe we are somewhere other than we are," Byakuya said, wide-eyed, "Aizen taichou, that is an amazing power!"
"Byakuya," Aizen said, reaching out to touch the youth's face, "You do not need to be so formal with me. This is what I meant when I said that I was concerned that if I told you who I was you would act differently. When we are together like this, you may call me Sousuke."
"Sousuke, then. That is an amazing power. But I understand why the Gotei 13 was concerned. It is an extremely dangerous power."
"Which is why I keep it…and my true face concealed. May I count on you to keep what you know to yourself, Byakuya?"
"Of course," said the youth, nodding, "You have certainly kept what you know of me to yourself. I'll do no less. You have my word."
"And you always kept your word," Aizen breathed, "But I know that it would have become a burden for you to know. I would have said nothing, just quietly removed that knowledge, if only you hadn't seen my weapon and panicked, but then, in a way, I understand. My power is frightening, and perhaps it was just too much for me to ask you to submit to it. I don't know. I don't know anymore. I thought it was the right thing, but now I think…perhaps…"
He let the sentence drift off into nothingness as he reached the building where he had last seen Byakuya. He could see up on the penthouse balcony, where Kuchiki Ginrei stood, holding Byakuya's ginpaku kazahana no uzuginu and staring off into the distance.
Where are you?
How could you just disappear without a trace?
XXXXXXXXXX
Byakuya moaned uncomfortably, shifting in his sleep and shivering despite the warm blankets he was wrapped in. Soft whispers reached him, but he couldn't surface for long enough to answer. He felt a cool, wet cloth touch his face and throat, and touches of healing power on his aching body.
"He'll want another pain block," said a calm, male voice.
He knew the voice from somewhere, but couldn't connect it with a name.
A sigh of relief broke from his lips as the worst of the pain faded away and he floated more comfortably, just beneath the surface of consciousness.
"Michio," said an old woman's voice, "Why do you think he insisted we do not inform the Gotei 13? Won't his family be worried?"
"I'm sure that they will, Noa," the healer replied, intensifying his healing power, "But even so, he seemed quite distressed and very insistent. He is likely in some kind of danger, should he be discovered."
"But Byakuya-san doesn't seem like one who would be in trouble with the authorities," objected Noa.
"I agree," said the healer, "I think, if he is in some kind of trouble, it isn't with the Gotei 13."
"But what manner of people would be a threat to him? He is powerful, Michio. But he represses that power..."
"It may not be the people so much, but the one he is protecting. He is with child."
"What? Are you sure?"
"I am very sure. That is why we must get this fever under control. It is not good for the baby."
The voices began to jumble together, then faded away as he felt his shivering slowly cease and he fell into a deep sleep. He wasn't sure how long he slept when he rose out of sleep some time later. The healer and his wife had gone and the woman who had pulled him out of the water had returned to his side. She sat with him quietly, and when he surfaced, gave him sips of hot tea and small mouthfuls of soup. She talked soothingly to him and encouraged him to rest. He sank down into sleep again and rested dreamlessly. The next time he woke, the girl was gone and Noa was at his side, applying another pain block.
"N-noa?" he said softly.
The old woman smiled at him.
"So, you decided to wake up," she observed, setting a tray bearing tea, vegetable soup and hot bread with fresh butter in his lap.
"How long have I been here?" he asked.
"Nearly a week, give or take a day. There were search parties in town, looking for you. That is why we moved you down into the basement room. You seemed very adamant about not being found. Byakuya-san, are you in some kind of trouble?"
"Besides being with child, you mean?" he queried, looking down at his abdomen, "I am supposed to marry a noble woman from another family. They are not aware of the person I was already seeing. And I have not announced that I am with child…nor do I wish for anyone to know."
"Well, you needn't worry about that, Byakuya-san," Noa assured him, "We have not spoken of your being here. Besides us, only Hisana-chan knows. She has come every day to assist in your care."
"And she was the one who pulled me out of the river so that I did not drown," Byakuya acknowledged.
Noa nodded.
"And she single-handedly held off that fever of yours. She was very determined."
"I owe her my gratitude," Byakuya acknowledged.
The two broke off their conversation as the bedroom door opened and Hisana entered the room. She spotted Byakuya, awake and eating, and a relieved smile broke out on her face.
"Byakuya-san," she said, approaching the bed, "You look so much better today!"
"Arigato," he said, almost smiling, "I understand that I owe you my gratitude for tending to me during the worst of my illness."
"Oh," said Hisana, "It was no trouble, Byakuya-san. I wanted to help."
"Well," said Noa, "now that we have Byakuya-san on the mend, we need to begin thinking about where he will stay while he is in the Rukongai."
Byakuya looked down at his hands for a moment, giving the matter some thought.
"I do not wish to be found," he said finally, "The one who was pursuing me when I fell into the river will keep doing so if he senses me. He…is the father of this child and…I cannot let him know I am pregnant."
Noa nodded briefly.
"And you had nothing with you, so you will be forced to start out with nothing."
She thought for a moment, then excused herself from the room and left him alone with Hisana. The young woman sat down beside the bed and watched him quietly as he sipped at the tea Noa had left for him.
"Byakuya-san," she said, breaking the silence, "If you need a place to stay, where you will not be discovered, I think that I can help you. I know of a place near the river, a small, hidden cave that should be acceptable."
"Again, you have my thanks, Hisana," he said quietly.
The door opened and Michio and Noa joined the two in the bedroom. Noa stepped forward and set a small pack on the nightstand.
"This is for when you leave us," she told him, "It isn't much, but at least you will have a couple of sets of clothes and some basic necessities."
"Thank you, Noa-san," said Byakuya.
"Now," said Michio, "moving closer to him and looking him over briefly, "Your pregnancy is progressing well, but to maintain it, you will need to eat properly and to take care of yourself. You should really have someone stay with you, because male pregnancies are, by their nature, risky, and if you encounter sudden, severe symptoms, you will want someone close by to bring help."
"I will stay with Byakuya-san," said Hisana, drawing their eyes to her.
She looked up at Byakuya.
"We have a rule by which we live in the lower Rukongai," she went on, "And that is, if you meet someone who needs your help, then you must offer it. I found you and you need someone to assist you until your child is born, so I will stay with you."
Byakuya gave her a troubled look.
"What is it?" she asked softly.
"I appreciate your offer, Hisana," he said, lowering his eyes, "but there is a chance that being near me could be dangerous. The one who was pursuing me is a very powerful man. I cannot even use my powers, because he would be able to sense it, and he might come here looking for me. In addition to that, the elders of my clan are also powerful…and it would disgrace my grandfather if I was found and my pregnancy was discovered. I cannot ask you to risk yourself that way."
Hisana smiled at him.
"Well, Michio has said that Byakuya-san should not be alone, and I assume that Byakuya-san does not know any others here to whom he might go…"
Byakuya sighed softly.
"There is someone to whom I can go, after the child is born, but while I carry the child and run the risk of being sensed, I will not go to him. He is in hiding and I wouldn't want to take the risk of leading my family to him."
"But if he knows you are here, then perhaps he could…"
"No," said Byakuya firmly, "If he began to make trips away from the town where he is concealing himself, he might run a greater risk of being found. I will seek his assistance when my child is born, but I will not endanger him by obligating him now."
He met Hisana's eyes and nodded briefly.
"Hisana has offered to assist me, for the time being, and I will gratefully accept her help. I owe her, in any case, for coming to my assistance, and for bringing me here. I must remain near her so that I can find a way to repay that debt."
"I think that is a fine idea," Noa said, smiling warmly, "Now that that is settled, Byakuya-san should rest."
Michio nodded in agreement.
"By tomorrow, you should be feeling well enough to be up and around," he said, "I will keep you here for a few days beyond that to make certain that you are fully recovered, then you and Hisana-chan can get settled in together. I will come to see you regularly. I think you will need to be seen once a week, because of the riskier nature of male pregnancies."
"Arigato, Michio," Byakuya said, as the healer and his wife took their leave of them.
He turned his attention back to the young woman who sat quietly beside the bed.
"Hisana," he said, looking up at her, "We have not had much time to get to know each other. And since we will be living together, I would like to know a little more about you. Why don't you tell me about yourself?"
"There isn't much to tell, really," Hisana said softly, "I used to be in the living world, but died and was sent here. And like everyone else in this place, I have struggled to make a living. Life is difficult in Inuzuri, Byakuya-san. If you have decided to stay here, then your circumstances must be dire."
"It will not be safe for me to return home until my child is born and…and I find a safe place for him or her."
"Have you given thought to who might be able to care for your child?"
Byakuya nodded.
"The one I spoke of before," he said quietly, "I have a younger cousin, who was forced to go into hiding in the mid-Rukongai. He is good with children, but because of his circumstances, he chose not to marry or have children…at least, not yet. I know he will care for my child conscientiously. He or she will be in capable hands"
"But first, you must bring your child safely into the world," said Hisana.
She sighed softly and closed her eyes.
"Babies are precious," she added, "And they have to be protected. And although I failed…"
She broke off and blinked several times, then stood.
"Hisana?" Byakuya said questioningly.
"You must excuse me Byakuya-san," the young woman said, standing, "I have some things to see to. I will be back."
"Of course," Byakuya said, watching curiously as Hisana departed the room.