Chapter 10: The Touch of Wickedness
It's so hard to believe. Finally, I will understand everything. And if I know what his motivations were, then...
Tetsuya's thoughts were suddenly interrupted and his eyes widened as a soft glow began to emanate from his body and Aizen's. His heart pounded as their minds connected and the stunning truth of what was happening fell over them.
"Soul bonded?" Aizen breathed in a stunned voice, "We have been soul bonded, Tetsuya?"
Tetsuya gazed back at him silently, searching his mind for something to say. He went breathless and felt terror arc through him as Aizen's eyes flared and became deadly. He sat up and took hold of the noble's yukata, nearly tearing the fine cloth as he gripped it tightly and glared into Tetsuya's terrified eyes.
"So…this is your way of trying to stop me?" he hissed, rage in his handsome features, and his reiatsu rising until the captive noble could barely draw a breath, "You…"
He stopped himself, and bored down into Tetsuya's widened eyes.
"But, on second thought, I don't know why I didn't expect something like this from you. You made no secret of the fact that you wanted to stop me. And weren't you the one who told me that control was better gained by attempting to understand another? You were telling me all along exactly what you were about."
"No!"
"You knew that I was expecting you to find a way to attack me! So you agreed readily to having your powers sealed away because you wanted to take me off guard. You were probably laughing inside when I made you my lover! You knew that you didn't need powers to overcome me! All you needed was this! You made yourself look weak and you teased me by showing me affection, despite the fact that I am your captor, and that we are on opposite sides."
"Sousuke, that's not true!"
Aizen removed a hand from his yukata and struck him soundly across the cheek, throwing him down on his back on the bed, holding him there, and glaring down into his face with unbridled fury.
"Don't you dare tell me another lie, Tetsuya!" he hissed furiously, "I should kill you for this! But you and I both know that I can't do that…so…"
Tetsuya's eyes went wide and his body shivered under Aizen's hands. He felt terror numb his mind as the leader of the hollows paused, and then narrowed his eyes.
"What are going to do?" Tetsuya asked breathlessly, "Sousuke?"
He glared down at the noble for a moment longer, then dragged him onto his knees and placed a palm over the noble's eyes and sending a throb of reiatsu into them. Tetsuya gasped and started to collapse as everything went black around him. He was still conscious, but could see nothing.
"Wh-what are you…?" he asked shakily and the leader of the hollows threw him over a shoulder and left the bedroom.
He flash stepped down numerous passageways, turning several times, until the captive noble could no longer sense where they were. He slowed, then stopped and breathed a command. Tetsuya could sense that they had entered a smaller room. He made a soft exclamation of distress as he felt the wicked presence of the hougyoku.
Aizen set him on his feet and Tetsuya dropped instantly to his knees, bracing himself on his hands. Power flared all around them, sealing them off from everything. Tetsuya felt an odd sensation inside, and realized a moment later what was happening.
He is connecting us with…with the hougyoku! Oh…oh no!
He felt that dark presence enter his mind and screamed in horror at the feeling of invasion. He clawed at the ground, crawling away and trying in desperation to find a way out of the room.
"That won't help you," Aizen said coldly, "You wanted to bond with me. Now you can suffer the full consequences of doing so, Kuchiki Tetsuya."
I know why you brought him to me, the hougyoku whispered into their minds, You are convinced that he has soul bonded with you to gain some kind of control and to halt our plans.
"No!" cried Tetsuya, "I didn't know that was going to happen! I swear it! I was only trying to deepen our connection. I didn't know that we would resonate so strongly. You have my word!"
"Be careful, Tetsuya," Aizen warned him, "You may not be in danger of me killing you, but I can certainly find ways to make you wish I would kill you."
He speaks the truth, the hougyoku whispered into their minds, However, whatever his intent, he has made us vulnerable. You understand the danger.
"I understand," said Aizen quietly, "So what will we do? If I lock him away, he will only become despondent and destroy himself.
You could render him unconscious…place him in suspended animation before we leave for Karakura Town.
"But you said that you would let me go!" cried Tetsuya, "You promised that you would allow Naoki and me to return home after…!"
"You must understand why I cannot do that now, Tetsuya," said Aizen, "You are soul bonded to me. And even if you didn't decide to kill yourself just to stop me, you could certainly be used against me…or fate could step in and you could be killed by chance. You should have thought about that when you bound yourself to me."
"I didn't choose this at all!" shouted Tetsuya, tears streaming onto his face, "Why would I choose to be taken away from everyone I love? I was abducted, Sousuke! I didn't choose to be brought here and I would do anything to not be a part of this…to go back to my home and to…"
He trailed off as the tears overwhelmed him.
"Is there any way to undo the bonding?" Aizen asked the hougyoku.
No. So we must focus on controlling him, so that he will not be a liability. As it is, he is dangerously close to being despondent. Would you like me to incapacitate him?
Aizen glanced at Tetsuya and frowned.
"No. I will do it."
Tetsuya lifted his head and backed away on his hands and knees as Aizen cornered him and knelt in front of him, taking hold of his wrists. Tetsuya's chest heaved with soundless sobs and his heart pounded so furiously that he began to lose awareness of what was happening. Aizen's palm touched his face and his vision returned. His devastated eyes met Aizen's and he collapsed against the brown-eyed shinigami, crying and shaking uncontrollably.
"Sousuke," he managed in a whisper, "Sousuke, don't…I don't want to disappear. I want to see my home again…to feel sun on my face. I want to ride Arashi in the open meadows…hear birdsong. I didn't want any of this! And I swear I wasn't trying to manipulate you!"
He took soft breaths, trying to calm himself and wondering why Aizen hadn't answered him.
You are soft, the hougyoku said to Aizen, You are affected by what he feels. You have, I think, fallen in love with him.
"No," said Aizen calmly, "I find him interesting…stimulating. But I am not above subduing him."
"Then," Tetsuya said in a choked voice, "If you must do this, please, Sousuke, allow me to summon Arashi to take Naoki home. My little brother is not a part of this."
Aizen considered his words for a moment, then nodded.
"I will have no need for him once you are placed in suspension," he said quietly, "But I will not allow you contact with Arashi. I will have Naoki sent home by other means. The Pegasus is too likely to cause problems."
Tetsuya relaxed against Aizen, the fight leaving his body and hopelessness taking over.
"Just…don't let him be hurt," he whispered brokenly, "He's just a child…"
"He won't be hurt," Aizen said, his fingers touching the noble's hair gently, "And you won't be hurt either. You will only sleep, and I will awaken you when we reach the spirit dimension."
Tetsuya shivered as Aizen's reiatsu rose around him and began to close in on him. His fingers slipped under the noble's chin and lifted it, then Aizen kissed him warmly.
"I know you are afraid, but you don't need to be," he whispered in Tetsuya's ear, "You will awaken, and once I am king and no longer vulnerable to death, I will allow you to return home, if you wish."
"It doesn't matter," Tetsuya said softly, "The home I know will be gone. I have failed. I no longer care whether or not I wake. Do as you must."
Aizen paused with his power still pulsing softly around Tetsuya.
"I will do something to ease your sense of loss, then," he said quietly, "The Gotei 13 has realized the significance of Inoue Orihime, and is going to send several taichous to assist in the efforts to retrieve her. Because Kuchiki Rukia is among the ones here already, I assume that your cousin, Byakuya, will be among the taichous sent here. I was luring them here to kill them. But I will, instead, simply trap them here and lock them in. And after the war, I will grant your clan special status in my new regime. The Kuchiki family will be protected and their lands and property will remain in their hands. That should be some consolation to you, perhaps."
Tetsuya didn't answer, but nodded briefly and closed his eyes, resting his head against Aizen's shoulder.
"You may not believe this," Aizen whispered into his ear, "but I feel badly about this. I had looked forward to sharing more time with you. You are truly unique, Kuchiki Tetsuya. I shall look forward to your awakening when all of this is over."
He offered the devastated noble a final kiss, then intensified the power around him.
Wait, the hougyoku interjected, stopping Aizen, I think, perhaps, another way would be better.
Aizen's eyes rose and fixed on the softly pulsing crystal.
"What do you mean?" he asked, "Tetsuya has accepted his fate. Why is it necessary to further torment him? There is nothing left in him that threatens us, or our plans. He has no power to stop us now."
You have been too lax with him. Even now, as you prepare to subdue him, you offer him consolation. He brings out weakness in you, and that interferes with our goals. But I will be happy to show you how to control him successfully.
"What do you mean?"
A soft glow appeared in the center of the room and Tetsuya gave a sharp gasp of dismay as Naoki appeared. The noble tore free of Aizen, scrambling towards the child, but was stopped short as a translucent red chamber rose around the boy.
"What are you doing?" cried Tetsuya, "I said I would cooperate! He said that Naoki could go home!"
He placed his hands on the outside of the chamber, staring into Naoki's frightened eyes. A moment later, the boy's eyes misted over and he collapsed.
"Naoki!"
He is alive, noble shinigami, the hougyoku told him, He will remain alive as long as you do nothing more to interfere with us as we carry out our plans. You are to pleasure Aizen Sousuke as you promised, and serve him faithfully, and when we become king over the three worlds, I will allow your brother to wake. Take him with you, but know you can do nothing to free him. You are bound to serve us now, Kuchiki Tetsuya, and if you fail, he will sleep permanently!
The chamber opened and Tetsuya pulled Naoki into his arms.
"Naoki," he sobbed softly, "Naoki…"
He barely felt Aizen's arm wrap around him to help him to his feet. Aizen led the distraught noble quietly back to the bedroom, where Tetsuya dropped down onto the window seat, holding the sleeping child against him and crying silently. Aizen watched quietly for several minutes, then sat down next to him.
"Wh-why?" Tetsuya asked softly, regaining a measure of control, "I had already given in. I was willing to be placed in suspension until it was over. There was no need to involve Naoki. Sousuke…I felt the intent behind this, and you had to have felt it too! That…thing wanted to torture me! And it knew the best way to cause me pain was through my little brother. That stone is evil, Sousuke! I don't think you realize how evil it is!"
"The hougyoku serves my interests, Tetsuya. I am its master."
"Are you!" hissed the noble, "Then explain to me why it felt the need to take me from the library to threaten me! And how it forced you to kill me when it sensed the attraction between us…how it used Naoki against me and you didn't even say a word! How can you say you are its master? You were going to send Naoki home before it…"
"Tetsuya, I know how that looked," said Aizen, meeting his eyes calmly, "I am the hougyoku's master, but to command its power, I must open myself to it and yield to its abilities. It can only assist me in evolving if I allow it some control to do so."
"So attacking my brother somehow helped you? How, Sousuke?" cried Tetsuya, his anger rising, "You tell me how attacking a child made anything better! It wasn't necessary! That thing hates me! If I wasn't soul bound to you, it would have made you kill me eventually!"
"You don't understand the hougyoku or how it works, Tetsuya," Aizen went on, "I will explain it to you, but you need to remain calm. An outburst is not going to help the situation."
Tetsuya gazed dazedly at Aizen for a moment, then turned his head and rested his face against Naoki's, surrendering to tears again.
Naoki-kun, I swear I will find a way to wake you! I will. There has to be a way. I'm so sorry for getting you caught up in this. You don't deserve this. I swear to you, I will not give up now. I will learn all I can about this stone and I will find a way to stop all of this! We will go home again, Naoki-kun! I promise I will get us out of this!
"Tetsuya," said Aizen.
Tetsuya looked up and he saw a pale looking Haru standing in the bedroom doorway beside a shinigami woman.
"Give them the boy. They will watch over him until this is over."
Tetsuya held Naoki tightly and remained silent.
"See that the boy is watched carefully. I do not want any harm to come to him," Aizen told the woman.
The woman stepped forward.
"I am Mai," she said softly to Tetsuya, "I am Haru's mother. I promise you that I will take care of your brother, Tetsuya-san. He will be all right. Please trust me."
Tetsuya looked up into her eyes and found only honesty and concern. He kissed the sleeping boy on the forehead and, with trembling arms, handed Naoki to her. He watched silently as the three left the room, then turned away and looked out the bay window, his tears stopped and numbness flooding his heart.
He says that he is in control, but how can he be? I know what I witnessed…and what I felt when I was with the hougyoku before. Sometimes Sousuke seems very much the one in control, but at those times when the hougyoku felt threatened, it became dominant. It does have influence over him…and I know it has a will of its own. It wasn't serving Aizen Sousuke's purposes by doing this to Naoki. It wasn't even protective, in that I was already overcome. It was a hateful, vengeful act, meant to cause pain. And I think it means that my soul bonding to Sousuke interfered with its plans. I need to learn more about the hougyoku. If there is a way to stop it…I need to find that way quickly!
He was distracted from his thoughts as Aizen's arm wrapped around him and his head was brought to rest on the other man's shoulder.
"I am sorry," Aizen said quietly, "I would have preferred if Naoki had been sent home. I don't enjoy seeing you in torment, Tetsuya."
Tetsuya took a resigned breath and relaxed against him, closing his eyes against the pain of thinking about Naoki.
"Then why didn't you say anything?" he asked softly, "You didn't even argue the decision, Sousuke. I don't know how you can claim to be that thing's master! I don't know how anyone could create something so evil!"
Aizen sighed softly, lacing his fingers together with Tetsuya's.
"You are a sensitive soul, Tetsuya," he said calmly, "One would think that you would sense the difference between a rebellious act and a wicked one."
"What?" asked the noble, frowning, "How is attacking my little brother an act of rebellion? Naoki never did anything threatening. And it was not my fault that we were soul bonded."
"I know. However, what I am trying to tell you is that there is more to that stone than you realize. It is time that I told you how I created the hogyoku. I think once you know, you will have a better understanding of the stone, its behavior, and my connection to it."