Chapter 10: Voices
"Ichigo..." whispered an echoing distant voice.
At first, he felt a jolt of fear that it could be the lady hollow.
"Ichigo, can you hear me?"
But as the person continued to call his name, the sound cleared gradually and identified itself as male, and heartbreakingly familiar.
Kisuke?
"You moved a little. That's good."
Slowly, he began to register warm fingers running through the short lengths of his hair, touching his face lightly...and trembling against his skin.
What's going on? Why does my body feel so heavy? What happened? Kisuke sounds scared.
Why is he scared?
What's wrong with me?
"That's it. Relax, Ichigo. Go ahead and sleep more if you need to. I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying right here with you."
Ichigo tried to open his eyes, but even that small part of him refused to budge. He heard another soft, male voice and felt the touch of cool, slender hands on his belly. Reiatsu trickled from the man's gentle fingertips, stealing down beneath his skin and curling around the reiatsu cluster inside him.
"The pregnancy is progressing well."
Byakuya?
The noble's hands continued to touch him searchingly and he could almost envision the man's solemn frown and slightly bowed head.
"Do you sense what I described to you?" Kisuke asked.
"Not at this time," Byakuya answered quietly, "But I have a suspicion that it will return."
"How is that?"
"I cannot locate it, but I feel an opened connection, a conduit, if you will. You say that the hollow drained him, and that she approached him to do so."
"Yeah."
"Unfortunately, I think that she does not have to be in his presence to draw reiatsu from him."
"What?" Kisuke asked worriedly, his hands joining Byakuya's on Ichigo's bared abdomen.
"Damn it!"
"Wh-what's going on?" Ichigo managed sleepily, "What was that you said?"
Byakuya and Kisuke exchanged worried looks.
"Nothing," Kisuke assured him, "You're gonna be fine. Byakuya-san and I were just monitoring your progress while you were out cold."
"I was...unconscious?" Ichigo mumbled, forcing his eyes slowly opened and looking up at the two curiously.
He paused and caught his breath in surprise as he noticed his more rounded baby bump.
"Kisuke! How long was I out?" he gasped, trying to sit up, but encountering two sets of staying hands.
"Whoa, don't try to sit up so fast."
"Well, answer my question, then!" Ichigo demanded, "How long was I unconscious?"
"You have been unconscious and barely functioning for two weeks," Byakuya stated solemnly.
"But...!"
"We were able to stabilize you," Kisuke went on, "but there were other times when we could sense that you were drained, but there was no sign of any intrusion around you."
"So," Ichigo went on, paling as he sat up and grabbing on to Kisuke's arm for support, "I heard Byakuya say that the hollow set up some kind of conduit in me."
"Yeah," Kisuke admitted unhappily, "I'm going to try to get a handle on it, but you need to understand, I'm limited in what I can do without hurting the baby. If we..."
"No!" Ichigo exclaimed, "No way! There's no guarantee you could help me, even if you did end the pregnancy. I'm not doing that!"
"Okay," Kisuke answered, looking relieved, "I wasn't trying to make a decision about whether or not you should. I only wanted to explain our options."
"Okay, sorry I freaked out."
"It is an understandable reaction," Byakuya assured him, "But you are going to need all of your considerable strength to endure as we try to assist you."
"I'm glad you're both here," Ichigo said gratefully.
"Hey, where else would we be?" Kisuke chided him gently.
"Right, you're always there when I need you."
"That's not going to change now. I want you to just rest easy. We don't have a way of knowing when that hollow's going to feed. I have reiatsu receptors placed in your body, monitors on everything imaginable."
"I'm sure you'll find a way to help me," Ichigo said firmly, "I trust you."
"Yeah, well I can't promise you that there's an answer to be found, but if there's a way in hell, I'll find it. I'll save you and our kid."
"Thank you, Kisuke," Ichigo replied, smiling and squeezing the shopkeeper's hand.
The three looked up as Tessai entered the room, bearing a tray loaded with hot, delicious looking food.
"I thought I heard your voice, Kurosaki-san," he said, setting the tray in the young man's lap, "You should eat as much as you can to regain your strength."
"I don't think that's gonna be a problem," Ichigo chuckled, digging in to the delectable meal, "This looks like all of my favorites."
"I think it is all of his favorites," Kisuke said, smirking good-naturedly, "Don't put away your spatula. He may want seconds."
"I will be happy to provide as much as you can manage, Kurosaki-san."
"Hey," said Renji's voice from the doorway, "I heard that! How come he gets the royal treatment and you always tease me and call me Moocher?"
"I think Tessai gets a kick out of making you scowl and whine," Ichigo teased the redhead.
"Shut up, asshole," Renji sniffed, feigning taking offense, "I'll take back the brownies that Matsuko sent along for you."
"Brownies too?" Ichigo managed around a mouthful of chicken and rice, "You guys are totally spoiling me!"
"Everybody at Kuchiki Manor was asking about how you're doing. I told'em I'd come and check out the situation. I was wondering, myself...well, that plus I missed my gorgeous husband!"
"I do hope that you found time to spend with our child, between managing things in my absence and coming here," Byakuya mused.
"Hey, be nice," Renji complained, "I was in with the little squirt the whole time Matsuko was making those brownies. He's happy as a clam, I promise. You want one of these brownies before Ichigo eats them all, beautiful?"
"Don't be silly," Byakuya chided him, "I haven't craved sweets since I had our child."
"Well," Renji said seductively, "You're so cute with your cravings while you're pregnant, I'm just going to have to knock you up all over again!"
Byakuya gave him a warning glare that made him take a step back and break into a sweat.
"Ah...okay, if you don't want a brownie, Ichigo can have'em all. No problem!"
Ichigo laughed merrily, snatching up one of the brownies from the tray and enjoying the warm explosion of chocolate over his senses.
"Mmmmmmm! Tell Matsuko I love her!" Ichigo sighed.
Byakuya observed Ichigo silently for a moment, then looked up at Kisuke.
"I think that I have done all that I can for him at this time."
"Well, thanks, Byakuya-san," Kisuke said gratefully.
"Yeah, thanks a lot," Ichigo added around another mouthful of brownie, "You've been really great."
"Renji and I are going to remain here, if you have no objection," the noble said, giving Kisuke a meaningful look.
"You guys are welcome to stay," Kisuke replied, reading Byakuya's veiled expression, "Tessai will set you up with a room and some dinner, if you like."
"Thank you," Byakuya replied, rising and heading out the door with Renji.
Tessai followed the two, leaving Kisuke alone with a still busily eating Ichigo.
"You sure you're feeling okay now?" the shopkeeper inquired, "I hate bugging you all of the time about that, but..."
"You're worried about me. I get it," Ichigo assured him, pausing in his eating and taking Kisuke's hand, "And I'll be honest and tell you I'm pretty scared. But...I don't know. I just feel like everything's gonna be okay. I don't know why. I know whatever's draining me could kill me. I just don't think it will. We're gonna find an answer. And anyway, it isn't gonna help for me to freak out. I'm just trying to stay calm and think about the baby. It's pretty amazing to think you and I are going to have a baby."
He ate a few more bites, then looked up at the shopkeeper expectantly.
"Kisuke, do you...want to get married?" he asked hesitantly, "I mean, like...soon."
"Well, I would've married you ages ago, if I'd known you wanted to, so yeah, I'd love for us to get married."
"Do you want to have a big ceremony with a lot of people or something smaller?"
"Oh, I don't know. I think smaller is cozier, more comfortable for me, but I want for you to be able to have whoever you want there, so..."
"I kind of agree about smaller being better," Ichigo mused, "But I hope my dad and sisters can be there...and my friends."
"Hey, whatever you want, you've got it. You just tell me how you want it to be and we'll do it."
"Thanks," Ichigo said gratefully, "You really are the best, you know?"
"Hey," Kisuke said, frowning as he sat down and took the younger man's hands in his, "You need to stop talking to me like something bad's gonna happen. If we get married, it's because we love each other and we want to get married."
"I know that."
"Okay."
Ichigo reached down and rubbed his belly gently, a smile paying over his lips. Kisuke's lips stiffened slightly, but still managed to smile as he caressed the younger man's hand and leaned forward to kiss him.
"We're going to be okay," Kisuke said soothingly, "We don't have to feel rushed. But anytime you want to get married, it's fine with me."
"I think we should get married now," Ichigo said quietly, "It'll make me really happy, and anything that makes me happy like that will help me feel stronger."
"You've got it," Kisuke agreed, "I'll see about having Byakuya-san perform the wedding. Clan leaders do that kind of thing."
"That'd be great. He's really been there for us. Tessai, Ururu and Jinta should be there too, and Chad, Uryu and Orihime...Rukia, Renji..."
"You know, Byakuya-san offered to let us be married in the gardens at Kuchiki Manor."
"Really?" Ichigo asked, grinning, "Man, he's become an old softie, hasn't he?"
Kisuke shrugged and smirked.
"Or maybe he just knows we're meant for each other," he suggested.
"Yeah. Kisuke, look, I'm sorry that before all of this happened, I was so focused on my own feelings. I knew you were ready for us to get married and that you wanted kids with me."
"You weren't ready to take those steps, Ichigo," Kisuke replied warmly, kissing his fingertips, "You're barely grown. You needed time to get used to the idea. I always understood that."
"B-but..."
Ichigo paused, blinking back tears.
"But I wasted so much time! And now..."
"Don't go there," Kisuke said soothingly, squeezing his hand, "We're not to the point of no return, Ichigo."
"You don't get it," the younger man said, closing his eyes for a moment, "I feel what you're not able to say to me. I'm dying, Kisuke. I know it. I feel it. I saw it in your eyes, Tessai's...Byakuya's. You're all trying hard to keep my spirits up, but you know how it really is. I'm not saying that the situation's hopeless. What I'm saying is that you don't have to play it tough around me. Just because I'm in danger and may die, doesn't mean that I can't be there for you. You can talk to me about what's going on. You can confide in me when you're worried and lean on me when you're scared. I think that's what people do when they really love each other like we do. We shouldn't stop doing that, just because of this."
Kisuke closed his burning eyes, breathing slowly and gathering himself before answering. He thought carefully, then opened his eyes and met Ichigo's trusting brown orbs again.
"Okay. You're right. We should be able to talk about things. But I wasn't keeping things from you because I didn't want you to know...or I didn't think you were strong enough. I just want you focus on staying with me...getting married...having our baby. Those are the important things, the things that make you feel more alive. I'm sick inside thinking that I don't have the answers right now...that I could lose you both."
"That's not going to happen," Ichigo said with surprising calm.
"You don't know that. No one does," Kisuke said, shaking his head, "But what I do know is that I love you and this baby with everything in me, and come hell or high water, I am going to hang onto that with both hands, Ichigo."
"Me too."
"Good. Enough talk for now, all right? I want you to eat, get some rest and think about what you want to do for our ceremony. When I come back, we'll talk about it, and whatever you want, it'll be like that."
"Thanks, Kisuke. I'll think about it."
"Good."
Kisuke released his hand and rose, then leaned over to give him a parting kiss. He left the room and walked out into the hallway, where he found Byakuya and Renji quietly waiting for him.
"He understands the situation?" Byakuya queried cautiously.
"Yeah."
"It doesn't mean we're giving up," Renji said bracingly.
"Just that he needs to be aware and to have the things that comfort him the most."
"Yeah...you'd know about that, wouldn't you?" Kisuke said softly, swallowing hard.
Byakuya observed him silently for a moment.
"You don't know that this situation will end as mine and Hisana's did," the clan leader offered, "The important thing is to act to leave yourselves with no regrets, whether or not it ends the way you want it to. Hisana and I focused on the things that we wanted that were within our reach. And it was a comfort to have that feeling that we used our time together wisely. You cannot change his situation right now, but you can make the most of whatever time you have together."
Kisuke nodded briefly, pausing to think carefully.
"We'll have the wedding this weekend," he said softly, "We'd like it to be at Kuchiki Manor, if that's still okay. I'll give you a list of people we'd like to have there."
"Very well," Byakuya answered, nodding, "I will inform my staff to make the preparations. But even as we wait for the ceremony, we must focus all of our efforts on stopping what is happening to him."
"But I don't know how to do that!" Kisuke said desperately.
"I would suggest that if the hollow has an open conduit, that we must find a way to follow that conduit to its source."
Kisuke's eyes widened.
"We need to get to her," he mused softly, "If we have her, then maybe we can find a way to break the connection between them."
"We have to be very cautious," Byakuya warned him, "because if she becomes angry, she may drain him suddenly and completely. She could kill him at any time."
"But if we can catch her off guard and knock her out, that should give me time to study her in detail. We need to understand exactly what she did to Ichigo if we want to know the way to get him free of her!"
"And the best way to find her is to sense when she is draining Ichigo and track her then. Renji and I can do that while you focus on processing the information we procure and bolstering Ichigo, physically and emotionally."
"Right," Kisuke agreed, "Thanks, Byakuya-san. Ichigo's right. You've really been there for us."
"And that will not end now," Byakuya assured him, "We will find this hollow and bring her to you. And when we do, you will find an answer."
"I will."