Byakuya closed the heavy book he'd been reading as he sat in bed next to his sleeping lover digesting what he had just read. Zanpakutō's have soul threads too. Threads that can link a soul to it's resting place until their life starts again and the chance to work together again with its shinigami. It was not surprising information, Byakuya knew that souls lived in a cyclic existence being reborn over and over. Those destined to be together stayed together; being reborn at similar times and having the chance to live with each other again. Sometimes as lover, brothers or parents; but always together.

Where that should have comforted him that the ones he'd lost would be reunited with him again, it didn't. The fear that Ichigo's soul would be forever linked with Aizen was truly terrifying. Some souls should not have the right to repeat their mistakes. Gin was not ever going to burden the world again and Aizen should not either but they had lost their chance with him. It seemed however that the evil did not only lie with the man who wielded Kyōka Suigetsu but with the sword too. It was happy to be used for evil deeds and therefore must have the trait of evil engrained into it also. But Byakuya could find no evidence to suggest how to destroy a sword. God forbid, now he had used it, Tamotsu was chosen by the damned thing. The child wouldn't stand a chance. He would fall under his fathers influence and all the Ichigo in his nature would be written off.

His movement to put the heavy book down must have disturbed Ichigo.

"Byakuya?" The sleepy voice sounded horse and timid. A hand reached out to touch the dark haired man just to know he was there.

"Just putting my book down." He said softly switching the light off and moving deeper into the bed to pull Ichigo into his chest. Ichigo let the arms fold around him and he closed his eyes to the soft lips against his brow.

"Sorry." Ichigo buried into Byakuya's chest, letting the noble leader completely encase him in the sanctuary of his hold. "I... He..."

"Did you seek him out?" Byakuya already knew the answer to that, but he wanted Ichigo to realise that he had nothing to be sorry for. The shake of the head was accompanied by a slight tremor, no doubt, Byakuya thought triggered by a memory of the events today. "Did you ask for him to hurt you?" Byakuya felt the soft strands of ginger hair shake across his naked chest. "So, what do you need to be sorry for?"

"My weakness." The whispered voice sounded close to tears again. Letting him touch me, letting him hurt me, letting myself come. Waves of guilt ran through Ichigo. He might as well as invited the demon inside, invited him to run amok with his body and danced a pagan dance with him; cavorting and ravaging, laughing and lusting. He should feel ashamed, he betrayed Byakuya's trust, he defied the sanctity of their relationship. He'd been unfaithful.

Ichigo wanted to take it all back. He wanted nothing but pain and torment for himself; he deserved to feel his ills for causing so much pain to everyone else. But he wanted to take the pain from Byakuya, take the worry and reason for his constant attention. He shouldn't be having to watch Ichigo like some errant child.

But...But... He needed that touch Byakuya was giving him. He needed him.

Ichigo couldn't have let go if he wanted to. Byakuya was his everything. He was his comfort, his pain relief, his moments of amnesia, his reassurance, his guardian, his strength. His whole.

Just like that firm hold around him, that one arm that held him tight, the head that rested on his, the fingers that stroked down his back speaking a wealth of compassion and love. Ichigo needed Byakuya and he was here, right here and unlike with Sosuke, Ichigo knew that he wanted Byakuya right beside him at every moment.

Byakuya felt the sigh Ichigo released rather than heard it. It was accompanied by a yawn and the feeling of him relaxing just enough to let his sleep begin to wind slowly back into his being. Security and comfort were the perfect bedtime companion now.

Byakuya's fingers continued to pour their soothing flow of spiritual energy around the body of his lover completely wrapping him in a sleep inducing caress. His fingers stroked and his heart beat slowly lulled Ichigo into his rest; letting him enjoy the peace while he could.

...

Byakuya was a little disturbed at the sight of Ichigo in the morning as they dressed in their funeral clothes. Over night the physical evidence of Ichigo's ordeal had matured; his lower body was covered in inch wide bruises that extended up from his ankles to his hips. His inner thighs looked raw and angry with the worst of the bruising, but his abdomen and chest was also reddened with the stains. His face was little better, his lip now double its size looked angry and tender. His neck wound could have been mistaken for a choker with a red jewel where the skin had split open. His movements were awkward and not only for the sake of his still healing ankle but the whole of his skin must have felt like it was constricted and burning.

"Ichigo will take the Palanquin." Byakuya ordered as his personal servant readied to leave the room. The servant bowed. The usual irritation at the suggestion did not occur and Byakuya turned to view Ichigo slowly winding his Obi around his pregnant thickening waist. "You do not have an issue with that?"

Getting Ichigo home from the 4th Division after his fall had been a battle of wills. The younger man had hated the idea of being carried in the four man carriage like he was some divine creature that was too regal to be viewed by peasants. It was some stupid box on props carried by big burly men, ornately decorated and adorned with the insignia of the Kuchiki clans emblem. Ichigo had hated it on sight in the past.

"I will use it." Ichigo did not look up from what he was doing.

"If you think you are not well enough..."

"It is a captains responsibility to be there." He said quietly and then viewed himself in the mirror. "Why did she die? What was the point?" She was a sheepish little mouse that could command respect from a whole division. Quiet, caring and loyal.

"It was probably as pointless as this." Byakuya's arms enfolded him and he kissed at the red line on his neck. "I want you to stay close to me today and if you don't wish to talk to anyone, you do not have to."

...

The division was gathered respectfully in its rows of squads outside the unusually quite road in Rangoli. The house sat nestled amongst the trees and enjoyed quite a peaceful spot here. Momo's adopted grandmother stood waiting at the door in her best outfit and her tear stained face took on the sight of so many shinigami. She felt proud that the little might inspired such a send off. Their heads were bowed as Hitsugaya Tōshirō arrived and greeted his grandmother formally then turned at the sound of more footsteps to take in the sight of the ornate wooden carriage being carried by four guards of the Kuchiki Clan and Byakuya in his regal mode as ever gracefully striding alongside.

Once placed down, the embroidered door curtain was lifted by a guard and Byakuya extended a hand to the occupant. Hitsugaya held back his anger at the sight of a battered man being escorted slowly up the steps to the house by an arm around his waist.

"Kuchiki Taicho. Kurosaki Taicho." The shorter captain extended his greetings. "It was not expected that you be here Kurosaki Taicho."

"It was." He said quietly.

The three captains and the grandmother walked into the house and out to the pyre waiting in the back garden. They did not have to wait long for the other members of the Gotei 13 to arrive.

Byakuya stood beside his too quite, too still lover as they watched the ceremony. The small childlike woman laid with her Zanpakutō on her chest to protect her from the spirits of the afterlife and they listened to the family priest chanting. Ichigo rose at his due time to place his flowers around the pyre before watching the others do the same.

As the fire was lit, Byakuya felt Ichigo stiffen beside him and he slid his hand into his lovers. But he endured the whole ceremony until the point that his energy was fading faster than he liked and Ichigo was thankful that Byakuya did the talking. No one pressed him to talk and did nothing more than give him sympathetic looks. Unohana found a quiet moment as the pair left the garden.

"How are you today?" It was a simple question and Byakuya paused long enough for Ichigo to answer if he was going to.

"He's tired, we were just leaving." The sympathetic nod followed and Ichigo wanted to push her and her invasive stares away. He shifted position much as a frightened child would hide behind the legs of their parents to see that Byakuya was between them.

"Plans have been made for your division, you are not to leave the mansion for a while Ichigo. I want you to rest completely. Lets get this baby born safely before you think about going back." The Ichigo before this would have thought the request was ridiculous, at only 3 going on 4 months pregnant, that left an awful lot of time.

"I admit I would favour that idea." Byakuya nodded and Ichigo watched him. "I really would like you at home with the children for the foreseeable future Ichigo."

"Of course." Ichigo dipped his head and felt the hand in his tighten with thanks. Did he have much of a choice but to do as he was asked? His life wasn't his own and he was carrying Byakuya's child. His recklessness had already caused a twisted ankle. Ichigo was here for Byakuya's purpose, he would comply.

...

Byakuya was just as surprised by the way Ichigo let him carry him again through the house and laid him in bed. The truth inside Ichigo was that he was actually feeling miserably tired. "I have some things to attend to. Is there anything you want?" Byakuya asked Ichigo as he sat back on his heels.

"To please you." Ichigo said again averting his eyes.

"Then get some sleep. You were almost asleep in that carriage were you not?" Ichigo nodded. Byakuya wasn't sure about this change in Ichigo. It just felt out of kilter with the Ichigo he wanted. The word submissive jumped into his mind he felt a sense of unease. It fitted with the behaviour last night in the mirror and the broken look in his eyes that had haunted his day. He bent and kissed his lovers head.

"Byakuya!" Ichigo grasped one of his hands to prevent him from standing. There was a panic look on his face and Byakuya clenched at the hand holding his.

"Would you like someone to be with you?" The man nodded.

I know its short! It was just the right place to end sorry.