Chapter 11: The Reckoning
Tetsuya closed his eyes as his lips met Hiromi's, and for just a moment, the fear that the demon had instilled in him came back in full force, making him shiver as Hiromi's reiatsu curled warmly around him, caressing him with a deeply familiar tenderness. The warring emotions left him feeling even more shaky and weak, but as their kissing continued, his fears slowly began to fade. He let his head rest on the king's shoulder and breathed in his pleasant, familiar scent.
I know this touch! This is how it felt when my Naoki comforted me. Through any darkness within the walls of the prison, this touch...Naoki's touch. No...my lord Hiromi-sama's touch sustained me. It strengthened me and kept my hopes alive through everything. I feel it now! I have loved this soul, this beautiful, gentle soul that made mine, for all of my life! It was Hiromi-sama whose hands made me. It was Hiromi-sama whose love sheltered me, who comforted and guided me. And it is Hiromi-sama that my heart loves and remembers, wherever it goes.
"Hiromi-sama," Tetsuya exclaimed softly, his eyes overflowing with tears, "I am so sorry! I did not realize. I did not recognize you, and so I was confused."
"It is all right," the king assured him, wrapping his arms around the distressed noble and kissing his seeking lips repeatedly, "We recognize each other now, ne Tetsuya?
"Yes! Your touch feels just as I remember it. And just as always, when I am confused and lost, it is Hiromi-sama who finds me. I promise you, I will never stray from your side or lose my faith in you ever again! I love you, Hiromi-sama. Wherever you are, that is my home."
"These arms are your home, Tetsuya," Hiromi assured him, holding him tightly, "Return to them always when you need to feel my heart beating with yours."
"I will," Tetsuya whispered, exhaustion from his ordeal sweeping over him again.
He tried to fight the sleepiness, but in moments, had drifted off comfortably in the king's protective embrace. Hiromi looked up at the sound of soft tapping on the door.
"Come," he said quietly.
The door opened, admitting Byakuya, who was followed by a concerned looking Renji.
"How fares my cousin?" Byakuya asked, gazing down at Tetsuya's peaceful sleeping face.
"He is much better," the king assured the two, "Thank goodness that my brother returned him to the palace so quickly. He could easily have been killed by that demon."
"Yeah," Renji said worriedly, "He looked awful before, when we came to see him, but he looks a lot more comfortable now."
"Yes," agreed Hiromi, "It did do him good to understand his place here. It was, perhaps, premature, telling him before his initiate training was complete, but this encounter with the demon made it necessary. And now...I am afraid things will only grow more dangerous for him...and for me."
"How do you mean?" Byakuya asked.
"Tetsuya was lured and infected with the demon's poison," explained the king, "He was lucky in that he has some protection that delays the effects of poisons. Otherwise, our situation would instead be dire. But, as it stands, the infection of Tetsuya's shinigami body by the demon means that he will carry the mark of that poison when he transcends. As that will give the demon a claim upon him. If he is able to lure Tetsuya away again when he is newly transcended, then he could corrupt Tetsuya and make him his own consort. He could then use Tetsuya's power combined with his own to overcome our forces here and destroy me, making him king."
"Kami!" breathed Renji, his red-brown eyes intense, "That kinda raises the stakes, doesn't it?"
"It does," agreed Hiromi, "Tetsuya will need guarding from now in, every bit as much as I do. I have forces for that, but I am thinking that it would be best to have two elite guards close to Tetsuya, who know him well and can anticipate his needs."
"But Tetsuya does not know anyone among the elite guards that well," said Byakuya, "Unless you mean my grandfather to be one of them."
"Actually," said Hiromi, running his fingers through Tetsuya's hair, "I was hoping that the two of you would consider accepting those positions."
"Byakuya and me?" Renji asked, his eyes widening, "But we're..."
"You would not have to vacate your positions in the Seireitei, however you would be expected not to speak of your placements here, while in Soul Society or the living world. If it was known that officers were crossing over with any regularity, our enemies could become emboldened."
"We understand," said Byakuya, "And of course we will protect Tetsuya to the best of our ability."
"Good," said the king in a relieved tone, "I will make sure that Tetsuya is comfortable, then I will go and speak to the council about your commissions. We will begin your induction training immediately and hold your promotion ceremony as soon as it can be arranged. I think Ginrei will be very proud to hear that his grandson follows in his footsteps."
"Yes," agreed Byakuya, "I think he will be pleased. And it will be good to be close to him again. But the most important thing to me is to keep Tetsuya safe."
"I feel the same," Hiromi assured him.
Hiromi slipped free of Tetsuya's embrace and exited the bed, but paused a moment later as the younger man sat up, rubbing his eyes sleepily.
"Hiromi-sama, you are going?" he asked groggily.
"I am afraid I must, for now. I will come back tonight, after my obligations are seen to. I think it would be best if we are together when we sleep, from now on," the king said, kissing Tetsuya on the cheek and lips. I am leaving you in your cousin's capable hands, and all I want for you to do is rest. You should be well enough to do some light training in the morning."
"Light training," Renji repeated as Hiromi sent a soft throb of reiatsu through Tetsuya's exhausted body, and laid him gently back down on the bed again, "Sounds like you're in a pretty big hurry to get him trained."
"It is truly necessary," Hiromi sighed, "We are extremely vulnerable until Tetsuya and I have wed, and he is impregnated with our heir. And the wedding and consummation can only happen after the training pushes Tetsuya's shinigami body to its limits, initiating his transcendence. But this is not something that can be rushed. Transcendence occurs differently in each person, and is affected by the balance of body, mind and heart. I think that what was holding Tetsuya back before is that he did not have a clear sense of purpose in his placement here. I was attempting not to overwhelm him with too much expectation all at once, but he suffered from not feeling a sense of connection and purpose in what he was doing. Still, to have told him everything much sooner would not have given him time to absorb and accept his new place in the royal family. It is not always clear what is the best way to acclimatize a new consort. I think that your presence was clearly a stabilizing force that Tetsuya needed to regain his center. The way will still not be easy from this point, but we are making progress."
"I agree," Byakuya said, glancing down at his cousin, "And I am grateful that Tetsuya is so well loved and supported by you. He has not had an easy life."
"But he was blessed to have you," said the king, "and that makes me grateful to you, Byakuya. I am grateful too, for your continued presence at his side. I am doing all I can to steady him, but your presence here will give Tetsuya a sense of security and added confidence that will be critical to his development."
"Well, we're here to do whatever he needs us to," said Renji.
"Thank you," Hiromi said with sincerity, "I must take my leave of you now, but I will return as soon as the council adjourns."
"We'll look after Tetsuya until then," Byakuya assured him.
Hiromi's fingertips brushed lightly against Tetsuya's hair in parting, then he left the two shinigamis watching over him. As the door closed and they were left alone, Byakuya sighed and dropped into a chair beside the bed.
"You all right?" Renji asked, "You look pretty tired, yourself."
"I am concerned," the clan leader admitted, "It was difficult enough for my cousin to manage the adjustment to living here and training to be a guardsman. Now, he has to take on a much higher position than any of us dreamed. Not that I doubt his abilities or his dedication, but I do worry for him, especially with the danger that the demon who attacked him represents."
"Yeah, I can understand you being worried about that," Renji said bracingly, "But that's why we're here. We're going to make sure that no one and nothing hurts Tetsuya. He's going to be all right. He'll be trained up and married to the king in no time at all! You'll see."
"Thank you for the reassurance," Byakuya said gratefully, "I am glad that you are here, Renji."
The redhead sat down in a chair beside Byakuya's and leaned over to embrace him. A gentle blush rose on Byakuya's face and throat as they held each other and exchanged several warm, open-mouthed kisses.
"It's still strange to think of Tetsuya being married to the king," Renji commented, glancing at Byakuya's sleeping cousin, "And it's even more crazy to think of him, a guy, being pregnant."
"It may be rare," Byakuya acknowledged, "But the bringing forth of life is a profound thing. That is why, as noble males, we embrace such a thing when it is asked of us."
"Heh," Renji chuckled, cupping the noble's face in his hands and kissing him again, "I'm really glad you feel that way. As much as I think a baby we'd make would be cute and all, I just don't think that I could handle the throwing up, all of the doctor appointments and having the kid. How does that work, anyway?"
"Well," Byakuya said, blushing more deeply at the intimate question, "when two males mate while wearing the ceremonial charm, the one who receives seed into his body forms a chamber that 'catches' the seed and mingles it with both males' reiatsu to mature it. The pregnant male will encounter some of the same symptoms as a human or shinigami female...nausea, vomiting, dizziness, some weight gain and other effects, though they tend to be less intense."
"But, ah...well, how does the baby get out?" the redhead asked, frowning.
"When the reiatsu is fully matured, the male's abdomen will begin to glow as the abdominal wall loses cohesion to let the reaitsu pass through. The emergence is painless, but physically taxing in that it involves the expenditure of a great deal of energy to manage the birth. The reaitsu that emerges then solidifies and becomes the shinigami child. Tetsuya's mating with the king will be somewhat the same, but they cannot mate until Tetsuya's body reaches transcendence. The heir's power level is such that Tetsuya's body would be overcome, should they attempt to mate before. That is why there is such urgency for him to transcend."
"Right. Well, he'll be okay," Renji said with certainty, "And I think he'll be pretty cute pregnant."
"Abarai," Byakuya said in a flustered tone.
Renji laughed softly and fed the piqued noble several more amorous kisses.
"You know what else?" he went on, "I think that you would be adorable pregnant."
Byakuya fixed him in place with a withering glare.
"Renji..."
"Hey," the redhead said, good naturedly, "I know we just got together and we haven't been together like that yet, but...you've got me really looking forward to that...to that and everything else that comes with it."
"Renji," Byakuya tried again, only to be silenced with another deliciously warm kiss.
"Sorry," he laughed, "but the idea of you with your hair down and loose, your feet bare and your belly round with holding our baby is pretty damned irresistible!"
"Is it?" mused the noble, blushing furiously as he pictured it.
"Yeah," Renji said, chuckling weakly and feeling a delightful tickle inside.
"I see," Byakuya answered, giving him an appraising look, "And are you equally charmed with the idea of night feedings, changing dirty diapers and losing precious hours of sleep, calming a crying child? You might remember that this is also part of the package, Abarai."
"Eh, right," Renji said, shaking his head and grinning, "M-maybe parenthood can wait."
"Yes," said Byakuya, seeking his lips for another kiss, "However, more recreational lovemaking would be extremely pleasing to me."
"Heheh," chuckled Renji, "How long do you figure that meeting's going to last?"
"Too long," Byakuya sighed regretfully.
XXXXXXXXXX
Katsu stood quietly on a palace wall, looking down at the clearing where he had rescued Tetsuya from the demon. His mind replayed every detail with horrifying accuracy, making a shiver go through him and sweat break out on his skin. Echoes of memory of Tetsuya's rescue and of the loss of the former consort collided in his mind, tormenting him as he bit at his lips and tried to force the emotions away.
"It won't happen again. I won't let it," he growled softly into the wind that rushed around him, "You aren't going to hurt Tetsuya. And you are never going to reach my brother! You are going to die as a monster like you deserves, on the end of my blade, as soon as you show your face again!"
His mind went back again to the rescue of Tetsuya from the demon's clutches.
"Well now," said the demon, "This is a nostalgic scene, isn't it? It has been some time since I have seen you up close, Katsu. Are you well?"
"Shut up! Shut up and back away from him!"
The demon smiled.
"But of course," he said, rising and stepping back, "Still...you know the consequences of having let this one be touched by me. I do hope you plan to be more careful once those two have mated. It would be a shame to see your house fall completely because you were twice unable to thwart me."
"Bastard!" Katsu said, flash stepping towards the demon.
He slid to a stop as the demon appeared next to Tetsuya and picked the unconscious shinigami up by the throat.
"Stop," the demon said chillingly, "You don't want to act rashly and bring things about too soon. Take him home. Heal him and let the courtship continue. I will bide my time and wait for the wedding...and then, I will make this one my own!"
He dropped Tetsuya's limp body carelessly onto the ground.
"Goodbye, Katsu. Good luck."
Katsu shivered, remembering the struggle once he had returned to the palace, to revive Tetsuya's poisoned body.
And now, he is marked with that foul creature's reiatsu. He has a claim on the consort because, once again, I have failed in my duty. But...I will not let him prevail. When Tetsuya wakes, there is no length that I will not go to, to make him strong. I will protect him. I will protect Hiromi. Nothing like what happened to our mother will happen ever again!
I won't allow it!
A heavy jolt went through his body as he suddenly spotted the demon, standing quietly amongst the trees and watching him closely. He pretended not to notice and turned back into the palace, leaving the smirking demon behind.
There is nothing to be done now, anyway, the prince mused, his handsome face troubled, Everything will come down the day of the wedding...