Chapter 11: Beneath Your Skin

XXXXXXXXXX

(Thanks to Winterheart2000 (Thanks so much!), Periwinkle (Request granted!), Picklez80 (Love right back at you! And here's that update I promised you.), Willow (I think Aizen will have to focus on finding out just why Hisoka went nuts and forced the issue. He and Tetsuya did not yet learn that they are in line for the throne. Once Aizen knows, it will grow a lot more dangerous for Tetsuya...much, much, much more dangerous!), PrivateCaller (Aizen will be in wicked mode, but he might find Tetsuya to be more slippery and harder to contain than he seems at first!), Jess0409 (I think Aizen is fixated on learning about the soul bond and why the king would have given it to Tetsuya and him.), Aizenfan6969 (So glad you liked it!), Kittykins (I think Tetsuya is caught between several forces and will be kept on his toes, just trying to stay alive. As long as he's a mystery, Aizen won't kill him, but Central 46 mostly wants him dead from the get-go), I believe Tetsuya willhave to focus on physical safety and he will want to know Byakuya's situation as well. Aizen, of course, will have his own agenda...), Sariniste (I will definitely give this one some more updates this week and try to finish soon. It's in the thick of the action and will take some interesting turns!), and Gemnika (Thanks so much!) Enjoy the new chapter! Much love to all, Spunky)

XXXXXXXXXX

A pair of intelligent, dark brown eyes gazed curiously down at Kuchiki Tetsuya's bared and restrained form, studying carefully every inch of the young man that could be observed visually, then moving on to a more intimate exploration of the enigma that was his soul resonant. Practiced fingertips touched the places on Tetsuya's muscular chest and soft belly, under which his spirit centers pulsed softly, pausing briefly to brush a misbehaving strand of raven hair from Tetsuya's comely face, before sliding down a slender arm to examine the pathways the young man used to focus his power through his blue steel blade.

You are certainly an enchanting little mystery, he mused appreciatively, I understand that you are special somehow. You must be to be balancing me as you are. I see it when I look at you, how we reflect each other in some ways. And now, it is time to search more deeply.

He laid a warm palm on Tetsuya's forehead and closed his own eyes, focusing on making himself one with the unconscious shinigami's drifting mind. Tetsuya's body flinched at the silent invasion, stiffening as several monitors measuring different aspects of his brain activity began to beep in protest.

Relax, Tetsuya. What touches your mind right now isn't anything unnatural. Yes, just like you are a part of me, I am a part of you. And that part of you wants to understand the whole of us. We both need to gain that understanding. It's not just curiosity. This is for our survival. I think you sense that.

Now, reveal yourself to me.

He felt tension that remained in their connection, but also a curious turn of Tetsuya's mind. His lips smiled in reaction.

Yes, you realize, don't you? I will connect with you and take something from you, but you will also gain something from me in return.

The tension in Tetsuya's body and mind elevated sharply for a moment and Aizen's mind picked up in the radiating waves of fear, a memory of Tetsuya's mind touching his, that moment when the younger man had experienced, just for a moment, what it felt like being locked up in the depths of Muken.

I will admit, Tetsuya, that my mind, my past is a hard thing to bear. But I know you are strong enough. And in exchange, you will no longer have to bear alone the weight of what you experienced in Itamigiri. From the point at which we accept our connection, we will not have to be alone in our suffering again. That is a comfort and a weight both, isn't it? I am not just asking for something from you, I am yielding something to you. It may be a weight, but it is also something I've given no one else. You merely have to open your heart to the exchange.

The tension in Tetsuya's mind and body held and fluctuated for several minutes, then Aizen felt both give way and a new pathway seemed to open in front of him.

He found himself in his own inner world, standing at the place where it had connected with Tetsuya's. Tetsuya stood on the other side, within his own inner world, his blue eyes focused steadily on his resonant's. Aizen gave him a warm smile of welcome.

"You accept what has to happen here?" he asked the younger man.

Tetsuya hesitated, then nodded briefly.

"I must know you," he answered, "And you must know me. To achieve whatever destiny the king intended for us, we must first understand who we are, both individually and together. I must enter your inner world and allow you to enter mine."

"Yes," Aizen agreed, "This is necessary so that we can move forward from here."

He raised a hand and laid his palm against Tetsuya's, locking his eyes on the younger man's and marveling for a moment at the depth of Tetsuya's courage in allowing such a thing.

"You should be terrified."

"I am. You are a terrifying man," Tetsuya agreed, "But right now, we are both opening our hearts. We are both discovering and yielding. We are in balance and that gives me courage."

Aizen nodded approvingly.

He raised his other palm and was met with Tetsuya's. As they touched, their reiatsu began to radiate around them. Wind rose around their frozen forms, whipping the elds of their clothes and hair as they focused intently on each other. Both men felt a shift in the reiatsu around them and suddenly each stood on the other side, within their resonant's inner world and freed to explore it. Aizen looked back at Tetsuya, giving him an encouraging smile.

"Be careful," he warned his resonant.

"I think we both need to be careful," Tetsuya answered, turning away from him. Aizen watched for a moment as Tetsuya was confronted by a tall, slender man with neatly trimmed black hair and hypnotic, deep emerald eyes. He seemed to recognize the spirit and bowed his head in greeting.

"Kyouka Suigetsu," he said calmly.

The spirit extended a hand and led Tetsuya away. Aizen turned and found himself face to face with the lovely pixie-like spirit of Tetsuya's zanpakutou.

"Re-kuhime?" he greeted her.

The spirit's wings fluttered and buzzed warningly.

"You understand this must be?" he inquired, "Tetsuya must explore my depths and I must explore his."

"I understand that part," the lady spirit said sternly, "But you understand this. Just because we have allowed you here, doesn't mean that we will allow you to taint us. Tetsuya and I will not be darkened by you."

Aizen smiled tolerantly.

"I understand your feelings," he acknowledged, "But the truth that you need to accept is that we will fall into complete balance or we will die right now. That is the nature of our connection. These next moments are critical to Tetsuya and to me."

Re-kuhime reached out and touched his chest, where the hougyoku had been.

"Yes, we are all vulnerable now," she agreed, "Come."

He followed the spirit through the night meadow and to the edge of a large, moonlit lake. Black water lapped lightly at the soft, muddy shore and Aizen sensed immediately that the core of Tetsuya's innate power lay beneath the riled surface of the water.

"Water is the source of our power," Re-kuhime explained, "And within the molecules of this lake is everything that makes us up. If you want to understand us, then you must enter our depths. We will be as open as you are, no more and no less."

Aizen considered her words, then earned an approving smile from the spirit as he opened his yukata and let his clothing fall away. Completely bared, he moved forward, his feet sinking into the cool mud as he slowly entered the lake, sliding down beneath the surface and feeling his resonant's power wrapping around him.

At first, the lake was so dark that he could see nothing. But he paused and waited, listening in the deep silence and thinking carefully.

"What guides yours soul?" Re-kuhime's voice asked him.

There was a long pause and Aizen felt the water seeping into his body as he breathed it in slowly. It turned and sped through him, reaching every part of him.

"Knowledge," he answered honestly, "Knowing something in its entirety allows me to wrap my hands around that thing's power and make it my own."

"Is that what you would do with Tetsuya? Would you take his power as your own and use it, even in evil ways?"

"I think you already know the answer to that," Aizen said, smirking.

"Yes, you are treacherous," the lady spirit answered, "but even in knowing us, you allow us to know you, and that makes you vulnerable as well."

"It does," Aizen agreed, "But what guides your soul?"

The spirit considered his question quietly for a moment.

"Heart," she answered, "A soul may have all the power to change its world, but if it does not have a heart, it will only destroy the world it exists in."

A blue tinted light blossomed in front of Aizen and his eyes took in the form of the pixie spirit holding something glowing in her hand that pulsed in a soft, steady fashion.

"This is my master's heart," Re-kuhime explained, "You will find that although it looks delicate and as though it would be easily broken, it has undeniable strength. It is Tetsuya's will that we reveal ourselves to you, and as long as it remains his will, this light will guide you through our depths. Proceed carefully and do not disrespect what you discover. I am sure you know that knowledge can be dangerous, even deadly, Aizen Sousuke."

Aizen nodded briefly and accepted the glowing orb she held, then he walked past her, moving into the deeper recesses of the seemingly endless lake that was Tetsuya's inner core. As he proceeded, he felt his own heart fall into rhythm with Tetsuya's, then images rose up and wrapped around him, beginning with Tetsuya's conception by a the Kuchiki male, Takao, and his wife, Kiko of the mid-Rukongai. With every step, he walked the pathway of Tetsuya's life, living with him the horrors of his youth in Itamigiri, the small, filthy cell he shared with a gentle, brown eyed boy named Naoki, the stern guards who watched them, the little courtyard that was their only connection with the world outside the stone walls, bland food and dirty water that made them ill…beatings for the smallest infractions, and worse, a small, coffin-like hole in the depths of the prison, into which prisoners were placed for punishment, and a large wooden plank laid over to block out the light. Aizen watched in dark wonder as Tetsuya was forced into that little, black place and left there until he screamed mindlessly. For a long time after, he could only lie in his Naoki's arms, shaking and crying, too terrified of being sent back to he defiant anymore.

The sole light in Tetsuya's world was the lingering hope that the young lord, Byakuya, would someday come and free the ones suffering in the prison. The day Byakuya arrived was the day Naoki died, and Tetsuya was thrust from the darkness of Itamigiri, into the much more complex world of the noble class.

Aizen watched with deep interest, the development of each of Tetsuya's abilities, noting them carefully and ruminating deeply on how each could be useful. He reached the point of their meeting at Central 46 and lingered for a long time over each of their interactions, noting with interest, each of Tetsuya's choices.

"You do nothing that violates the guidance of your heart," he said softly, emerging from the lake and heading back to the place where his and Tetsuya's worlds were joined.

As he reached it, Tetsuya appeared on the other side, naked as he was, and staggering dangerously. Aizen caught him as he stepped across the divide and collapsed. He sat calmly, holding Tetsuya against him and running his fingers gently through the younger man's riled hair.

"You are lucky to still be alive," he commented, "My past is a weight I wasn't sure that your heart could bear. But since your heart is so strong, you have come back. Tell me, what did you think of my life, Tetsuya?"

Tetsuya looked up at him through damp, haunted eyes and said nothing for a moment.

"You suffered as a child because of what you didn't know," Tetsuya said in a shaky voice, "So, you made it your mission in life to know so that you wouldn't be used by anyone again."

"And you had your heart broken badly when you were young, so you made it your mission to make your heart strong enough to survive anything…even me, Tetsuya."

He bent forward, bringing his lips to Tetsuya's and engaging them in a long, soulful kiss. Tetsuya rested more calmly after, lying wearily in his arms and slowly drifting off to sleep again.

Aizen emerged out of their connected inner worlds and found himself lying down beside Tetsuya and felt again that their heartbeats had fallen into perfect rhythm.

"But there are still mysteries to be explored," he mused, climbing off of the examination table and leaning over the younger man, "I still don't know why we were chosen by the king, or what for. I sense power in you that has yet to be discovered and deadly secrets that are the key. I will get to the bottom of this, Tetsuya, but while I do, I need to make sure that your heart doesn't lead you to do anything reckless. It is the most powerful part of you, and the part I need to harness if I want to know how best to use you."

He closed Tetsuya's yukata, tying it carefully back in place, then he set the younger man in strong restraints and deepened his sleep.

"I need to rest and think," he sighed wearily, "And while I am doing that, I am sure our pursuers will be busy. Rest, now. You will be safe here. No one knows about this place and it will be a while before anyone, even your cousin, will be able to track us."

He left Tetsuya sleeping and walked down the hallway, to a large bedroom, where he shed his clothing and sank down into the comfortable bed. In moments, he was asleep.

Within the examination room, down the hall from where he slept, Tetsuya slept for a time, emerging to find himself alone and restrained. He had vague memories of being attacked and telling Aizen to leave him.

I think he understood that if I lived and I wasn't with him, I would be a danger to him. And now, he seeks to understand me, so that he can control our circumstances. Aizen Sousuke is a very dangerous man, and one whose fate is now bound to mine…no…our fates have always been connected. But our choices matter. He could have chosen to leave me to die, or he could have killed me, himself. Instead, he somehow saved my life. That he ties me down here is not personal. He is trying to understand me, because as long as he doesn't, I could be dangerous, even deadly to him.

But just because I understand his reasoning doesn't mean I will allow it.

Allowing myself to be controlled by Aizen or controlled by Central 46…either could be my undoing. I can't afford to trust either one, or to simply lie here and accept my circumstances. The clock is ticking. Now that he has visited my core, it won't be long before his understanding of my abilities will close the doorways to me escaping him. And I think I have to escape him and return to Kuchiki Manor. Now that I have visited Aizen Sousuke's inner world and seen his past, I can use that knowledge to unlock more about why we are connected as we are. I need to go home and enter the archive. The archive is safe. No one but members of the royal family and those given Byakuya's permission can enter there. It is there I must go, and quickly.

He studied the restraints that held him down and frowned in annoyance.

This is going to be difficult, but it isn't impossible.

He spotted a little table that held a number of medical implements, but seemed to be just out of his reach. Turning his head, he focused on the room around him, taking in that he was in some sort of laboratory, and that he was connected to a number of machines that seemed to be monitoring and recording his vital signs, as well as reiatsu levels and electromagnetic relays.

It makes sense. He wants to understand everything about me. Knowledge is his guiding principle and he will do anything to obtain that knowledge. I am going to have to use things he might not have processed about me, if I am to escape him.

He studied the room again, locating a cup of tea that, unfortunately, he could not reach.

If there was any form of liquid touching me, even though he has sealed my powers, within a small radius around me, they will still be active. This means that, while I can't set waterforms outside of my body, I can, if something containing water is touching, use that water to escape these restraints.

His eye found a partially emptied IV connected to his arm and a sly smile crawled onto Tetsuya's lips.

I haven't had to do this before, although I knew I could. I don't think he's realized yet the danger of letting anything with water content touch me.

Tetsuya sensed the water molecules within the IV, traveling up the long tube and ending in the half empty plastic packet at the top. He connected with those molecules, shifting his presence from within his body on the examination table, into the stream of liquid that flowed through the IV. Once his soul was within the IV packet, he allowed his body to re-form, breaking the plastic container and making the the IV stand topple. He collapsed onto the floor, but quickly scrambled to his feet, grabbing a white yukata to cover himself. He listened carefully, his heart pounding as he waited to see if the noise had caught Aizen's attention. He breathed a sigh of relief when he heard nothing. Looking back at the examination table, he studied the waterform that had been left behind in his place, carefully adjusting it so that the machines would continue to pick up his vital signs and brain waves.

I have to keep him unaware of my escape for as long as possible.

Tetsuya crept to the laboratory door and peered out into the hallway. He moved slowly into it, sensing that Aizen was in a nearby room and sleeping. Stepping back into the laboratory, he opened a senkaimon and started to step inside. As he did, a hand touched his shoulder and the illusion around him broke apart, leaving him staring up into Aizen Sousuke's dangerously aroused eyes. Tetsuya sucked in a terrified breath and tried to pull free, his heart pounding.

"Did you really think that after being so close to your heart, I wouldn't realize that the first thing you would do upon waking…would be to find a way to escape? You have underestimated me, Tetsuya. But it seems that I understand you very well. Don't worry, I am not going to kill you. I don't know enough about you yet…but now that I know where to look, you are going to show me everything!"