Chapter 13: Storm

Gin stepped into the fifth division taichou's quarters and set down the tea tray he was carrying. His eyes scanned the darkened room and found Aizen's silhouette just outside the garden doors. His eyes, as usual, were focused on the night sky, where he searched for the full moon, wherever the dark clouds parted to offer him sweet, teasing glimpses. Thunder rumbled softly as Gin approached him.

"Are you coming inside?" the silver-haired shinigami asked quietly.

Aizen thought for a moment, then lightly brushed his fingers against the hilt of his zanpakutou and sent an illusion back into the room with Gin. He watched the pale hand slip into that of his illusion self, then how they paused at the bedside and exchanged a kiss of greeting. They climbed onto the bed and Gin opened their yukatas and smilingly began to explore him. He continued to watch in silence as Gin worked his way downward, then wrapped his mouth around the illusion's hardness, his white face serene as he sucked contentedly.

He considered going back inside and joining Gin, but he was all too aware of what would happen. It happened every time he was with Gin. He had thought, at first, that it was Kyouka Suigetsu, either evincing his feelings about the breakup with Byakuya or just playing an odd game of toying with him, while secretly protecting his heart from actually forming any real feelings for Gin.

The only face I ever see is Byakuya's…the only scent, sakura. I can feel that it is his skin I touch, his heart I feel beating under my hands. As much as I try to forget him, he is always there. And as much as I try to hate him, I also want him back. I want to hurt him because he left me and moved on so quickly, but I always stop short of taking the first step towards doing that. I know once I touched him, I would crumble. He has become my obsession…one I never should have indulged in…one it seems that I will never escape. Even now, sometimes I feel his thoughts…I register his pain. I feel that pain now. He is hurting badly. It should make me happy, but I only feel empty.

He tried to focus on the sounds of pleasure coming from his room, but all he could hear was Byakuya's pain. Lightning flashed and brought with it images of a storm darkened forest, a hooded figure astride a black horse that charged through the storm almost recklessly, then a falling tree that sent the two crashing to the ground. The downed horse groaned, but remained on the ground. The hooded figure staggered to his feet, holding his midsection, then dropped to his knees, crying out in distress.

He heard the sound rise up in his mind as the rain began to fall, a hard, desperate cry that echoed among the forest trees around Byakuya. He sensed that the noble was alone and caught in the storm. It seemed oddly out of character for one with such a fast flash step and so much power to be frightened of such a thing. But he sensed a vulnerability in his former lover, some kind of weakness that held him back. And now, he knelt on the ground, with the rain coming down all around him and his cries of pain mixing with the sounds of wind, falling rain and thunder.

Aizen tried to force the vision out of his head, to turn back into the room and join Gin, where he and the Aizen illusion laid sated and sprawled languidly across the bed. But everything else left him when he heard Byakuya scream.

XXXXXXXXXX

Byakuya woke to the sound of soft, approaching thunder. He lifted his head and looked around the garden where he had fallen asleep under a sakura tree, noting that late afternoon had come and Hisana had not yet returned from Inuzuri.

Something told me I should have gone with her. If only it wasn't so late in my pregnancy. I can't depend on my powers…and my flash step is much slower, when it even works.

He placed a hand on his swollen belly, and rose carefully, feeling grateful that the reiatsu cluster was smaller than the physical body of a baby would have been. He paused as twinges of pain registered in his abdomen and back.

"Are you all right, Byakuya-sama?" asked Haru, stepping out of the cabin and into the gardens, still favoring the ankle he had injured the day before.

Byakuya took nodded briefly and took slow, steadying breaths as Tetsuya's spouse reached him and helped him back inside the cabin. He sat down on the sofa, and Haru sat down on an ottoman in front of him, placing his hands gently on the noble's abdomen and letting his reiatsu flow into the area.

"Just a little imbalance," Haru assured him, "Nothing to be worried about. It should settle. But you are close to delivering. As soon as the storm has passed, I think we'll have to move you to the doctor's home in Inuzuri."

"Where is Tetsuya?" Byakuya asked, looking around.

"He went to look for Hisana when she did not come back. He would have told you he was leaving, but he didn't want to wake you. He knows how uncomfortable you have been these last few weeks. It's hard for you to get enough sleep."

"How long ago did he leave?"

"A few hours ago," Haru answered, "but they should be back soon. He took Arashi with him."

They looked out the window, at the darkening sky as lightning flashed and thunder sounded loudly after.

"That storm is getting close," Haru said, "I'll go and bring Naoki in here. He gets frightened during storms."

"Like Tetsuya used to," Byakuya remembered, a smile touching his lips.

"I'll just be a few minutes while I change him. Rest here, Byakuya-sama."

Byakuya watched as Haru left, then turned his eyes back to the window as thunder sounded again and he heard Naoki start to cry. Rain began to strike the ground outside and thunder boomed louder. Naoki gave a frightened squeal and cried harder. Byakuya saw something dark racing across the meadow and starting up the hill. He rose and went to the door, catching sight of a riderless Arashi, who slid to a stop and neighed loudly as he reached Byakuya.

Byakuya grabbed his hooded cloak and wrapped it around his shoulders, then moved forward and patted the stallion, freezing in place as Arashi's dark eyes met his and several visual images flashed in his mind. He first saw an image of Tetsuya riding Arashi and coming upon Hisana, where she had fallen and been trapped when part of the trail had given way under her. The next showed Tetsuya climbing down to her, and the ground giving way beneath him. The final image was of the two pressed close to each other under a kido shield Tetsuya had placed to protect them.

Haru would be the better choice to go after them, if not for that injured ankle, but there's no choice. I'm the only one left to help…

He climbed onto Arashi's back and nudged the stallion into a gallop. They raced back out of the valley and onto the forest trail that led towards Inuzuri. The rain came down harder, forcing Arashi to slow and proceed more carefully. Byakuya pulled his cloak more tightly around him as the wind buffeted them and lightning cracked across the sky, with heavy, booming thunder on its heels. The stallion slowed again and carefully picked his way around a collapsed bit of the trail, then continued on. Darkness had come and it was difficult to see, so Byakuya used what little power he could summon to raise a small, flickering kido light to see by. Arashi made a low sound of approval and moved forward carefully. Although he couldn't see to be sure, Byakuya sensed that they were near the end of the trees, after which there was another small town, then the trail where Hisana and Tetsuya were trapped. Arashi seemed to realize it as well and quickened his pace.

Another bolt of lightning shot across the sky and the thunder sounded almost on top of it. Byakuya heard a cracking noise above them and caught his breath as a huge, thick limb fell towards them. Arashi flash stepped and nearly made it clear, but the falling branch struck him a glancing blow, throwing him off balance and sending horse, rider and the heavy limb tumbling off into the trees.

Byakuya didn't know by what miracle he managed to both fall somewhat correctly and miss being crushed by both Arashi and the tree limb, but he rolled to a stop and immediately turned and crawled towards Arashi. The stallion lay, partially covered in mud that had come down with them, groaning and panting, one delicate hoof caught in the twisted remains of the fallen branch. He spoke soothingly to the trapped beast, knowing that if Arashi began to struggle, he would be likely to break a leg…if one wasn't broken already.

He was grateful for the fact that the stallion was wise enough to hold still as Byakuya quietly examined him.

"I don't think anything is broken," he told Arashi, "but I'll need you to hold very still while I free you."

He managed a small sedative kido that reduced Arashi's consciousness enough so that he relaxed and did not move or make a sound as the noble carefully extracted his hoof. He rested where he was, with Byakuya leaned against him, the noble's cloak arranged to keep the rain and wind off of his face until finally he seemed to regain full awareness and climbed slowly to his feet. The stallion took a few limping steps and tried to climb back up to the trail, but slipped back down on the loose mud.

Byakuya started to climb to his feet, but stopped and dropped to his knees as a sharp pain flashed across his abdomen. He gasped and tried to breathe through the pain as Haru had instructed him to, but even as the first pain left him, a fresh jolt struck him, tearing a ragged cry of pain from his throat. Arashi nudged him gently with a wet nose and peeked at him through the long strands of his forelock. He knelt next to the noble and Byakuya tried to climb onto his back, but dropped back to his knees again, unable to manage it.

"It's no use," he panted softly, "I will have to stay here. Arashi, you have to find help for Tetsuya and Hisana. I don't know if they might be hurt."

The stallion stood and lowered his head, nudging Byakuya towards a cluster of bushes. Byakuya dragged himself to his feet and leaned against Arashi as they walked together to the bushes. He dropped down next to them and watched in surprise as the stallion knelt next to him, so that the bushes provided some cover from the rain and Arashi's body provided some warmth.

"Arigato," he whispered, petting the horse's wet neck, "I should make you go…but I…"

He broke off as another pain gripped him and his midsection began to glow with soft, white light.

"Oh…not now," he whispered, "Not like this."

He breathed through the pain and tried to think calm thoughts, but the pain intensified and he began to get the sense that something was wrong. The pains continued to grow stronger and a feeling like fire burned inside him. He could feel that his skin was hot, despite the cool rain that still fell around them. He shivered and groaned as fresh pains struck, then cried out as the fire inside him burned hotter and power flared up out of his midsection.

Our reiatsu has become unstable, but…I can't…oh no…

Dizziness swept over him and sent his mind into oblivion. He maintained some awareness that he was lying on the wet ground, in the rain, next to Arashi and that the stallion was nudging him again, showing the whites of his eyes and looking as though something was very wrong.

Byakuya turned his head and registered a dark shape closing in on them. Arashi surged to his feet and attacked, striking what appeared to be a hollow and driving it back.

It must have been attracted by my reiatsu flaring like that…

He crawled onto his hands and knees as stallion and hollow exchanged strikes in a flurry of hooves and claws, then flashes of cero and kido.

"A-arashi!" Byakuya cried, trying to summon a kido blast and failing.

The two dark forms shot towards each other and collided, and Arashi screamed and loosed a final blast of kido. The hollow fell back as the stallion reared and struck repeatedly with his hooves, until the creature's body collapsed and slowly dissolved into nothing. Arashi turned back towards Byakuya, walking slowly, on quivering legs and dropped to the ground just short of him.

"Arashi!" the noble gasped, crawling to him.

He fell against the exhausted horse, relieved that his injuries did not appear to be life threatening. Arashi groaned discontentedly, but settled and rested quietly as Byakuya leaned against him and returned his attention to his softly glowing belly.

"I don't suppose you would consider waiting until we are safe, ne?"

He panted his way through the next set of pains, then sank down next to Arashi again. His eyes closed and he drifted in and out of consciousness as the pains came and went, increasing in intensity until he was sure he was going to break apart. He could hear himself groaning and gasping his way through them, and felt Arashi nudge him and lick his face.

His reiatsu burned too hotly now, searing him inside and dragging ragged cries from him. His mind fell away and he seemed to disappear into the pain. Everything went cold and black around him and he was sure now that something had gone horribly wrong. He threw everything into a last, distressed scream of pain, then lost consciousness completely.

XXXXXXXXXX

Aizen Sousuke flash stepped hastily through the rain, his kido lighting the way as he followed the now bright flares of Byakuya's out of control reiatsu. It seemed ominous that, even though the reiatsu continued to spike and flare, Byakuya's voice had left his mind entirely.

He must have lost consciousness…

He didn't even try to tell himself that he didn't care. Whatever Byakuya had done, they had still been lovers. And he had to admit that despite the fact that he was still furious at the noble for getting that peasant woman pregnant, there was time enough for anger after Byakuya was safe. And perhaps now, they would be able to talk. He didn't know what good it would do with another lover's baby coming into the picture, but as long as they were both still alive, there had to be some amount of hope. For the moment, he shoved everything else aside and just flash stepped madly in Byakuya's direction.

He slowed as he came to a collapsed portion of the trail. He looked around, wondering if it was near Byakuya, then stiffened as a pealing neigh sounded nearby. He turned in the direction of the sound and spotted the black horse he had seen in his vision. The beast struggled to his feet as Aizen flash stepped down the incline and slid to a stop, staring.

Byakuya lay on his back on the ground, his eyes closed and his chest heaving. As he moved closer, the swelling in his softly glowing abdomen became obvious.

"She wasn't pregnant," Aizen breathed, "He is…"

And he knew better than to think that the baby Byakuya was carrying was anyone's other than his. Suddenly, the pieces began to fall into place, the noble's sudden departure, and how he had tried to end their relationship, but some connective piece was still missing…something that would explain why Byakuya would fear him finding out about their child. It didn't seem enough that Byakuya knew he had not wanted to have a child at the time. He knew the noble well. Byakuya would have said something, even if he knew it would cause an argument. Something else had to have happened. But it didn't matter. All that mattered was protecting what they had made together.

He dropped onto his knees next to Byakuya and raised protective shielding around them, then stripped away his wet clothes and wrapped him in an extra cloak he had carried beneath his own. He placed his hands on the noble's swollen abdomen and sensed the reiatsu imbalance that seemed to be affecting him. Power flared around his hands and flowed into Byakuya's body, wrapping warmly around his and slowly stabilizing it. He wanted to stave off the delivery and take the noble to the Seireitei for healing, but when he tried to move Byakuya, he woke and cried out in pain.

"It's too late," he panted raggedly, not recognizing the man who leaned over him, "I cannot be moved now. Help me…you have to help me have this baby!"

Aizen let out a soft breath and shifted so that the glow coming off of Byakuya's abdomen lit his face.

The noble's eyes went wide with recognition.

"N-no…" he whispered feverishly, "D-don't!"

"What? What are you saying, Byakuya?"

Byakuya's body shivered beneath his hands.

"Y-you…" he panted harshly, trying to pull away, "Y-you're going to…k-kill us, aren't you?"