Chapter 13: Clean Slate
"Mari, who is this?"
Renji kept his eyes lowered and his head slightly bowed, hoping Aizen would mistake the gesture for deference.
"Aizen-sama, this is my new intern, Takumi. Takumi has been studying at the far eastern camp for the past several years, but was recommended to me because of his excellent healing skills and…he also has familiarity with the workings of the Kuchiki clan males. I thought he might help us care for Kuchiki Byakuya."
"I see. So you're from the far eastern camp and you have knowledge of the Kuchiki males, you say? How did you gain your knowledge in that area? It is a clan secret that I discovered by accident. How did you come by the knowledge?"
"Well, I…"
"Ai-Aizen…taichou?" a soft voice said.
Three heads turned in surprise to look at Byakuya who had pushed himself into a seated position and was staring wide-eyed at the leader of the hollows.
Aizen approached Byakuya and sat down at his bedside. He leaned forward and brushed the long strands of raven black hair out of his eyes.
"What did you call me?" Aizen asked quietly.
"Aizen taichou?" Byakuya repeated, "It is you, isn't it? You look different without your glasses."
"Byakuya?"
The noble stared at him blankly.
"How did I come to be here, Aizen taichou? I only remember walking in the gardens at Kuchiki manor and I was alone. Some men came from the bushes and surrounded me. I don't remember what happened after that. Was I injured? Where is this place?"
Aizen gazed deeply into the widened gray eyes curiously.
"You are at an outpost in Hueco Mundo," Aizen explained, "When you disappeared, I traced you to this place and we captured the outpost. It was when we captured the outpost that we found you, Byakuya."
Byakuya's eyes moved slowly around the room, taking in everything. They rested for a moment on Mari, then fell on the hollow next to her. The gray eyes darkened.
"A hollow?" he hissed.
"Do not worry," Aizen assured him, "The hollows in this outpost are mostly safe. You will want to exercise caution around them, of course, but don't attack them unless they attack you first. Some of these hollows acted as informants when we were trying to find you."
"I see," he said, then he looked down at his body and gasped.
"What is it, Byakuya?" Aizen asked, following his gaze.
"Aizen taichou…I…I wasn't so…much older when I…I'm confused. Am I also…pregnant?"
Now Aizen smiled.
"Yes. That is part of what made us so anxious to find you."
"But then…that means that I've found my soul mate?" Byakuya said, staring, "Aizen taichou, who is my soul mate?"
Aizen's smile widened.
"Why, Byakuya, don't you remember? You must have hit your head harder than we thought. Byakuya, I am your soul mate," he said, leaning forward to kiss the noble very lightly on the lips.
"You are?" Byakuya asked, staring.
Aizen cupped Byakuya's cheek in one soft hand and gazed down at him affectionately.
"Of course. You mean to tell me that you have no memory of this…of us…of our wedding, Byakuya?"
Byakuya swayed dizzily and fell back against the pillows, his face growing even more pale.
"Are you all right?" Aizen asked quickly.
Mari stepped forward.
"Aizen-sama, he has endured a great deal. Byakuya must rest if he is to…regain his senses."
"Very well," he said, leaning forward to place another light kiss on Byakuya's lips.
He stood and turned toward the door.
"Aizen taichou, please don't leave," Byakuya said in a soft voice, "Or if you must, then take me with you. I…I hate hospitals! They make me anxious. Can you take me somewhere else, please?"
Mari looked down into Byakuya's hazy, confused expression, smiling kindly.
"Byakuya, I'm afraid it would not be feasible for you to leave here. You must rest and…"
"And he may rest in my quarters, Mari," Aizen finished, "You may send him to my quarters and have Takumi attend him there, as I know you are busy here and your intern has knowledge of the physiology of the Kuchiki males."
Mari looked doubtful.
"I don't know…"
"Well, he says this place makes him anxious," said Aizen, "That cannot be good for our child."
"N-no, I imagine not," said Mari reluctantly, "I imagine he would be better off where he is most comfortable. However, you must remember my recommendations. Kuchiki Byakuya is to suffer no ill treatment and you must restrain from having relations with him. What he has endured has left him in a more fragile state. He needs to regain his strength."
"Oh, very well, as you wish," Aizen said dismissively, "Come Takumi, you will carry Byakuya to our room."
"Aizen taichou?"
"Yes, Byakuya?" Aizen said, turning to look over his shoulder.
"I am not…so comfortable…with the hollows," Byakuya said, lowering his eyes, "Would…would you…?"
Aizen gazed down at Byakuya's lowered eyes and the cute, demure expression. It was so unlike the Byakuya he knew, but he had been through quite a bit. And he seemed as emotionally as physically fragile now. He found it oddly enchanting to see him this way. He walked back to the bed and carefully lifted Byakuya into his arms.
"Come Takumi," Aizen said, glancing back at the waiting hollow.
Renji looked helplessly at Mari, then turned and followed Aizen out the door. As he followed Aizen down the hall he could see that Byakuya was gently nuzzling Aizen's shoulder. Anger flared underneath his skin, but he held it back. It wasn't Byakuya's fault if everything he had been through had finally unhinged him. Even without Aizen's manipulations, Renji found himself confused by this place. He had to get Byakuya away, but they were a long way from doing that. He glanced at Aizen's back again, wanting more than anything to run him through with Zabimaru. Byakuya's head was rested on Aizen's shoulder now and he was looking back at Renji with an odd expression.
Renji blinked.
He wasn't sure. It might have been his imagination, but he was almost certain that he had seen the gray eyes narrow slightly and one of them had winked at him.
All of a sudden it was abundantly clear to Renji why Byakuya was such an accomplished taichou.
XXXXXXXXXX
"Are you comfortable now, Byakuya?" Aizen said, sitting down next to the bed, "This room is perhaps not as comfortable as the one we usually sleep in, but…the other room is being renovated."
"This is quite comfortable, Aizen taichou," Byakuya replied.
"Byakuya, you needn't use my title. Just call me Sousuke. We are married, after all. Besides, much has happened. I will tell it to you, but you must rest first. Mari said that you nearly miscarried our child. We must see that you are well looked after. I know you are not so comfortable with the hollows, but Mari assures me that Takumi is well trained and knowledgeable. You can trust him."
"If you say so," Byakuya said, yawning and stretching, "but I have no use for them and I won't miss them when we return to the Seireitei."
"The Seireitei…"
"Yes," said Byakuya, his eyes brightening, "I cannot wait to get home!"
"Yes…well…" Aizen said, blinking, "Remember that we are under war conditions and that you are not fit for travel, Byakuya. I think you should expect that we will remain here until our child is born."
Byakuya's gray eyes clouded slightly, but he nodded.
"I imagine you are right," he agreed grudgingly, "but when we do go back, I know the clan will insist on a gathering. Everyone will want to meet the new heir!"
"I'm sure they will," Aizen said cryptically.
He pulled the noble close and kissed him warmly.
"Rest now, Byakuya. I have work to attend to, but I will return to have dinner with you."
"I shall look forward to that, Sousuke," Byakuya said, smiling and leaning back against the pillows.
"Takumi," said Aizen, "you are personally responsible for Byakuya's care and well-being. You will see to his needs and see that no harm comes to him or our child."
"Hai."
Aizen's eyes flickered.
"Hai, Aizen-sama," Renji said reluctantly.
Aizen nodded.
He turned and left the room, closing the door softly behind him. As soon as he was gone, Renji moved slowly to Byakuya's side. He knew better than to be too eager in his movements or to speak too loudly. Mari had told him that there were surveillance cameras everywhere. He leaned toward Byakuya, pretending to examine him.
"Taichou," he whispered in a barely audible voice, "was it my imagination or did you wink at me?"
"It was not you imagination, Renji," Byakuya replied, not looking up at him, "Aizen is one who enjoys playing mental games. The best way to beat someone like that is to be better at the game than they are."
"So that whole thing about not remembering…"
"I made it up. I needed a way to keep him out of my head. He was confusing me and I wasn't able to think straight. He no longer has the need or desire to confuse me or torment me."
"Yes, that's true. But, Byakuya, you have to be very careful. I was watching the way he looked at you. And I think that if you are not careful, he will fall in love with you."
"Yes, Renji, he will."
Renji's eyes widened.
"You…you mean that you want him to fall in love with you? For real?" he asked.
"Yes. If Aizen falls in love with me…if he thinks that I return that feeling, then he will relax and lower his guard. And when he does, I will kill him. He will die for what he did to Rukia, to you…and to me!"
"Whoa…whoa…whoa, wait a second, there, Taichou. We are surrounded by enemies here, and even though Mari is helping us, we are a long way from escaping. Isn't it a little reckless to go planning Aizen's execution just yet? I mean, shouldn't we just focus on getting our asses out of here?"
"Don't be ridiculous, Renji. I didn't come all of this way to turn tail and run. I came here to kill Aizen. I can still do that. I have certainly paid for the privilege. Don't worry, I'll be cautious about it."
"Yeah, well have you given any thought to what him falling in love with you means? Byakuya, it makes me want to kill the bastard when he even looks at you! And you're letting him kiss you…and kami knows what else he's going to try!"
"I understand, Renji," the noble said softly, "I nearly lost my mind when I saw what Gin was doing to you. I'm sorry that happened. I blame myself, because you wouldn't have had to face that if I had been smarter…if…if I had listened to you, Renji. You told me that you would come with me, but I was too proud and too protective to let you help me. We have both paid a heavy price for that. There are things that have happened that I cannot fix. I am pregnant with his child…and I am married to him. No matter what you say about finding a way out of it, you have to realize that what I have done may ruin things for us. I may face years of imprisonment…or execution. I will certainly lose my post…and maybe clan leadership when they learn how Aizen has used me. I deeply appreciate all you have done to help me, Renji. I love you for coming here to help free me. But I do not deserve that kind of love, especially now. And I will understand if you do not wish to be with me once we are free. I have done too many things wrong and my pride has led me to ruin. I don't want you to be brought down with me."
"Stop, Byakuya, don't say things like that. Anyone would have wanted revenge for what Aizen did…and if you think you're stupid for being fooled by him, look around, because I didn't see anyone in the Seireitei who was any less fooled by his betrayal. You were just starting to let go of the past and really move forward. You and I were in love, and I still am. So why are you trying to push me away? Have you stopped loving me?"
Byakuya's hand slipped beneath the blanket and found Renji's where the cameras could not see. He squeezed Renji's hand warmly.
"Renji, I will never stop loving you…but neither will I ever be deserving of you."
"That's not true. Sure, you made mistakes, but I did, too. I mean, I took the fukutaichou's post alongside you under false pretenses. I didn't care about being good at my job or honoring the reasons why I was there. I got close to you so that I could study you, so that I could someday surpass you and defeat you. I was not innocent, Taichou."
Byakuya sighed
"It seems few of us really were."
"Byakuya, you can't let yourself stay focused on the past. You have to let it go. And yeah, Aizen deserves to die for what he's done…but he didn't just hurt you and your pride. He took a lot of other people down too. So don't feel like the burden of finding and killing him is yours alone. We all want to see him pay for what he has done. So if the opportunity arises, by all means, kill him. Just…don't throw your life away in the process. Revenge can be done in its own time, but what we have between us…we need to live that now."
"But Renji, how will you remain in love with me, knowing I am married to him and looking at the face of his child every day? I won't ask that of you. I won't let you ask it of yourself…because I would rather push you away and know that you still love me, than to force you into bearing this and watching your love for me fade from your eyes. I couldn't bear that."
"Don't worry about that, Byakuya," Renji said, stroking his hand beneath the blanket, "because no matter what happens, that is something that you will never see."