Chapter 25: Hope

Tetsuya came awake to a feeling of sudden tension in his abdomen. He caught his breath softly and tightened his hand on the one he felt holding his. Opening his eyes, he found himself looking into a pleased and affectionate pair of lively brown eyes. He blinked in confusion, wondering if he had somehow been mistaken about having returned to the Seireitei and might still be in Hueco Mundo.

"S-sousuke?" he whispered, uncertainly, "Sousuke, what is happening? Are you...all right now?"

"I am fine," Aizen said, squeezing his hand gently, "Thanks to you. And you are going to be fine also. But...it appears that we will be having our child sooner than we might have expected."

"B-but," Tetsuya objected, "I am not...it...isn't time! It hasn't been long enough. I don't understand!"

Kisuke appeared at his side and laid his hands on the noble's abdomen, and Tetsuya's eyes widened in surprise.

"Kami, what happened to me? I wasn't that big before! When? How long...? Sousuke, what is going on?" he stammered, his brow furrowing cutely in confusion.

"The king said that what was happening was to be expected," said Kisuke, "He said that it has to do with what he wanted to tell you before. But it looks like baby's coming first and explanations will be along later, ne? Just, slow down your breathing a bit. You're going to hyperventilate."

"Oh," said Tetsuya, blinking and forcing himself to take longer, slower breaths.

"That's better," Kisuke said, smiling, "Much better. Now, just relax for a bit. The reiatsu cluster has fully matured, and it should emerge soon."

"But, how did it do that?" Tetsuya asked curiously, "Why?"

Kisuke shrugged.

"Beats me," he confessed, "But I think that it has something to do with the completion of your child's soul when you were infused with the power of the lost souls that were housed in the hougyoku. A short time after you passed out, the reiatsu began to swell, and we were able to detect a sentience in the chamber. Apparently, the combination of the souls you gathered in the precipice world and the ones within the hougyoku fell into balance and merged to create a new soul within your child's body."

"Of course," Tetsuya whispered, his eyes widening in realization, "That must have been what he meant when he said that I was halfway there."

"What was that?" asked Aizen.

"The king said that I was halfway to the answers, but that before I could succeed, the powers of need and desire had to be brought into balance again...within me and within you. So...I think that when I convinced the spirits within the hougyoku to abandon it, and to enter my body instead, the souls of the ones who cried out in need and the ones who ached with desire balanced each other and were joined within the reiatsu chamber to complete our child's soul."

"I've never heard of a phenomena like that before," said Aizen, studying Tetsuya closely, "It only goes to prove that I was correct in my suspicions that you were different."

"I'll say he's different!" agreed Kisuke wholeheartedly, "He is like you and me on the outside, but he is a completely different creature within. He was made to draw those souls in and to create life. It is like he was designed to do exactly this..."

"I was," Tetsuya said quietly, "But I didn't understand that before. Sousuke opened the door to understanding my place when he urged me to explore the mythos of the Pegasus. Arashi is a transcendent, and I too, fall into that category. I am a shinigami in body, but a light being in spirit, designed for the task of bringing the lost spirits of the precipice world into balance. But...the king also said that I was meant to bring Sousuke into balance...and Sousuke, he said that you are not his enemy!"

"What?"

"I asked him if you were also a light being, like me and he said that you are not. But he also said that you are not his enemy."

"Tetsuya, are you sure?" Aizen asked, frowning, "After all, regardless of my reasons, I did plot against him."

"That suggests that there is more to the story," said Kisuke.

"But we have more to do before it is time for that," said Aizen, placing a warm hand on Tetsuya's swollen abdomen, "Your reiatsu is pulsating. I think you are close."

Tetsuya closed his eyes and slowed his breathing as another sharper pain passed through him. He shortened his breaths and panted feverishly through the worst of the pain, then more slowly again as the pain faded. Aizen took a warm, wet cloth and washed the noble's sweaty face, then offered him a kiss on the mouth. Tetsuya flinched and moaned into his mouth as another pain gripped him, this one with a more stinging edge to it. He shivered and panted as the pain crested, then the trio stared as Tetsuya's abdomen began to glow from within. Tetsuya's hand tightened on his husband's and he shook softly in anticipation.

"Keep breathing slowly," said Kisuke, "as much as you can. You can shorten your breathing through the worst of it, then slow it down again."

He looked up at Aizen.

"You want to deliver the baby?" he asked.

The brown-eyed shinigami blinked in surprise.

"I...yes, I would like that."

"Okay," said Kisuke, "then you'll have to let go of his hands...and whatever you do, don't drop the kid!"

"Thank you for the sage, but unnecessary advice," Aizen said dryly.

He kissed Tetsuya's fingertips, then let go. Kisuke placed his hands on either side of the large, rounded bump on Tetsuya's lower abdomen, lowered his head and sent his reiatsu into Tetsuya's body, curling it around the reiatsu cluster and applying gentle pressure. Tetsuya winced and panted, his eyes locked on his glowing belly.

"Easy now," said Kisuke, "Slow down that breathing or you'll pass out and miss this."

Tetsuya swallowed hard and nodded, forcing his breathing to slow as the reiatsu cluster glowed bright white and began to pass through his flesh.

"Sweet kami!" Tetsuya gasped, forgetting to breathe slowly, "Sousuke!"

Aizen's face glowed with the lovely white light, and his hands curved carefully around the cluster as it emerged. He cradled the cluster, and the three watched raptly as the cluster solidified and the white light around the baby slowly faded.

Kisuke leaned over the baby, conducting a quick examination as a sharp, demanding cry sounded.

"Congratulations," Kisuke said, nodding in approval, "You have a healthy baby girl."

Tetsuya sat up slowly, his eyes locked on the petite infant cradled in Aizen's arms. She looked up into her father's proud, affectionate expression through wide, blue eyes and reached up to touch his face with tiny, delicate fingertips. Her two shinigami fathers exchanged knowing smiles as they notice the tiny wisp of brown hair that curled onto her forehead.

"Uh oh," said Kisuke, shaking his head, "I think we'll have to alert the Gotei 13 and have them start preparing now. If she's anything like Daddy Sousuke, then we'd best brace ourselves."

"I don't think that will be a problem," said Aizen quietly, "I will likely have little influence over her future, even if Central 46 decides to just keep me here instead of executing me. However...it is...profound...to have just been able to see her come into the world. For the first time in a very long time...I felt hopeful."

He looked deeply into the baby girl's sapphire eyes.

"Mikomi...hope. That is your name," he whispered, holding her close and closing his eyes for a moment.

"It fits her perfectly," agreed Tetsuya, "And Sousuke, I do not think that you abandon hope now."

Aizen met the noble's eyes wearily.

"Tetsuya, Central 46 is not going to release me. Despite having been controlled by the hougyoku for part of the time, I committed many offences of my own accord."

"I know that," Tetsuya said, watching as Kisuke lifted the baby out of Aizen's arms, swaddled her snugly in a baby blanket and set her in Tetsuya's arms, "But despite Central 46's determination that I should give up my child, the king interceded on my behalf. And he said that you are not his enemy. I choose to believe that he will set you free."

"But why?" asked Aizen, "I have never had faith in him, not since my mother was taken from me, and I questioned the king's powers. I sought to be king, because I didn't judge that our king was strong enough. I doubted him and plotted against him. Why in kami's name would he help me to get free?"

"Why did he send me to free you, along with the hougyoku?" asked Tetsuya, pressing his cheek lightly to Mikomi's, "I hardly think that he would have gone to the trouble, only to have you spend the rest of your life in prison."

Aizen drew a long, slow breath, considering, then the men's heads turned as the door opened and King Eiji entered the room, flanked by Byakuya and Ginrei. He approached Tetsuya and smiled, gazing down at the tiny baby in his arms.

"Mikomi," Tetsuya said softly, handing the child to the king.

"Hope..." the king whispered, accepting the child and smiling more widely, "How very appropriate. Perfectly balanced. Lovely. She has shadings of both of you."

He kissed the baby girl on the forehead, then yielded her to Byakuya, who accepted her gently and gazed down at her through solemn, but deeply affectionate eyes. The king sat down, facing the man who had, long before, declared himself an enemy and looked appraisingly into Aizen Sousuke's curious eyes.

"You have a number of questions," said Eiji, "And I will answer. You have waited a very long time for these answers, and the road has not been an easy one. But...every step that was taken, was a necessary one...every hurt you suffered...had meaning."

He looked up at Tetsuya.

"You know now that I sent Tetsuya, a light being, and Arashi the Pegasus to balance the rampant forces within the hougyoku and end its threat to the three worlds. And Tetsuya has told you that he was also sent to restore the balance within you."

"Why," Aizen asked, meeting the king's eyes questioningly, "I declared myself your enemy. I made the hougyoku because I doubted your ability to control the rampant forces in the three worlds. I sought your throne because I judged that you were not strong enough to defend it...or the worlds you rule. Why would you spare a moment's consideration as to my welfare?"

"Come now," said the king, calmly, "Did you not say to Tetsuya in the end, 'I have to conclude that the king's true ability does not lie in the power he wields, but in holding the three worlds in a delicate balance. And it isn't power that creates change, it is need. When things become unbalanced, the king uses his creative powers to effect balance…as you are the balance of me.'"

"I did conclude that," admitted Aizen, "And that was why I abandoned my desire to be king. I chose instead to seek with Tetsuya what I lost when my parents died."

"You chose a balanced life," agreed the king, "And by growing into that understanding, you showed that you had taken to heart what I sent you to learn."

Aizen's brown eyes grew more curious.

"You...sent me?" he asked, thinking deeply, "But Tetsuya said that I am not a light being."

"No," said the king, "But you are a transcendent being. Sousuke, You never needed the hougyoku to become one."

"I don't understand," said Aizen, frowning, "I am quite obviously a shinigmai. I have been examined numerous times. I wield unusually strong powers, but..."

"You wear the trappings of a shinigami, but your soul comes from another place. You see, even the spirit king is a transient being...and there comes a time when a soul is born to the spirit king and consort, and they know that their time is coming to a close. It will be many years yet, but...before that happens, it is important for the dawning king to become wise enough to know what our worlds need. You have that wisdom now."

"Then you are saying..." Tetsuya whispered.

"Sousuke is my son," the king stated proudly, "sent into the three worlds so that they might teach him how to use his powers wisely and appropriately. There are some things that must be learned by experience."

"And what if I had not learned them in this lifetime?" asked Aizen, "What if...?"

"I had every confidence in you. And if you had failed, then you would have been brought back to us and the returned into the cycle of rebirth until your education was complete. But you have reached the goals I set for you. You have grown wise in the ways necessary to be a good and wise king. Perhaps with a sharper edge...a bit more chaos, but you are more than ready. So...as soon as Tetsuya has rested appropriately, we will leave for the palace...if that suits you."

Aizen studied the king's calm, affectionate face, then looked back at Tetsuya.

"I thought that my strong powers were a curse...something that isolated me from other shinigamis and made them mistrust me. But I see now that I wasn't truly a shinigami like the rest. There was a reason I stood out. I did suffer for being different, and it made me question your powers and your role in the three worlds. But...having had to walk the path I did, I see now the importance of what I learned. And I am even more committed to seeking simplicity, even though I will return with you and someday rule."

"As I said, you gained much needed wisdom and you are ready."

"I have one last question," said Aizen, still gazing at Tetsuya, "As Tetsuya is a light being and he has completed his task, does that mean he will leave me and return to their home in the king's gardens?"

Eiji smiled and shook his head.

"Tetsuya will choose where he resides."

"And I am staying with you, Sousuke," Tetsuya said resolutely.

"So...our marriage is still binding, even now that I have been identified as your son?" Aizen asked.

"Well, I believe we should have a welcoming reception to introduce you and your child to the court, and there will need to be a blessing by the king and council, but yes, your choice of Tetsuya as your consort will stand."

"Then," said Aizen, "my concerns have been seen to."

"Have they?" asked the king, looking into his eyes, "Because I think that there is one that I need to address."

The king held out his hand and focused for a moment. The space around his hand glowed brightly, and a sheathed zanpakutou appeared. The king showed it to Aizen, then set it gently in his hand.

"Kyouka Suigetsu," Aizen said softly, accepting the weapon, "I thought that he was destroyed when I became transcendent. He crumbled and disappeared, and I heartlessly abandoned him. Why would he return to me now?"

"Kyouka Suigetsu understood who you were."

"What?" Aizen asked, frowning, "He knew? And he..."

"He was instructed not to interfere with you, but only to protect you. He is a royal blade, and you were already transcendent, so he merely crumbled in your hand and returned to the palace to await you."

"He is not likely going to welcome me back with open arms," Aizen laughed sarcastically, "I would be surprised if he would even speak to me."

"He was saddened when you cast him aside, but I made him understand the importance of letting you make your own mistakes and learn from them. I think that he will be receptive, and you will be able to connect with him again. And when you do, you will find that his full powers will be at your command. He could not use his full range of powers in the other worlds, but he can use them within the spirit dimension. And I think that you will find that your powers will be more accepted, and you will not feel so isolated, once we have returned home. You will meet my consort, the transcendent who, along with me, created you. You also have a brother and twin sisters. They were not created to rule, as you were, but they are our children as well. But enough of this, for now. Tetsuya must rest, and the two of you must talk. I am sure you have much to say to each other, now that you have been reunited. But...let me say as I take my leave of you...I am proud of my son. I have missed you and I am glad that you are coming home."

He leaned forward and embraced his son gently, smiling as Aizen's arms tentatively accepted him.

"Now, there's something I never expected to see," Kisuke said, shaking his head

Then he straightened and kissed Aizen, once on each cheek in royal fashion. He stood and gazed down at Tetsuya, gratitude in his eyes as he kissed him gently on the forehead. Byakuya returned Mikomi to Tetsuya's arms and joined King Eiji and Ginrei at the door.

"Rest well, Tetsuya," the king said, smiling, "And...thank you for your service to myself and my son."

"Thank you for entrusting Sousuke to me," Tetsuya said, blinking sleepily.

"It was trust that was well placed," said the king, "and you and Sousuke have earned the happiness that you have created together."

Tetsuya and Aizen watched in silence as the others left, then Tetsuya moved over, making room in the bed and Aizen slipped in next to him and pulled him close. He watched quietly as Tetsuya and Mikomi fell asleep on his chest and shoulder, then held them close, watching them sleep and wondering at the incredible turn his life had taken.

Thank you, Tetsuya.

I know I upended your life, frightened you half to death, even killed you with my own hands.

But we have made a miracle happen together.

And I am so grateful to you.

"I love you, Aizen Tetsuya," he whispered.

And even in his sleep, Tetsuya smiled at the words.