Chapter 29: In the Aftermath

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(A short and sweet ending to a story I have really enjoyed writing! Thanks a million to Sariniste, who has kept me motivated all of the way through with her sweet reviews and enthusiastic PMs! Could not have done it (at least, not to quickly) without you. Thank you also to Tmp3475 (Ah yes! Shika will have made her decision in this chapter!), Yukino76 (Ichigo and Byakuya have some special plans for the future. :) They will begin here.), Enjali (Yes, Ichigo will be happy to get home and he and Byakuya will have the life they've dreamed of. Aizen will do something much needed to help with that.), Tiffany91 (This chapter looks a little bit forward and hints about what is yet to come for them.), and *blows kisses to* Aizenfan6969, PrivateCaller, Picklez80, Winterheart2000, ShairBerry89, Jess0409, Willow, and Wildwind13...oh, and anyone else I neglected. I hope you've enjoyed this one. I won't promise a sequel, but Picklez80, I am considering your idea...) Love you all, Spunky)

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Byakuya stood proudly at the head of the Kuchiki delegation, leading the noble gathering in honor of the king and consort's installation. Dressed in a handsome navy colored formal kimono that was decorated with a dance of bright red and pink sakura blossoms, he was the picture of noble grace and beauty. Ichigo stood silently at his side, dressed in black and gold and wearing the Shiba family crest. In his arms, he held the couple's wide-eyed baby boy. Akemi blinked and squealed at the sound of the music that played as Aizen Sousuke appeared in the grand ballroom's entrance, dressed in formal white and carrying his zanpakuto at his hip.

Aizen paused, looking to the side as Tetsuya entered through a side door and was led by his adoptive father to the new king's side. Kuchiki Sadao kept his expression calm, but his eyes shot Aizen a look of warning as he set Tetsuya's hand in the king's.

Do not ever hurt my son.

Sadao's dark eyes blinked in surprise as the king's answer sounded as a calm whisper in his mind.

I would not destroy my first and most loved creation. My heart is safe with him, and Tetsuya is safe with me.

Aizen accepted Tetsuya's slender hand, and the two proceeded towards the front of the room, with the gathered high nobles and the taichos of Squad Zero admiring the royal couple's formal white clothing, as well as the tall, winged black stallion who trailed behind them, creating pretty snow flurries that swirled around the royal pair. Arashi stepped to the side as they reached the front of the room, ascending three steps to where a gathering of royal advisors waited along side the head elders of the Kuchiki, Kyouraku, Shihoin and Shiba clans, along with the grand councilor of Central 46. Aizen and Tetsuya turned to face the gathered nobles.

"We gather today to witness the return of our world's rightful king," the grand councilor said solemnly, "The wrong that was done is undone, and the name of the perpetrator has been erased and his family cast out of our number. Aizen Sousuke and Kuchiki Tetsuya, we stand ready to accept and to raise you as our king and consort."

The aged councilor moved to stand in front of Tetsuya.

"Do you, Kuchiki Tetsuya, swear to uphold and defend the laws and the livelihood of the people of the three worlds? Will you watch over and guide them, carefully keeping the balance of souls? And will you love, honor and protect your king, who is guardian of those worlds and all who live in them?"

Tetsuya met the grand councilor's eyes proudly.

"This I promise so to do," he answered calmly.

"And do you, Aizen Sousuke, swear to uphold and defend the laws and the livelihood of the people of the three worlds? Will you watch over them and guide them, carefully keeping the balance of souls? Will you love, honor and protect your creation and royal consort, Kuchiki Tetsuya, who has sworn to aid you in your mission to protect our worlds?"

Aizen caught Tetsuya's eye and smiled.

"This I promise so to do."

The grand councilor nodded and turned to face the gathered nobles.

"This day, we somberly recognize the price that is paid for treachery and betrayal of the crown. That one who should have protected our king instead stole him from us. This is a dark mark upon all of us who serve the king. The king and consort who stand before us are the ones we lost, however they have been forever affected by what they endured, and there is a price that is paid for that. We do our best now to restore them, and we wish them long life and fulfillment. Noble houses, Central 46 and the Gotei 13 stand ready to serve…his royal majesty, King Sousuke and his royal consort, Aizen Tetsuya."

The grand councilor set a jeweled golden crown on Aizen's head, then placed a smaller one on Tetsuya. The royal couple joined hands and descended the steps, meeting Arashi at the bottom of the steps. Aizen helped Tetsuya onto the stallion's back, then mounted behind him. Arashi carried them back down the aisle and out into the gardens, where the palace staff had prepared for the celebration to follow the coronation.

The next hours were filled with music and revelry, but Tetsuya found that he was relieved when the merriment died down and the guests began to be led off to their guest rooms for the night. He slipped away, making his way to the king's healing pool, where he stood, looking down into the bubbling water.

It's so strange to stand here and to really remember what it was like when I was Hajime, so long ago. This new incarnation that I am is older and wiser, but I will always value the things that made Hajime so dear to his king. I feel Sousuke's love in a way I could not before. I know now why we were drawn together, even in our darkness…why, in every life we were given, we sought each other. Now, we have the life and the purpose that was stolen from us. There is comfort in that.

An arm curled around Tetsuya's waist from behind, and Aizen's warm lips brushed against the side of his throat. Tetsuya smiled and sank more deeply into his embrace, admiring their reflection in the mirror. The two heard a little sound in the distance and turned their heads to look as Koji and Shika entered the clearing. Tetsuya invoked his shikai, making himself and the king blend in, so as not to be seen.

"Will you kiss me now?" Shika laughed, smiling up at the royal attendant's blushing face.

"Shika-sama…"

"Ugh, stop calling me that!" the young woman complained.

"But you are the king's sister," Koji objected, "and I am just an attendant. It's sort of frowned on for me to…"

"I was Sousuke's sister when he was a shinigami," Shika corrected Koji, "He chooses to still call me that, and I choose to answer to it, because it's what we're used to, but I am still a shinigami. That hasn't changed, just because we are here. And this shinigami is very happy that you have come to stay. Now, will you stop worrying? My brother and your master have no issues with us seeing each other! Please, Koji, just…relax. It is beautiful out here in the gardens. Just kiss me, all right?"

She moved in close, capturing Koji's handsome face in her hands. He sighed and smiled down at her, succumbing to the beauty of the girl in front of him and the entrancing gardens around them. Stars burst behind his eyes as their lips touched, then their mouths opened for a longer, deeper kiss.

Tetsuya and the king moved away, following an old trail that led through a growth of sakura to a little hill where one of the sakura trees grew proudly, her trunk marked where a limb had been taken by the king to shape the frame for his royal consort. Tetsuya smiled up at the aged tree and reached up to touch an opened blossom with his fingertips. His breath caught as the spirit within the tree spoke to him.

Welcome home, Tetsuya, who was once Hajime. I have waited for a long time to feel the sweetness of your touch again. You are welcome.

Tetsuya laid down on his back, under the tree, looking upward, into the starry sky as the king laid down beside him. Aizen's eyes admired the stars for a time, then turned to enjoy the beautiful young man stretched out beside him. He nuzzled against Tetsuya's cheek, then captured him by the chin and drew him in for a more amorous kiss. Their kissing continued as their hands slowly moved to undress one another, leaving them bared and looking into each other's wanting eyes. Moments later, their bodies were entangled and moving in a sweet, erotic dance that left them breathless and spent, holding onto each other and promising without a word that neither would ever let go.

We lost each other once and it was horrible. We searched blindly over the years until…

Aizen Sousuke's eyes turned back in the direction of the palace, and he sensed that Ichigo was standing alone on the balcony outside his and Byakuya's suite, holding his son in his arms and looking up into the sky. Somehow, the king's next thoughts reached across the distance and sounded quietly in the tormented Shiba heir's mind.

I am sorry that my liberation came at your expense. I wish you peace and contentment with Byakuya, and I will make sure that your years together are many, and that they are free of cares. In my imperfection, in my corrupted state, I longed obsessively to find Tetsuya, and I needed the comfort of creating something…someone. I created you in that darkness and I mistakenly thought it was right to then claim you. You were my greatest creation as Aizen Sousuke the shinigami. From now on, I will respect and honor that.

"You have a strange look on your face," Tetsuya said softly, bringing the king suddenly out of his reverie, "Are you all right, Sousuke?"

Aizen rubbed his cheek gently against Tetsuya's.

"The ghosts of the past will haunt us from time to time," he commented, tracing Tetsuya's warm lips, then kissing them, "When they do, I will find my comfort here…only here."

He met Tetsuya's mouth hungrily, and a few moments later, the two were entangled and writhing hotly against each other again.

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Byakuya entered his guest room, and found it empty and the doors to the balcony standing open. He walked across the room and stepped outside, pausing and listening as Ichigo spoke to their son.

"You see that moon and those pretty stars, Akemi?" Ichigo said softly, "They are like your daddy Byakuya and me. They're always up there in the sky, just like we'll always be here for you. When we go home, we're going to make a big family, and we're going to go and sleep out under those stars…no houses, no doors or walls or ceilings. Just open fields and a big, beautiful sky."

"That sounds lovely," Byakuya said, moving to join the two.

"Byakuya," Ichigo said, blushing as he met his husband for a long kiss.

Akemi gurgled happily, reaching up to grab at the long strands of Byakuya's hair. Byakuya kissed Akemi on the forehead.

"You are looking forward to going home."

"Yeah," Ichigo answered, nodding, "We were away for a long time. Even when we did go home, it wasn't for long before we had to come here for the coronation."

"Now that it is over, we will be able to settle in," Byakuya said in a relieved tone, "It will be better for all of us."

"I'm looking forward to that," Ichigo sighed, looking into Byakuya's eyes, "And, if it's okay with you, I want us to have another baby together soon."

Byakuya bit his lip gently.

"Ichigo, I don't know if it is good to rush your recovery."

"But, Byakuya…" Ichigo began to object.

"So," Byakuya said, touching his lips to stop him, "I will have our next child."

Ichigo stared back at him in surprise.

"You will?"

"Yes," Byakuya said, stealing Akemi from his arms and turning him over to Torio, who carried the baby off to the nursery, "I will."

Byakuya embraced Ichigo tightly, then took his hand and led him into the bedroom.

Out in the gardens, under the ancient Sakura, Tetsuya laid naked in the soul king's arms, singing softly.

Beneath the crawling vine, near the blooming rose,

Beside the reaching sakura, where the silvery stream flows,

This is where I'll meet you, at the setting sun,

When you put your cares away, when your work is done.

I will be the breath of wind that lifts your silken strands,

I will be the one to soothe your heart with healing hands.

Your narrowed eyes watch over the world. Mine watch over you,

You lay out the pathway, I will keep it true.

Night comes just as sure as day and our time comes now too,

In light, I am your shadow, At dark, lie down with you.

Round and round our worlds will turn and in the black collide

When the sun comes up again, it finds us side by side.

But if you get lost in dreams, and in nightmares entwined,

I will throw the curtain back and your hands unbind.

Only 'tween your parted lips, let my name reveal,

The samurai to keep you safe with heart and sword and shield.

Whatever darkness closes in, whatever demons seek you,

Air and Water, Fire and Earth will in balance keep you.

You gave the power to these hands to keep these forces stable,

No matter the evil threatening, together we are able.

Day by day and night by night, from the start to end,

I will be there at your side, on my strength depend.

From the worlds' beginning and through all their days,

We will be the love and light that nothing e'er betrays.

We will be the love and light that nothing e'er betrays…

The End