Chapter 8: Going Home
What happened?
Where am I?
Why can't I feel my body?
I only remember a loud noise, burning heat and that I was screaming Aizen's name. Someone else was there. Who was that guy? Is he gone?
Soft, gentle hands touched his face and he felt touches of healing on his body. And he heard again the voice he had heard in the memory from before.
"He is beginning to come around," said the woman's voice from before.
"I am glad you were able to heal him," said the man's voice, "He injured himself fighting your guardsman. I was worried for him and the child."
Child?
"They are going to be fine. I have infused him with our reiatsu. He is nearly stabilized."
"Ichigo," called the man's voice, "can you open your eyes?"
"Ungh..." the ginger-haired youth groaned, struggling an finally cracking his golden brown eyes open slowly.
They first found the blurry image of a smiling woman with gentle, laughing brown eyes and long ginger hair twisted into a long braid down the lovely woman's back. Beside her sat a man with strange golden eyes and shoulder length brown hair that was left loose around his shoulders.
"I...I think I...remember you," Ichigo managed softly, "I dreamed about you. Sousuke and I both did. But...it's weird. I...I remember someone coming. Th-there was screaming, then Sousuke and I were falling."
"What you saw was only a partial truth," the man said solemnly.
"The vision, as you, yourself, suggested," the woman went on, "was altered by the power of Kyouka Suigetsu. But we will get to that."
"W-wait!" Ichigo gasped, trying to sit up, then fining himself gently pushed back down by the two, "What about...S-sousuke? Is he...?"
"He perished in the flames," the man said quietly, "I am sorry. We could not risk you or the heir, despite not being able to stop him from impregnating you."
"H-he...? I'm...what?" Ichigo asked, his mind spinning chaotically, "D-did you say I'm...?"
"You are with child," confirmed the woman, "But we are getting ahead of ourselves."
"My given name is Tatsuo," the man supplied, "but I am usually referred to by my position as Reio."
"And I am Miyah."
Ichigo's eyes widened in realization.
"You...are the royal family?" he whispered, his heart pounding, "Then, this is...?"
"We had you rescued and brought to the royal realm," the queen informed him.
"Ichigo," said the king, "we have been watching you since we created your soul and sent it into the cycle of life."
"What?"
"I see we need to explain," said the queen, smiling and taking his hand.
Ichigo felt a moment of unsettlement inside at her touch, but brushed it off as curiosity overwhelmed him.
"You say that you made my soul," he mused, "Don't you kind of make everyone's?"
"We do," confirmed the king, "There is a well in the gardens, here at the palace from which we draw the base reiatsu for all of the souls we create. We also have children of our own here. But only one time in a monarch's reign does the royal couple create an heir to the throne. This is done by binding our reiatsu with that of the well, then infusing it with power from the king's prism."
"The king's prism?" Ichigo repeated, staring as the king produced the lovely, multicolored prism for him to see.
The ginger-haired youth stared at the glinting facets and thought for a moment that he heard voices speaking, but was swiftly distracted from it as the king spoke to him again.
"The prism is a special device that holds within it the souls of all of the kings and queens from before. Their wisdom is passed on and becomes a part of the new heir."
"The new heir?" Ichigo breathed disbelievingly, "I am...?"
"You are the one we made," Miyah finished.
"And that's what I dreamed about," Ichigo concluded.
"Yes," answered the king, exchanging glances with his wife, "But you must understand, that dream was distorted by Aizen's power. With the help of Kyouka Suigetsu, he added himself to that memory in your mind."
"What about the others in the dream and the sounds like you were being hurt? I heard screams..."
"That was part of the illusion that man used to confuse you," the queen said soothingly, "Ichigo, something you must know is that, unlike our other children, the heir is not raised in the royal realm. The heir's soul must mature within Soul Society and the living world, being one with them before ascending onto the throne."
Ichigo's racing heart pounded harder.
"A-ascending the throne?" he said numbly, "I'm...?"
"You are the royal heir," the queen informed him, touching his face lightly.
Again, Ichigo felt a shaft of discomfort at her touch, making him blink and shiver softly.
"But wait," Ichigo said, frowning, "You said I was supposed to live in the living world and Soul Society, but you intervened and brought me here. Wasn't I supposed to stay there until I died or something? I had a life there..."
"I know," the king said bracingly, "And we would have let your life play out naturally, then your soul would have returned here upon your death. We were content to let the wheels of fate spin, but then Aizen interfered with you and seduced you, and when he did, he caused your soul, which is royal, to create your own heir's soul within you."
Ichigo's face paled and he felt his body weaken inside.
"That's the child you were talking about?" Ichigo asked, touching his slim abdomen and flinching at the thought.
"Yes," the king confirmed.
"But I thought you said the heirs are a mixture of the soul you create from your reiatsus, the reiatsu from the well and with the stuff from the prism..."
"Yes, usually it is done that way," the queen told him, "however, Aizen's creation of the hougyoku interfered somehow with that process and caused his transcendent reiatsu to bind with your royal reiatsu to create the child. This is why the hougyoku faded from his chest and we were able to kill him."
"Wh-what? He told me that the hougyoku faded because he realized his dream of being with me and I finally accepted him," Ichigo said in a wounded voice, "You're saying that was...a lie?"
"Yes," the king said sadly, "Aizen created the hougyoku to force his body to transcend so that he could bind with you and use you as a means of stealing the throne. He lured you and impregnated you. The next step of his plan was to kill both of you, which would have forced your soul to return here to us. But it would have sent his soul here too and he would have tried to kill Miyah, me and our other children and imprison you to make sure there would be no heirs but yours and his. He would have made you a prisoner in your own palace, Ichigo. We usually wouldn't intervene in your natural lifetime in those other worlds, but the danger of leaving you became too great."
"So, we sent Hisoka to find you and bring you back," explained the queen, "and we told him that if the opportunity presented itself, he must kill Aizen. It was the only way to guarantee your safety."
"But I thought you said that dying would have sent his soul here!"
"It did," the king replied, "and Miyah and I were able to destroy it. Sousuke Aizen is gone, Ichigo, and you are safe now. But, now that you have come home to the royal realm, you must never leave again."
"What?" Ichigo objected, "What about my family? And I have friends and things I was doing! I had a life there..."
"Yes, we know," the queen said regretfully, "We would have left you to that if you had not been impregnated, but given the presence of your heir, Ichigo, we had to bring you back."
"So...just like that, everything is gone?" Ichigo whispered, his face going from pale to white and his head swimming, "I can't...can't even see them again? Any of them?"
"Contact between our worlds is dangerous," the king explained, "so except on a few occasions, we do not contact those living there."
"But..."
"We know that this is going to be very difficult for you to adjust to," the queen said, taking his hands and rubbing them gently, "So, what we ask you to do is to focus on the child inside you, Ichigo. This child, though Aizen helped to make it, is a pure and innocent soul. This child will be king after us."
"After you. But I thought you said that I would..."
The royal couple's eyes saddened, stopping him.
"Unfortunately, Aizen's soul has corrupted yours directly," the queen said gently, "You can no longer ascend onto the throne. The child is an indirect product of that corruption, but is pure. Still, he would have been vulnerable to corruption, had we left you there. Bringing you here now was the only choice we had. Ichigo, we did this only to protect the two of you. We are sorry that you have to leave that life behind you, but...there is no choice, if we want to protect your child."
"Well, then," Ichigo said softly, looking down at his abdomen, then closing his eyes, "since there's no choice, I have to just deal with it, right? It's...okay. Thank you for saving us."
"You are welcome," the king said, embracing him warmly, then releasing him, "This room is yours. You are free to move about the palace, but we must ask that you keep your attendant near you at all times while you are carrying the heir...in case you need medical assistance. As the child was not conceived in the usual way, we don't know what complications there might be. This is also why, except for reiatsu necessary for carrying the child, we have removed your powers and the link to your zanpakutou."
"What?" Ichigo said weakly, "You...took Zangetsu?"
"We only want to protect you from the heavy power flares that could happen. You must understand that Aizen's interference and corruption of your body has made this necessary," the queen said regretfully, "But please, rest here for a while. Your attendant will arrive momentarily with something for you to eat and the royal healer will be in to examine you as well. We must leave you for now. If you need us, you need only inform your attendant."
"Okay," Ichigo said uncertainly, "Thanks."
Ichigo watched as the king and queen exited the room, then sat silently in the bed, his heart aching and his mind trying desperately to process everything that had happened. Aizen's words repeated in echoing voices in his mind and he felt a strange sense of something being very wrong, but couldn't connect with why he felt that way.
"Hey, let me see too!" a child's voice complained from somewhere nearby, "I wanna see him!"
"Shh! He'll hear you. Look, Suki, there he is!"
Ichigo turned his head towards the sound and caught sight of two small, ginger-haired children, a boy and a girl, who appeared to be the same age and both possessing bright golden eyes, like the king's.
"You be quiet, Satoshi!" the girl's voice scolded cutely, "He'll hear you."
The two ducked down into the ivy on his balcony as he looked, then their heads popped up again as he looked away. Ichigo started to speak to them, but was distracted as a teen boy with black hair and friendly green eyes entered the room, carrying a tray of food and followed by an old man that Ichigo realized right away must be the royal healer.
"Good afternoon, Prince Ichigo," the youth said, bowing before delivering the tray onto his lap, "I am Miki. I am to be your attendant, sir."
"Hi," Ichigo said, smiling wearily at the boy, then looking up at the old man.
"This is Michio," Miki went on, "He will just examine you now and then to make sure everything's okay with the baby."
"Ah...all right," Ichigo answered distantly, feeling oddly detached and disoriented from what was happening.
Everything's going so fast. I don't understand...
"Your reiatsu is dismal, of course," the healer informed him, "but that's mostly because we had to place the heavy seal on your spirit centers."
"Zangetsu will...be all right, won't he?" Ichigo asked softly.
"Of course he will," the healer said reassuringly, "When you have delivered the heir and the seal is removed, he will return to you. Rest now."
Ichigo relaxed against the pillows behind him and waited patiently while the healer conducted his examination. As the healer left, he turned his attention to the food his attendant had given him. Miki remained standing beside the bed, looking at him questioningly, then smiled and continued his introduction.
"I will be nearby you whenever you need me. Just speak my name with the intent of having me appear and I will be summoned to you."
"Okay thanks, Miki. I think I'm okay for now. I'm just...getting my bearings here. A lot has happened."
"I understand, sir."
"Could you not call me that, please?"
"Oh, sorry, your high..."
"Not that either," Ichigo chuckled, taking a bite of his meal, "Just call me Ichigo."
"Eh...well...I guess that's okay for in private," Miki said, looking uncomfortable at the thought, "but I must use your title when others are about."
"Sure, whatever. It's fine."
Ichigo heard soft giggles outside the window again and the ivy shook as the children dropped back down to the ground and scampered away.
"Who are those two?" Ichigo asked as Miki observed the retreating children and shook his head in amusement.
"Princess Suki and Prince Satoshi," he informed the new prince, "They are twins, royals, like yourself. They are two of your siblings. They meant no harm. I think they were just curious to see you."
"Oh..."
"Ichigo," Miki said more softly, "We are glad that you have come. There is..."
He paused as a bell rang in the distance.
"What's that?" Ichigo asked.
"I'm sorry. I must go now. I will be back to collect your dishes in a while. Enjoy your meal, Ichigo."
"Y-yeah, sure," the prince said, shaking his head an turning his attention back to his meal.
This is so strange.
I mean, just a few hours ago, I was Ichigo Kurosaki. I had a life down there, family and friends. Now, suddenly, all of that is gone...all because I listened to Aizen and went to bed with him. I've ruined everything!
What am I going to do now?
XXXXXXXXXX
Kisuke Urahara sighed solemnly as he glanced up at the clock and noted the late hour and all of the lab results that he still needed to catalogue.
It never seems to end, does it? Well, I guess it beats being banished and everyone in Soul Society wanting to forget I exist...
He looked back at the papers in front of him, adding a few notes, then reading them over to be sure he had them noted correctly. The touch of something sharp against his back made him freeze, then a hand that looked burned and smelled vaguely of brimstone closed over his mouth.
"Don't move or do anything stupid," Sousuke Aizen's smooth voice spoke into his ear, "I just want to talk to you."
"I heard you'd used Ichigo somehow to escape," Kisuke answered as the hand over his mouth was removed and a silver band was snapped onto his wrist, sealing away his power.
Kido bindings swiftly wrapped around his arms and legs, tying him to the chair he was in. Aizen swiveled Kisuke's chair to the side and sat down in another chair, facing the shopkeeper.
"You should know that Central 46 is on your trail," Kisuke informed him, "but by the look of you, I'd say someone already found you."
"Yes," Aizen agreed, "Someone did. And that someone has abducted Ichigo."
"You mean, after you abducted him?"
"I took him somewhere private so that I could explain things to him."
"You mean that cock and bull story about the two of you being long lost heirs or something?" Kisuke said derisively, "Don't try to bullshit me, Sousuke. You have gone on about that before, but we all know that it's just another attempt by you to sneak into the royal realm and kill the king!"
"I don't think I have to kill them," Aizen said in a low, angry tone, "They may already be dead."
"What are you talking about?" Kisuke demanded, "You ought to get out of here while you can."
"And where do you think I should go to get away from my pursuers?" Aizen asked, shoving his burned hand in front of Kisuke's face, "What do you sense in the reiatsu that damaged me?"
Kisuke focused on the wounds on Aizen's hand and arm, and a moment later, his eyes took on a haunted look.
"What the hell?" he whispered in shock, looking more closely.
Aizen opened his top, displaying his muscular chest and glared into the stunned shopkeeper's shocked expression.
"What I told you before was the truth," the former captain insisted, "Everything I did before to transcend was unnecessary. I was already a transcendent and I realized while I was in Muken that Ichigo was also already a transcendent, and that he and I are connected."
"What happened to the hougyoku?" Kisuke breathed in an astonished tone.
"It faded," Aizen explained, "Once Ichigo and I bonded and made love, the hougyoku faded and we were attacked and Ichigo taken. You sensed it, didn't you, about that thing that attacked me. It was dressed as the queen's guard, but that was no normal transcendent soul!"
"No," Kisuke agreed breathlessly, "It was a spirit demon!"