Chapter 10: Secrets
"You know," Aizen said quietly, "when I sought your assistance, I didn't actually have it in mind to take anyone with me into the royal realm."
"Yeah, I know that," Kisuke said, not looking up from the papers he was studying.
"It would be better to make the trip to the palace on my own."
"Yeah, well you can't go there without some help. And besides, the ones we're taking aren't going along to help you. They're going along to help Ichigo."
"I can rescue him on my own," Aizen persisted, "There is no reason to risk anyone else."
"Uh-huh, I know that too. And I don't care. None of us who are going give much of a shit about what you think about it. You can't enter without us and you're going to arrive not knowing how many spirit demons might have invaded the palace. Are the king and queen alive? Dead? Possessed? Savable or not? See, too many questions and not enough answers to prepare properly, so we are going to go in as prepared and with as many tricks up our sleeve as possible. It's for the best, so just lay off, okay?"
"Very well, if you feel you must. Just don't get in the way," Aizen sighed.
"Why don't you go and have something to eat?" the shopkeeper suggested, "Your reiatsu's still not completely restored. By the time you're done, the others should be here. They just had to make sure that the Onmitsukido didn't pick up your trail."
"I am not concerned with the stealth force."
"Well, you should be," Kisuke said dryly, "They aren't just wicked fast and good with kido. They also excel in using poisons, which you have no way to overcome, now that you're not immortal."
"And you have an answer for poisons?" Aizen asked, smirking.
"In a manner of speaking, yeah," Kisuke confirmed.
He looked up as Yoruichi arrived with four shinigamis and a human girl.
"And here they are!" Kisuke greeted them, "You guys weren't followed, were you?"
"Of course not," Yoruichi chuckled, "The Onmitsukido and their charming leader are, right now, going in circles and will very soon be kicking themselves when they realize we are long gone."
"Great," Kisuke laughed, "Byakuya, Rukia, Renji, Tetsuya, Orihime, good to see you all. Now, Orihime, if you will sit down over there with our former prince of darkness, he needs his hand finished up. I've cleaned it up a lot, but there's still some residual demon reiatsu in there."
"Demon reiatsu!" Byakuya exclaimed softly, "Exactly what kind of trouble has Ichigo become involved in? You said you need my help to gain entrance into the royal realm, but...demons?"
"Yes," Kiuske answered in a low, worried voice as Orihime sat down beside Aizen and invoked her healing ability, "From what Sousuke says, and mind you, I only believed him because he was able to prove his words true, the royal palace has been infiltrated with an unknown number of spirit demons."
"What?" the others objected together.
"After Kyouka Suigetsu used Ichigo to help me escape," Aizen explained, "I took Ichigo to a private location and I began to relate to him what I had been remembering about two beings who seem to have been the king and queen. Ichigo and I were, in this vision we shared, both made by the king and queen and sent into the three worlds to grow and develop before returning to the royal realm to take our place with the royal family."
"Sounds like a pile of horse shit to me," Renji said, scowling, "I don't trust a thing this guy says."
"Well, whether you trust my words or not, this is what happened," Aizen went on, "While Ichigo and I were being made, something odd happened...screams of pain and we were falling for a long time. I don't know what happened, but I think that something has happened to the royal family. And it seems that my fears were confirmed when a queen's guardsman arrived at the cottage where we were and attacked me, injuring my hand as I tried to defend myself."
"But doesn't the hougyoku just heal you?" asked Byakuya.
"The hougyoku is gone," Aizen said, opening his top and baring his damaged upper torso, "It faded once Ichigo and I...connected. He and I are soul bonded. But, getting back to the story, the guardsman ordered Ichigo to go with him. When we resisted, he knocked Ichigo unconscious and blasted the cottage with hellfire. I was able to escape with a badly burned hand, but as the reiatsu that damaged me was from a spirit demon and the only one there with Ichigo and me was that guardsman, there is every reason to believe that the king and queen are, at worst, dead or at least they are imprisoned or possessed by those monsters."
"And those monsters have Ichigo?" Rukia inquired, her hands clenching.
"Yeah," Kisuke confirmed, "They have him. That's why we're going in there. Now, each of you has a skill that we are going to probably need, at some point. Byakuya can lead us into the royal realm through the Kuchiki archive."
"He can?" Aizen said. looking surprised.
"Well, he can let himself in. And if you are really a royal or a royal realm being, then you should be able to allow all of the rest of us to enter with you. We will be using Tetsuya's waterforms to conceal ourselves."
"I can conceal us with my Kyouka Suigetsu," Aizen offered.
"No," Kisuke said firmly, "You should not use your powers while we're there unless there's no other choice. Those demons who have infiltrated the palace are probably on guard for you."
"I don't believe they suspect I survived," Aizen ventured.
"Well, with Ichigo's life on the line, we need to consider that they just might. We go in quiet, we reconnoiter and assess, we make a plan for an assault," Kisuke said firmly.
"Although we have no idea if our group is going to have the firepower to outgun the demons, however many there are," Renji sighed, "Sounds like a plan...a suicidal one, but, it's a plan..."
"Don't forget that we have Orihime," Kisuke reminded them, "Her reject power seems to banish the demon reiatsu, so if people are possessed, we have a good shot at saving them. It's only if demons have killed and are impersonating some of the ones in the palace that we'll have a lot harder time. There will probably be a mixture of the two. We're going to have to be really careful."
"Kisuke," Byakuya said solemnly, "Have you determined or do you have any suspicions about why the demons abducted Ichigo? Are you sure that he is currently alive?"
"He's alive," Aizen said with certainty, "Ichigo's inner world collided and fused with mine in the wake of our battle. We are soul bonded. I would know if Ichigo died."
"Aizen's story about Ichigo and him being made by the king and queen is probably part of the reason that Ichigo was abducted," Kisuke went on, "but there's more to it. I feel it. We just have to figure that out when we arrive."
"And we should be going soon," Yoruichi suggested, "My little diversion won't keep Soi Fon distracted forever."
"All right," Kisuke said, nodding, "Byakuya?"
The Kuchiki heir stepped forward and opened a family senkaimon. He led the group into the precipice world, then along the dark, quiet corridors that led back into Soul Society and deposited the group in the gardens at Kuchiki Manor.
"I wish I had known that entering the royal realm could have been done this way," Aizen said, smirking, "It certainly would have saved a lot of trouble."
Byakuya led the group into the Kuchiki family archive and closed the door behind them.
"We are now beyond the reach of any Soul Society forces," the clan leader informed them, "The archive exists in a pocket dimension that shares an entrance into the royal realm. I and my guests may enter the archive, but only I can pass through the door into the royal realm. A being from the royal realm can bring others, so assuming Aizen's story is true, the rest of you can enter with him."
"This is going to be a real short trip for most of us if he's lying to us," Renji sighed.
"I have a feeling he's not," Tetsuya posited.
"I feel the same," said Rukia.
"We need to remain here briefly so that Kisuke and Sousuke can peruse the materials here with me for relevant information," said Byakuya, "I want the rest of you patrolling the archive. We have no idea if anyone from the royal realm might be aware of the archive entrance and might decide to come in here."
The group spread out around the archive, their eyes warily watching as they searched.
XXXXXXXXXX
Ichigo woke to a soft, muffled sound and opened his eyes to find Suki standing petrified at his bedside, her wide golden eyes filled with tears that ran in streams down her face.
"Suki?" he inquired, sitting up and rubbing his hands over his face, "It's really late. What are you doing out of bed?"
"I heard scary voices and I couldn't sleep," the little girl sobbed, bounding onto the bed and throwing her arms around him, "Ichigo, I want to stay with you!"
"It's okay. You're okay. It's gonna be fine," Ichigo assured her, rubbing her back gently and suffering a pang of sadness at how he was reminded of times when he had comforted Karin and Yuzu, "I won't let anything hurt you. But tell me something. How did you get in here without Miki knowing? That guy seems to catch everything!"
"Oh," the little girl said, brightening, "I came through the secret passage. It's over there, in the closet."
"A secret passage?" Ichigo repeated, slipping out of bed and following the girl across the room.
"A long time ago, all of the attendants in the palace used to use the secret passages, and some of them still go in there if they are in a hurry to get from one place to another. But it's usually empty, especially at night, so sometimes Satoshi and I use that way to sneak out of bed."
"Well, we're gonna use the passage to get you back to bed, okay?" Ichigo said, "I'll tuck you in and stay with you while you fall asleep, all right?"
"Okay!" the little girl said, hugging his leg as they walked, "Thank you, Ichigo."
Ichigo followed as Suki led him into the closet and to the very back, where she pointed out the barely visible entrance to the passage. They passed through the entry and Ichigo marveled at the intricacy of the design, obviously made to save time and effort.
This can also give me a way to look around at night, when my attendant is sleeping. If Miki is spying for the king and queen, I don't want to give him a chance to figure out how suspicious I am. And if he's not, I don't want to get him into trouble. Who knows what these people might do to him...
Suki led him into her bedroom and Ichigo settled at her bedside, tousling her ginger hair, then reading several storybooks as the little girl fell asleep. He made sure she was all the way asleep, before gently kissing her on the forehead and slipping back into the passage to look around. He moved from one door to the next, peeking out here and there to ascertain where the doors led. Some led into other bedrooms, a number of them inhabited. Others led to gathering chambers, and one led to a hidden room where one could observe the king's advisors in their meeting chambers.
This could come in handy.
Ichigo paused as voices sounded nearby. He crept towards the sound and paused outside a door that led into another bedroom. He recognized the voice of the king, then that of the queen.
"Do you think he is suspicious?" asked Miyah, "He seems to still be in shock from his sudden change of circumstances."
"Yes, but that won't last forever," the king sighed, "We have to keep him off balance and distracted while the heir's reiatsu matures. Only once the baby is born can we reveal ourselves, not until."
Reveal themselves?
"And what if he begins to catch on?"
"I suppose we'll have to incapacitate him for the remainder of the gestation. It is not the best, nor safest solution, so I would prefer to simply avoid it, but we can resort to that if necessary."
"Do you think there is any chance that Sousuke Aizen survived?"
"Nothing of his reiatsu has been sensed since the explosion," said the king, "I believe he is dead, but then again, caution is good since he is such a crafty person. I wonder that he isn't one of us. He certainly is evil enough to be."
"Evil," Ichigo breathed softly.
Miyah laughed and the two voices faded.
Ichigo traveled back along the corridors, his mind deep in thought as he returned to his room and slipped out into the closet. He listened at the door for a moment before emerging into his dark, quiet room and walking back to his bed. Settling in under the covers, he rested a hand on his still slim abdomen and rubbed gently.
"I'll get us out of here somehow," he promised his growing progeny, "I won't let anyone hurt you. We'll get out of here and we'll find Sousuke. He'll know what to do. If he's still with Kisuke, I couldn't ask for two more capable people to help me figure out what to do. But it sounded like they wanted to come here to me. I wonder how they plan to get in. I always kinda suspected that Kisuske knew of some way in, but he never confessed it if he did know a way."
Ichigo sighed sleepily and tried to drift off, but found his mind too full and his stomach uncomfortably empty. He glanced at the door, but didn't favor waking his sleeping attendant in the next room. So, he crept out onto the balcony and flash stepped down into the gardens, heading for the healing pool.
There were some fruit trees down there, and maybe I can get a peek in the pool to see where Sousuke is now.
"Prince Ichigo," said a male voice, startling him as a guard suddenly materialized from within the trees..
"Whoa!" he exclaimed, "S-sorry, I was just...hungry and there are fruit trees."
"You should have informed your attendant, my lord," the guard said kindly.
"Well, I didn't want to wake him," Ichigo answered good naturedly.
"Still, you shouldn't be out alone at night. There are some rumors of spirit demons being spotted nearby lately."
"Really?" Ichigo said, his eyes widening, "I've never seen a spirit demon before."
"They are very, very dangerous, my lord," the guard warned him, "They have unpredictable powers and abilities. And if they bite or scratch you, they leave their reiatsu in you. If it is not purged, then the infected turn into demons, themselves...so I have heard."
"Yikes, I'll watch my step," Ichigo said, pulling an apple off a tree and taking a bite., "Thanks for telling me. I'll be sure to bring Miki if I can't sleep again and come out here at night."
"Very good, my lord," the guard said, looking relieved, "I don't mean to offend you, but it is for your own safety."
"Yeah, it's fine," Ichigo assured him, turning back towards his suite. He finished the apple as he walked and disposed of the core in his room as he returned.
No sooner had he stepped into the room than the door burst open and Miki ran in, wearing an alarmed look on his cute face.
"Prince Ichigo, why did you go out without me?" he asked urgently, "I am here to serve and protect you. You should wake me if you need something or want to walk about. I really don't mind. I like helping you."
"Sorry," Ichigo said genuinely, "I didn't mean to cause any trouble. I just wanted something to eat, so I slipped out to pick some fruit."
"Oh, are you still hungry? I can bring you some food."
"It's okay. I'm not hungry now. I'm feeling pretty sleepy. I think I'll go back to bed."
He watched as Miki pulled back the covers, then climbed into bed and laid down. The attendant tucked him in, then exited the room, leaving him alone again.
Spirit demons. That's what the guard mentioned.
The king's words returned to him with chilling clarity.
"I'm surprised he's not one of us. He certainly is evil enough to be."
"Could they be...?" he whispered.
If they are demons, I have to be really careful. I don't want them to think I've figured anything out. I need to find out exactly what's going on and why they are so interested in the baby.
I won't let them hurt our baby.
I won't...