Chapter 9: Adrift

The entrance clerk and entry guard turned their attention to the opening door of the fortress, pausing for a moment to confirm the identity of the man who stepped into the Central 46 lobby.

"Captain Kuchiki," the clerk acknowledged, "we weren't informed of your visit."

"I am here on a clan matter," Byakuya explained, "I am here to see Grand Councilor Nori, and I do not need permission to do so. I have a complete clearance to visit him at will as he leads our council of elders as well."

"Yes, yes sir, it's right here on file," the clerk agreed, "Proceed then."

Byakuya nodded and passed through the lobby, heading down the hallway that led to the council offices. A few more turns and he came to the guarded door of the Grand Councilor.

"Captain Kuchiki," the door guard said, nodding, "you may enter."

He found the Grand Councilor at his desk, poring over several reports.

"Come in, come in, my boy," Nori said, glancing up at him, "Just a moment here while I…"

He scowled at the page in front of him for a moment, then set down the papers he'd been reading.

"Ah…"

"I am sorry for intruding," Byakuya apologized, taking a seat in front of the councilor's desk.

"You're not intruding," Nori chuckled warmly, "I need a break from their bickering and scheming once in awhile. It's good to see you."

"I wish that I was here for a social visit," the Kuchiki leader said regretfully, "but I need to ask a favor of you. A…personal one."

"Of course," Nori replied, his face taking on a look of concern, "I hope it's nothing serious. Does this have to do with your trip to Hueco Mundo to look for our Tetsuya?"

"It does," Byakuya confirmed, "but I am not ready to make an official report to the council at this time. I need…"

He paused, considering briefly.

"I need to meet with Aizen Sousuke," he said more softly, meeting Nori's blue-grey eyes meaningfully, "I wish to obtain more information about Tetsuya's possible imprisonment in the hollow fortress."

"I see," Nori answered, sitting back slightly and nodding, "Do you have Tetsuya in your possession?" he asked carefully.

"I do not at this time," Byakuya answered with equal caution, blinking slowly as he looked back at his relative, "however, I think that the key to freeing Tetsuya lies with that man and I will need your permission to see him."

Nori considered silently, gazing out the office window at a little sakura tree in the Central 46 courtyard, then he looked back at Byakuya.

"I can arrange for you to see him. In fact, I will accompany you."

Byakuya gave him a surprised look as the elder rose and started for the door.

"Oh, you do not have to…"

"My boy," Nori said very softly, keeping his eyes on the closed office door, "do you recall when my wife, my Airi, was dying?"

Byakuya nodded, moving closer to the old man.

"Tetsuya did his best to heal her," he remembered.

"There was nothing that anyone could do," Nori sighed, closing his eyes, "but she was so uncomfortable and she worried for me and for our children. No one could seem to soothe her worries, but that boy came to sit with her. He laid healing hands on her and listened to her talk about all of us. I don't know exactly what he said to her in the end, but she got the sweetest look on her face and she reached out to touch him. She said, 'You aren't just a healer of the body. Your heart is so warm and it beats for all of us, doesn't it? You are a blessing to us, Tetsu-chan. I am relieved to know that they will have your protection and your love.' She died in my arms shortly after that, but she told me not to worry. She said she was sure that we would find each other again. I believe that. I also believe what she said about young Tetsuya, so if you need anything to help you in your quest to free him, I will do all I can."

"Arigato," Byakuya said, lowering his eyes respectfully, "I am grateful."

The two left the office and proceeded easily past the checkpoints, into the prison and down to the lowest level, where Nori spoke to the guards at the guard post for a moment, then motioned for Byakuya to join him. The guards unlocked the cell door ahead of them, and the councilor and Kuchiki leader entered, listening as the door clanked shut, before moving forward to stand in front of the restrained traitor.

"Well now, Councilor Nori is it?" Aizen purred, smirking down at them, "And Byakuya. How interesting. Does this mean that you've found Tetsuya?"

"I am here for information regarding the imprisonment of my cousin, Tetsuya, in the hollow fortress of Las Noches," Byakuya answered, glaring up at Aizen warningly, "I want to know why you held him there, examined him in Szayel Aporro's laboratory and I want to know where you concealed him."

Aizen snickered softly.

"So, you haven't found him yet?" he taunted the Kuchiki leader, "I'm surprised. I might even say I'm disappointed, Byakuya. I'd have thought that you would try harder."

Byakuya scowled but gave no answer.

"Are you hoping that I'll tell you where the pieces of him are located?"

Byakuya stiffened and his breath caught softly.

"Then, Tetsuya is dead?"

Aizen's lips quirked and he chuckled.

"Wouldn't that be a relief to you, knowing that his suffering is over?" he asked with an edge of sarcasm.

"Perhaps," the Kuchiki leader answered, his voice low and rough, "if indeed it is. However, given your penchant for using people against their loved ones, I wouldn't put it past you to find some dastardly way to use Tetsuya, dead or alive, to torment his family and friends."

"Is that what you're really worried about?" the traitor purred, "Oh Byakuya, there are much worse things he could be used for than that. Why don't you use your imagination? A breeder male whose body can produce transformative reiatsu and who possesses a young, undeveloped divine power? I am sure that you knew very well what my interest in your cousin was, and if you are here, it means that either you have found him or you found signs of him having been present in Las Noches. Which is it?"

Byakuya looked the prisoner squarely in the eyes.

"I have nothing more to say to you."

He turned his back and Nori followed him out of the traitor's cell, where the guard closed and locked the door behind them.

"Hmm," Nori sighed looking back at the cell door uneasily, "that didn't go very well, did it?"

Byakuya gave him a determined look.

"I learned what I needed to know."

"Did you?" the elder asked, giving him a surprised look, "But he only seemed to be taunting you."

"Yes, he was," Byakuya agreed, "and in doing so, he revealed that he had greater plans for Tetsuya."

"I am glad that you were able to learn something," Nori said approvingly, "I think I will never understand what possesses that man."

"Nor will I, however, I have what I need now to help Tetsuya."

"Good," Nori said, nodding, "Please, go and find him. Take good care of him. Kami knows he's taken good care of us, whether we deserved it or not, hasn't he?"

"Yes, he has, and I have no intention of letting him down."

The two headed out of the prison, but behind them in Aizen's cell, the prisoner smiled and ran his tongue slowly over dry lips.

"Tetsuya," he whispered, "It looks like I'll be seeing you again soon, my queen."

XXXXXXXXXX

Tesla looked worriedly in the direction of Kisuke's laboratory door as Grimmjow led him away to one of the hidden safe house's guest rooms.

"C'mon, you heard Kisuke," Grimmjow urged the blond-haired hollow, "You and I need to rest. He's got things under control."

"There are a lot of tests he needs to run that I could help with," Tesla said uneasily, "We need to get our answers quickly, before anything bad happens."

Grimmjow considered the fear he felt beneath the other Arrancar's words.

"You're worried about what Aizen had planned for his queen, aren't you? Why are you so worried about that shinigami? You weren't friends or…"

He gave his lover a closer look.

"Or anything?" he finished.

"What?" Tesla said distractedly, "No! Kuchiki Tetsuya was just another prisoner. I mean, I wasn't a prisoner and he was. We were just in the lab at the same time. We didn't even talk. As I told Kisuke, Tetsuya never said anything. His eyes were dead. He was breathing and his eyes were open, but there was nothing in them, Grimmjow. He wasn't in control of himself. Aizen had him completely overpowered."

"Yeah," Grimmjow mused, growling softly as he looked back at Tesla, "the bastard really had a way with people. Fuck, how did you and I survive? How did any of us? The bastard just convinced us that we were in it together to get one over on the shinigamis, but the whole time, he was only using us so he could throw us under the bus later."

"Thr-throw us under the…?"

"Heh, it's a living world thing. You know what a bus is."

"Yeah, I just didn't understand the reference, but I see. And you're right. Aizen took all of us in, using our own desires and needs. He set us up to trust him, even if he said that we shouldn't. He knew that most of us would."

"You're right about that…and we just fucking fell into that trap. It's a wonder that any of us are still alive."

He sighed raggedly, shaking his head. A moment later, his blue eyes opened and fixed on Tesla's.

"But, since we're still alive and we're both okay, it's time to get on with things, isn't it?"

Tesla's troubled look softened and he gave Grimmjow a little smile.

"Yes," he agreed, "we should move on."

He looked down somberly at his belly, where a little bump had begun to form.

"But, Grimmjow, what about…him?"

"What do you mean? What about him?" Grimmjow asked, "You mean Nnoitra?"

Tesla's arms wrapped around his midsection and he shivered.

"I know it's stupid," he admitted softly, "and I am clear now that Nnoitra was cruel and that he was purposely holding me back and hurting me. I don't even know why it still matters whose baby this is. I just…feel something that makes me think I need to see him, you know, wherever he ended up in Soul Society."

Grimmjow shrugged.

"No one's stopping you," he pointed out, "I mean, Kisuke did ask for your help with the queen."

"With Tetsuya," Tesla corrected him, "If we are moving on, then we should move past Aizen and his lies as well. I will remain here to help with Tetsuya, but when he has improved enough that Kisuke doesn't need my help anymore, I will go to look for him."

Grimmjow nodded.

"And I'll go with you."

Tesla gave him a wary look.

"Y-you're not angry?" he asked curiously, You really don't mind?"

"Of course I'm angry and I wish you could just let that fucker go, but y'know, if I push you to do that and it's not your decision, we're gonna be dealing with this forever. I lost you to him once and I almost watched you die because of it. I'm sticking with you. I'm not letting you run away."

It can't be that easy, Tesla mused, hugging the blue-haired hollow close, A million different things could go wrong, but…you give me hope, Grimmjow, and I love you for that!

XXXXXXXXXX

Kisuke sat silently at Tetsuya's bedside, working tirelessly as the hours passed, but his lover continued to lie still, just breathing slowly, his heart beating at a steady pace. He read a fresh set of numbers on the monitors around Tetsuya, then added them to the ones he had noted before, poring over every detail and looking for any hint of a change. A notification beep sounded and he turned his attention to the related tab on his laptop, reading through the details of the just completed test. His jaw clenched slightly and a small, guttural sound escaped him. He let out a breath and pushed the bedside table aside, moving closer to the young man lying in the bed.

"Angel," he whispered, pale grey eyes unbearably tormented as he slipped a hand into his unconscious lover's, "don't you worry, okay? I'm gonna make you all right again. Whatever that bastard did, I'm gonna undo. Please trust me."

His body stiffened and quivered for a moment.

"No, just come back, okay? I'm doing everything I can here. I'm running headlong down every path, but I'm running out of paths to follow. I need to find the one that leads to where you are. I'm reaching out for you, angel. Now you've gotta reach back."

He waited silently for several minutes, his fingers tenderly caressing the half-noble's softer ones and his gaze heartbreakingly sad. Eventually, he forced himself to let go and picked up a file marked 'Momo Hinamori.'

Swallowing hard, he reviewed the chart carefully, then he picked up one of the recovered files from Las Noches marked 'Special Prisoner: Tetsuya Kuchiki.' His heart pounded, although he'd seen the information too many times already.

The prisoner arrived badly damaged, having put up powerful resistance which killed numerous arrancars. He continued to resist, causing additional damage until he lost consciousness due to shock and loss of blood and reiatsu. Life support was initiated upon his arrival and was necessary until the arrival of Orihime Inoue, who stabilized him with her Shun Shun Rikka. The patient was then removed to Lord Aizen's suite, where his personal physician reported that the patient had regained consciousness, but had to be restrained, then knocked out again, due to him breaking his restraints numerous times.

However, the application of Lord Aizen's powers swiftly rendered the patient compliant.

A harder shiver went through Kisuke's body and he set the files down and stood. He matched his breathing to the steady rise and fall of his lover's chest, his heart aching as he struggled with the daunting facts. He was almost relieved when the door to the room opened and Yoruichi stepped inside, wearing a concerned expression. He gave her a weary smile.

"You're back. I'm glad you're safe. Did you and Soi fon find anything more?"

Yoruichi sighed.

"Nothing much," she reported, "Just records of prisoner punishments and executions. Fortunately, there were no records of any of the guard staff having touched Tetsuya Kuchiki. From what we can tell, Aizen guarded him more closely than Orihime and no one dared enter his private quarters without his permission. We were able to piece together a little bit more information on the tests he ran on Tetsuya and the results."

She handed the shopkeeper several more files, which he pored over for several minutes before remembering that his friend was still there.

"Sorry," he apologized.

Yoruichi gave him a sympathetic smile and slipped an arm around him.

"It's okay."

The two gazed down at the deeply sleeping half-noble.

"I know it's hard, seeing him like this," Yoruichi went on, "but he seems to be sleeping peacefully, and you know he's safe, for the moment. He's going to wake up and he's going to be so happy to see you again."

"Will he?" Kisuke mused, reaching down to curve a warm palm around his lover's soft cheek, "Will he even believe it's me?"

"You'll convince him."

"I don't know if I will. I don't know if I can."

"You brought Momo back," Yoruichi recalled, "Aizen had her deeply in his power."

"But he, himself, shattered the illusion and tried to kill her," Kisuke pointed out, "Tetsuya has been drowning in a sea of that monster's illusions, living them, day and night. I think the only stable thing he's had are those illusions. If we suddenly shock him with…"

He broke off as one of the monitors emitted several sharp beeps and the young man lying in the bed groaned softly and tried to turn, only to find his body stopped by soft restraints.

"Easy there," Kisuke soothed him, sitting down beside him and holding the half-noble's trembling hand in his, kissing the smooth fingertips, "You think you can open your eyes for me, angel?"

Tetsuya groaned and shuddered.

"Yeah, I know. You're still a little groggy. You've been sleeping for a long time while you were away from us. You're safe now. You're with me. I'm not gonna let anything bad happen to you, I promise. I'm gonna take care of you. I just need you to open your eyes and let me know you're hearing me, okay, Tetsuya?"

The young man shivered harder and gave a more agonized groan, panting softly as he pulled at the bonds on his wrists.

"Shh," Kisuke breathed, rubbing his wrists gently, "They're just to make sure that you don't fall. You've been asleep for a long time and you're going to be unsteady on your feet at first. Tetsuya, c'mon, open your eyes for me, okay? Let me see those pretty baby blues."

Tetsuya groaned again, shifting restlessly and his eyelids fluttered.

"That's it!" Kisuke coaxed him, smiling encouragingly, "C'mon, open'em up and let us get to spoiling the living daylights outta you."

The half-noble shuddered again and his blue eyes slid open.

Kisuke and Yoruichi stiffened at the lifeless look to them as they rotated slowly, taking in the room around him.

"Tetsuya," Kisuke whispered, leaning forward and caressing his face lightly.

Tetsuya's blue eyes fixed on his face, then filled with sudden tears.

"Hai," he whispered back shakily, "Aizen-sama."