Chapter 3: See What You Need
A muffled sound of discomfort reached Byakuya's sleeping form and brought him awake to find that Ichigo was no longer lying in bed with him. He sensed his lover's presence in the master suite bathroom, and that he was in the company of Byakuya's attendant.
Ichigo is ill?
He was feeling poorly last night too, and I suppose after getting up in the middle of the night and filling up on food as he did, it's not that surprising, but…
He left the bed, his smooth white hands tying his yukata closed as he crossed the room. He stepped into the bathroom and found Torio looking on sympathetically as the ginger-haired man heaved and threw up into the toilet.
"Oh man," he groaned gratefully accepting a cool, damp washcloth and running it over his sweating face, "this sucks."
"Are you all right, Ichigo?" Byakuya asked worriedly, "Torio, did you ask Tetsuya to come?"
"Koji went to wake him, but he wasn't here, so I sent for Hanataro. He should be here in a moment."
"Hmm," Byakuya said, moving closer to his discomfited lover and slipping an arm around him, "let's get you back into bed."
"It's okay," Ichigo insisted, rubbing his stomach for a moment, "I felt sick as a dog before, but as soon as I tossed my cookies, I felt better. I think it's just…"
Ichigo went silent and the three men stared in surprise, not noticing that Hanataro had arrived, because of the soft, pink light that emerged unexpectedly from Byakuya's hand and seeped into Ichigo's body.
"Uh…Byakuya?" Ichigo mused, blinking as the light grew brighter and the gentle exchange continued, "What's going on? What is this?"
Byakuya's lovely face lit with mingled surprise and wonder, and his hand slid down to cover Ichigo's where it rested on the younger man's belly. Hanataro stood frozen in the doorway, staring raptly through disbelieving eyes and Torio shook his head, unable to hold back a sweet, joyful smile.
"This exchange should not be happening between us," the Kuchiki leader explained quietly.
"It's weird, but not in a bad way," Ichigo said more softly, resting his head on Byakuya's shoulder and relaxing as his lover's reiatsu continued to flow into his body, "Before, I felt like something was wrong…like something inside was off, and I couldn't figure out what it was. It made me feel dizzy and nauseous. I threw up because of it, but it wasn't like I felt sick exactly. I can't really describe it very well."
Byakuya swallowed hard, looking into Ichigo's eyes and trying to choose his words carefully.
"Ichigo, you know that there are some nobles who are like Tetsuya," he began.
"Like Tetsuya?" Ichigo repeated, frowning, "Are you talking about him being a breeder male? I thought you said he was the only one. You're not saying…"
"When I told you before about Tetsuya, I told you that he is the only identified, living breeder male. The breeder males, after saving the noble clans from dying out in the wake of the first war with the quincies, were hunted by those who never accepted them. But even though the original breeder males, who were made through alteration of their genes, have all been killed or died naturally, it was discovered that the breeder male gene appeared in some of the male offspring of the breeder males. There is no test for this. The way it usually becomes known is when the breeder male first becomes pregnant."
Ichigo's eyes widened.
"Are you saying that Tetsuya was…? He doesn't have a child, so…"
"Tetsuya became pregnant by his cellmate, while he was incarcerated in Itamigiri. As soon as the pregnancy was discovered, he was condemned to death. Tetsuya was lucky that the raid occurred when it did, or he would have been executed. Unfortunately, Tetsuya's cellmate was killed in the escape, and Tetsuya lost their child, due to injury and poor nutrition. When he arrived at Kuchiki Manor, he was so traumatized, he could not even speak to us. It took many years to undo the damage that was done to him in that place, and the truth is, he is still recovering. But this strays away from what we need to concern ourselves with now. The symptoms you are having, are the same as those described in what few records we recovered from the ruins of the prison, after the raid."
"What?" Ichigo exclaimed, pulling free of Byakuya and staring back at him in dismay, "Are you saying you think I threw up because I'm pregnant? Me?"
"It all fits," Byakuya said in a stunned voice, "The paleness, fatigue, fainting during our lovemaking, nausea, dizziness and vomiting? I suppose we could check for other things, but based on what we know, I think that you were somehow able to become pregnant."
He shook his head in confusion.
"Tetsuya is the only breeder male identified in our clan in the last two hundred years. It is possible that either my grandfather or father carried the gene as well, but it never manifested because they married and reproduced with females. The only other possibility is that it came through your family."
"You mean, there could be breeder males in my family too?" Ichigo asked in a shocked tone.
"It is possible," Byakuya confirmed, "The breeder male is able to either impregnate another male or be impregnated, so it is impossible to know which of us is the carrier of the gene."
"Wait a second," Ichigo said, giving him a confused look, "If that's the case, how do you know that Tetsuya is the breeder male and not his cellmate?"
Byakuya's eyes clouded and his face took on a troubled expression.
"We know because after his rescue, we recovered a hidden record kept by someone we were not able to identify. This person was a doctor or scientist, who recorded that Tetsuya had an earlier pregnancy by our cousin, Orochi that was terminated at Orochi's request, and without Tetsuya's knowledge…although, I suspect he knows. In any case, the chances of both Orochi and the prisoner, Naoki, carrying the gene are astronomically low."
"So, it it's pretty much certain Tetsuya is the one who carries the gene," Ichigo concluded.
Byakuya nodded.
"With you and me, it is not possible to know, unless more information comes out that shows a link in one of our families."
"Well, my dad's been seeing Ryuuken Ishida…"
"But he is a human quincy," Byakuya explained, "A human male cannot get pregnant this way."
"Huh? But, I'm part human," Ichigo objected.
"You are half shinigami," Byakuya said, his frown deepening as another thought occurred to him, "Ichigo, it occurs to me that the part of you that is human may reject the pregnancy, if you try to return to the living world and enter your human body."
"What?" Ichigo exclaimed, giving him a look of alarm.
Byakuya took a steadying breath.
"I think as long as this pregnancy goes on, you must remain here, in Soul Society!"
XXXXXXXXXX
Sosuke Aizen felt an odd, dizzy sensation in his head that brought him out of the bored haze he was in and made him draw a deeper breath, looking inward to see what it was that had brought on the sudden disturbance. He felt the strange sensation of another mind brushing unexpectedly against his, and to his surprise, an image of Tetsuya rose up in his head, one so sharp and defined that it completely defied what he might have expected.
Tetsuya explained to me that the pendants made a connection between us, but he seemed to believe that the connection would be weaker than this…at least, at first. What I see in front of me is no illusion. I can feel it. I am with him in mind, though not in body.
Fascinating!
He honed in on the powerful disturbance that had caught his attention before, and looked more closely at Tetsuya's image. The young man rested on his knees at the top of a lovely waterfall, but bent forward and holding his midsection as he expelled the contents of his stomach, then panted and coughed in recovery.
So soon? Tetsuya mused inwardly, his words reaching Aizen's attentive mind with perfect clarity, Those other times…it…it seemed to take longer before.
Tetsuya's blue eyes looked out, over the top of the falls, filling with mingled fear and awe.
I don't know how to feel.
It's strange.
When it was Orochi's baby, they took it before I even realized. With Naoki's son, the baby reached sentience and began to connect with me. Being already damaged inside and out, it crushed my heart when I lost both Naoki and the baby.
Tetsuya shivered as a twinge of guilt radiated inside his aching heart.
To be honest, I did not love Naoki. I never learned about love, except in stories my mother told me when I was very small, and I had not yet been separated from her. Orochi's abuse taught me to hate and fear sex. His hands always felt cold and violent when he touched me. Naoki was my friend. He touched me also, but he said that he did so, so that I would understand what love felt like.
I hadn't the heart to tell him that I still didn't know after being with him. Maybe I was just too broken. But he was a good person, and he only ever acted like my friend…so I endured his touches quietly…although I never climaxed.
Not with Naoki.
Not with Orochi, though he tried and tried to force me.
I never experienced sexual completion until this time with Sosuke Aizen. I don't understand why I would feel such a thing with him. We are not lovers. We do not feel anything for one another. We made an agreement. I sold my affections to win justice for my lost friends and family. Whatever it takes, I will obtain justice.
Tetsuya's slender body shook with a mix of anger and deep sadness, and tears leaked down his face. His arms wrapped more tightly around his midsection as he cried for the infant inside him.
I will protect you, little one. You are the innocence that was taken away from me. Unlike me, you will be surrounded with love as you grow. You will not know the hatred and wickedness that I did. You will not watch your parents die. I will never speak the name of your father, and I will always remain strong, so that I do not fall victim to the ones who hate us.
Never again.
Tetsuya's pale fingertips brushed his tears away, and he took steadying breaths until he calmed, and the feelings of nausea and dizziness faded.
His reiatsu pours through the link to balance mine and the baby's. This should ensure that I am able to hide the pregnancy. I will also use waterforms to hide it as I progress. I do worry, though, because my reiatsu may fluctuate and I could lose my powers, later on. I will have to disappear at the end.
But who would help me to deliver this child without letting anyone know? Whose silence could I ensure?
Tetsuya stiffened as he felt the touch of Aizen's mind on his, and an image of the Karakura shopkeeper, Kisuke Urahara, entered his thoughts.
I had thought of him before, but I wonder if he'll really keep this from my cousin…and will I be able to keep from him who this child's father is? If he learns of it, will he turn on me and…
God, I can't even think of having this child taken from me too!
I have to keep this secret for as long as I can.
He quietly recalled Aizen's parting words to him.
He told me to go to his old retreat near the edge of our property. It is there, he said, that his diary is hidden. I came out this way, intending to go and find the diary…but my heart is conflicted. I already know what the noble families did to Sosuke's family. I know that more happened than he told me, and the remainder may be in this diary he sent me to retrieve. Why would he share this? And why share it with me? He said there was information that would be useful to my cause. I just wonder what.
Tetsuya climbed slowly to his feet, pausing to brush the stray leaves and bits of grass from his house guard's uniform. His head turned and his dark, wavy hair fluttered in the breeze as he looked in the direction of the concealed cottage.
I do need to know.
He started to move, then went still as he sensed Arashi approaching. The stallion's mind reached out to his, but Tetsuya only bit his lip gently and closed his mind to his surprised counterpart.
I am sorry, Arashi. I must do this alone. Go home and wait for me.
He sensed the stallion's confusion at the rejection, and the flare of indignant anger that followed, but he remained silent and slipped away, following an old, overgrown trail that led through clusters of trees and thick woods. It took nearly an hour to reach the place that the cabin was supposed to be, and even when he did arrive, it took him longer to sense its position.
There is still concentrated power here, Tetsuya realized, passing through the barrier and heading inside, Sosuke was careful in protecting this place. It looks to have been a retreat he might have used for personal reflection.
Tetsuya startled at a sudden movement to his side. He reached for his weapon, only to have it yanked from his hand and sent clattering across the wooden floor. A tall, wild-eyed man with long silver hair and a missing arm shoved him up against the cabin wall and locked him carefully in place, touching a wicked looking knife to his throat.
"Well, who are you?" the man asked in a shaking voice.
Tetsuya noticed then, that the man's whole body seemed unsteady.
"I…I am not your enemy, Gin Ichimaru," Tetsuya assured him.
Get away from him, Tetsuya, Aizen's voice warned the younger man, He will kill you.
Tetsuya looked into the silver-haired man's eyes.
"I am Tetsuya Kuchiki. I am Lord Byakuya Kuchiki's cousin and personal healer. I will take care of your injuries, as is required of me under the healer's oath. I will not inform anyone you are here."
Gin's eyes flashed for a moment with deadly rage.
"You cannot tell anyone I am alive," he hissed softly, "No one knows I survived."
"I understand," Tetsuya answered as calmly as he could, despite the knife at his throat, "Please allow me to help you?" he offered.
Tetsuya, he is far too dangerous, Aizen's voice warned him, Even if you heal him, he will probably kill you, because he figures he has to if he wants to keep you quiet. Get away from him!
"My arm has been gone for a really long time," Gin said, looking quietly at the place where the missing limb had been, "Are you saying that you are talented enough to heal that? Though, I suppose if you are Byakuya's healer, you must be very talented."
"I am talented enough to heal you completely," Tetsuya promised, "The healer's oath requires that I provide healing to any who need it, regardless of who they are, or what situation they might be in. I am expected not to divulge anything that passes between us…not to anyone, unless you give your permission. You are in no danger from me. I give you my word."
"The word of a bastard noble?" Gin mused.
"I am no bastard," Tetsuya answered, smirking very slightly, "My father was Takao Kuchiki, first cousin to Byakuya's father, and my mother was a peasant of the Rukongai. I am a half-blood, so you may expect I am less likely to violate my oath than most of my pureblood brethren."
The levity seemed to make Gin relax slightly. He chuckled and pulled the knife away from Tetsuya's throat, allowing him to step forward. Tetsuya motioned towards a nearby sofa, and Gin sat down, watching as Tetsuya knelt in front of him and set a healing barrier around them.
"You do look familiar, Tetsuya Kuchiki," Gin said, frowning thoughtfully, "Have we met before this?"
"Not in person," Tetsuya admitted, leaning forward and pausing for permission to proceed.
"Go on," Gin urged him.
Tetsuya's hands shook very slightly as he opened the injured shinigami's clothing. He froze at the sight of the scarred region over Gin's damaged heart. Gin studied Tetsuya's pale face for a moment.
"It's ugly, but it didn't kill me…at least, not yet."
"How did you get away?" Tetsuya asked quietly, his hand extending to just over Gin's mutilated chest.
"On my hands and knees," Gin explained, "I knew about the cabin, and I knew Sosuke wouldn't be coming back. I managed to not die, but I've been gradually weakening. I don't know that ordinary healing will be able to cure this."
Tetsuya gave him a little smile.
"I am not an ordinary healer," he laughed softly, "My powers work a little differently."
"I can see that," Gin said appreciatively, as the dark, ragged markings on his chest began to shimmer and fade, "How does it work?"
"I command water," Tetsuya explained, "I make waterforms that take on the appearance and texture of anyone or anything I will. When healing, they can replace lost limbs and organs, and I can provide additional blood to account for blood loss, just by copying some of the blood cells."
"That is amazing," Gin sighed, staring at his healed chest.
His narrowed blue eyes moved to where his arm had been, and Tetsuya nodded and wrapped his power around the area. Gin watched in wonder as Tetsuya's waterform took on the shape of his missing arm, then very slowly solidified.
"I've never seen anything like that," Gin mused as Tetsuya withdrew his power and leaned back, wiping a hand over his sweating face.
He swayed dizzily and placed his hands on the floor, breathing slowly to try to recover.
"Are you all right? You look like you're about to pass out," Gin said, laying a hand on his arm.
Tetsuya's head turned, and his eyes registered fear as Gin's form began to waver in front of him.
Will he help me if I pass out…or will he just kill me?
Oh god!
I can't…
…can't…
The air darkened in front of him and the last thing he saw was Gin's icy blue eyes gazing down into his.
Tetsuya! Aizen's voice called out in his spinning mind.
His voice echoed oddly and disappeared entirely as Tetsuya crashed down into blackness.