Moonfall Part 2: Dead King's Secret

By Spunky0ne

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In the wake of the quincy war, Byakuya and Ichigo happily await the birth of their second child, but will a wicked plot set in motion by the late quincy king destroy their newfound happiness?...MxM, mpreg, memories of rape/non-con…Ichigo/Byakuya, Renji/Tetsuya, Ywach/Tetsuya non-con flashbacks

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Chapter 1: Homecoming

"You look really happy," Ichigo observed, smiling at the contented look on his husband's face as the two men approached the entrance to Kuchiki Manor.

He reached up to where their daughter perched in the baby carrier on his back and patted her face gently.

"I'll bet you're happy to be back too, Mikomi."

"Dah Chigo!" Mikomi shouted, patting her father's ginger hair, then catching some and pulling.

"Hey! Cut that out, runt," Ichigo chided her, "No hair pulling."

His smile returned as he turned his attention back to Byakuya.

"I don't know about you, but I'm looking forward to Matsuko's awesome cooking. The food was good at Kukakku's place, but I know she gave you an even harder time than she gave me. Geez…"

"I am well acquainted with the idiosyncrasies of the Shiba clan," Byakuya answered, smirking very slightly, "but yes, I am glad to be returning home. The message from my cousin indicated that the main building has been fully restored and that the grounds are fully staffed and well protected. We can be at ease."

"I don't know how 'at ease' I can feel with the stealth attacks the remaining quincies have been doing from the shadows," Ichigo sighed, "but with the most powerful quincies gone, it won't be long before things quiet down."

He slowed as they reached the manor gates and the men on watch at the entrance bowed their heads respectfully and let them pass.

"Yes," Byakuya agreed, looking around as they passed through the courtyard.

He spotted a smiling Rukia dressed in a casual yukata and hurrying to greet them.

"Peace will be a welcome thing after the suffering we have all endured."

"Nii-sama!" Rukia greeted her brother, "Ichigo! It's good to see you both. Tetsuya told me you would be returning, so I came over to have dinner with you, if that's all right."

"Of course," Byakuya said readily, "but where is our cousin? He knew when we were planning to arrive."

"Yeah," Rukia said, shifting and looking around before turning her attention back to Byakuya, "about that…"

"What's going on with Tetsuya?" asked Ichigo, giving her a worried look, "Is he okay? I mean, I know he's not okay okay, since his powers haven't come back since Ywach forced him into his divine form. But, Byakuya said that it was expected to be that way and that it looked like Tetsuya was making good progress."

"Oh, he is coming along," Rukia affirmed, "It's just that…"

She paused, looking around the courtyard again.

"It's just that…well, he broke up with Renji, so he's been even more quiet than usual."

"Whoa!" Ichigo said, his eyes widening, "Renji and Tetsuya broke up? When did this happen?"

"Tetsuya failed to make any mention of this when he messaged me," Byakuya added.

"Well," Rukia sighed, "according to Koji, it just happened this morning, and Tetsuya has been secluding himself in the lake on the grounds whenever he's not actively working with the house security team. He hasn't been eating at all. He says that while he's without his powers, it isn't necessary. Koji said that he was having trouble sleeping, but when Renji offered to stay with him to help him drop off, Tetsuya refused and said that he didn't want Renji to not be able to sleep also. Renji didn't take it very well, especially when Tetsuya said he preferred to have Koji take care of him."

Ichigo frowned.

"You think he was jealous?" he asked, glancing at Byakuya.

"He would not need to be jealous of Koji," the Kuchiki leader asserted, "Koji has seen to Tetsuya's needs ever since his emancipation from the mixed blood's prison. I thought Renji understood this. If Tetsuya is choosing to turn to Koji and not Renji, I believe it just indicates that he is uncomfortable burdening his new partner with the aftereffects he is suffering from the war."

"But you can understand Renji's point of view also, right?" Ichigo inquired as Byakuya lifted Mikomi out of the baby carrier and the three started down the wooden walkway into the gardens, "Renji didn't grow up in a rich household where there were servants…"

"Attendants," Byakuya corrected him, "I have spoken to Renji a number of times about how our attendants are honored family members and it is a note of one's status in the household to be attended as Tetsuya, Rukia and I all are. You have your own attendant at the Shiba estate and you understand, although you were not raised in a noble home."

"Yeah, but this is all newer to Renji," Ichigo reasoned, "He and Tetsuya only recently got together, and that was messed up by the shenanigans of your elders and the start of the war. Maybe I should go and talk to him."

He paused as they entered the gardens and spotted two attendants laying out their dinner at a table in the covered dining area.

"I guess I'll go after we eat," he chuckled, "It'd be kinda rude of me to leave when Matsuko's gone to so much trouble. Look at all of that food!"

Byakuya gave him a dismissive look.

"We are all recovering from the battles. We need to nourish ourselves. Come, we will eat and then I can speak with my cousin while you check in with Renji."

"Sounds like a plan," Ichigo said, sitting down at the garden table and helping as Byakuya placed their daughter in a high chair.

"Want it!" Mikomi shouted, stretching out a tiny hand, "Pwease?"

"Hang in there," Ichigo laughed, mussing their daughter's wild ginger hair, "You're gonna get plenty to eat, but you've gotta give our friends a second to finish getting everything ready for us."

Within minutes, the three adults and child were seated at the table and plunging into the delicious meal in front of them. Rukia wore an affectionate expression as she watched her brother and her best friend take turns assisting their heir with her meal. Mikomi giggled and babbled happily, grabbing handfuls of food and eating voraciously.

"She must take after you, Ichigo," Rukia teased, "Nii-sama would never eat so messily like that."

"Shut up," Ichigo chuckled.

"To the contrary," Byakuya corrected her in an amused tone, "I am sure that at such a tender age, I ate with equal enthusiasm and ignorance of decorum. Who are we to deny her the simple pleasures of being a child?"

The response made Ichigo's grin widen and he reached over to brush away several grains of white rice that their daughter's fingers had smeared onto her father's pale cheek.

"I never thought I'd see you being so relaxed," he commented.

Byakuya gave him a smoky look and Ichigo felt an instant reaction in his flickering heart and awakening loins. Noting the exchange, Rukia smirked and bit at her lips, taking a few last bites before stretching and letting out a little contented groan.

"I can't believe I just ate all of that," she laughed, "Why don't you two let me take Mikomi off to get her cleaned up while you and Ichigo find my idiot friend and Tetsuya and talk some sense into them? I don't think any of us will be getting any sleep until somebody does something about them."

"Yeah," Ichigo agreed, "Renji can be thick-headed, but he really likes Tetsuya."

"It seemed like Tetsuya felt the same," Rukia added, "I think it's just been really hard on him, taking on so much with the preparation of the manor for Nii-sama's return while he's still recovering from everything that happened."

Ichigo's smile faded and he gave her a little nod.

"Ywach messed with him pretty badly, and since his powers haven't come back yet, I guess we don't know how that's going to affect what his powers are like."

"That is true," Byakuya affirmed, "While Ywach's death means that any lingering control he had over Tetsuya will have failed, he did grant Tetsuya a quincy Vollstandig and powers. It remains to be seen if there will be any permanent effects. In addition, the quincy king did sexually assault our cousin and cause him to attack us against his will. Tetsuya is a person of deep conviction and loyalty. I think perhaps that his decision to discontinue his relationship with Renji is an indication of just how deeply his actions in the war are weighing on him. I will go and speak to Tetsuya and Ichigo, I would be grateful if you would find Renji and comfort him if you can."

Ichigo's head tilted slightly and he gave the Kuchiki leader a curious look.

"What is it?" Byakuya inquired, "Did I say something wrong?"

"No," the Shiba heir chuckled, regaining some of his levity, "I just recall that when they got together, you warned Renji about the wicked things you would do to him if he hurt Tetsuya or broke his heart. I thought you might be mad at him."

Byakuya sighed and shook his head reflectively.

"I have known Tetsuya for a very long time, and although he is a highly sensitive person, he is also extremely stubborn at times. He feels such a deep dedication to relying on his own strength that sometimes he forgets that we do not always need to bear the weight of things alone."

"Well, I'm sure he'll listen to you then," Ichigo said, reaching over to squeeze his hand as Rukia collected Mikomi and took her leave of them.

He met his husband for a long, warm kiss.

"I'll come back as soon as I've got Renji cheered up and we can pick up where we left off."

Byakuya's eyes narrowed seductively.

"You can't still be hungry…"

"I'm starving," Ichigo snickered, sinking into Byakuya's mouth and savoring another long, wet kiss, "for a nice big helping of you. See you soon, okay?"

"Of course," Byakuya agreed, picking up a napkin to remove the stray bits of their daughter's food that remained on his clothes and skin.

He watched as Ichigo cleaned up, then the younger man kissed him on the cheek and flash stepped away. Byakuya rose from the table and glanced in the direction of the nearby main building.

"Torio?"

Another flash step sounded and a slim, green-eyed man with dark hair appeared in front of him.

"Sir?"

"Is Koji with Tetsuya right now?" Byakuya asked.

Torio nodded.

"Koji took some food with him and he planned to try to coax Tetsuya-san into eating and then resting in the hot spring."

"Very well. I will go and speak with them. I would like for you to please deliver some champagne and strawberries to the master suite. It will be our first night here as a married couple and I would like to make Ichigo feel welcome."

"Absolutely, sir!" Torio answered, smiling warmly, "I will see that your suite is ready."

"Thank you."

Byakuya left the gardens, heading out the back gate and up a tree-lined trail, then taking a turn leading away from the house stables and family cemetery. He admired the beauty of the budding sakura and plum trees against the evening sky, enjoying the return of peace to his environs.

But even though peace has returned, our hearts are still sometimes turbulent. And for many, the peace is drowned out by the aftermath of such violence, such devastation and loss. So many friends and family have fallen, it almost seems wrong to feel happiness or warmth…but we must go on. We must be grateful that we can still walk in our restored gardens and enjoy the loveliness and treasure that life can be.

He breathed in slowly, savoring the light scent of the flowering trees and the gentle sounds of the birds. Reaching the top of the cliff above the meadow where he and his cousin usually trained, he paused beneath one of the trees, admiring the way the soft breeze sent waves through the grass in the meadow and the water on the calm lake rippled every now and then, disturbed by the softly falling petals. He sensed the presence of the two young men he sought and flash stepped down the trail that led to the side of the lake. A smaller trail almost hidden in the trees led back behind a large waterfall that tumbled down from the cliff into one side of the lake. Behind the waterfall, he felt the warmth of the hot spring and heard the soothing sound of Koji singing. He found the two undressed but for small wraps around their waists and Tetsuya sleeping as Koji sat in the hot water, holding him comfortingly. The attendant's singing died away as the Kuchiki leader entered and Tetsuya's sapphire eyes opened and found Byakuya's looking back at him. He sat up quickly, tensing as he noted the time.

"Ah, I am sorry, Byakuya-sama," he apologized as he and Koji climbed out of the hot spring and Koji began to dry Tetsuya off, "I lost track of the time."

"It's my fault," Koji insisted, "Tetsuya-san has been sleeping so poorly and he looked so peaceful, I couldn't make myself wake him."

"It is fine," Byakuya assured the two, "but I would like to speak with Tetsuya. Please return to the main house. I will walk Tetsuya back when we are finished here."

"Yes sir," Koji said, finishing with Tetsuya, then swiftly drying himself off and dressing before he flash stepped away.

Tetsuya sat down on a stone bench, looking into the riled hot spring as Byakuya joined him.

"I'm glad you've returned safely," Tetsuya said softly, "I hope you found everything as you wanted it when you arrived."

"Everything was perfect," Byakuya assured him, studying his cousin's tired gaze and slightly slumped posture, "except…I am worried about you. I placed a great deal of responsibility on you when you should have been given more time to recover from your ordeal."

"But I really wasn't hurt badly," Tetsuya argued in a voice as weary as he looked.

Byakuya's frown deepened and he shook his head firmly.

"You may have escaped any life threatening injury, but you were assaulted by Ywach and he made changes to your soul and powers that surely must be part of the reason you cannot eat and rest properly."

He paused, looking deeply into his cousin's sad eyes.

"And now, you have had to leave a relationship I know you were very invested in."

Tetsuya's head bowed and a shiver passed through his slender body.

"M-maybe it was the wrong thing to do," he confessed, a tear sliding down one pale cheek, "but I felt I was burdening Renji too much. He was so worried because I was sick every time I woke or tried to eat until I just stopped eating. I've had horrid nightmares about what Ywach did to me and all of my fears about what could have happened. If we were married or even had we had more time to grow into our relationship, I could have felt okay with him supporting me as much as he was…but our relationship was new, at least in that respect. And Renji and I are still friends, although I know he must hate me for hurting him. I just…can't be a good partner for anyone right now."

"I understand," Byakuya reassured him, slipping an arm around Tetsuya's shoulders, "and Ichigo and I will make sure that Renji does too. This isn't an easy situation for either of you, but as you heal, things will get easier again, I promise you."

Tetsuya sniffed and burrowed into his cousin's shoulder, sighing tiredly.

"I'm sure you're right. I just…don't want to hurt Renji. I don't want him to be angry. But I can't burden him with anymore. I'm barely managing my own emotions. I don't like worrying him."

"Of course," Byakuya agreed, "although I am sure you are aware that he will still worry about you. We all will, because you are our family and you've been hurt. Were you able to meet with your counselor when you returned?"

Tetsuya's body sagged in Byakuya's embrace.

"Yua-san was killed in the first attack," Tetsuya sighed, "but I was able to meet with another counselor. He has been helpful, but I'm afraid this is just going to take time. I assure you, I am committed to healing fully and recovering my powers. It's just nerve wracking, not knowing if there will be lasting changes because of what was done to me."

"It will be all right," Byakuya said bracingly, sitting back and looking into Tetsuya's tortured eyes again, "Whatever happens, you will be all right. We will deal with all of this together."

"Thank you," Tetsuya sighed, "And thank you for helping to comfort Renji. He is such a good partner and friend. Maybe I made a mistake pushing him away. He probably won't want to come back after…"

"What're you talking about?" Renji's voice said from the entrance to the hot spring cave, where he stood alongside Ichigo, "I told you I understood. I get that it's hurting you to see me worry so much. It makes it harder for you, trying to recover yourself, but also feeling like you have to comfort me. The shit's really deep and we're all just trying to make sense of everything. So, I'm not angry at you for needing to step back and take care of yourself. If what you need right now is a friend, then that's what you've got right here. We'll worry about the rest later, all right? Just…let me stay here and help you too. I just wanna help. Let me do that."

Tetsuya's teary eyes rounded and he broke away from Byakuya and met the redhead for a warm hug. Renji kissed him on the forehead, then lifted him off his feet as Tetsuya instantly objected.

"Renji! I can walk, myself. You don't have to…"

Smiles returned to the others' faces as Renji looked down at Tetsuya and winked.

"Let's get you tucked into bed, okay? We can watch a movie or something together?"

"Okay," Tetsuya sighed, resting his head on Renji's shoulder, "That sounds good."

Ichigo and Byakuya watched as the two left, then Ichigo gave a relieved sigh.

"Well, that went okay, right?" he mused, "They seem to be all right…for now at least."

"Their friendship is strong," Byakuya observed, "and it is good that they are able to fall back on that when everything else is in disarray. But, we shall see, I suppose. I think things can only settle once Tetsuya's powers return and we see where we are."

"Do you really think that what Ywach did is going to have some permanent effect on him?" Ichigo asked worriedly.

"I do not know," Byakuya said, shaking his head, "however, we will all be there to support him, whatever turn this takes."

"Yeah," Ichigo agreed, "we will."