Chapter 4: The Young Prince
"This was impulsive," Ichigo observed, his lips finding Byakuya's as his fingers played lazily in the pearly fluid that decorated the pale flesh of Byakuya's bare belly.
"Hmmm," the noble sighed sleepily, "The first time might have been impulsive, however all of the many that followed were not impulsive any longer, but reckless. Then again, that seems to be the kind of person that you are, Ichigo."
"Are you angry?"
"Do I look angry?"
"No, you look beautiful."
Byakuya's lips curved upward.
"You don't have to flatter me," he said softly, capturing the other youth's hand and licking his fingertips provocatively, "I already gave in to you."
"Sort of," Ichigo chuckled, blushing, "I kinda just...bowled you over."
"I assure you that if I did not want you to make love to me, you would not have done so. I wanted to as much as you did."
"Yeah," Ichigo agreed, guilt nudging his insides, "because you still don't know who you are. Once you do..."
"We will have plenty of time to deal with that then," Byakuya assured him, "In the meantime, I plan to thoroughly enjoy..."
He trailed off, frowning and lifting a slender hand to observe it for a moment.
"What's wrong?" Ichigo asked, an edge of worry in his voice.
"I am not sure," Byakuya said, still looking closely at his hand.
He caught his breath nervously as it seemed to shimmer slightly.
"What is that?" Ichigo asked breathlessly, "What's happening to you, Byakuya?"
"I don't know," the noble said, staring fixedly at his hand, "I feel strange inside."
Ichigo climbed to his knees and the two hastily began to put their clothes back in order.
"I think that we'd better find that garganta and get the hell outta here. We need to get back and have Kisuke take a look at you."
"I think you're right," the noble agreed, beginning to dress as well.
They climbed down from their place of concealment, staying close to one another as they exited the warehouse, and Byakuya led Ichigo to the place where he had seen groups of hollows using a garganta.
"We just have to wait until they are inside and slip in behind them," Byakuya whispered, watching as three hollows passed their hiding place and walked toward the crossover point.
"And we have to make sure we don't get caught like that guy I heard some of them talking about earlier. I wonder who it was that they killed."
"It was a prisoner taken during the war with Aizen," Byakuya said softly, ducking down as a hollow strode near their hiding spot, "There were some left in the prison levels when Aizen left, and it seems that the ones here were using them for sport or food. I slipped into the prison and freed the few that I found left there."
"Wha...? You what?" Ichigo exclaimed softly, "Byakuya, are you nuts? You could have been killed! What in kami's name were you thinking, going in there by yourself?"
Byakuya lowered his eyes, frowning.
"I was thinking that it was a horrid fate for anyone and I couldn't leave, knowing that they were trapped there. Perhaps it was a bit reckless, but..."
"I get it," Ichigo said, smiling and stealing a kiss, "and that really sounds like something you'd do, you know?"
"Well," the noble sighed, "it is my past I have lost. I have not changed in nature, I suppose."
"No, you're just like I remember you," Ichigo said appreciatively, "But come on, let's get a little closer to that exit. It looks like those guys over there are about to go inside."
The two youths slipped out of their hiding place and crept closer to the garganta as two sentry hollows passed into the cavern.
"Now! Come on," Byakuya said, grabbing Ichigo's hand and leading him into the dark opening.
They held back behind the hollows, staying close to the black walls of the cavern as they hurried forward, watching carefully for an exit that would lead them close to Urahara's shop. Some time later, they dropped down into a small park, near the shop and smiled at each other, glad to have escaped the dark environs of the hollow world in one piece.
They turned towards the shop and broke into a jog, but a few moments later, Byakuya made a sound of discomfort and stopped. Ichigo turned back and approached him, wearing a worried expression.
"Hey, you okay?"
"N-not really," the noble said, putting a hand to his head and closing his eyes, "I feel dizzy."
"Here, let me help you out, okay? I'll have you back to Urahara's in a flash."
He swept the protesting noble into his arms and flash stepped swiftly down the street and into the shop. He burst through the front doors, calling for the shopkeeper as Tessai appeared and, noting the boy in Ichigo's arms, quickly waved them on to an empty guest room.
"The boss has been worried about you and Captain Kuchiki. Word came from the Seireitei that Captain Kuchiki's reiatsu had vanished. Do you know what happened to him?"
He paused, his eyes widening as Ichigo laid Byakuya on the bed.
"I am Byakuya," he announced, making the man's eyes widen even more.
"We were attacked by some kinda weird hollow that exploded and injured him. He collapsed and when he woke up, he was a kid again."
"I will get..."
"That's okay," said Kisuke from the doorway, "I'm here. What's going on?"
"Master Ichigo says that Captain Kuchiki was attacked by a hollow that exploded and injured him, then he lost consciousness and woke up in the state you see him now."
"Ah, interesting," he said, moving closer and leaning over the scowling teen, "Can you describe the hollow?"
"It was big, dark and ugly," Ichigo supplied.
"Well, that sounds about like every hollow I've ever seen," chuckled the shopkeeper.
"I do not remember much, but I believe it made a horrid screeching sound before it exploded. I lost consciousness and when I woke up, I was like this and didn't even know who Ichigo was."
"You didn't remember Ichigo?" Kisuke inquired.
"I didn't remember him, the mission, or in truth, anything from before waking up. Just hearing that awful screeching, then blackness."
"Okay, interesting. I'll take some samples of your reiatsu and get started right away with the investigation."
"And you should really try to hurry," Ichigo said worriedly, "because when we woke up this morning, Byakuya was feeling weird. And in the park, when we got back, he was dizzy and looked really pale. There was an odd shimmering around him."
"Well, that doesn't sound good," said Kisuke, moving to examine Byakuya more closely.
A moment later, he loosed a soft whistle.
"This is most definitely not good. His reiatsu is destabilizing. We need to do something about that right away. Ichigo, stay close. I'll need you to establish and hold a flow of reiatsu around him while I work on what I've got here. Now, where did you encounter the hollow?"
"Down by the river. Then, it ran into a garganta and tried to close it, but didn't close it properly. Byakuya opened it and we went in. That's when the hollow slashed Byakuya, then shrieked and exploded. I grabbed him and was going to come back, but the doorway closed. We came down in Hueco Mundo and had to dodge hollows and hide out near Las Noches until we followed a couple of hollows into the garganta and made it back here."
"You two are lucky to be alive," Kisuke said disapprovingly, "Hueco Mundo isn't the place to be these days. It's pretty chaotic there. I'm glad you two got back okay."
"Kisuke," Ichigo said worriedly, "Byakuya's going to be all right, isn't he?"
"Sure," the shopkeeper assured him, looking a little less than confident, "I'll have him sorted out in no time. But since his reiatsu's in such a flutter, you need to keep him stabilized, okay? Just keep him surrounded with your reiatsu and use it to calm his. Whatever that thing was, it seems to attack by riling the reiatsu of its enemy. When Byakuya's was messed up, it seems to have tried to anchor itself, and sort of reboot, but while it was settling, the thing exploded, riling things even more. Well, that's what I think happened anyway. I will know more, once I look at these samples I took and consult some of my notes on weird hollows. Just keep him comfortable and calm, all right?"
"Sure," Ichigo said, glancing at the noble, "I'll take care of him."
The two youths watched as Kisuke left, then Tessai re-entered the room, bearing a tray loaded down with tea and snacks.
"The boss wanted you to fill up, Captain Kuchiki," he said, setting the tray in Byakuya's lap, "You too, Master Ichigo. I don't figure you got much to eat while you were lost, ne?"
"Hardly," Ichigo confirmed, "That looks good. Thanks, Tessai."
"It's no problem," the man assured him, exiting and leaving Byakuya and Ichigo alone again.
"You should eat something," Ichigo urged the noble, noting Byakuya was only gazing quietly at the tray and not yet eating.
"I was trying to remember," Byakuya explained, "But as much as I try to remember things from before, I cannot recall anything. I do not even have fuzzy memories. It's like there's just nothing there."
"Well, Kisuke's the best scientist there is," Ichigo assured him, slipping an arm around him and feeding him a strawberry, "Don't worry. He'll have you back to yourself in no time. In the meantime, I'd better get that reiatsu flowing around you."
He laid a hand on the noble's chest, calling his power to infuse the area. He froze, staring as his reiatsu touched Byakuya's body and the noble's own reiatsu glowed a soft, lovely pink.
"You have power now?" Ichigo asked.
Byakuya closed his eyes for a moment, focusing carefully.
"No," he answered, shaking his head, "This is your reiatsu, causing this when it touches mine. It feels...warm. It feels better inside when you do this."
Ichigo smiled as the warmth of their reiatsu radiated around them.
"What is this?" Ichigo wondered aloud.
"I don't know," said the noble, "but the dizziness is gone. I feel fine now."
Ichigo continued the infusion and reached over to take a bread roll from the food tray. Byakuya picked up one of the cups of hot green tea and sipped quietly at it, while observing the pink glow around them. They consumed their meal together, then, blinking sleepily, Ichigo slid onto the bed, beside Byakuya. The noble curled into his arms and drifted off, the soft glow of power still radiating around them.
They woke, hours later, to the sound of the bedroom door opening.
"Hey, Ichigo," said a feminine voice, "Kisuke said that you were here with Byakuya. I just wanted to see..."
She trailed off, staring in surprise as Byakuya and Ichigo sat up in the bed and gazed back at her.
"Do I know you?" Byakuya asked, frowning.
The purple-haired woman stared back, then blinked several times, then broke into a wide grin and laughed.
"Why, little Byakuya!" she exclaimed, "Look at you! You are...precious!"
"Why do I feel like knowing her was not a good thing," the noble asked, frowning more deeply.
The woman moved forward and startled the noble by wrapping her arms around him tightly and squeezing so that his face was buried between her large breasts.
"So good to see you, little Byakuya!" she exclaimed, "I've missed you so much since you grew up and got so arrogant and boring!"
"What are you saying? Let go of me!" the noble yelled, struggling, "Get off, you beast!"
"Ah, you remember me?" she said, looking pleased.
"No, I just can't stand you! Get off!" Byakuya objected.
"You do remember me!"
"No, I don't," the noble spat crossly, "and I hope that I never do. You're horrid! Go away!"
"Maybe you should lay off him," Ichigo suggested, slipping an arm around Byakuya as the purple-haired woman released him, "You're getting him pretty agitated and Kisuke wanted him to be calm."
"Little Byakuya is almost never calm," Yoruichi said, smirking, "But fine. I wouldn't want him to get any more unstable than he already feels. What did you do to him, Ichigo?"
"What did I do to him? I didn't do anything to him!" the shinigami substitute complained, "I'm trying to stabilize his reiatsu."
"Well, you seem to be doing more destabilizing than stabilizing."
"I am not! You're just getting him all bothered. Maybe you should go and check with Kisuke...see if he's found out anything."
"I haven't found any answers yet," Kisuke said, entering the room and moving to Byakuya's side, "But I..."
He paused and frowned.
"Ichigo, what is that you're doing?" he asked curiously.
"I'm stabilizing Byakuya's reiatsu, like you said," Ichigo answered, "Why?"
"Well, I just...sense something strange about the connection there."
He looked more closely, then shook his head and took several more samples of the noble's blood and reiatsu.
"Is something wrong? Should I stop?" Ichigo asked.
"No," Kisuke said, looking back at them, "Just keep him comfortable and get some rest, yourself. And I would suggest you don't do anything to rile his reiatsu anymore. It could be dangerous to him. So no partying, getting crazy or having wild sex...anything like that."
Byakuya scowled and Ichigo blushed brightly.
"Eh, Kisuke?" the ginger-haired youth asked, prompting a deeper scowl from Byakuya.
"Yeah?"
"Um, well...what if Byakuya and I already had sex?" he asked, making the noble blush as darkly as he was.
"You...and Captain Kuchiki..." Kisuke asked, blinking.
Yoruichi descended into a fit of giggles.
"Why do you look so surprised," she laughed, "He is adorable like this! I could just eat him up!"
"Don't you touch me again!" Byakuya hissed as she moved towards him.
"Hey, I said don't rile him," Kisuke reminded her, "He's in a pretty precarious state. And getting back to your question, Ichigo. If you did it and he didn't explode like that hollow, then you're lucky. Save it for another time, okay? No more fun between the sheets or you just might be the death of him."
"Wha-...? You mean, he could have exploded?" Ichigo asked, looking alarmed.
"I'm all right. I feel fine, Ichigo. Do not worry," Byakuya said bracingly.
"All right. Fine. But Kisuke, you have to find a way to heal him!"
"I will," the shopkeeper assured him, "I'll find an answer. I promise. Just...keep him stabilized until I get back. Yoruichi, come on. I think it's better you're not around him too much."
"Oh, but I could have so much fun with him this way!" the cat woman chuckled.
"Get away from me!" Byakuya snapped, hissing furiously as she patted him on the head and stole his hair tie, "Stop it, you thieving bitch!"
"Oh, it's just like old times!" Yoruichi cooed.
"GET OUT!" Byakuya roared, grabbing back his hair tie.
"Hey, uh, I think you'd better leave him alone," said Ichigo.
"All right," the cat woman sighed, "No fun at all..."