Byakuya's heart was heavy as he flash stepped through the trees.
Everyone had felt the explosion, of course. It was like kido, yet not quite the same, and disturbingly powerful. Soutaichou had quickly gathered several of the taichou and informed them of what he wanted to do. Byakuya hated it, and several of the taichou had been opposed, but others had favored this course. He only hoped Ichigo would understand.
His heart dropped further as he heard the laughter and saw the little practice field. Shuhei was showing Ichigo kido, and the hybrid seemed to be getting the hang of it. He fired a shot of white lightning before stepping back, shaking his head.
"I'm tired! Do you have any food?" He asked the shinigami, who pulled something out of his pocket.
"I have a bit of beef jerky – uh, taichou?" He said uncertainly as Byakuya flashed stepped into view. He was followed closely by three other taichou, and then Yamamoto. "Soutaichou!" Shuhei bowed as Ichigo looked around, wide-eyed. The demon hybrid tried to sidle behind Shuhei, bumping into his other trainee, who was attempting to do the same thing.
"Kurosaki Ichigo." Yamamoto's old, wise and not entirely unkind eyes bored into the demon boy. His expression was stern, however. "Your power is too great for you to walk about unsupervised. But I am not certain even one of my taichou's could contain you. So I ask that you wear a seki-seki collar as long as you remain in our camp." Byakuya saw Ichigo pale at the mention of seki-seki, and wondered if the demons had it in their endless desert.
"But that's… but I… what did I do to you?" Ichigo sounded bewildered. Golden eyes sought out his and Byakuya met them calmly, despite his pain at the betrayal on Ichigo's face. "I was just practicing. I wouldn't hurt anyone."
"This collar is to ensure you cannot hurt anyone." Yamamoto said solemnly. Soifon stepped forward, holding the heavy stone and Ichigo paled even more before swallowing. He glanced around the circle before stepping out from behind Shuhei.
"Is this a test?" He asked, meeting Yamamoto's gaze. "If I wear it, will you let me join your hive?" Byakuya frowned to himself. Ichigo was trying to put this into demon terms, to help him understand. But the situation was entirely different than anything in the demon sands.
"We do not have hives as demons do. But if you wear this, if you prove your sincerity, you will be taking the first step to becoming a shinigami." Yamamoto told the boy and Ichigo swallowed hard, clearly thinking about it.
"For how long?" He asked and Yamamoto frowned at him.
"Until the dust storm is over, and we return to the demon world." He said and Ichigo nodded, his eyes taking on that chill Byakuya so hated to see.
"Three days at the most, then." He said to himself and nodded again before looking at Yamamoto again. "To prove my strength and conviction, I will wear that collar for as long as it takes the sandstorm to pass." His tone was expressionless and his eyes were cold and distant. Byakuya felt a shiver down his spine as he recalled how Ichigo had spoken to the demons before letting them torture and use him. This was the same attitude as before. But why? Why is he acting like we are going to hurt him? The seki-seki stone was merely uncomfortable.
He considered saying something, but hadn't decided what when Soifon snapped the collar into place. Ichigo's entire body went stiff as a board and his knuckles were white as he clenched his hands into fists. Byakuya stared as Ichigo bit his lip so hard that blood trickled down the corner of his mouth. The hybrid's eyes were wide and staring, but then he blinked and took a deep breath, his muscles relaxing slightly.
"I have it." Ichigo said softly, to himself. "Yes. Accept it. It is part of you. I can do this." Everyone was watching the hybrid but Hitsugaya, who was looking around and frowning.
"Is something burning?" He asked and Byakuya blinked as he realized he could smell smoke, as well. He frowned as the scent began to turn more foul, like rotten eggs and wood smoke.
"His clothing is on fire!" Shuhei suddenly exclaimed and everyone's eyes snapped back to Ichigo. Byakuya's stomach clenched as he saw the cloth beneath the seki-seki stone collar was smoldering. "It's the collar! Get it off him!"
"Soutachoi?" Soifon asked as she touched the collar, then jerked her hand back with a gasp. "It's burning!" Ichigo blinked, turning his head to look at her as she tried to release the collar. But she couldn't get a grip on the hot stone and metal.
"Remove it from him, quickly!" Yamamoto ordered, and Byakuya yanked off his haori, tossing it to Soifon. She caught the fabric and used it to shield her hands as she undid the clasp of the collar. It fell away to hit the ground at Ichigo's feet, and the grass immediately began to smolder. But that was nothing compared to the red meat and black char on Ichigo's throat and shoulders. The boy didn't seem to even notice the absence of the collar, but he did blink when Byakuya grabbed one shoulder, and Shunsui gripped the other.
"My stars. Sit down, child." Shunsui said, his tone gentle with an edge of shock. Ichigo blinked and shook his head, and the black charred spots on his throat cracked, weeping a clear liquid that smelled like rotten eggs.
"I'm fine. Why did you take it off? I was ready for the test." He sounded so calm and his eyes still had that hideously distant quality. "I can do three days. I'm good at this sort of thing."
"It wasn't a test!" Byakuya snapped at him and Ichigo blinked. He felt a great relief as those gold eyes really focused on him, regaining a bit of their spark. "Why didn't you tell us the collar would catch fire?" Ichigo hesitated, confused, and glanced around at everyone. Even Soifon was looking appalled and guilty at what they had accidentally done. Yamamoto was hard to read, but Byakuya didn't think he was the least bit happy about how things had turned out.
"I thought you knew." He finally said, his voice catching strangely at the end. "I thought… a test of my endurance, my power. Only a strong demon can survive seki-seki for three days. Doesn't it work that way for shinigami?" Byakuya couldn't believe he was still talking. The flesh was not rebuilding as fast as it had when Ichigo had given himself to the demons. The hybrid suddenly gripped his stomach, bending over. "Oh… ow. I need some food. I'm so drained now. Pork buns?" He asked Shunsui, who glanced at Yamamoto. The old man took a deep breath.
"Take him away and feed him. We will have to think of something else, this is inhumane." He stepped forward to stand in front of Ichigo. "I am sorry. Seki-seki is only uncomfortable for a shinigami to wear, and it prevents the use of kido. I did not know it was different for demons." Ichigo just blinked, looking a bit speechless, and Byakuya wondered if the boy was in shock. "Byakuya, Shunsui, stay with him for now."
"Yes Soutaichou." Byakuya paused to collect his slightly scorched haori from Soifon before helping Ichigo walk. Or at least, trying to. The hybrid wasn't accepting much help and seemed fully capable of moving despite his ghastly injuries. If Byakuya hadn't known better, he'd have thought Ichigo didn't feel them. But he was grimly certain the hybrid was just very good at ignoring pain. "You can lean on me, Ichigo." He said softly and was rewarded with a small smile and a glitter of appreciation in those golden eyes.
"That's sweet, but I'm fine really. It's mostly surface damage." Ichigo made a face. "If it were deep damage, I wouldn't be talking." Byakuya shook his head. Ichigo's definition of deep damage would be near lethal to a shinigami. "I just really want pork buns so I can start to heal this. I never should have used that focus." He said to himself and Byakuya nodded. That had been a tremendous mistake.
He was aware of the stares and whispers as they escorted the hybrid to Shunsui's little grill, but he couldn't really blame the gawkers. A man in Ichigo's condition shouldn't have been able to stand, let alone walk. As they reached the grill Shunsui quickly lit it and set out some more buns. Ichigo watched them hungrily then looked up in surprise as Shuhei dashed over, a plate of meat in hand.
"I got this from the 1st, someone managed to catch a wild pig. It's still a bit raw but I figured that would be okay for a demon?" He said, handing Ichigo the plate. The demon boy tore into it ravenously, obviously not caring a bit if it was undercooked.
"That will be fine. Perfect, in fact. From what I saw, demons almost always eat their food raw." Byakuya assured Shuhei, who looked relieved. He definitely didn't want to poison his new friend. "And they eat only meat, so this might be even better than pork buns." The buns were nice, but they were largely flour with a bit of savory pork mix in the centre.
But even with the addition of the meat, it took nine pork buns before Ichigo's throat began to really heal. The hybrid leaned back in his chair, eyes half closed and sleepy, as the flesh slowly mended and the charred spots sloughed off with a bit more of that vile liquid. Ichigo seemed to fall asleep then, his head propped against the back of the chair.
"Will he hate us for this, do you think?" Shunsui asked quietly, trying not to awaken Ichigo. His brown eyes were dark as he looked at the sleeping hybrid. "It would be hard to blame him if he does." Byakuya thought about it for a moment and shook his head.
"I don't think so. Ichigo has the heart of a shinigami, and he'll understand that it was a mistake. He'll be able to forgive us." He thought that was true, but the guilt still hurt. He knew he should have said something when he saw Ichigo preparing himself for pain. But how was he to know what seki stone would do to a half-demon?
"I can hear you." Ichigo said drowsily and Byakuya looked down, startled, to meet soft gold eyes. "It's fine. Well, it's not fine, but I'm fine with it. Soutaichou apologized to me. Do you know when demon lords apologize? Never. It's a form of weakness. They bury their mistakes…" Ichigo sighed and his eyes closed again. Byakuya watched then smiled slightly as the boy began to softly snore. He glanced over at Shunsui, who was watching the hybrid with a smile as he sipped a bit of sake.
"He's adorable, he really is. Perhaps you should take him to bed?" Byakuya blushed lightly, wondering if Shunsui had guessed about their relationship. But the advice was good, sleeping in a chair wouldn't do Ichigo's neck and back any good. "I'll go tell the old man he's sleeping with you." Byakuya winced to himself as he saw Shunsui's grin. Yes, he had definitely guessed.
"Please don't put it quite like that." He said reprovingly. "Tell Soutaichou that I will look after him until he has recovered." That was a far more suitable way to put it. Shunsui laughed and pulled down his straw hat as Byakuya gently shook Ichigo's shoulder. The hybrid woke up with a snort followed by a yawn.
"I really want to sleep Byakuya." He said groggily and Byakuya nodded, pulling him to his feet.
"I know, but the tent would be better. I've found some bedding for it." He said, putting an arm around Ichigo's shoulders. The hybrid leaned against him this time, probably because his body was so desperately trying to rest. It felt almost like the boy was drunk, and when Byakuya managed to get him into the tent he immediately collapsed onto the bed. The snoring started again and Byakuya took a seat across from Ichigo, picking up some reports and reading. The sandstorm was still screaming outside the rift, so there was really very little else to do. And Yamamoto wanted someone keeping an eye on Ichigo, so here he would stay.
He would stay here until the end of the world, if necessary.
Ichigo woke the next morning to find Byakuya sleeping curled up beside him.
The hybrid blinked slowly then smiled, watching the shinigami as he slept. Byakuya was beautiful, and Ichigo loved it when he removed his silver hair clips so his hair could flow completely unhindered. He wanted to comb his fingers through those midnight tresses, but that might wake Byakuya, and he didn't want this quiet moment to end. Instead he just lay beside the shinigami, enjoying the gentle rise and fall of his chest, the beating of his heart and the sweet smell of sakura.
"Taichou?" Ichigo looked up lazily as the door to the tent opened. "Taichou? …Uh…" Renji was standing in the opening, staring at his taichou curled up with a half-demon. There was a strange expression on his face that made Ichigo think of someone struggling not to sneeze.
"He's resting. Is it important?" Ichigo kept his voice quiet, trying not to disturb Byakuya. Renji blinked and cleared his throat, managing to exert control over himself.
"Ah, right. The sandstorm has stopped and Soutaichou wants us to move back through the rift. We're going to leave the wounded here and set up two camps." Ichigo nodded. That sounded logical.
"Okay. I'll wake him up." Ichigo smiled impishly at Renji before giving Byakuya a warm, thorough kiss. There was a choking sound from the door of the tent, but he didn't care. Eyelids fluttered and Ichigo savored the sleepy pleasure in those beautiful grey eyes. "Good morning, beautiful." Ichigo breathed as the kiss ended, nuzzling Byakuya's throat. The grey eyed shinigami melted into the attention but then his eyes opened wide as he heard Renji's voice.
"I'll, uh, go tell them you'll be right there!" The redheaded man vanished then and Ichigo laughed before a hand clamped down hard on his shoulder. He looked at Byakuya then, surprised by the anger in his eyes.
"You humiliated me in front of my fukutaichou!" He said sharply and Ichigo stared, feeling a stab of pain in his heart.
"It's humiliating for them to know we're together?" He asked softly and Byakuya blinked, the hand on his shoulder loosening. "Because of what I am?" Ichigo wasn't sure if he was referring to his hybrid status, or his sex. All the pain he'd endured, the rapes from the demons who wanted to taste his 'strange flesh' came back to his mind and he flinched, moving away. Then he blinked as a hand suddenly gripped his chin, pulling him back into a hot, intense kiss.
"I hate it when you look like that." Byakuya said in his ear and Ichigo shivered at the hot breath against his skin. "When your eyes go so distant and strange. Please, don't go away from me Ichigo. I know you're thinking of terrible things and I hate to see it."
"Byakuya…" Ichigo couldn't resist the allure of the beautiful shinigami, and sank into his arms. But a last kernel of sanity intruded on his fevered mind. "The rift. They're waiting for us."
"They can wait a bit longer." Byakuya said before sucking on his throat. Ichigo quivered in pleasure then gasped as Byakuya rolled him onto his back, trailing kisses down his chest and belly. Running his fingers through the soft red hair, Byakuya licked the tip of the hybrid's erection. Then he took just the head into his mouth, making Ichigo moan and quiver in pleasure, his hips moving.
"Please, inside me, please." Ichigo spread his legs wantonly, craving the attention inside him. Byakuya explored that sensitive flesh, piercing it with his fingers and enjoying Ichigo's cry as his insides clenched at the penetration. "More!" Byakuya began to work his length, slowly increasing the pressure as the hybrid gasped. He quickly learned that giving Ichigo this attention had one interesting advantage… it simply wasn't possible for him to hurt the hybrid with blunt human teeth. In fact, Ichigo's sounds turned even more primal as he gave the demon boy a bit of rough attention.
Ichigo felt like he was dissolving in a puddle of desire, his bones melting from the force of it. The fingers inside him were good, so good, and he pressed his hips desperately against them, but he wanted more. He wanted to feel his lover inside him, filling that space. Then he arched, making a gasp that rose to a howl as Byakuya bit down on hard, but oh so sensitive skin.
"Take me! Hard!" He managed to say, sparks dancing before his eyes. "Please!" Ichigo didn't care if he was begging. All he wanted was Byakuya inside him, now. The beautiful shinigami raised his head from his rock hard erection, leaving a trail of wetness behind as he smiled down at his half-demon lover.
"Since you ask so nicely –" Ichigo gasped as Byakuya took him in one smooth move. The pressure on his insides was perfect, the friction of his trapped arousal bringing him to heights of pleasure. The hybrid tried not to scream and failed miserably as hands gripped his bottom, pulling him closer as Byakuya thrust in as hard and fast as he could ever have desired. The pleasure was overwhelming and Ichigo had to remind himself that Byakuya was shinigami, and he clenched his hands in the sheets to keep from savaging his lover's shoulders.
"Yes. Yes!" He called his affirmation to the world and didn't care who heard. He finally enjoyed sex, enjoyed love, and the glory of it was too much to keep silent. Byakuya bit his shoulder as he speeded his thrusts, taking him so deeply Ichigo felt like he might die from the pleasure. "Byakuya!"
"Ichigo!" Byakuya's voice was a shocking growl from the usually composed noble, and Ichigo reacted to the primitive desire in it. His insides clenched, hard, as a dual orgasm shook his body. His female parts were the more functional of the two, and spasmed over and over again, but his male parts also registered their profound approval. Ichigo arched, all his body tightening at the onslaught, and then he gasped as he felt Byakuya's hot seed spilling inside of him.
They stayed locked together, staring into each other's eyes and quivering with the aftershocks. Then Ichigo relaxed, letting his legs slide apart as Byakuya pulled away. Byakuya opened his mouth to say something, but there was a cough outside.
"I hate to tell you this, but if you don't get to the rift right now, Soutaichou will be coming for you himself. However, that was a wonderful display of reiatsu flaring." Shunsui sounded like he was about to laugh. Byakuya went pale and frantically grabbed for his clothing as Ichigo hastily donned his armor and grabbed Zangetsu. As they both lunged out of the tent, the kimono clad taichou did laugh. "Byakuya, I would never have expected this from you."
"Shut up! You knew already." Byakuya snapped, still elegant but flustered as he adjusted his clothing. Shunsui gave him a charming smile.
"Well, I suspected. Now, I know. Come on, everyone is waiting." Byakuya followed his fellow taichou with as much dignity as he could muster, Ichigo trailing behind. No doubt Yamamoto would have something to say about fraternizing with a potential enemy, and his judgment would be called into question where Ichigo was concerned. That wasn't good, but he really couldn't convince himself to care.
He was willing to do anything to make the pain in Ichigo's eyes go away.
Just as they were preparing to move back through the rift, the cat came back. Or at least, that was how Byakuya thought of it.
"Kenpachi taichou!" The cry rose from dozens of throats as the familiar, horrible man stepped through the rift. He was coated in red dust and sand, but his grinning face was more than recognizable. Ikkaku and Yumichika followed, and then the rest of the Division behind them. Byakuya found that he wasn't surprised in the least.
"Look at me! I'm an absolute wreck! I need combs and brushes and towels, immediately!" Yumichika was bewailing his appearance which, Byakuya had to grant, was indeed a complete disaster. "I have sand in my shorts!"
"Shut the hell up!" Ikkaku yelled at him as Zaraki grinned. "You want to talk about sand up your shorts? I have sand up my ass!"
"I have sand up my hoo-ha and I need to pee!" Yachiru contributed before sliding off Zaraki's shoulder. "Be back inna bit Kenny!"
"Right. So, which one of you pussies will be asking how we survived?" Kenpachi said with a wide grin, letting his sword rest against his shoulder.
"You buried yourself in the sands like a demon." Ichigo was the one to answer, making Zaraki's eye narrow dangerously. "But I want to know how you didn't suffocate. Demons need to breath, but we hibernate, I always thought that's how we could do it. How did you do it?" He sounded quite curious and Zaraki shrugged, irritated.
"How the hell should I know? It worked, didn't it? Hey, you're that half-breed freak the pretty noble bitch dragged back, aren't you?" Ichigo stiffened in anger and Zaraki flashed him a grin. "That pisses you off? We should fight some time. I want to see how good you are. And why didn't anyone in my unit see you, when you were off saving people?"
"You didn't need my help." Ichigo said shortly and Zaraki laughed loudly.
"Damn right we didn't! He's a smart one. Well, are you pussies just going to stand there? Let's get cleaned up so we can go kill something." Not even Zaraki enjoyed the sand in his pants.
"Oh thank my stars! Water, glorious water!" Yumichika was already dousing himself in a basin when Byakuya and Ichigo went through the rift, returning to the demon realm. Byakuya mentally shook his head.
He wouldn't believe Kenpachi was dead until he saw the decapitated body himself.