Chapter 22: Freed from the Darkness

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A hand took mine and pulled me free of the wreckage I lay in. His smile brought the warmth of spring sunshine and his words the fresh breath of life. There is no way to express what is in my heart. If I had a lifetime, I could not find the words…

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Renji felt the life coming back into his aching, stinging body and lifted his head brushing the long red hair and flowing blood from his eyes.

Tohma lay unmoving on the ground, blood flowing from cuts all over his body. Renji lifted himself to his hands and knees and crawled toward Byakuya. The noble was awake and lay quietly on the ground where he had fallen, his eyes on Renji as the redhead reached him and lowered the shield.

"Baka…" Byakuya whispered shakily, "You could have been killed. And how did you know you could fight him for control of my zanpakutou?"

"I wasn't sure," Renji admitted, "Unohana taichou said that she wasn't sure whether it was you or Tohma who had been making Senbonzakura cut you. She said that royals could control the power of any zanpakutou…and I have royal blood. I figured that if my brother could do it, then I could too. I waited for him to use the gokei attack because it would enclose both of us and hide what I was doing until it was too late. And since Tohma only used one zanpakutou at a time against me…I reasoned that I had to seal my blade so that I could try to control yours. I didn't have it fully under my control…which is why I got cut up too…but…he's been defeated. You are free now."

"I am yours, by right, you mean," Byakuya said softly, "You are a son of the king…and you have won the right to take me from him by defeating him. I belong to you."

Renji curled an arm around the noble, pulling him close.

"You don't belong to anyone, Taichou. You decide what you want. I would never treat you like some object to be won. You're free to do as you will."

"I will that you be taken for healing," Byakuya said, allowing a small smile to rise onto his lips, "You are a mess, Renji."

He ran his slender fingertips along several loose and bloodied strands of the red hair, then brought his lips to Renji's gently.

"Arigato, Renji," he said softly, "Nothing I do or say will ever be enough to…"

He paused, turning his head and noticing that the reiatsu cage still glowed around them. He inhaled sharply as Tohma rose up from the pool of blood he lay in, and his own zanpakutou appeared in his hand. The prince closed in on the two kneeling shinigamis, his eyes filled with hatred and his reiatsu rising dangerously.

"Aren't you declaring victory a bit too soon?" the prince asked, raising his weapon, "You may have been able to gain enough control of Senbonzakura, but you won't be able to do that if I fight with my own weapon! You are going to die, Abarai Renji…and I will kill you in a single strike. It is too bad that you were raised a peasant…too bad that you were never instructed in how to connect with your divine power as a son of the king. But you have never cared much about that kind of thing…only about being strong so that you could protect what was dear to you. But you have even failed in that. You are going to die protecting him…and I will take him from you anyway. I want you to die, knowing that Byakuya will remain alive and well…and at my side. We will raise our baby together in the spirit dimension. I will have to serve time in the tower for my wrongs…but in the end, I will have everything…and you will be gone…a failure from beginning to end…yes…"

"Huh…" said Renji sarcastically, "I guess it runs in the family…"

Tohma's eyes blazed.

"How dare you! You insolent peasant!"

Power blazed around Tohma, the light becoming painfully bright.

"We are not allowed to use our divine power outside the spirit realm…unless enclosed in a reiatsu cage. This protects the Seireitei and living world from the overwhelming forces. It is unfortunate that you will never know what it feels like to wield such power, Renji. It could have helped you to rise above the failure you are…to actually be able to protect Byakuya. Watch now, as I take him from you, once again…"

His eyes flicked to the silent noble, who knelt next to Renji.

"Move away from him, Byakuya," the prince said quietly, "You and our child must be kept safe…"

"Do as he says," Renji said, glaring up at Tohma, "This is my fight."

Byakuya rose onto unsteady feet and backed away as Renji and the prince raised their weapons and prepared to strike each other.

"Use your greatest power," Tohma told the redhead, "It won't matter, but at least it will provide some level of resistance…"

"Ban kai, Hihio Zabimaru!"

The skeletal snake rose up and curled around Renji, fangs wide and ready to strike. Across from him, the prince's sword glowed and transformed into a huge black cobra. The beast coiled and hissed, then shot forward, spraying a blast of poison that struck the skeletal snake as it rose up to counter. Renji watched in dismay as the poison shot through the skeletal snake, breaking it apart and dissolving it into nothing. He stood defenseless, his eyes wide and disbelieving as the cobra closed in on him.

He…defeated my ban kai? So easily?

The cobra seemed to fall toward him in slow motion, its mouth opening wide and the wicked fangs extending. Renji closed his eyes and waited for the end. Power exploded around him and he was thrown off his feet. Strangely, he didn't feel the fangs cut into him. He opened his eyes and looked up, his breath hitching as he spotted Byakuya standing over him, the cobra's fangs buried in his chest and shoulder. Renji tried to move, but Tohma's power froze him in place on the ground as the prince made a sound of dismay and flash stepped forward, making the cobra disappear and catching Byakuya as he collapsed.

"No!" Tohma gasped, "B-byakuya!"

He eased the noble to the ground and leaned over him, healing light flaring around his hands.

"Byakuya…you have to live! Our baby…you are having our baby…"

His hand found the noble's abdomen and focused the healing power there.

"Kami…the poison…Byakuya…you have to…or I…oh no…oh no!"

The prince's eyes widened and tears rose in his eyes.

"I can't feel it anymore! The baby's reiatsu…I can't feel it! Byakuya! Byakuya!"

The prince's voice rose into terrified screams and his hands shook as he took the noble by the shoulders and tried to wake him. The force holding Renji down shattered as the prince dissolved into unintelligible sobs.

The reiatsu cage faded and the meadow reappeared around them. In the distance, Renji could see familiar faces. Soutaichou…Unohana taichou, Urahara, Yoruichi, Ichigo, Rukia…followed by a unit of oddly white uniformed men that Renji belatedly recognized as the royal guard. The guardsmen parted and the spirit king stepped forward, followed closely by the crown prince. They approached the place where Renji knelt near Tohma, who was holding an ominously still Byakuya in his arms and sobbing the noble's name. He looked up at the king and his half brother and sobbed harder.

"Go ahead! Kill me…I know you never wanted me anyway!" he raged, his shaky body threatening to collapse, "And now I know why. It was always within me to destroy things…that poison she put in me with her hatred…I took it…and I put it into Byakuya…and it would have infected our child and lived on. We were all poisoned…all of us! But it is gone now…all except for me. So go ahead father, strike me down! End this travesty!"

The king moved closer, gazing down at the grief stricken prince with sad eyes. The crown prince stopped at Renji's side, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you all right?" he asked softly.

"I'll be fine," Renji said, swallowing hard, "But Byakuya…is he…?"

"Keep your courage, Brother," the prince said softly, "Have faith."

Ahead of them, the king reached Tohma's side and slowly knelt in front of him. He met the prince's teary eyes and reached out, carefully taking Byakuya and lowering him to the ground again. He leaned forward and placed his hands on the noble's chest, lowering his eyes and sending his power into the quiet, pale form. His eyes lifted again as Byakuya quivered under his hands and stirred softly. He looked sorrowfully at Tohma and shook his head.

"The baby's reiatsu has disappeared," he told the prince in a gentle tone, "I can save Byakuya, but your child is gone."

"Mine…?" Tohma whispered, "How could it have been mine anyway? You know what she did to me…"

"I know," the king agreed, "but apparently, her attempt to deny you fatherhood failed…because before it disappeared entirely, I sensed it. The child was yours."

Tohma's head drooped and a final, heartbroken sob sounded.

"I've destroyed everything…haven't I? Byakuya had already agreed to stay with me…and the baby was mine. I had everything I needed to be happy…but I threw everything away because of my poisoned heart. Father…I am weary. I don't care what happens to me now. Just…just end it."

The king touched Byakuya's forehead to make certain he slept comfortably, then he looked up at Prince Tohma again. One hand reached out and took his son's.

"Tohma," he said quietly, "Many years ago, I made a horrible mistake. I acted out of love, but my actions resulted in terrible pain for many people…"

"I know," Tohma sobbed, "I was a mistake…"

"No," said the king, "You were not a mistake. The mistake was that when you were born, I did not see the danger she posed to you. I thought that she would love you as her own…as she had said she would. Neither of us realized at the time how badly her emotions would turn. By the time I realized how bad the situation was, you had already suffered terribly. I didn't know what to do from that point…and I have not known what to do since. But even not knowing the right steps to take, we must move forward…"

Tohma nodded solemnly and rose, picking up his zanpakutou and driving it into the ground. He raised his power around him and gazed back at the king.

"I am sorry," he said quietly, "for everything."

He looked down at the sleeping noble.

"I am sorry, Byakuya."

His eyes lifted to the crown prince and Renji.

"I am sorry, my brothers."

His eyes rose and looked up at the clouds.

"I am sorry, my child…"

"Tohma…" whispered the king.

The prince's eyes met his.

"I have nothing left to live for, Father…and even if I did…I would only destroy it."

The king rose and walked slowly to Tohma, then rested a warm hand on the hilt of his blade and quietly sealed it.

"What are you doing?" asked the prince wearily, "I deserve to die for what I've done."

The king shook his head.

"No. You certainly must answer for your crimes…but as you do, you will not be alone. Your brother and I are committed to seeing that you have the help you need to be brought out of this darkness. I do not know what will heal you…only that we will make the best effort to do so. You will face confinement and you will be without your powers while you are healed…but someday…I hope you will be freed from this. Come, Tohma. It is time return home."

The prince nodded silently as the royal guardsmen moved forward and several of them took up positions around him. He offered his hands to be bound and stood quietly as his wrists were set in restraints. The king returned to where the crown prince stood, and offered Renji a hand. The redhead came to his feet slowly, keeping his eyes lowered.

"Your majesty," Renji whispered breathlessly.

The king observed him quietly for a moment.

"Abarai Renji," he said softly, "I believe that I owe you my deepest apologies. I was not aware of your birth. Now that you have been revealed as my son, you must return to the spirit realm with us. We have much to say to each other."

Renji looked up into the king's wise eyes.

"I can't…" he said softly.

"Because of Tohma?" the king asked.

"Because everything I know is here. I have friends…colleagues, people who depend on me…and I have Byakuya. You have your crown prince. So…you don't really need me. Look…I'll come and talk to you…visit. I mean…I do want to know you. I've never had any family before…"

"Well…you have family now. And we will be pleased when you visit. I shall have our guard captain come to the Seireitei to teach you how to release your divine power. If you plan to live outside the spirit dimension now that your identity is known, then you must have those powers to protect yourself…"

He glanced down at Byakuya.

"…and the ones you love…"

The king's eyes strayed to Tohma, then returned to meet Renji's again.

"What will happen to Prince Tohma?" Renji asked.

"Your brother will face a long period of confinement…but…he will have the best healers and counselors we can provide…and he will have his family. He will be removed from the line of succession, but will retain his title. Byakuya also, though their marriage will be annulled, will retain his royal title as well. And you…Abarai Renji…you will be coming to the spirit realm to be officially welcomed into the family and given your title. But for now, we must take our leave of you. Thank you, my son…for showing such strength, despite everything…"

"Father," said Tohma quietly, "May I have your permission to speak to Byakuya before I go?"

The king hesitated, then knelt again beside the sleeping noble and touched his face gently to wake him. Byakuya's eyes opened and blinked, focusing on the king…then Renji…then on Tohma, where he stood, restrained by the royal guardsmen. The guards led the prince forward to Byakuya and Tohma knelt and took the noble's hands in his bound ones.

"Byakuya," he said in a voice barely above a whisper, "before I go to begin to pay for my crimes…I want to tell you…I am truly sorry. I did unspeakably horrible things to you…things I will always regret. The greatest mistake I made was not really loving you from the very beginning. If I had…we could have been happy. We would be having a child together…and planning the rest of our lives. I destroyed our future…and I hurt you too badly to expect forgiveness…but I will do what right I can. I will not contest the annulment of our marriage…and even should I ever be released from confinement, I will never trouble you again."

He leaned forward and kissed Byakuya lightly on the forehead.

"Goodbye…Prince Byakuya. I will never forget that of everyone…you tried the hardest and gave the most to try to save me from the darkness inside me. I still do not know if that is possible…but I have new hope, because of you. Arigato…"

Byakuya held the prince's gaze in silence as Tohma was helped to his feet and led away. Renji moved close to him, wrapping an arm around him as the royal senkaimon opened and the king, his sons and the royal guard passed through and the doors closed behind them.

Silence fell over the meadow as Renji helped Byakuya to his feet and they turned to face the others.

"Kuchiki taichou needs to be taken to the healing center for treatment," Unohana taichou said softly, "and Abarai fukutaichou, you will also need your wounds tended to."

"But before you go," said Kisuke, stepping forward, "Yoruichi and I…Byakuya, Renji, I know you're going to hate us for this…but…with the prince so out of control…and you and Renji caught up in everything. We…we didn't want what happened to Naoki to happen to you…and we didn't want Tohma to hurt Torio or the baby…so…"

He nodded to Ichigo and Yoruichi, who stepped aside, revealing Torio and an infant that the attendant carried in his arms. Byakuya caught his breath and his body went taut against Renji. Renji gave a hard gasp and gripped Byakuya tightly as Torio stepped forward and set the infant carefully in Byakuya's arms. The two men stared silently into the eyes of their son as Renji's arm fell around Torio's shoulders and pulled him close.

Kisuke turned to Torio.

"I am sorry that we lied to you about Byakuya knowing. You wouldn't have been able to stay in the safe house under our protection knowing that Byakuya thought you both were dead…"

Byakuya kissed the infant lightly on the forehead and set him back in a surprised Torio's arms.

"Kuchiki-sama?" the youth whispered.

Byakuya met his eyes wearily.

"Arigato, Torio," he said softly, "You have given new meaning to the word loyalty. Take care of him. I would…but…I need healing first. Kuchiki Manor was destroyed, so you will need to take him to the sixth division. The two of you may use my quarters until the manor is rebuilt."

Byakuya turned to Kisuke and Yoruichi. They looked back at him warily as he hesitated, searching for something to say.

"Urahara-san…Senpai," he managed finally, "I understand. I know why you acted as you did…and I will not condemn you. Tohma was a dangerous man. He would likely have killed them. I am grateful that you did not let that happen…and I am glad that all of you did not end up paying with your lives."

"I'm not angry either," said Renji, "You did what you had to do."

Byakuya looked up at Rukia.

"Arigato, Rukia," he said softly, "I hope you will spend some time getting to know your nephew…"

"I will, Nii-sama," Rukia said, smiling.

"Ichigo," Byakuya said, meeting the substitute shinigami's eyes briefly, "You have my gratitude for watching out for my sister…and for trying to assist me, as well."

"Forget it," said the youth, "I didn't really do anything. It was you and Renji who finally stopped Tohma…"

"And now, it is time to see their healing," said the head captain.

Renji turned Byakuya towards the trail that led back to the manor. Byakuya took several steps, then stopped and leaned heavily against the redhead. Without hesitation, Renji lifted the noble into his arms and flash stepped away. The others watched them disappear, then turned to follow.

"Do you think they'll be okay?" Ichigo asked Unohana.

The healer smiled at him gently.

"With time," she said quietly, "With time…and treatment."

"Byakuya seemed awfully rattled," said Kisuke, uncertainly.

"Who wouldn't be?" asked Ichigo, looking in the direction the two had gone, "After what they've been through…"

"They'll be all right now…" Rukia said determinedly, "We'll make sure they are."

"With that kind of support," Unohana said softly, "They will find their way…"

They fell silent again, listening to the soft sounds of the birds and taking in the scent of sakura as they made their way down the trail and turned towards the fourth division.

(A/N** This is not the end yet. There is more! In the next chapters, Byakuya will begin to face down his inner demons, and will soon make an important decision about his future…Thanks for reading!)