Chapter 10: The Little Things
Ren gave a discomfited groan, reeling inwardly as life came back into his body. Finding himself unable to move, he strained to open his eyes. His eyelids felt strangely weighted and any movement exhausting, but feeling a sense of extreme urgency to bring himself all of the way awake, he struggled against the weakness and continued drowsiness until a strong presence manifested itself at his side and Aizen Sousuke's calm, maddeningly tranquil voice began to echo in his head.
"Ah, you are quite headstrong. I hadn't intended for you to wake so soon. But it's fine. If you would like, you can watch while I work with your friend, Tetsuya."
"W-wait!" Ren panted weakly, struggling only to find that his arms, legs and torso were held firmly in place by heavy straps.
An IV had been inserted in one arm and electrodes had been placed on his temples, as well as on his bared chest and abdomen.
"Wh-what are you doing to him! S-stop!" Ren objected, pulling at the straps.
Aizen touched a button on the IV stand and Ren felt the cool entry of fluid into his arm.
"That should calm you," Aizen concluded sedately, "Your emotions could become a problem if they are too strong. You need to remain calm, Ren. I am not going to hurt you. In fact, you are extremely valuable to me, so I will let no harm come to you."
"And y-you think that k-killing my friend is going to keep me c-calm too? What the fuck is wr-wrong with you! Don't hurt him! Don't hurt him or I'll kill you!"
Aizen laughed softly.
"You'll kill me, you say?" he repeated in an amused tone, "How will you do that, Ren? I am immortal."
"I d-don't care!" Ren gasped, straining as the medication drained him of the little strength he had, "I w-will find a way. If you hurt my friends, I will find a way to kill you!"
"You're quite belligerent," Aizen commented calmly, looking down at the console at the side of the bed and making several adjustments, "I wonder if you've had too much exposure to that Ryoka boy. You know, Ren, I was not pleased when you escaped me and fell into their hands, but fate has an odd way of interrupting science and sending our investigations off into new directions. I mean, imagine my surprise. I set out to combine the strength of my genetic makeup and reiatsu with Urahara Kisuke's, but because of your escape, I also harnessed not only the considerable power of the strongest noble son in the history of the Kuchiki clan, but also reined in the ability of the one most responsible for my capture. It provides some levity that Ichigo and Kisuke, who worked together to bring me down are now the ones responsible for my return to power. And I will not just have the power I wielded before. Because of you and this child you carry, I will have enough increased power to master and fully control the hougyoku. The increased power will make it accept me completely this time. But, first things first. I must test the method I will use to mature the reiatsu within you. I want to be sure it is perfectly safe for you and the child before attempting it."
"No, stop!" Ren objected, unable anymore to struggle, but desperate as he watched Aizen turn and close in on Tetsuya, who laid bound to another examination table a short distance away, "Tetsuya is my friend! I won't let you hurt him. Let me up, you son of a bitch! D-don't...don't do this!"
"You're making a lot of noise. It's pretty distracting," Aizen said dulcetly, "If you don't want to endanger your own child, you should calm down."
"I'm not going to calmly watch while you murder my friend!" Ren howled, his reiatsu strengthening and glowing around him, "Augh! Let me go! Let us out of here, you bastard! I hate you! I'll kill you! LET US GO!"
Anger flickered in Aizen's eyes as Ren's power swelled and surged under the restraints. He left Tetsuya's side and returned to his furious son.
"I am warning you, Ren. I need to keep you under a limiter and not a full seal for the purposes of this procedure. It is best for the child and it is best for you. I will not kill either of you. You are my son and I need you to complete my plans."
"But Tetsuya's expendable, so you're going to just kill him because you're that much of a fucking demon! Isn't that right, Dad?"
"Is that what's bothering you? The fate of that one soul, Ren?" Aizen asked, frowning, "There are an infinite number of souls. Tetsuya and his child are ants. Only you and I understand what it means to rise above that. To crush a few ants along the way is insignificant compared to what we will achieve."
"You know, you're really screwed up in the head," Ren snarled, "I don't give a damn that you're powerful and neurotic enough to think you can get away with this. Tetsuya and the others are my friends!"
"Is that so?" Aizen mused, "Because, as I recall, they came after you at the order of the Gotei 13. Have you forgotten that they are the ones who were pursuing you?"
"I haven't forgotten, but I don't care!" the young man raged, "They were protecting me and taking care of me, even after I hurt Tetsuya and his Arashi! And I don't blame the Gotei or Central 46 for wanting me apprehended. Look whose damned kid I am! You're a psychopath and if I was them, I'd be doing exactly what they were. You need to be back behind bars, where you belong!"
"How rude to say such things to the one who made you," Aizen said mockingly, "If I hadn't stolen Kisuke's body and used him as I did, you wouldn't exist, Ren."
"I'd gladly not exist if it would mean the end of you!" Ren snapped, "And I will never stop fighting you. I'm going to fight you with everything I have! I won't let you hurt Tetsuya or anyone else!"
"You won't be able to stop me," Aizen said firmly, "But I see that if I want this procedure to go more smoothly, I must find a way to calm you. So, how about this. If you behave yourself and cooperate with me, when we leave for the royal realm, I will take only you and I will leave Tetsuya and his child alive."
"I told you I...!"
"However, if you resist me anymore, then I will follow my original plan and euthanize Tetsuya and his child when I am done with them. Also, the more you resist, the more painful I will make their deaths. If you think I am joking..."
"No," Ren said quickly, "I know you mean business. Just...it's fine. Don't hurt them, okay? I'll go with you. Fine. Just don't hurt them."
"Very well."
Aizen made several adjustments to the console, then looked back at his son's slightly calmer expression.
"You really care about them that much?" he inquired curiously, "Ren, you really haven't known them very long."
"Yeah, I know," the youth confessed, "but it doesn't matter. I feel close to them. And Kisuke gave birth to me."
"Yes, but he wasn't aware of that, and he never would have chosen to reproduce with me. You understand that, right?"
"Yeah. But that's not important."
"Oh?"
"Kisuke took me in when he could have just turned me over to the authorities. Tetsuya was my friend, even though I hurt Arashi and him. And Byakuya and Ichigo..."
"Yes, interestingly enough, they are your soul mates. But you should still be wiser than this, Ren. You are, after all, my son and because of that, you can't assume that people will accept you. They will mistrust you and the first time you make a mistake, they will assume the worst of you. Someone like you doesn't really belong among them. You belong in the royal realm, where you and I can rule over them."
"Look, I don't want to go to the royal realm. I have a family and friends here."
"You have nothing here," Aizen countered, "Those people are meaningless. Their lives will pass in the blink of an eye, Ren, but yours will go on longer. You were affected by the hougyoku, so all of those ones you care so much about will perish long before you do. I, however, will remain."
"And you think I give a shit about you?"
"I think you will come to understand that you should be with someone like you and not among those lost souls. That is all."
"Yeah, well, those lost souls mean something to me. You aren't going to change my mind about that, so you should give up trying."
"Ah," Aizen sighed, "perhaps you are right. I think I have slipped into acting the role of a parent, thinking to educate you, but forgetting that experience is sometimes necessary for the harder it makes you feel better to watch them struggle and die slowly, I suppose it doesn't matter to me if I don't crush them. Just don't expect me to hold back if they attack me. I won't."
"Whatever," Ren said defeatedly, watching as Aizen moved back to Tetsuya's bedside and adjusted the sedative attached to his IV, "Just keep your word about not hurting them and I'll do what you want."
"A wise decision," Aizen said approvingly, his eyes fixed on Tetsuya as he began to stir.
He took a few deeper breaths and his large blue eyes opened and slowly brought Aizen's face into focus.
"Tetsuya," Aizen greeted him calmly, "how are you feeling? Are you in any pain?"
"No," the noble answered weakly, "but I feel very dizzy."
"That is the sedative. It will wear off now. I am hooking up some more powerful nutrients to feed your body so that you will fare better during the next phase of the testing."
"What are you doing to me?" Tetsuya gasped, groaning as dizziness swept over him again.
"Try to remain calm," Aizen instructed him, "You want to have the best possible chances of having a healthy baby, ne?"
"Wh-what does it matter?" Tetsuya whispered, tears rising in his widened eyes, "You've said that you're going to kill us!"
"I did say that," Aizen acknowledged solemnly, "however, as my son finds the idea unpalatable, I have decided to indulge him. So, if you are quiet and well-behaved, and if you do not resist me, I will leave you and your baby here when I leave for the royal realm."
"And why should I believe you?" Tetsuya asked in a shaky voice, "You don't care about anyone, but yourself."
"Oh, now that's not true," Aizen said, giving the noble a falsely gentle smile, "I care about my son, or I would not be respecting his request for me to leave you and your child alive. Relax, Tetsuya. I am about to begin the maturation of the baby's reiatsu. In about an a half hour or so, you will be holding your child in your arms."
"No!" Tetsuya pleaded, "Don't do this! You'll hurt my baby."
"Nonsense," Aizen chided him, increasing the sedative until Tetsuya's eyes clouded slightly and his body calmed, "This is much safer than the form of it I used to bring Ren into the world. I have tested it on many lesser souls of animals and it has been nearly perfect in the outcomes."
"Nearly perfect?" Tetsuya repeated unsteadily.
"All experiments have their failures, Tetsuya. But this one, I am sure will work. I merely want to be one hundred percent sure before I use it to deliver Ren's child. Don't worry. You and your baby will be fine."
Tetsuya's eyes filled with fresh tears, but he remained still as a burst of nutrients was fed into his body and Aizen made a final set of adjustments to the machinery.
"Now then, be very calm, Tetsuya. You are about to experience a small, but very profound miracle."
"H-hey," Ren called from his bed, "Do...do you think I could sit with him?"
Aizen's eyebrow rose curiously as he looked back at his son.
"You can keep the limiter on me and I'm not going to go anywhere without Tetsuya. Please...I just want to...you know, see what's going to happen and keep him comfortable, okay?"
"I suppose you could help to keep him calm," Aizen agreed, moving back across the room and releasing him from his bonds, "Just remember that you are not able to use your powers to overcome me, and if you try, I will kill those two slowly in front of your eyes."
"Yeah, I got the picture," Ren said dryly, "I'm not going to try anything."
He walked slowly to Tetsuya and sat down beside the restrained shinigami, taking Tetsuya's hand in his and smiling at his friend.
"Ren, I'm glad you're here," Tetsuya said wearily.
"I don't know how you can say that," Ren chuckled sadly, "I got you into all of this."
"No," Tetsuya assured him, "That man was interfering with the path of my life long before you were even born. Don't blame yourself."
"How can I not blame myself?" Ren asked quietly, shaking his head, "You wouldn't be in this mess if not for me."
"Don't say that," Tetsuya pleaded softly, "Aizen Sousuke is responsible for his own actions. You never did anything to deserve..."
"What are you saying?" Ren said miserably, "I almost killed you and Arashi, and I did kill that guy in the Rukongai."
"The one that was trying to drug and imprison you," Tetsuya reminded him, "You were defending yourself. It is understandable."
"It was still wrong," Ren sighed, resting his face on Tetsuya's cool fingers, "I wonder if he rubs off on me that much."
"Don't be silly," Tetsuya said, smiling and squeezing his hand in return, "You are nothing like him. You have just been cornered and threatened too much. You didn't know who to trust."
"Yeah? Well, I know who I trust now. You're a good friend, Tetsuya. And I am going to make sure that you and your baby get to go home to Renji. I'll make sure of it."
"We will save you too," Tetsuya promised, "We aren't just going to let that man take you away."
"Tetsuya, please, don't," Ren pleaded softly, "You can't stop him. I don't know who can. But if you just cooperate, he'll let you go. He won't hurt you because I agreed to go with him."
"And you believe he will keep his word?" Tetsuya asked, "The treacherous man who turned on Soul Society and stabbed all of his friends and comrades in the back?"
"I did do that," Aizen acknowledged, "but if this works and I become king, I will not trouble myself interfering any more than I have to. Now, I will need you to focus, Tetsuya. Focus all of your attention on your child and stay focused. No matter what happens or what you feel, do not lose your focus."
Tetsuya shivered inwardly at the words, but nodded briefly. He flinched as Aizen's hands came to rest on his naked belly, caressing the pale skin and lightly infusing the area with a reiatsu that made Tetsuya frown and stare curiously.
"I stole some of Renji's reiatsu while I was in Karkura Town, preparing to capture you," the traitor explained, infusing Tetsuya's belly area gently, "I need his reiatsu to keep things stable as we go. Relax and breathe normally."
"That is going to be difficult," Tetsuya confessed, "I lost my last child..."
"That won't happen this time," Ren said, smiling encouragingly, "You'll be okay, I promise."
"Thank you, Ren-chan," Tetsuya said gratefully, "I am glad you're here."
"You'll be back with Renji soon," Ren said bracingly, lightly caressing the noble's face and hair as the machines around Tetsuya began to hum softly and a golden light rose around his midsection.
Aizen and his two captives watched raptly as the light around Tetsuya's belly flickered gently and the reiatsu around the area intensified gradually. Even more slowly, the noble's slim belly began to swell and become more round.
"Oh!" Tetsuya gasped, staring, "Are you sure that...?"
"It'll be okay," Ren said soothingly, "You'll be all right. Just keep breathing slowly."
"I feel dizzy again," Tetsuya whispered, blinking.
"Yeah, it's probably just you're so anxious to see your kid."
"Probably," Tetsuya agreed, reaching down and smiling as he rubbed the rising bump where his baby grew.
He flinched uncomfortably as his abdomen flickered and swelled, until finally it seemed as though he couldn't get any larger without bursting.
"Relax," Aizen instructed the noble, wiping the sweat away from his face, "The area above the child is beginning to lose cohesion. The baby's reiatsu should begin to emerge soon."
The three watched silently as the power around Tetsuya's belly reached its maximum, then a softer blue light appeared and the area just above where the baby rested clouded. Aizen took a steadying breath, then reached towards Tetsuya, capturing the golden cluster of reiatsu as the child emerged.
"Oh...oh kami!" Tetsuya whispered, watching with teary eyes, "Ren!"
"I see it!" Ren said excitedly, his smile widening as the cluster rose up and Aizen's hands carefully captured it.
The little cluster flickered and throbbed fitfully, then slowly began to resolve into the body of a tiny infant.
"Oh!" Tetsuya managed shakily.
"It's a girl!" Ren whispered, squeezing Tetsuya's hand, "You have a little baby girl. She looks perfect, Tetsuya!"
"R-renji and I have a daughter?" Tetsuya repeated, staring disbelievingly as the baby girl squawked, then started to wail.
Aizen examined the howling tot carefully, then nodded approvingly.
"She is perfectly healthy," he said, setting the child in Tetsuya's arms, "Congratulations to you and Renji."
He turned to Ren, who froze at the look in his wicked father's brown eyes.
"It's your turn now," he said quietly, "Lie down, Ren."
"Why don't I like the look on your face?" the younger Aizen asked, frowning, "Don't tell me. You're going to do something bad to my kid, aren't you?"
"Why would you say that?" Aizen asked, his eyes glittering dangerously, "I told you I won't hurt you."
"You won't hurt me," Ren repeated, backing away, "But what about my kid?"
Aizen's smile warmed chillingly.
"Your child will be fine, and he or she will serve a higher purpose, Ren. And remember," the traitor said, lifting a hand warningly in Tetsuya's direction, "Their lives depend on my good will. Lie down, Ren. Do not resist, or you will pay with their lives...and more!"