Chapter 2: Dealings in the Darkness
(For Sariniste (Yes, I will continue to update this one regularly.), Winterheart2000 (You are very welcome!), TehWonderer (lol, is that fast enough for you?), Privatecaller (Yes, Aizen uses everyone, and he will be at his best at that in this one.), Kamelcake (Aizen is going to have to work past some rather large barriers, but he will be tasting Tetsuya's sweetness soon!), Aizenfan6969 (Thanks for your enthusiasm! I will update again soon!), Kittykins (Orochi just crossed Aizen's path...never a good thing to do.), Shima-taicho31 (Oh, Orochi had better watch his back! lol), Sachiko Heiwajima (Aw, thanks! I'm so glad you like the story!), and KennishaJames (Orochi is a wicked stalker, but Aizen will make him wet himself...) Enjoy the new chapter! Love, Spunky)
Aizen Sousuke...
The sound of the sedate, male voice in his mind woke the sleeping shinigami instantly. Under the heavy, restrictive bonds, Aizen's brown eyes opened, then blinked and realized they were still cloaked in darkness and couldn't see. They closed again, slowly, and he turned his gaze inward, where he sensed the rise of the hogyoku's presence in his mind.
It has been a long time, Hogyoku, he answered, Why have you decided to end your long silence?
He paused in his thinking for a moment, then under the restrictive bonds, his lips curved into a smile.
You sense that this one near me, this lost soul cast into the darkness with me...can be useful?
His heartbeat quickened at the warm flicker in his chest and the soft pulses of returning activity.
You have no idea of just what exists in Kuchiki Tetsuya. But I do.
Aizen took a deeper breath, his mind waking more fully and focusing deeply on the orb lodged in his chest.
I sensed that he has appreciable power. He lost consciousness from the earlier assault before he could explain his powers to me, but when he wakes again, I will entice him into telling me about them.
The hogyoku flickered brightly for a moment, then pulsed in a slow, steady pattern of beats that fell gradually into rhythm with Tetsuya's heart.
What is most enthralling about his powers, he would not be able to tell you. He doesn't begin to know. But...I am sure that you will enjoy discovering them.
Aizen's bound form radiated calm curiosity at the declaration.
It is a bit difficult to discover anything about him while he is unconscious, he mused, If it is your will for me to learn this, then why don't you tell me about him, yourself?
Aizen's body warmed pleasantly as the hogyoku's eye turned in their minds to look at him.
You know that I am a creature created from the forces of will and desire?
Yes. You sense the desires of those around you and bring those desires to life. I understand this.
In his mind, Aizen felt the hogyoku's reiatsu flare and swell.
Under the bonds placed on me, I cannot transform things, but sensing and using the desires of those around me does not require me to use a power that can be restrained.
Aizen's breath caught softly in realization.
And yet, even being able to bring one's desires to life, you have not been able to free me, although you know my will to be free is very strong.
A flutter of disapproval emanated from the orb for a moment, then dissipated.
You must remember that my ability to bring to life the will and desires of those around me is dependent upon those desires being within the person's reach.
Aizen's tightly restrained body quivered expectantly at the words and he breathed in more deeply still.
You are saying that...?
I am telling you that before this man's arrival in this place, your will was not enough to bring the forces into play to help us escape. Or perhaps, your will was enough, but you were not capable of reaching that desire alone.
But that has changed? Aizen inquired curiously.
It has.
In his mind's eye, Aizen watched as a thin sliver of silvery brightness emerged from the hogyoku and slithered slowly away from him. It stretched out across the blackness, honing in on the heavily bound form a short distance away. It paused just short of the young man, flickering excitedly for a moment before it closed the distance and touched him.
Kuchiki Tetsuya is driven to escape. His devotion to his cousin, his desire to protect Kuchiki Byakuya has made his will to escape indomitable. And...he is capable of escaping. But only if you assist him.
Aizen let out a short, pleased breath. He waited for the hogyoku to continue, but the orb only fluttered slightly and fell silent again. After several minutes of reflection, he gave a mental nod.
You find and light the desires we possess, but only we can bring the flames to life. Thank you, Hogyoku.
He found it easier to wait patiently then, as Tetsuya slept in the darkness near him, a sliver of warmth in the vast, icy expanse of the underground prison. He was surprised at how close Tetsuya's presence felt, how he could sense the young man shivering and could feel the terror that his horrid nightmares caused in his sleeping mind.
I have long been able to anticipate the thinking of other people. It helped me to be able to snare the Gotei taichous and Central 46 in my plans. Yes, I can follow the thought patterns of other people with ease and predict their paths flawlessly. Strangely, what is happening between this young man and me is different. I don't know him well enough yet to anticipate him. Yet, I know exactly what is passing through his mind anyway as he sleeps.
This then is not anticipation.
It is empathy.
He paused, frowning at the unlikelihood of such a thing.
I have never been a person who connected empathically. Through calm reason and logic, I came to understand others' thinking and I connected with them, based on what I learned about them. But they never learned enough about me to really know me. I always showed them only a false reflection. Empathy is different. It is a connection of souls that dates back to the emergence of the soul king, himself, who bonded empathically with his first creation...the first Kuchiki...Kuchiki Hajime, who then became his royal consort. It is said that Hajime's heart helped the king's to grow warm and alive. And when they connected, all things became possible...
And with Kuchiki Tetsuya's arrival here, the hogyoku has awakened to tell me that same message.
All things are possible now...
XXXXXXXXXX
Byakuya stood under a black canvas canopy, dressed in a solid black formal kimono and holding a small silver urn. The pounding raindrops splashed hard against the sturdy material protecting him, and pelted the umbrellas covering the black clad friends and relatives gathered in front of him, all facing the dark opening in the ground, their faces solemn. Rukia leaned against Renji's shoulder, her soft sniffs sounding between silent sobs and feeling no warmth, even when Ichigo's arm wrapped around her from the other side and held her tightly too. A short distance from the others, Kuchikis Sadao and Mai stood with their two daughters, tears streaming down their faces and devastation in their eyes. In front of them, Byakuya removed from his pocket a silver Celtic moon charm that looked strangely undamaged, although the cord it had hung from was burned away completely. His mind returned to the moment, earlier in the day, when Tetsuya's attendant had approached him as he stood alone in his cousin's empty room.
"This was all that was left at the site where we sensed that his reiatsu had diminished," Tetsuya's attendant whispered, extending a shaky hand and offering the piece to Byakuya, "Byakuya-sama, I begged and pleaded for him to allow me to accompany him. But he...he ordered me to stay within the protected area! I wanted to be with him! I would have died for him!"
"Koji," Byakuya said solemnly, placing a warm hand on the young man's cheek and looking into his damp, reddened eyes, "Tetsuya loved you. You accepted and cared for him without question when he was nothing but a thin, ragged boy. You helped him to grow strong. And it was because of who you were to him that he couldn't let you accompany him. Know this. He never doubted your strength. He just couldn't bear to lose you."
Silent sobs jolted Koji's slender body and he collapsed slowly onto his knees at Byakuya's feet.
"I can't bear to lose him either!" he moaned, clawing at the carpeted floor with his fingers as his older brother appeared in the doorway behind him and moved swiftly to his side.
Byakuya took a steadying breath, pushing the memory away and turning his gaze onto the people in front of him. He opened the empty urn and slowly lowered Tetsuya's silver charm into it, remembering as he watched the piece disappear into the darkness, the first time he had laid eyes on his cousin.
Byakuya flash stepped furiously, spinning around the struggling bodies of the fighting guards. He dashed into the prison and headed for the first cell block, his insides clenching at the sounds of reiatsu blasts and heart wrenching screams of the dying prisoners. Pink bursts of spinning petal blades erupted from his hands, engulfing the bodies of guards who stepped into his path and he passed them by even before they fell. His heart pounded as he closed the distance to the little cell at the end, where his cousin was reported to be.
"Tetsuya!" he cried, watching in horror as a guard stepped in front of the cell and fired a blast into it, then terrified screams sounded from within.
White fire lanced from Byakuya's hands, throwing the guard off his feet and killing him before he hit the ground. He flash stepped to the cell and blasted the old, rusted door off its hinges. His heart in his throat, he raced into the cell and skidded to a stop.
A small, thin black-haired boy laid on the crumpled form of a larger, brown-haired youth. Neither boy moved as he approached.
"Tetsuya," he panted, his heart aching with worry.
In front of him, the smaller boy moved. His head turned and wide sapphire eyes sought Byakuya's.
"H-he tried to protect m-me!" the boy stammered.
Byakuya moved quickly to the boys' side and knelt to check the elder boy's condition. To his dismay, there were no signs of life.
"I am sorry," he apologized, taking his cousin's hand, "I was too late to save him."
The younger boy's eyes filled with tears and his voice shook as he answered.
"B-but you came for us, Byakuya-s-sama! N-naoki always said he believed you would come! Th-thank you!"
He crawled to his staring cousin and bowed forward, resting his face on Byakuya's sandaled feet.
"Thank you!"
Byakuya's dark grey eyes blinked, bringing him back to the rainy cemetery and the large group of people who had gathered to honor his fallen cousin.
"Thank you for coming," he said, forcing calm into his voice, "Tetsuya would be honored that he inspired so many to love him. When I first met my cousin, he was small and frighteningly weak...alone in the world. Mine was the hand honored with pulling him out of the darkness. Then Koji cared for him, and we taught Tetsuya how to live outside the prison he was born in. Sadao and Mai welcomed Tetsuya into their subfamily, and they, along with Tetsuya's new sisters, Aratani and Kohana, gave Tetsuya a loving family to support him. I am proud to say that I helped Tetsuya to find and develop the power that rested inside him. He persevered always, longing to have the strength to protect the ones he loved, and growing until he reached the peak of his powers...until he achieved bankai."
Byakuya paused, tears threatening as another memory raked his taxed mind.
"The elders have no right to hold you back anymore!" he shouted angrily, "Tetsuya, you have the power of a taichou! You should be serving in the armed forces, defending the Seireitei right alongside me, not hiding in my shadows and never being respected for your strength and abilities."
"It's all right," Tetsuya said soothingly, laying a hand gently on Byakuya's arm and looking into his furious eyes, "Byakuya-sama, I only want to protect you! I don't care about...military honors and what those old men think about me! None of them cared that I was naked and alone in Itamigiri, waiting to be rescued. You did. You came to save me, and I am never going to be able to repay you for that!"
"Even then, he chose, not the path to personal glory, but only to protect those he loved. We are fortunate to have had Tetsuya with us for the time we did. All of the family standing here with me is only here because of Tetsuya's wisdom to prepare for the worst, his bravery in the face of insurmountable evil, and his willingness to lay down his life to protect all of us. And now, we are the ones who will never be able to repay him."
Byakuya looked down into the urn he held, taking in one last time, the sight of the gift he had long ago placed around his cousin's slender throat.
Byakuya smiled as Tetsuya stepped out of the trees and into the moonlit clearing in the meadow where they had trained together. Softly glowing blue eyes scanned the area and slowly came to rest on him, eliciting an answering smile of welcome on Tetsuya's soft lips.
"Byakuya-sama?"
Byakuya stepped out of the shadows, letting the moonlight fall on the formal kimono he wore and making the silver pendant and chain he held in his hand glitter.
"Byakuya-sama, what is this? Why did you call me here?"
"Come here, watashi no itoko. I have something for you."
Tetsuya moved closer, his eyes taking in the lovely charm as Byakuya held it up for him to see.
"I found this in a shop while I was away on assignment. It is a Celtic moon charm."
"It's beautiful," Tetsuya whispered, his hand reaching out and his fingertips caressing the interwoven silver strands.
"It reminded me of you," Byakuya explained, placing the chain around Tetsuya's neck and fastening the clasp, "The moon's unseen hands control Earth's tides. The moon is always there, though the sunlight hides it sometimes. The moon rises when it's dark and it shines brightly, reminding us that for however long the sun leaves our sight, morning will come and the light will return. It is a symbol of intuition, imagination and enduring hope. This is what you are to me, Tetsuya, and no tradition, no act of council...nothing will ever change that. You will always have my love and my deepest respect, wherever you go and through every turn of our fate."
He leaned forward and surprised his blushing cousin with a gently placed kiss on those soft, warm lips.
"B-byakuya-sama," Tetsuya said, stepping back nervously, "you can't..."
"I know," Byakuya assured him, following him as he moved and sliding his arms around him, "You worry about my honor and I would never forgive myself if I took you as my lover and it put you in the path of their hatred. That kiss was only a promise that our hearts will always be connected. Just this once, kiss me under the light of this enchanting moon and promise that you'll always stay with me, no matter who we marry or how our lives change."
Tetsuya hesitated for a long moment, trapped in his embrace and looking up into his commanding gaze with bright, widened eyes. Very slowly, he nodded and let himself relax. And when Byakuya kissed him again, his eyes closed and his lips parted and moved in response. Byakuya's cool tongue dipped into his mouth and curled around his, caressing gently, then even more slowly withdrawing. Their lips parted from each other's and Byakuya brought Tetsuya's head to rest on his shoulder.
"I love you, Tetsuya."
He knew not to expect a like declaration, but instead would receive a gentle reminder that such love couldn't be.
"I won't pressure you to give in to me. Even if you did, you would think it was wrong and it could hurt you. So instead, I will make you my protector. I know I am always safe with you. And someday, Tetsuya, someone will love you the way you deserve to be loved...a love that is deep and passionate, blinding in its beauty and so enthralling that you won't be able to turn away from it. You will fall in love and it won't end like it did when you loved Yukishima Naoki. This is what you deserve, Tetsuya, and it is more than I can give you."
"What do you mean?" Tetsuya laughed, happy tears filling his eyes, "You have given me everything...a home, a new life. You helped me to find the strength I need to protect what is most dear to me...you who saved me, Koji who cared for me and Sadao, Mai and my sisters, who adopted me and made me one of their own. I don't need another lover, Byakuya-sama. I just need all of you."
Byakuya smiled and slid his hand down to touch the hilt of Tetsuya's sheathed weapon.
"Then, with the blessing of the leader of the Kuchiki clan, become our protector. Use your wisdom and all of your powers to keep us safe through all dangers."
Tetsuya lowered himself onto his knees and bowed his head in acceptance.
"With body, heart and mind, I promise so to do."
Byakuya took a steadying breath and closed the silver urn, then lowered it into the opened grave, using a kido spell to set it down gently at the bottom. Wordlessly, he lowered himself onto his knees, unaware that, as he did, each of the gathered elders, then all of the rest of those who had gathered did the same.
"Thank you, Tetsuya," he said with forced calm, "We are forever in your debt. You have earned a place in our hearts and in the rich history of our clan, and your legacy will never be forgotten. Lay down your sword and go in peace. You have fulfilled your promises and are free now."
The gathered mourners went breathless as the rain suddenly lightened, then slowly faded away, the sky covered with breaking clouds and the sun peeking through, the air fresh and lightly scented with flowers.
Long repressed tears leaked onto Byakuya's proud features as, behind him, the elders rose and led the other guests back to Kuchiki Manor. Renji held back, waiting until they were gone, then moving to Byakuya's side and kneeling next to him. His large, rough hand captured Byakuya's softer, more slender one and clasped it comfortingly.
"Are you gonna be okay, Taichou?" he asked, then he colored and shook his head, "Sorry, I know you'll make yourself be all right. I just...I'm sorry, Taichou...really sorry."
"Thank you, Renji," Byakuya sighed, taking a breath and brushing his tears away.
He stood, bringing Renji up with him, and turned them to follow the path the others had taken. Behind them, Orochi waited within the trees, then stepped out and walked to Tetsuya's graveside. He focused on the silver urn, making it rise and taking it into his hands. He opened it and removed the silver charm, then closed the urn and dropped it back into the grave. Smiling to himself, he tucked the piece into his pocket and flash stepped away.
He left the manor and headed out along the quiet streets of the recovering Seireitei, carefully avoiding the piles of debris and partially collapsed buildings. As he reached the entrance to Central 46, he breathed a word to his zanpakutou and shifted to snake form. It was easy then to slip inside the compound and to travel down to the lowest level of the shinigami prison. He kept his serpentine form until he passed into Muken and reached Tetsuya, where he laid bound and unconscious. Moving forward, he unbound one slim hand and pressed the stolen charm into it, then closed it again and refastened the bindings.
"A gift for you, Cousin," he said, smirking, "They buried you today. By tomorrow, you will only be a memory to them, but I have decided I won't actually kill you. I will just keep you here...tied up and freezing in the darkness. But don't cry, Tetsuya. I will come and warm you sometimes. I won't forget you are here. I always said that you were mine. Now, no one can take you away from me."
Orochi stiffened as a sudden flicker of heavy, dark reiatsu throbbed somewhere nearby and Aizen Sousuke's calm, sedate voice sounded.
"You are as wicked as I remember you, Kuchiki Orochi."
Orochi spat in the direction of the sound, his black eyes flashing and his lips curling defiantly.
"Do you think I fear you, you depraved animal?" he taunted Aizen, "You are no more dangerous to me than that half-blood weakling cousin of mine!"
"Is that so?" Aizen inquired curiously, "I think I agree with you. But then, you have no idea the danger you are in when you come near the two of us."
"The two of you?" Orochi snarled softly, "The two of you are helpless...locked up in the dark and forgotten by everyone. Or haven't you heard that Shiba Ichigo is the great hero who cast down the quincy king? Aizen Sousuke's time has come and gone."
"Has it?" Aizen mused, "How awful, to be underestimated like that. But...don't you remember, that is why I was able to wreak havoc on Soul Society before?"
"Do you think that will make me fear you now?" Orochi hissed, "I don't."
"No, of course you don't. Neither you nor the rest of them will feel that terror until it is too late. That will make your death all the sweeter when it comes. You should go now, before someone discovers you are here and what you've done."
Orochi huffed out a scathing breath, glaring in Aizen's direction as he loosened his clothing and closed in on Tetsuya's still unconscious form.
"I will leave after I have warmed my cousin. I don't want him to freeze to death. That would be too gentle a fate. I know your bound eyes can't see this, but your inner eye will."
"You shouldn't touch him," Aizen warned Orochi quietly, "The hogyoku has sensed a power in him that you don't want to see awakened."
"Ridiculous!" Orochi snapped, "I know Tetsuya has no power like that. I know more about him than you ever will!"
"You think so?" Aizen asked dulcetly, "Then...tell me, if you really know. Why didn't your sword kill him when it passed through his heart?"
Orochi froze, his breath misting in the black air and his heart pounding as he remembered how his sword felt like it was passing through air as it cut through Tetsuya's shocked form.
In the back of his mind, he heard an equine scream and felt Arashi's powerful presence. Tetsuya's body glowed strangely, defying the blade that tried to pierce it, then he staggered and collapsed at his cousin's feet.
"What was that?" Orochi gasped, staring at Tetsuya's unconscious body as the firestorm raged around them, "What did you do, you bastard?"
"You don't have any idea, do you?" Aizen laughed softly, "But I promise you, Tetsuya's power is real. You had best leave and never come back here. And when we are free, you should never let yourself be found, or I will kill you. Lay your hands on him again, and I will hunt you down, wherever you go. You won't be able to close your eyes without me being there and turning your breaths into screams."
"You psychopath!" Orochi gasped, his hands shaking softly as he drew his weapon and retreated into snake form, then slithered away.
"I suppose that accusation is true," Aizen said, smirking and relaxing in his bonds as Tetsuya stirred sluggishly and began to wake.
"Is someone there?" he asked shakily, peering into the blackness.
"Only me," Aizen answered, "Your cousin left without touching you."
Tetsuya hesitated, his lips quivering and strange shudders going down his spine.
"Thank you," he said finally, "I don't know how you convinced him to stop, but I am grateful. Orochi is a truly wicked person. He enjoys hurting me."
"Well," Aizen said in an amused tone, "Don't be too grateful yet. You must know that a snake will only be intimidated by a larger one?"
"Oh, I know that, whoever you are, you have your own reasons for protecting me," Tetsuya answered softly, "And I will only ask that, whatever wicked things you plan for the future, do not hurt any innocent people, most especially not Byakuya-sama and Rukia-chan."
Under his bonds, Aizen smiled more warmly.
"Very well. I will reserve my wickedness for those who truly deserve it, and I will not touch anyone whom you protect. This will be our agreement, Kuchiki Tetsuya. Can you live with that arrangement?"
Why does it feel like I am selling my soul to the devil, himself? Tetsuya wondered, shivering as he considered.
He hesitated a moment longer, gazing into the darkness uncertainly, then he took a steadying breath and answered.
"Yes. As long as you keep your promise, I will agree to help you."