Chapter 4: The Silver Serpent

Ichigo gazed absently out the window of the secluded cottage, watching the misting rain that had begun to fall outside. The soft tapping on the roof and cool windowpanes soothed him into an almost trancelike state as he sat at Gin's side, pondering the silver-haired shinigami's return.

I remember when I first arrived to fight Aizen in Karakura Town. Gin got in the way and he fought me first. Then, he decided that I wasn't strong enough and just repelled me so that Aizen could escape. At the time, I was pissed that he did it. In retrospect, he was right that I wasn't ready. It wasn't until after Dad helped me train in the precipice world that I reached the level to push Aizen to the brink so Kisuke could seal him away. The last time I saw Gin was when he was slashed and lying there dying. His eyes searched mine and I heard his voice in my head, telling me that those were strong eyes and it made him feel okay with passing on.

Gin's eyes…there's a reason that he rarely shows them.

You can see everything in those ice blue eyes of his…everything. But they're so hypnotic that, while you're looking into them, you risk falling into them and being taken off guard. It's then that he strikes. Yeah, he's a dangerous man. But, being Aizen's accomplice required that. I haven't known Gin when he wasn't under Aizen's control.

Now…

"That's a pensive look, Ichigo," Gin said suddenly, making Ichigo inhale in surprise and turn his head to look at the silver-haired man, "What are you thinking about?"

Gin's slitted eyes revealed nothing and his smile was tight-lipped.

He's hurting inside.

Aizen really messed him up, then Kurotsuchi messed him up some more. I know it doesn't make him innocent, but it makes him broken. I can't fix him, but I can do something, I guess.

"I noticed that you removed the bindings on my wrists and ankles while I was sleeping," Gin noted.

Ichigo shrugged.

"I figure you know that you wouldn't get five steps away from this place before Aizen sensed you were alive and came after you," he reasoned, "You don't have any reason to leave and the good food, comfortable bed and safety here are all the reasons you need to stay put."

Gin nodded.

"You're right about that," he agreed, "But you don't think I'm dangerous to you?"

"I'm giving you the infusions and protecting you," Ichigo countered, "You'd only be making things worse for yourself. And if you hurt me, Kisuke will carry through on his threats from before."

Gin gave him a sly grin.

"You do know that sneaky little shopkeeper is nearly as much of a criminal as Sousuke," he chuckled in amusement, "Even though Sousuke framed him for the hollowfication experiments on the taichous and fukutaichous before, he was running his own less than savory experiments with his own hogyoku."

"Yeah," Ichigo sighed, "Kisuke isn't all light or all dark, but he's at least not trying to take over the three worlds. That makes him better to me."

"I guess you have a point there," Gin said, his smirk returning.

He loosed a little sigh and looked out the window at the falling rain.

"So, now we wait, ne?" he said quietly, "We wait and hope that Sousuke has no inkling that I might be alive."

Ichigo gave him a curious look.

"Do you have any reason to think he might suspect?" he asked.

"Oh, no, nothing specific," Gin assured him, "It's only that if Kurotsuchi Mayuri was infusing me with Aizen's reiatsu during his experiments, then the question becomes, Did Sousuke know about it?"

"Yeah, that's an unsettling question," Ichigo mused, "Cause, if he was aware, you'd think his first move would be to find you and get you back."

"I laid in that rubble for several days," Gin reminded him, "It was time enough for Sousuke to get his bearings and return to search for me, if he did know."

"So, he probably doesn't know," Ichigo concluded.

"Probably not," Gin agreed, "But even if he doesn't know I am alive, something else has occurred to me."

"What's that?" Ichigo inquired, frowning.

"Well, if you assume he still thinks I'm dead, then you have to start asking what he most probably intends to do."

"Yeah?"

"The Seireitei is in a shambles and most of the taichous and fukutaichous are still recovering from their battles. Security is a joke and he will have no better opportunity to make some kind of move. He still has the hogyoku, so he will try to revive his plans."

"But…how can he do that if he has just the hogyoku, but not you? Kisuke said that he suspected that you were the only one he could have used this way, because of the strong resonance between you. Who else…?"

Gin stiffened and touched his arm with tensed fingertips.

"What is it?" Ichigo asked quickly.

"You remember that I told you and Kisuke that I conducted the testing on Kuchiki Tetsuya?" the silver-haired man asked urgently.

"Yeah, you told us that," Ichigo answered, nodding, "You said that he wanted to know about Tetsuya's breeder ability."

"Yes, and a number of those tests addressed the importance of resonance."

"Are you saying that Tetsuya had a resonance with Aizen?" Ichigo asked, looking alarmed.

"No, I didn't find a very strong resonance, but remember that Sousuke uses illusion to affect the senses of his victims. If Tetsuya was affected by his power, it is possible that his breeder's body could be tricked into responding as though they resonate!"

"Whoa! You mean that…?"

"I mean that Sousuke could try to kidnap Kuchiki Tetsuya, the only true breeder male he knows to exist!"

"But Tetsuya is at Kuchiki Manor, having Byakuya's baby," Ichigo objected, "There's a ton of security around him. I'm sure that…"

"You're sure that what?" Gin asked, matter-of-factly, "Byakuya is injured. Tetsuya is pregnant, and he is the head of Kuchiki house security. We have just ended a war that tore the Seireitei to shreds. And you don't think that Sousuke, the man who fooled Central 46 and slaughtered them, the man who took on the entire Gotei 13 and either defeated or outfoxed them all, the man who it took two freaks of nature like you and Urahara Kisuke to seal away…You think that man would have difficulty walking into Kuchiki Manor and abducting one person? Really, Ichigo? Remember that I know this man better than you do."

Ichigo drew in an unsteady breath and stood.

"You're right," he said, his eyes narrowing, "Kisuke needs to know about this."

"I need to know about what?" the shopkeeper said as he stepped into the bedroom, carrying a tray of food, "What's going on?"

"What's going on is that Kuchiki Tetsuya may be in danger," Ichigo explained, "Gin thinks that Aizen might go after Tetsuya if he thinks that Gin is dead."

"His first move after getting away from the Gotei 13 and Central 46 would be to continue his plans now, while everything is in disarray and defenses are still at their weakest," Gin added.

Kisuke frowned and nodded as he set the food tray in Gin's lap.

"I was pondering whether he might try something along those lines," he admitted, "and I did warn Byakuya to keep guards around Tetsuya and him. But if Gin, who knows Aizen more closely than we do, thinks he'll do this, then the likelihood of it happening gets a lot higher."

"So, what are we gonna do?" Ichigo demanded, "We can't let Tetsuya get hurt."

Ichigo flinched and glared as Kisuke's hand touched his shoulder in a staying gesture.

"Hang on a second," he said bracingly, "I don't want Tetsuya to get hurt, but we have to stay calm and think logically about this. Now, as far as we know, Tetsuya is fine right now, and as for as we know, Aizen doesn't know Gin is alive. We want to keep things that way. If we go off like a cannon and you run outta here without a plan, we could make things a whole lot worse for ourselves. If Aizen is out there, he's probably watching us and waiting for an opportunity."

"Okay, fine, we shouldn't rush in without a plan," Ichigo said impatiently, "But what should we do? We need to protect Tetsuya!"

"And we need to continue to protect Gin," Kisuke said firmly, "So, what I propose is this. I am going to leave strong protections in place here and I am going to go to Kuchiki Manor. I'll send a hell butterfly to Byakuya, stating I want to just be sure that Tetsuya has had a safe delivery and that he is recovering well. I want it to look all nice and normal, so that if Sousuke is watching, he'll think we don't suspect any danger to Tetsuya."

"But won't that encourage him to think he's free to make his move?" Ichigo worried.

"Aizen's cocky," Kisuke reminded the younger man, "He enjoys the hunt as much as he enjoys the kill, so, given time and no sign that we suspect anything, he'll take his time setting this up. In the meantime, I will bring Byakuya, Tetsuya and their baby here secretly to protect them."

"Are you sure that's the best way?" Ichigo argued, "It seems like this could go wrong in a hundred ways."

"Yeah," Kisuke agreed, touching the brim of his striped hat, "You're right. It could. I'm hoping it won't. Now, if you guys are okay, I'm going to go now. Like I said before, stay put and don't go outside. And Ichigo, if anyone should get in, you make your priority getting yourself and Gin outta here. Do not engage Aizen without me."

"I won't," Ichigo promised.

Kisuke turned his gaze onto Gin, who looked back at him through slitted eyes.

"What about you?" the shopkeeper asked.

Gin gave him a little nod.

"I'll stay with Ichigo. I don't want Sousuke to figure out I'm alive and come after me, so I've got no problem with staying put. And…I rather like Tetsuya. He's a gentle person who's already suffered way too much. If Sousuke gets to him, you'd better hope that Tetsuya dies, because what that monster would do to him would be ten times worse."

"I'll keep that in mind," Kisuke said dryly, "Be good, kids. I'll be back as soon as I can set things up."

He paused and conjured a hell butterfly that fluttered into the room and settled on his fingertip, its black wings flitting as the shopkeeper gave his message.

"Byakuya, just wanted to check in with you about Tetsuya's progress. I'm on my way back to Soul Society with some supplies and when I drop yours off at the manor, I'd like to visit Tetsuya and examine him to make sure everything's a-okay. Let me know if you need anything added to the list of supplies you gave me."

He sent the insect winging away, then turned back towards the bedroom door.

"Be careful you two," he warned them, "Remember what I said."

"We will," Ichigo promised, "I won't let anyone hurt Gin."

Ichigo heard a soft laugh as Kisuke disappeared into the hallway and he looked back at the silver-haired shinigami, frowning.

"What's so funny?" he asked, the edges of his mouth beginning to scowl slightly.

"You are," Gin answered, taking a sip of tea, "You're so protective of a person who has literally been sleeping with the enemy. You're pretty trusting, but I guess that's why you were taken in like everyone else by Aizen, at first."

"Hey!"

"Still," Gin went on, his expression taking on a more serious look, "you did catch on to him and you did defeat him. You've grown strong. I do feel safer with you here."

"Th-thanks," Ichigo said in a guarded tone, "I guess."

"You must have a lot on your mind," Gin continued, "I mean, you just recently learned that your father was a shinigami and never told you. I'm not sure what else you've learned, since I've been unconscious all of this time. Did you and your father work things out? Just curious."

"Sorta," Ichigo sighed, shaking his head, "I let him off the hook during the fight with Aizen and we didn't talk much about it after. I figured he'd tell me when I needed to know."

Gin nodded.

"And did he think you needed to know more when Ywach showed up?" he asked, his head tilting to the side and his eyes opening slightly.

Ichigo gazed at the barely revealed, ice-blue orbs intently.

"You know, don't you?" Ichigo asked, "You knew all along, right?"

"You mean about your mother being a quincy?" Gin asked, "Of course I knew. I was close to Aizen. I'm surprised Isshin didn't tell you when he admitted to being a shinigami."

"Yeah, me too," Ichigo confessed his golden brown eyes darkening, "But it was his story to tell, and I had to let him do that when he was ready. It sucks that I had to learn it in the middle of the war, when I sure as hell could have used the knowledge a lot sooner. But, Ywach's dead and we're not, so I'll eventually forgive him for being a stupid ass and not telling me until it was almost too late."

"Hmm, you're not just trusting, you're more forgiving than you should be too. But then, if you weren't, I wouldn't have you looking after me, would I?"

He smiled at the little flush his words caused to appear on the younger man's face and throat.

"Shut up!" Ichigo snapped, looking away.

He made a sound of surprise as his chin was captured by a cool, slender hand and his eyes were brought back to meet Gin's more opened ones. Ichigo froze at the look of sincerity the silver-haired man gave him and was struck dumb by the sudden, surprisingly warm touch of Gin's lips on his.

"You are too trusting and you are too forgiving," he whispered, keeping his pale face close to Ichigo's blushing one, "You have an innocence that I lost a long time ago. That's something I like about you."

"What? That I'm stupid and don't ask the right questions at the right time?" Ichigo groaned, shaking his head and still feeling the electric aftershock of their kiss, "Of course you like it. It means that when you want to manipulate me too, it'll be easy for you!"

"I guess I can't promise that I'll never manipulate you," Gin chuckled, patting Ichigo's blazing cheek, "But you've looked out for me, and somehow I'll find a way to return the favor."

"Eh…uh, thanks, I think," Ichigo said in a flustered voice.

Gin smiled back charmingly.

"You're welcome."

XXXXXXXXXX

Kisuke left his cart of delivered supplies with a group of Kuchiki house guards and made his way into the house, following the old housekeeper.

"Did everything go all right with Tetsuya's delivery, Matsuko?" he asked conversationally.

"Oh yes," the aged women said, beaming, "We were a little surprised that he delivered twins, a boy and a girl. We thought he was only having one, although the poor boy did suffer a lot of side effects during the pregnancy. He came through it all just fine, though. Michio assured Byakuya-sama that Tetsuya-sama's reiatsu is already returning to normal and he seemed comfortable when we served him breakfast this morning. He and Byakuya-sama were sleeping in, but I believe Byakuya-sama is up now and in his study. Come."

Kisuke followed the housekeeper passed several rooms and into Byakuya's office, where they found the clan leader kneeling at his desk and reading quietly. He looked up as the two entered.

"Urahara Kisuke, sir," Matsuko announced, bowing respectfully.

Byakuya nodded and waited quietly as Kisuke knelt across from him.

"How are you doing?" the shopkeeper asked as the housekeeper poured Kisuke a cup of tea, then bowed and left the room, "I know you were pretty banged up."

"I am much improved," Byakuya assured him, "especially now that my husband has delivered our children safely and is resting comfortably. Koji will be going in to see Tetsuya in a few minutes, if you would like to have a look at him then."

"Yeah, I'd like that," Kisuke answered, "But Byakuya, before we do that, I just want to reiterate my warning to you to keep guards around yourself, Tetsuya and the kids. We still haven't picked up on Aizen's location, and he had an interest in Tetsuya before."

"Yes, that has been on my mind as well," Byakuya admitted, his frown deepening, "I have been thinking of moving temporarily to Sakura no Kaiyo, but planning any move could not happen until the babies were born. I need to give Tetsuya a few days to recover, but then, if you think I should, I will arrange the move."

"I think that would be best," Kisuke agreed, "Aizen will probably first find a safe hideout and work on getting the seal off his powers. That gives us a little time to work with. Just…don't delay. I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to the two of you or your new family."

"I will move us as soon as we can arrange it," Byakuya assured him, "and I will keep the move quiet. I will only inform those who need to know."

"Good thinking," Kisuke said approvingly, "Now…"

He broke off as a Kuchiki house attendant burst into the study, wearing a worried expression.

"Torio, what is it?" Byakuya asked quickly.

"B-Byakuya-sama, you must come quickly! I was helping to bring the babies to Tetsuya-san for feeding, but he wasn't in his room…and sir, we found Koji unconscious on the floor by the garden doors!"

Byakuya and Kisuke exchanged haunted looks.

"Aizen's made his move," the shopkeeper said in a stunned tone.

"We need to find him quickly!" Byakuya exclaimed, "Let's go!"