Chapter 5: The Lost Blossom Seduction

Aizen Sousuke's dark brown eyes watched closely as Tetsuya stirred beneath the covers and his bright sapphire orbs opened and looked up at the ceiling, then blinked and squinted for a moment.

It took several tries to bring him completely under the influence of my illusions. My powers have not returned to their full strength, so we struggled initially, but he is responding much more favorably now.

"K-Koji?" Tetsuya called softly, a little shiver going through his slender form as he sat up and brushed the hair out of his eyes.

He will be less and less manageable, the longer I wait to begin the impregnation, but I dare not begin until he has recovered fully. At least a few days…

"Byakuya-sama, are you all right?" Tetsuya asked suddenly.

Aizen looked down into the younger man's widened blue eyes.

He is lovely.

Perhaps I should just keep him with me when the child is born. I will have a stronger body, so keeping him surrounded in my illusions will be much easier.

"Byakuya-sama?"

"Hmm," Aizen sighed, sitting down on the edge of the bed and sliding a hand under Tetsuya's chin.

I suppose it wouldn't hurt to make love to him gently. Only the impregnation really has to wait.

"What do you desire, my love?" Aizen answered, lowering his head to touch his lips to the younger man's.

"Will you come to bed now? I am having trouble falling asleep."

"Are you? Why is that?"

Tetsuya's blue eyes blinked slowly.

"I keep dreaming of something dark, something wicked. It wraps itself around me until I cannot breathe. It shows me a light, but the light has no warmth."

Your senses are extraordinary, but they will do you no good when the darkness has already wrapped around you, my lovely captive.

"Not to worry," Aizen answered, running his fingers along the soft flesh of Tetsuya's vulnerable throat, "I am here. I will not let anything harm you."

That much is true. I know of no other living breeder males and I no longer possess the means to alter another as I did with Gin, so I will be very careful with you.

"I suppose you must think I'm being overly emotional," Tetsuya sighed regretfully, "And I did just give birth."

Tetsuya's comely face brightened for a moment.

"Perhaps I could visit the children," he suggested, "I won't wake them. I just…"

Aizen shook his head firmly.

"The last thing you should be doing is overexerting yourself when you should be sleeping," he chided the younger man.

He moved closer to Tetsuya, bringing him down onto the bed and gently trapping his body. Tetsuya smiled as Aizen's mouth attacked his warmly and searching hands caressed him beneath his nightclothes.

"Byakuya!" Tetsuya whispered.

"Oh, look, I've gone and overexcited you," Aizen said ruefully, sending Tetsuya tumbling into unconsciousness with a sudden throb of sedative kido.

But even as his captive fell still, he continued to kiss and caress Tetsuya's incapacitated body.

Such a temptation, even like this! I have been locked away too long in the darkness, alone and untouched. Such a comfort it would be, just to…

Before he quite realized what he was doing, he brought Tetsuya's back to partial consciousness, smiling as he opened his yukata and guided the younger man's frowning mouth down to his nether region, at the same time, strengthening the illusion around him.

Ah, I was imprisoned for so long, I had forgotten what this felt like…

He watched Tetsuya's serene face closely as the spellbound shinigami tended to his nether region so lovingly and surprisingly skillfully that the escaped prisoner soon found himself breathless and panting. Overcome, he forgot caution for a moment and flipped Tetsuya onto his back, falling down on top of him and working his way inside the young man's body, where he forced himself to pause long enough to set a protection charm in place.

A pregnancy too soon could be dangerous, but as long as I am gentle with him, he will be fine.

He began a slow, indulgent thrusting, smiling as Tetsuya moaned Byakuya's name and spread his thighs wider to accept the offered contact.

I suppose it's better that we keep it this way. Agitation and fear would not be good for him. And hurting Tetsuya would not be good for my plans. No, he must be kept safe, healthy and content.

Aizen sighed and closed his eyes, enjoying the feel of Tetsuya's soft skin sliding provocatively along his. He smiled as he kissed the graceful fingertips that traced his face and he brought their mouths together as he quickened his motions, bringing them both to a lovely precipice, then flinging them heedlessly over into bliss.

No wonder Byakuya desires him. Tetsuya is an exquisite lover…talented, passionate, sweet.

He kept their bodies connected, watching Tetsuya writhe and shudder in the throes of a powerful release.

You bewitch me, Kuchiki Tetsuya. If I didn't need you for my plans, I would kill you just for how your beauty ensnares me.

I suppose I will have to kill you in the end, but we can enjoy the time we have…can't we?

Aizen froze as Tetsuya's sleepy voice sounded very softly.

"Aishiteru yo."

He wasn't sure why the words brought back the memory of a sly looking, silver-haired man he had killed some time before. A shaft of coldness re-entered his heart and he moved suddenly, shocking Tetsuya's body less gently with a heavier sleep kido. The younger man collapsed and fell still and Aizen watched him as he slept.

I became careless for a moment.

I forgot for just a moment how dangerous an innocent soul like his can be.

XXXXXXXXXX

Ichigo looked out the window, into the cloud darkened sky, his body tense as he watched and waited.

"I wonder how long Kisuke's gonna be," he mused impatiently, "He's been gone for hours. I wonder what's going on."

"Stewing over it isn't going to help," Gin suggested, "and it's making your reiatsu flare. Normally, I wouldn't mind, but it's singeing my skin and making the little monster in my belly restless."

Ichigo blinked several times and shook his head.

"Sorry. I got carried away, thinking."

"You are protective of your friends," Gin observed, "sometimes to the point of being self-destructive. Not meaning to criticize. I did pretty recklessly throw my own life away for a friend. But then, I'm not the savior of Soul Society."

"What does that mean?" Ichigo asked, frowning.

Gin gave him a sly smile.

"It's nothing," he chuckled, "I'm still just a little miffed about not retrieving the piece of Rangiku's soul that Sousuke took."

Ichigo's eyes widened.

"He took a piece of Rangiku's soul?" he repeated in a shocked tone.

"He stole pieces of many hundreds of Rukon souls," Gin said, off-handedly, "and some of the victims died. Rangiku was lucky she didn't die. She got really sick and it was while taking care of her that I hatched my plan to get back what he took from her."

He looked down at his impregnated body for a moment.

"You don't need me to remind you how that went."

Ichigo gave him a searching look.

"Well, I can't say I agree with how you went after Aizen," he commented, "I mean, you completely destroyed your own life, but…I understand wanting to help your friend."

"When you have only one real friend in the world, your life doesn't mean anything if you just let them be hurt," Gin concluded, "Maybe I couldn't do anything to make Sousuke give it back, but I had to try."

"Yeah," Ichigo said, considering, "well, I mean, you did survive, right? You and Rangiku are still alive, so who says that the situation's hopeless?"

Gin let out a soft, dismissive breath.

"There is no way to fight him, Ichigo. The man is a god. You and Kisuke may have contained him, but no one is going to make him do anything. And I have no intention of doing something else stupid and throwing away my life a second time. You know, I wasn't intending to lose to him. I just underestimated him. I'm not going to do that now. I'm not completely insane."

Gin's head lowered and he deflated slightly.

"Although, he's free now. And that means it's probably just a matter of time before he senses I'm alive and comes after me. You should just forget about staying here and go protect your friend, Tetsuya. Sousuke won't be so gentle this time if he catches Tetsuya again. Last time, he was just looking to impregnate me and he didn't want to harm Tetsuya because he needed to be sure the original was there for further experimentation if his plans for me failed. This time, he's got less power and he's alone and pursued. He's even more dangerous that way."

"Well, we're gonna stop him," Ichigo said with certainty, "Don't worry about that."

He considered quietly for a moment.

"And don't say that Rangiku's your only friend. That's not true."

Gin gave him a curious, sideways glance.

"I don't need your sympathy," Gin said, looking away again, "I can take care of myself, I suppose…or not, and this little monster and I will just die later. I guess it's to be expected."

"Hey, don't talk about yourself and your baby like that," Ichigo snapped softly, "Your situation isn't hopeless. Kisuke and I aren't going to let anything happen to you."

"Urahara Kisuke doesn't care about me one bit," Gin said firmly, "I'm interesting because I'm Sousuke's little science experiment and now he's getting to play with me."

"Kisuke's not playing," Ichigo insisted, his tone agitated, "He's trying to protect you and your baby from Aizen. He's protecting all of us from Aizen."

"But it's all just a game to him. You know, he's more than a little obsessed with Sousuke's mind, and that's not more than a few steps from disaster, if you ask me. You're a little more grounded. You know how dangerous he is and you're smart enough not to go poking at him to study him. Plus, you have an ungodly amount of good luck. You will be fine. I'm sure of it."

"Yeah? So will you," Ichigo said, moving to sit beside him on the bed.

"Why do you care what happens to me?" Gin asked, frowning, "Or, is this your penchant for making friends with your former enemies?"

"You weren't really my enemy."

"No?" Gin mused, "Well, I wasn't a friend, either."

"You wanted me to stop him."

"Because I found out I couldn't," Gin finished, "I couldn't respect anyone else's attempts, because they didn't know what I did about Sousuke's power. Even you didn't know until you saw it in action. You were lucky that you were able to hold out and weaken him like you did. It's not every human who could do something like that."

"Heh, well, I'm not exactly human, right?" Ichigo chuckled.

"No, you're a perfect hybrid, aren't you? Sousuke was so interested in that. And your pal, Kisuke seems to be too."

"Kisuke is my friend, and whether you know it or not, both Kiuske and I are your friends too."

"Is that right?" Gin asked, looking amused, "Are you sure about that? I mean, not to question your honesty. You do seem to speak from the heart, but you should remember that Urahara Kisuke keeps a lot of his thoughts to himself. He as much as admitted that he agreed with Sousuke that the soul king was a living insult to us. The line between those two has always been that Kisuke treated the soul king as a necessary disappointment, while Sousuke decided that he couldn't stand the lies and tried to create his own truth."

"Only, he tried to impose his truth on all of us," Ichigo said in a low, angry voice, "Gin, he was gonna kill a hundred thousand people to make the king's key."

"I remember."

"And who knows what he would have done if he had been successful."

"I imagine it wouldn't have been good for any of us," Gin concluded.

Gin glanced at the window as a rumble of thunder sounded outside.

"I do wonder if I would have…well, I wonder if I will survive the birth of the baby."

"Don't say things like that," Ichigo said in an irritated tone, "You'll be okay."

"Because you said so?" Gin asked with an air of sarcasm, "Although, you do have a way of making your boasts come true, Kurosaki Ichigo. I want to believe you."

"It's not so hard to believe," Ichigo assured him, sending a little jolt through the silver-haired man as he took Gin's hand in his, "You don't have Aizen taking care of you now. And as much as you think Kisuke doesn't care about you, he does. And Aizen, himself, said that Kisuke has a greater mind than he does. If anyone can get you through this, it's him."

"A ray of sunshine on a rather dreary day," Gin chuckled, patting Ichigo's cheek affectionately, "Remember, all of this hinges on Sousuke not figuring out I'm alive, and not taking me back. As crafty as he is, well, I wouldn't hold my breath. I might suffocate before he could kill me."

"He's not gonna kill you, Gin. I won't let him," Ichigo promised.

Gin paused, reading Ichigo's determined expression.

"What?" Ichigo huffed, giving him a curious, "You don't believe me?"

"I didn't say that," Gin assured him, "I was just looking at your eyes. They tell me more than your words do."

"Yeah? Is that why you don't show your eyes to everyone?"

Gin gave him a cryptic smile.

"Ah, they do say that the eyes are the windows to the soul. And when I used to look into Sousuke's eyes, even when we were together, they terrified me."

"You didn't answer my question," Ichigo noted, "Why do you hide your eyes? I see Byakuya doing that too a lot."

"He's pretty wise to do that," Gin acknowledged, "Kuchiki taicho's eyes aren't just a window. They're a dead giveaway, and he knows it."

"So, if you show me your eyes, I'll know what you're really thinking?" Ichigo asked, smirking slightly.

Gin continued to smile slyly and gave no answer, nor did he yield his eyes.

"Come on," Ichigo prodded him, "You're not planning anything bad, right?"

"Hardly," Gin snickered, "I'm in enough trouble as it is."

"Stop stalling," Ichigo laughed, "What have you got to worry about? What's on your mind that you don't want me to know?"

"What indeed?" Gin teased, "I could be plotting all kinds of trouble."

"Then, I think I need to see," Ichigo argued stubbornly, "Show'em to me."

"Oh, I don't think so."

"Hey, I'm showing you mine!" Ichigo complained, "The least you could do is to give a little. What have you got to lose? I wouldn't do anything to use what I see against you. You know that, right?"

Gin paused, then gave him a look of capitulation.

"You know, I actually believe you when you say things like that. You are a good person, aren't you?"

Ichigo smiled.

"And you're better than you think."

Gin gave a little, amused sigh.

"Now, there's a reason not to show you my eyes," he chuckled.

"Huh?" Ichigo said, looking at him blankly.

"Maybe I want you to keep thinking that."

Ichigo opened his mouth to answer, then stopped again as a hell butterfly arrived.

Ichigo, Kisuke's voice said, I just wanted to give you an update. I went to Kuchiki Manor to check in on Byakuya and Tetsuya. Looks like I got here too late.

Ichigo's face paled and Gin's eyes opened very slightly.

Tetsuya's attendant was knocked out and Tetsuya's gone. We're trying to pick up on his location, but Aizen's already got him tucked away somewhere. We'll keep looking, but I need you to stay put and keep Gin protected.

Ichigo's hands clenched into fists and shook softly at the news.

"You and Tetsuya are close?" Gin asked.

"We're good friends," Ichigo said in a low, tightly controlled voice, "I don't want anything bad to happen to him."

"Well, you do understand, don't you?" Gin went on, "The best way to try to get Sousuke to give him up…is to give him a little hint I'm alive."