Chapter 2: Solitude
Byakuya felt cool, familiar hands touch his face and recognized at once his cousin's worried voice.
"Byakuya-sama!" Tetsuya called urgently, sending an infusion of healing reiatsu into the barely conscious clan leader's bruised and bloodied form, "Watashi no itoko, I'm here!"
"T-Tetsuya?" Byakuya managed softly, his glazed eyes blinking and trying to focus.
"Byakuya-sama, what happened to the king? Where is Ywach? Byakuya-sama!"
"I...I don't know," the Kuchiki heir panted weakly, "I w-wasn't here when Ichigo...d-defeated him. Tetsuya, is...is Ichigo...alive?"
"He's gonna be okay, I think," Grimmjow said, studying the Shiba heir closely and patting his face roughly, "But he's out like a light. Don't know how long he'll be unconscious. Lucky bastard..."
"We need to get them out of here," Tetsuya concluded, looking around questioningly.
"What's wrong?" Grimmjow asked, following the path of his gaze.
"The king's prism," Tetsuya said worriedly, "It isn't on its pedestal."
"The king's prism?" the hollow queried, frowning.
"It is an ancient crystal prism that houses the souls of the soul kings and consorts of the past. Their power is given into the body of the new king each time one is born and the voices of the old kings guide each monarch in his adherence to duty. That both the king and the prism are gone and that Byakuya-sama and Ichigo-san cannot tell us what happened does not bode well for us."
"One problem at a time," Grimmjow sighed.
"I don't think you understand," Tetsuya insisted, "The prism and the king are crucial to the keeping of the balance between our worlds! Should they fall out of balance, our worlds would be destroyed! We must locate the prism."
"We've come to help with that," Urahara Kisuke's voice said from the doorway.
The two rescuers looked up as Kisuke entered the chamber with a recovered Shunsui, as well as Ukitake, Yoruichi and several of the remaining fukutaichos as well.
"We'll take over the investigation here," Shunsui said, nodding, "I want you two to evacuate Ichigo, Byakuya and Aizen to Kuchiki Manor at once for treatment."
"But...to Kuchiki Manor?" Tetsuya objected, "What about...?"
"Kuchiki Manor is the only reinforced and habitable place left standing. We're running the military from one wing and have made an infirmary of another. You'll need to make sure Aizen is protected. Not everyone knows yet that he was working for us."
"So that story he fed us was true?" Grimmjow mused, scowling, "Does that mean you're letting the bastard go?"
"Well, it was that or let the three worlds be dragged down and have him not care enough to assist us," Ukitake explained, "His sacrifice of the hogyoku helped to power Ichigo for the battle and protected the king."
"But we don't even know if the king was protected," Tetsuya reasoned, "Neither Byakuya-sama nor Ichigo-san can tell us what happened!"
"We can't worry about that right now," Kisuke said grimly, "We have to focus our efforts on maintaining the balance between our worlds. With the prism and the king missing, we can't be sure just what will happen. We'll be focusing on that and healing the royal guards while you and Grimmjow join Rukia and Renji and take these three back to the Seireitei for treatment."
"We will do that, of course," Tetsuya agreed, "I hope that you are able to locate the king and the prism quickly."
"Yeah, well, we'd better," Shunsui sighed worriedly, "Our worlds hang on us doing that."
XXXXXXXXXX
Byakuya breathed in and released short panting breaths as his eyes opened again and he tried to focus on his surroundings. He registered a feeling of motion and glimpses of dark, feathery wings.
"Ah...A-Arashi?" he moaned incoherently.
He faded out again quickly and remained locked in blackness and quiet for a time, barely registering his cousin's close presence. As he rested, his mind grappled with what had happened before, spawning horridly vivid nightmares that saw him returned to the battle within the king's palace. But worse than any of the things that the quincy king wrought upon him was the frightening presence of the blank-eyed Shiba heir, who pursued him endlessly through the dark, debris-strewn hallways, cornering him repeatedly and touching him invasively with unfeeling, icy hands and even colder reiatsu. But amidst the worst of the nightmares, his cousin's quiet, persistent voice reached through, carefully anchoring him and bringing him slowly back to the surface.
"I am still with you, Byakuya-sama," Tetsuya said, squeezing his hand supportively, "Kotetsu fukutaicho is trying to examine you. You must hold still."
Tetsuya's gentle fingers touched his face and hair lightly, calming him and slowing his breathing somewhat.
"Wh-where am I?" the clan leader pleaded dizzily.
"We have returned home," Tetsuya said reassuringly, "Kyoraku sotaicho ordered us to take you home for treatment."
"Ichigo?"
"He is in the attendant's recess across the room. He is here and he is all right except for that we cannot wake him."
Tetsuya's eyes darkened with emotion as he continued.
"I am sure he will be fine, Byakuya-sama. Rest now. You need to let your body recover."
Byakuya nodded wearily, turning himself over to his cousin's care and letting everything fade away again. But even in the depths of sleep, he felt the constant burning heat of the creative reiatsu that Ichigo's body had rendered and sent into his. It throbbed and ached painfully in his core, never letting him forget for a moment the dire mission the king had placed on his shoulders.
I don't know anything about the rebirthing process, but it seems to be using the breeder ability I possess. It's been so long since Tetsuya arrived at Kuchiki Manor and we learned that the ones who ran the prison were secretly trying to annihilate the ones of us who harbor that ability. I never even thought of using it myself. And now this ability is allowing me to act as vessel for the growing king's reiatsu.
The thought of that new and precious life he held within him, brought some warmth back into his body and calmed him as his insides twisted, ached and stung painfully. The pain might be uncomfortable, he decided, but it was necessary and it was only a reminder of the importance of his task. For within him, he held the hope of the three worlds, a gift that was his to protect for the duration.
Still, it felt wrong somehow to carry the weight of that task alone.
As his mind spun just beneath consciousness, Byakuya returned to the cold confines of the destroyed throne room, where he again saw the empty-eyed Shiba heir rise up over him, holding him with icy, unfeeling hands and partaking of an act that should have felt much warmer, more peaceful and should have been undertaken with love.
I understand the king's need. The situation was desperate and I did agree to this. I just need to be calm and accepting. I need to...
Byakuya rose out of sleep suddenly, sucking in a deeper breath and opening his eyes to find that his nightmares had, indeed, come to life. For although he laid in his own soft bed and he knew that his attendant must be just outside his door, fierce golden light swelled all around him and a tall, ginger haired man looked down from where he crouched atop him.
"Ichigo?" he queried, reaching up to touch the Shiba heir's frowning lips.
It wasn't just the lack of any coherent response that chilled him inside, but the way those strange, powerlit eyes seemed to bore down into his, forcibly holding him in place while Ichigo's senseless hands bared him and hastily prepared him. Byakuya felt the dread urgency in the other man's hands and forced himself to lay quietly as the possessed Shiba heir positioned himself, then joined their bodies roughly. As before, there was an urgency in his movements, a need for haste that suggested that the processing of the king's reiatsu was a torment to Ichigo. And at the thought of Ichigo being in pain, Byakuya felt his heart catch. Despite the feeling of sickness that came with looking into his friend's unseeing eyes, he made himself look. He reached up with gentle hands and caressed the Shiba heir's face lightly as Ichigo's hard, quaking thrusts began, and this time he moved with him instead of just lying still. The effect was nearly intoxicating as the discomfort of being taken and possessed gave way to a feeling of connection to that other person's body and to a mounting pleasure that made the aches and stings leave his awareness and left him bathed in wanton fits of increasing arousal. A haziness overtook his mind then and he let his awareness fade, simply allowing his body to see to the task while he meandered inwardly. He surfaced again as he felt Ichigo's breath catch harshly and his body seize. He gritted his teeth and closed his eyes against the scathing heat that burned him inside as the Shiba heir released into him. Byakuya tried to maintain cognizance, at least to see if Ichigo would be all right after attempting such an endeavor while still healing. But the weight of their joining seemed to overtake him all at once, and he sank back into unconsciousness and blissful unawareness as Ichigo rose mechanically and returned on unsteady legs to the bed in the attendant's recess.
Byakuya's sleepy-eyed attendant appeared moments later, frowning and yawning as he looked in on his two charges and found them resting comfortably. He shook his head and closed the door to the room, then stumbled back to his own quarters and fell quickly back asleep.
XXXXXXXXXX
Grimmjow felt a weary smirk overtake his features as the red-haired shinigami he leaned over, healing, groaned unhappily and cracked open one fierce, cinnamon-colored eye to observe him.
"Nice to see you finally wake up, Red," the hollow chuckled, giving him a toothy smile, "It's about time for you to get your lazy ass outta that bed and start helping out around here."
"Fuck you," Renji groaned, starting to roll over, then loosing a gasp of mingled surprise and agony, and collapsing again.
"Hurts, doesn't it?" Grimmjow chided him, "That'll teach you to try to get up too fast. Lie still, moron. You're still just put back together."
"What the hell are you doing here," the redhead complained, "Where are we anyway?"
"Why don't you shut up and look around you, stupid," the Espada snapped, scowling.
"Ugh," Renji panted, squinting and moving his head slightly to examine his surroundings, "Is this...Kuchiki Manor?"
"Very good," Grimmjow said with an edge of joking sarcasm, "I guess a few brain cells managed to survive when you got your ass toasted up there."
"Screw you!" Renji snarled unhappily, "I don't figure you did much better."
"Hey, I'm sitting up on my own at least and healing you. You're pathetic. You should be embarrassed lying around like that while everyone else around here is working."
"You know what? You're an awful healer," the redhead complained, "Just get the hell outta here. I don't need your help. I'd rather just hurt!"
"Be quiet, will you?" Grimmjow rebuked him, extending his hands over the injured shinigami and infusing his body with healing reiatsu, "There are a lot of hurt people in the rooms around yours."
Renji took a breath and loosed it again, the weight of the situation returning as he remembered the sorry state the Seireitei had been in upon their leaving.
"Is Taicho okay?" he asked more solemnly.
"Yeah, he goes in and out of consciousness, but he's getting better."
Renji swallowed hard.
"How about Rukia?"
"She's fine."
"And...Ichigo?" the redhead inquired hesitantly.
Grimmjow paused and met his eyes squarely.
"He got fucked up pretty bad. Reiatsu's in the basement and he's still out cold. But don't worry about it. He'll come out of it."
Renji held his breath for a moment, the weight of the words settling over him and leaving him feeling drained again.
"Right," he sighed, settling back against the pillows and closing his eyes, "Ichigo always gets the shit kicked out of him, then he's fine. You're right. He'll be okay."
"I didn't know you liked him that much," Grimmjow teased, smirking, "You two dating?"
"Fuck no! Not that it's any of your business. Leave me alone okay? I'm trying to heal here!"
"Hey, don't get your panties in a twist. I was kidding. Just trying to lighten the mood."
Renji went quiet, watching with tired eyes as Grimmjow's hands moved over his recovering body.
"Thanks, Grimmjow," he said finally, "for the healing."
"Not for the humor?"
"What humor?" the redhead quipped.
"You know, screw you. You can just hurt if you're gonna piss me off!" the hollow snapped.
"I was just kidding," Renji chuckled, grabbing at his ribs as they twinged painfully, "You were teasing me. What, you can dish it out but you can't take it?"
"Just shut up and heal already!" Grimmjow groaned in an annoyed tone, "You're a pain in the ass, Red."
"Stop calling me that, fool. It's Renji."
"Not to me, it's not," Grimmjow said, smirking, "I carry your ass back home and heal it, I get to call it what I want."
"Whatever," the redhead yawned, turning away and curling into a ball, "Just be quiet. I'm trying to sleep."
"Sounds like a good idea," the Espada said, leaning forward and crawling onto the bed.
"Hey!" Renji objected, "What are you doing? Get out!"
"Shut up, will you?" Grimmjow snapped, scowling, "The rooms are all taken and there aren't enough beds. I've been up all night healing your sorry ass. The least you could do is make room for me."
"Grrr! Fine," the redhead sighed, turning away again, "Just stay over there and don't touch me."
"Kinda hard to heal you without any touching," Grimmjow said, smirking.
"You know what I mean."
"Man, you're in a crappy mood," the hollow yawned, curling around a pillow and closing his eyes, "You get your period?"
"You know what? I changed my mind. Get the fuck out of here!" Renji snapped furiously, turning over too fast, then catching his breath and groaning and wincing.
"Take it easy, Red," Grimmjow said, sitting up and sliding an arm around him, then easing him back down onto his back, "You got the hell beat out of you. Save the flirting for later when you feel better."
"Like I'd flirt with you," Renji huffed, pulling free of the hollow and curling around the pillows again.
Grimmjow laid back on his own pillow, observing out of the corner of one blue eye as Renji drifted off to sleep again.
"You're pretty cute, Red," he yawned sleepily, "Sweet dreams."
XXXXXXXXXX
"Ah," Aizen Sosuke sighed, smiling as the outline of a slender male body appeared in his doorway, "You came back, Kuchiki Tetsuya. You know, if you keep coming to visit me like this, I might become attached."
He smirked and wiggled one hand that had been kido-chained to his bed.
"Oh, but it seems I am already attached, ne?"
Tetsuya moved wordlessly to the other man's bedside and sat down in the chair alongside it, seemingly oblivious as he extended his hands over Aizen's restrained body and began a healing infusion.
"Can you tell me," Aizen said more seriously, "when I am to be released? I was promised release in return for my cooperation."
"Kyoraku sotaicho will attend to that upon his return from the royal realm," Tetsuya said shortly, "In the meantime, until he arrives, you will have to remain in bindings."
"I don't know why," Aizen mused, an edge of weariness entering his voice, "What is left for me to ruin? The Seireitei has mostly been obliterated."
"Does that bother you?" Tetsuya asked quietly, "I am surprised you would give it a thought. Didn't you try to destroy it too?"
"No," Aizen corrected him, eyeing him meaningfully, "I only intended to destroy the Gotei 13. I had no intention of harming the civilian populace."
"Except for the hundred thousand or so innocent humans in Karakura Town you intended to sacrifice," Tetsuya reminded him dryly, avoiding the other man's eyes as he continued his healing.
"Touchè," Aizen replied, still gazing at the noble unabashedly, "But you do understand the need for sacrifices, don't you, Kuchiki Tetsuya? I am sure that someone like you does."
"You don't know anything about me."
"No?" Aizen queried, capturing Tetsuya's blue eyes again, "Kuchiki Tetsuya, a half-blood noble born of the noble Takao and the peasant woman, Kiko of West 52nd district, Rukongai. Your parents were captured and incarcerated in the illegal noble's prison, Itamigiri, where you were born and grew up before Byakuya learned of the prison and rescued you. I told you, Tetsuya. You were always close to Byakuya, so it made sense to become familiar with you."
"That isn't the same as knowing me," Tetsuya said, looking away, "The surface facts don't tell half the story. Someone like you should know that."
"Oh, but I do," Aizen said more softly, smiling at the slight flush that had risen on the young man's face and throat, "And until you rescued me from the wreckage of the palace, I indeed, had no idea of the treasure you are, Tetsuya. But I have learned a great deal just in the last few days."
"Have you? Am I supposed to be flattered at being noticed by you?" the noble asked, frowning, "As I'm sure Hinamori Momo knows, that is a sure way to get oneself killed."
"Perhaps," Aizen admitted calmly, "But as long as I see such potential in you, you are safe with me, Kuchiki Tetsuya."
Tetsuya shook his head and withdrew his hands, then stood and looked down at the restrained shinigami with regretful eyes.
"No one is ever safe anywhere near you," he commented softly.
"You are a wise young man, Tetsuya."
The warm smile remained on Aizen's lips long after the noble had turned away and disappeared out the door.
And you are quite lovely.
I look forward to getting to know you even better, Kuchiki Tetsuya.
