Chapter 3: Hidden Truths
Tetsuya left Kuchiki Manor Gardens and headed out onto a trail that took him past rows of blossoming plum trees, around the barn that housed the family's spirit steeds and out to the lovely, shaded cemetery, where he spotted Byakuya kneeling beneath a tree beside his late wife's grave. Having known the clan leader for so many years, he noted immediately the unusual slump in his cousin's proud shoulders and the slight shaking of the hands that moved to spread fresh petals on the dewy grass. He approached quietly, knowing full well that Byakuya surely had sensed him.
"Please leave me, Tetsuya," the clan leader said in a calm, but lost sounding tone, "You do not need to worry about me. I know my reiatsu is disturbed, but it is nothing I cannot handle on my own."
"I know that," Tetsuya said with equal measures of calm and resolve, "You don't need me to comfort you. You have always been very strong. But…you know also that I owe you for all you have done for me. You have been there for me when no one else has. You took me from a dark cell and gave me a radiant life, filled with loving family and friends. Everything I have, I only have because you cared enough to save me. Please…let me help. Even if I cannot change what is happening, let me share your pain as you have always shared mine."
A long moment passed with Byakuya staring silently down at Hisana's grave marker and Tetsuya watching him breathlessly. After a time, the clan leader let out a long breath and turned to face his cousin.
"You heard what happened?" he asked, his dark, tormented eyes searching Tetsuya's, "You know?"
"I know that something happened between you and Ichigo last night at the celebration," Tetsuya confessed, "and I was coming to speak to you this morning and accidentally overheard what you and Ichigo said to each other."
Byakuya looked back at him wordlessly, his mind trying to make sense of the situation.
"I am sorry," Tetsuya apologized, "Watashi no itoko, I did not mean to overhear. But I cannot ignore it, now that I know you are in pain."
Tetsuya moved slowly closer and knelt at Byakuya's side.
"Renji was with you last night," Byakuya said in a low, tense voice.
"He was."
"And did he also overhear what we said this morning?"
Tetsuya let out an anxious breath.
"Yes, but you know that he won't say a word," Tetsuya promised, "We won't speak of it to anyone. Byakuya-sama, I just want to comfort you."
Byakuya's eyes looked straight ahead and he remained silent for several minutes before answering.
"I do not need comfort," he said, slipping a hand into his cousin's, "but I do need your help."
"What do you mean?" asked Tetsuya, looking up at him, "What kind of help do you need?"
He felt the instant tension in Byakuya's body and reiatsu as the clan leader gathered himself to answer.
"I need to hide the fact that I am pregnant with Ichigo's child."
Tetsuya froze, giving his cousin a confounded look.
"You…?"
"I did not know," Byakuya admitted softly, "How could I? You told me when I brought you to Kuchiki Manor that the breeder males were identified in the prison by their first impregnation. Otherwise, they had no way of knowing. I did not know there were breeder males in the direct line of my descent. Neither my father nor my grandfather indicated that they knew, so I assume they did not. In any case, the signs are clear. I am having Ichigo's child. And Ichigo just left me. Tetsuya, you know the agreement I made with the elders. You know that I must not let it be known that I am a breeder male, that I am having an illegitimate child and a child out of wedlock!"
Tetsuya stared back at him, held momentarily speechless as he realized what was about to happen.
"You and Renji are close. You are intimate?" Byakuya inquired.
Tetsuya cleared his throat softly.
"You know we are," he answered hesitantly.
"And you are a known breeder male," Byakuya continued, "Tetsuya, this child cannot be acknowledged by me or the council will learn of my breeder male status. They may not blame me for not knowing, but technically, since I agreed not to acknowledge any child I made out of wedlock as an heir, I have to conceal the child's true parentage."
"You want Renji and me to claim to be the child's parents?" Tetsuya asked, already knowing how his cousin would answer him.
"I know you and Renji have been discussing marriage."
"Yes, we have," Tetsuya agreed, "We have been waiting for the right time to request your permission to wed, and I am okay with both marrying Renji and claiming your child. I think Renji will agree to it as well."
Byakuya paused, frowning anxiously. Tetsuya met his eyes warily.
"Byakuya-sama, I know your situation is difficult, but please do not ask me to keep secrets from the man who will be my husband."
"Are you sure this will not be too much to ask of him?" Byakuya said more softly, "You told Renji you did not want to have children because of the loss of your child before."
"I did tell him that," Tetsuya agreed, reaching down to lay a palm on his midsection, "but…it seems that fate has intervened. Byakuya-sama, that is why I was coming to see you. I am carrying Renji's child. I was coming to ask your permission to marry Renji."
It was Byakuya's turn to be taken aback. He took a short, stunned breath, looking down where his cousin's hand laid. The two men shared a moment of quiet mutual torment, then Byakuya's arms wrapped around Tetsuya and held him comfortingly.
"I am happy and worried for you," he confessed softly, "Renji will be a good father…to both our children. It is going to be difficult, but I can think of nothing else we can do."
Byakuya's head lifted slightly and he looked around questioningly.
"Where is Renji?" he asked, frowning, "If the two of you were coming to ask my blessing to marry…"
"He went to talk to Ichigo," Tetsuya explained, "We had the feeling that something was strange in the way he acted with you. When you said that you thought he was being deceptive, we had the same feeling."
Byakuya let out an annoyed breath and closed his eyes for a moment.
"Renji does not need to try to fix things between Kurosaki Ichigo and me. Ichigo made it clear that he does not want me. We just drank too much and did something we both now regret. I would never lower myself to compel someone to be with me when it is not in his or her heart. Please leave me with a shred of my pride. I want nothing more to do with Ichigo."
Tetsuya looked back at Byakuya uncertainly.
"You are that sure?" he asked tentatively, "You know if you told him about the child…"
Byakuya looked down at his own still slim abdomen and sighed.
"I do not want Ichigo to stay because of a child," he managed bitterly, "I want the love he offered me last night. I want the future that I thought we both desired. That cannot be, so…I cannot have his child. He cannot know about this. Tetsuya, I need your word and Renji's that you will not tell him! You know what the cost will be if I am dishonored."
Tetsuya looked back at him worriedly and nodded in agreement.
"I will say nothing and if it is your wish, I will take your and Ichigo's child as my own. I will talk to Renji when he returns."
"We should both speak to Renji together," Byakuya said, taking Tetsuya's hand in his.
He studied his cousin for a moment.
"Are you…feeling all right, Tetsuya? I know you must be frightened, with what happened before. Is there anything I can do?"
Tetsuya looked back at him and shook his head decidedly.
"There is nothing you or anyone can do really," he said anxiously, "I think you and I are at the mercy of our fates."
Byakuya gave him a sad smile.
"But…we are not alone."
Tetsuya smiled back, but a tear slid onto his cheek and ran downward.
"We are not alone," he agreed, seeking his cousin's arms again.
XXXXXXXXXX
Renji exited the senkaimon and dropped down into the underground training room beneath Urahara Kisuke's shop, and smiled as he spotted the shopkeeper standing nearby, nodding at him in greeting.
"Renji-san, what can I do for you?" he said cheerfully.
"Eh, I was coming to see Ichigo," the redhead answered, "I know he is supposed to be training with you today."
He looked around curiously.
"He's not here yet?"
"Training had to be cancelled, rather suddenly at that," the shopkeeper informed him, "I was wondering if something was going on, but Ichigo didn't seem to want to talk about it."
"Huh, figures," the redhead said in an irritated tone, "So, he's back in the Seireitei?"
"That's what he said," Kisuke confirmed, "You're welcome to join us for lunch, though. I told the kids and Tessai not to tease you after the great job you did defending everybody in the war."
"I didn't do so much," Renji said in a flustered tone, "I needed Aizen to use his powers and take the hit so that I didn't lose an arm just trying to land a blow. I didn't even make a mark on Ywach. That was all Ichigo."
"Yeah, well Ichigo was pretty darned clear that you, Uryu, and, pardon me here, Aizen, were the only reason he got a shot in to kill that monster."
Renji gave the shopkeeper a game smirk.
"An assist. I guess I can live with that."
Kisuke's smile warmed.
"How are things up your way? Yoruichi told me that you were taking an interest in a very cute, blue-eyed Kuchiki. Is that Tetsuya?"
"Yeah," Renji confessed, giving Kisuke a flustered look, "The news sure gets around fast. We just started dating."
"How's Arashi taking it?" the shopkeeper laughed.
"He's being a horse's ass," Renji joked, "But what do you expect, eh?"
"What about your boss? How's Byakuya-san taking it?"
"Like a boss," Renji chuckled.
The redhead cleared his throat and continued in a stately voice.
"It is acceptable, as long as we do not disgrace the Kuchiki name!"
"That sounds like our Byakuya-bo," Kisuke said, shaking his head.
He look around the training area and sighed.
"Well, now that Ichigo skated out of his training, I guess I'd better find some other trouble to get into. You gonna stay for lunch or are you going back?"
"Well, I'd usually jump at the chance to chow down on Tessai's cooking, teasing or no teasing, but I think I'd better go and find Ichigo."
"Is there some kinda trouble?" Kisuke asked, tilting his head slightly to the side, "Anything I need to know about?"
"Nah, he's just being Ichigo," Renji said dryly, "We'll work it out."
"Okay, well, you know where to find me if you need backup," Kisuke said good-naturedly.
"Right," Renji chuckled, heading back into the senkaimon.
He headed back along the dimly lit corridor, his mind working as he anticipated his conversation with his good-hearted, but stubborn friend.
I didn't peg Ichigo for the kind of guy who would have a one-night stand, especially not with someone like Taichou, who obviously doesn't do that kind of thing. He said it was just because he got drunk, but I could see Taichou wasn't buying that, and I'm not buying it either. There's more to this, and if I have to knock it out of him, word by word, I'll get to the bottom of it. What was Ichigo thinking? Making love to a clan leader and dumping him the next day? I oughta…
He realized suddenly that he had reached his exit point, and he flash stepped through the central senkaimon and back into Soul Society. He flash stepped past the senkaimon guards, hastily returning their greeting, then headed to where he sensed his friend's reiatsu.
His reiatsu seems chaotic, even for Ichigo, Renji mused, Wonder what's bugging him.
He turned a corner and nearly collided with the ginger-haired man. Ichigo skidded to a stop, looking at Renji apologetically.
"Sorry, Renji. I wasn't watching where I was going."
"It's fine," the redhead said shortly, "I was looking for you in Karakura Town. I wanted to…"
He broke off, scowling as a hell butterfly arrived.
"Hang on a sec," he said irritably.
Renji, said Byakuya's voice, causing an instant retreat of the redhead's angry posture, Tetsuya has informed me about your…situation, and I would like you to meet us at the manor to discuss the logistics.
"Your situation?" Ichigo repeated, frowning, "Is everything okay with you and Tetsuya?"
"Eh, yeah, Tetsuya and me are just fine," Renji said, giving him a flustered look, "I uh…just…look, we're not supposed to be telling people, so you have to keep quiet if I tell you."
"Sure," Ichigo promised, "Not a word. I promise."
He paused for a moment, then his body stiffened oddly and he gave Renji a distressed look.
"Hey, um, you know, I have to go."
"But, I was just gonna…"
"Sorry," Ichigo apologized hastily, "I've got this…thing I've gotta get to, and…"
"Ichigo!" Renji snapped, "Hang on, I was just about to…!"
"Sorry!" Ichigo yelled, flash stepping away, "I'll catch you later!"
"Asshole!" Renji hissed, scowling, "What the fuck?"
He gazed in the direction his friend had gone, their conversation replaying itself in his mind.
Why the hell did he run off like that? He's acting really weird. I think he looked scared for a second. I'd go after him, but it sounds like Taichou knows about Tetsuya being pregnant. Damn! Outta the frying pan and into the fire.
Renji flash stepped away, missing Ichigo's presence behind a nearby cluster of bushes as he passed by. Ichigo waited until he was sure the redhead had gone, then he turned in the direction of the Shiba estate, frowning as he pondered his situation.
I feel bad. I know Renji needed to talk about whatever's going on with Tetsuya and him, but this guy, whoever is watching me, seems to know what I talk to people about. I have to be careful about saying anything or about hearing anything I don't want this bastard to know. I don't know how this person is spying on me like that. Maybe I should go to Kisuke, but if this jerk sees me doing that, he or she might decide to let that picture out of their hands. I can't let that happen. I have to play along until I know who this is.
"Excuse me," said a curious sounding male voice, "are you Kurosaki…erm, Shiba Ichigo?"
Ichigo turned and found himself face to face with a striking young man with slicked black hair and piercing jade-colored eyes.
"Sorry to call out to you so suddenly," the man apologized, extending a hand, "I am Niwa Taishiro, heir of the Niwa clan. I understand that you have been made the Shiba heir."
"Uh, yeah," Ichigo answered awkwardly, accepting the young man's hand, "I'm the Shiba heir. Don't know quite how that happened, but…"
"Perhaps it had something to do with you saving all of us from Ywach," Taishiro said, capturing his hand warmly, "Ichigo, it is a pleasure to meet you."
This is the one that I am supposed to arrange to marry? Ichigo mused inwardly, So, could this be the guy who is blackmailing me? How do I tell?
"Taishiro," he greeted the Niwa heir, "nice to meet you."
"You looked like you were in a rush," Taishiro noted, "I'm not…stopping you from getting anywhere, am I?"
"No," Ichigo assured him hastily, "No, I have time to talk. You uh, wanna get something to eat?"
"Actually, we are right near the apartment I use sometimes when I am preparing for meetings in town. Our estate is quite a ways from here, so this makes it convenient. We can eat there if that's all right with you."
"Oh, yeah, sure," Ichigo agreed, falling in with Taishiro.
The Niwa heir led him to a small, but exclusive looking apartment building a few steps away.
"This is nice," Ichigo mused, "I didn't know this place was here."
"Come," Taishiro directed him, opening the door for him.
They entered the lobby, where they were greeted by a soft rush of soothing, cool air. Ichigo's eyes widened at the lovely blue interior of the building, the expensive furnishings and the pretty, but serious looking receptionist, who looked up at them and smiled cordially.
"Good afternoon, Niwa-sama, Shiba-sama," she greeted them.
"Aika, will you have food prepared and sent to my office?" Taishiro requested, "Ichigo and I are going to be in a private meeting, but you can leave the food in the outer room for when we are done."
"Yes, of course, Niwa-sama," the receptionist answered.
"This way, Ichigo," Taishiro coaxed him.
Ichigo felt an odd quiver inside as they boarded an elevator and rode to the second floor. Taishiro led him out of the elevator and into a beautifully appointed office, then to a door at the back.
"Right through here," the young man said, holding the door open.
Ichigo passed through the doorway, then froze like a deer as he noticed that every inch of the walls and ceiling in the room had been plastered with copies of the picture of his and Byakuya's naked romp.
"It was you!" he managed in a choked whisper.
Ichigo's body stiffened and his reiatsu rose until the heat in the room grew oppressive.
"You son of a bitch!" he hissed, his eyes glowing with fury, "I'm gonna…!"
He sucked in a surprised breath as a silver band wrapped around his wrist and snapped shut, sealing away his spirit energy and leaving him powerless. Taishiro moved in close to breathe his next words into Ichigo's flushed ear.
"You…are going to do exactly as I tell you!"