Sakura Osanago (Cherry Blossom Child)
By Spunky0ne
(This story is completely new and different than the original version. I was having trouble with the direction of the story and then I realized what a great idea it would be to put the shoe on the other foot and have Aizen as 'the prisoner' for this story. I hope you all enjoy this new version of Sakura Osanago! ALL FUTURE CHAPTERS WILL BE POSTED ONLY ON AO3. Cheers, Spunky)
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Chapter 1: Flutters
Byakuya woke to the sound of soft voices in the gardens outside of his room and he remained still in his bed, listening.
"You know, it's probably best to just tell him, Tetsuya," Renji suggested, his tone betraying a healthy measure of apprehension, "You said you're sure he knows we're at least interested in each other and we have been for a long time. We didn't say anything to him while Aizen was still on his rampage and things were so chaotic, but now that the bastard's in Muken and our lives have gone back to something like normal…"
"You call this normal?" Tetsuya hissed softly, "I told you that…"
"Right," Renji agreed, "and it's going to be okay, I promise. We'll talk to him today."
A sigh escaped his cousin and there was a brief moment of silence.
"So, we didn't do much talking last night," Renji went on, "How are things here at home, because when he's at work, he seems like he's back to normal. You don't notice anything, do you? It doesn't seem like he's hiding anything?"
"Renji, you know that my position as his personal bodyguard and healer means that there are certain things I cannot…"
"I know," the redhead assured him, "You don't have to go into detail, just…is he doing all right as far as you can tell? I'm only asking-"
"Because you care about him," Tetsuya concluded, "I understand. I can say that he has returned to the same schedule he had before the war and he is taking care of himself. I do notice some times when he wears a regretful expression or it seems that maybe he could be remembering some of the torment he suffered in Hueco Mundo. He hasn't said that he remembers anything substantial."
"Yeah, though if it was me, I'd probably not say anything if I did remember because I'd be worried about Soifon taicho and the stealth force."
"I did not approve of their methods in his questioning after he returned," Tetsuya said bitterly, "He was clearly a prisoner in Las Noches…even if he may have been kept close to Aizen. And if there is one thing I know, it is that my cousin is no traitor. The way they treated him was criminal."
"Yeah, I remember the nightmares you had after watching that," Renji said sadly, "I'm sorry, love."
"Renji!"
Byakuya smiled and sat up in his bed. Immediately, the voices outside stopped and the Kuchiki leader's attendant entered through his bedroom's inner doors.
"Good morning, Byakuya-sama," his attendant greeted him.
"Good morning, Torio," he answered, nodding.
"Will you be taking your breakfast in your room, sir, or would you prefer to eat in the gardens?"
"In the gardens, I think," Byakuya answered, slipping out of the bed and accepting a warm robe from the younger man, "Thank you."
He moved to the dressing area in the room and positioned himself in front of the mirror, noting the slimmer lines of his body that had persisted after his return from Hueco Mundo…except for…
"Gomen," Torio apologized, "I will have this adjusted."
Byakuya sighed.
"I suppose age is catching up with me or all of the desk work since my return. Don't worry about it."
But the truth he had to admit to himself was that he, himself, was worried.
It's been several months since Aizen's capture and I have only added to my training and done more to keep myself in top physical condition. I know that I was raped in Hueco Mundo, but there is no way that rape by hollows could…could result in that.
He swallowed hard, considering.
But what if it wasn't hollows?
"Byakuya-sama?" Torio's worried voice jolted him out of his thoughts.
"Oh, my apologies, Torio. I was thinking about the visit to Muken today," he admitted, "I want you and Tetsuya in attendance while we are there. Renji will be with us as well, but we dare not take any chances."
Torio gave him a guarded look.
"Do you really think that it's true? Do you think that someone was able to do that to him? I didn't think it would be possible. Even in those bindings, he's still horribly dangerous."
"Well," Byakuya said, frowning at his reflection in the mirror, "snakes do seem to have a way of sliding through the cracks."
He was taken by surprise as his own words resulted in a flash of what felt like memory.
"You do know that you will not leave this prison alive," Gin hissed into his ear.
He sucked in a sharp breath at the vision of the dead taicho, then he shoved the thought away, turning his attention to the mirror that reflected his fully dressed form.
"Thank you, Torio."
He left the bedroom, exiting through the garden doors and biting slightly at his lips as he spotted Tetsuya and Renji waiting for him.
"Abarai, Tetsuya," he greeted them quietly.
"Cousin, do you think we could have a word with you?" Tetsuya asked, glancing at the redhead by his side, "Privately?"
"Of course," Byakuya answered, gesturing towards his private study.
The three entered the room and Byakuya sat a privacy shield around the room. He knelt on one side of the low table in the room and Tetsuya and Renji knelt side-by-side, opposite him, Tetsuya wearing a soft blush and Renji clearing his throat nervously.
"What did you need to discuss with me?" the Kuchiki leader asked calmly.
He paused, allowing the slightest of smiles to touch his lips.
"Is this about the two of you finally seeking my blessing for Renji to court you, Tetsuya?"
"Heh," Renji laughed anxiously, "so you know…"
"I know that you became interested in my cousin," Byakuya acknowledged, "but it was during the time I was missing."
"Yeah," Renji affirmed, "Tetsuya and I…we were spending a lot of time together planning to go look for you—"
"Against the wishes of the Gotei 13 and Kuchiki Council, yes, I know," Byakuya chided him.
"Our apologies, Byakuya-sama," Tetsuya said penitently.
"You shouldn't have to apologize," Renji reassured him, "If we hadn't done anything, we wouldn't have gotten him back…right Taicho?"
"Renji is correct," Byakuya agreed, "although I do question some of your choices. Still, I have a deep appreciation for you two and Rukia seeking to rescue me when everyone else had given up. You did find me and you are the reason I returned home."
"I still wonder how you did it," Renji said appreciatively, "When we were captured, it was obvious that Aizen had things running like clockwork. I was sure we were gonna die there."
Renji felt the sudden tension in Tetsuya's reiatsu and backtracked swiftly.
"But I knew you'd find a way. You got us out and—"
"And then, I am sure I felt committed to not letting your rather reckless attempt at rescue go to waste," Byakuya finished, "And now that we are all home safe and the war has ended, it is time for us to continue moving forward. On that note, there is no reason why Tetsuya cannot enter a courtship with you, Renji. I have no objections and as Tetsuya is of mixed blood and not in a critical position of power in our clan's hierarchy, he is not required to submit to an arranged marriage."
"Oh, well we knew all of that, except of course we wanted to be sure it was okay with you," Renji said, giving Tetsuya a questioning glance.
Byakuya looked from Renji to his obviously flustered cousin, raising an eyebrow.
"Is there…something more that the two of you wanted?" he asked, frowning.
"Ah, actually there is," Tetsuya confessed, swallowing hard and blushing more intensely, "You see, while you were gone and Renji and I were working together so closely, we…we…"
"I see," Byakuya interjected quietly, "You became intimate."
"Y-yes," Tetsuya stammered, wondering as he spoke if it was possible for the blush on his face to get any darker.
"Tetsuya, I know you are aware that you don't need my approval to see whoever you want, to be intimate with them, to marry whoever you choose. I don't understand what you are getting at. What is it that you and Renji want from me?"
"It's about something that happened when Renji and I were together."
Byakuya wasn't sure why the words sent a feeling like ice shooting through his veins. He forced his burgeoning emotions down and gave his cousin a stiff nod.
"Byakuya-sama, you know of the stories of resonance in the archive."
"I do," Byakuya affirmed, "We have often read about this together."
"We have," Tetsuya agreed, "In the story of the original incarnation of Reio, he resonated so strongly with Kuchiki Hajime, his first human creation, that Hajime became his life partner and—"
"And Hajime was able to ensure the line of kings with his own body," Byakuya recalled, his dark eyes widening as he realized, "Tetsuya, you are…with child?"
He paused for a moment, taking in the sight of Tetsuya's hopeful expression and Renji's more sheepish, but also very happy look.
"I am," his cousin admitted softly, taking Renji's offered hand, "We didn't know it was going to happen."
"But we're really happy about it, Taicho," Renji said, his voice choking up slightly, "Y'know, I grew up without blood family in the Rukongai. No mom or dad, no siblings who weren't just other orphaned or abandoned street brats like me. I always wondered what it'd be like. So, when Tetsuya explained that he was going to have our kid, l felt like I'd just gotten shot out of a cannon and I was flyin' higher than the clouds. I'm still so happy and excited. I wanna marry Tetsuya and I don't just wanna have this kid. I wanna have more kids, a big family. Tetsuya says that he wants the same, so…we want you to marry us, Taicho. Please."
Byakuya surprised the two with a genuine smile.
"Very well," he answered, nodding, "Would you like to have the ceremony here or is there somewhere else you would prefer?"
"Here!" Renji and Tetsuya said enthusiastically.
The two laughed together and warmth returned to Byakuya's heart, melting the icy feeling he'd had before.
"I will let the staff know, so they can assist with the planning. I assume that one month will be enough time?"
"One month is fine!" Renji exclaimed excitedly, grabbing Tetsuya's hands and kissing him on his smiling mouth, "I've gotta go tell everyone, okay? I'll…"
"Abarai, have you forgotten?" Byakuya asked archly, "You and Tetsuya will be joining me in visiting Muken so that Tetsuya can assess Aizen's injuries from the attack on him that happened yesterday."
"The attack—oh right, Taicho, sorry. I'll do that first."
"Hmm," the clan leader mused, rubbing his chin, "perhaps I could have Rukia join us at the prison if you would like to get started on the plans."
The smile on the redhead's face faded and he looked into Tetsuya's curious gaze as he answered.
"Taicho, ah, I don't wanna upset my beautiful fiancé, but I have to admit I'm kinda worried about him getting so close to that monster. I mean, I know he's in kido chains and all, but…it's Aizen, y'know."
"Renji, I will be fine," Tetsuya assured him, "Byakuya-sama and Rukia-chan will be right there."
"Torio will be there as well," Byakuya added, "Neither Torio nor Tetsuya were hypnotized by Aizen, so I am sure that Tetsuya will come to no harm from him. He is also required to be sedated anytime anyone enters his cell."
Renji shook his head firmly, recapturing one of Tetsuya's hands and bringing it up to kiss the soft fingertips tenderly.
"Uh-uh," he grunted, "Where he goes, I go. Our announcement can wait until this is taken care of."
Byakuya nodded.
"As you wish. Come then. We should go as soon as we have eaten."
The three moved on to the garden table that had been prepared for their meal, where they enjoyed the gentle touches of breeze and lovely, fresh scents of the flowers and the trickle of water from the koi pond as they ate. They left the estate and made their way quickly to Central 46, where they were cleared by security and allowed to pass through the levels of the prison to the very lowest level that housed the worst of Soul Society's criminals.
"Taicho," Renji said quietly as the four passed the last checkpoint, "I know you said Aizen's gonna be sedated, but…are you sure that Tetsuya should be that close to him? Sorry, I just, we're really happy and I don't want anything to threaten that. Maybe it's just because he and I have both lost…"
"I understand," Byakuya assured him, "It is just that Tetsuya's healing gift is the one we need to ascertain what Aizen has endured without subjecting us to his illusions. Tetsuya will be in physical contact with him, so Aizen cannot invoke the hypnosis ritual required for use of his powers. Also, the sedation will keep him from focusing kido on any of us, including Tetsuya. Tetsuya has very good instincts, Renji. He will learn what we need to know and he will do so without taking any unnecessary risks."
Even with his reassurance, the redhead continued to wear a discomfited look as the guard walking ahead of them unlocked and opened the door to Aizen's cell. Tetsuya shivered and made a little sound of distress, moving closer to Renji as they entered.
"I'll need one of you to remain by me near the door," the guard said.
"Torio," Byakuya murmured, gazing steadily at Aizen.
"Hai."
"You okay?" Renji whispered to Tetsuya, "I know being here probably makes you remember what happened to you before Byakuya rescued you, right?"
"It does," Tetsuya acknowledged, shivering again as they reached Aizen's heavily bound form and the guard released the bindings on his torso, one brown eye and his mouth.
The three were taken aback as Aizen took in the sight of them and smiled.
"Ah, Kuchiki Byakuya, Abarai Renji and…is that Kuchiki Tetsuya?"
Byakuya's frown deepened.
"I was not aware that you knew Tetsuya," he commented quietly, glancing at his anxious cousin.
"Hmm," Aizen reflected, "perhaps that is because I was…not myself when I met him."
"Not yourself?" Byakuya responded, his tone darkening, "You mean to say that, at some time in the past, you have hypnotized my cousin? When?"
"Why, when he was an inmate in Itamigiri, of course."
Byakuya stiffened and Renji's arm tightened around Tetsuya protectively.
"How could you know about that place?" Byakuya demanded, "Itamigiri is not spoken of outside of the noble families."
"Likely because of the embarrassment it would cause for them to reveal the hypocrisy of allowing their own relatives to be illegally imprisoned for no greater sin than loving commoners," the traitor growled softly, "but…being the liberator of the inmates of Itamigiri, you know this, don't you, Byakuya? This is what led you to search for the prison—so that you could free the mixed bloods like Tetsuya, here."
"We are not here to discuss the past," Byakuya began, only to be interrupted by the sound of Renji's flash step as the redhead burst forward, his cinnamon eyes on fire as they glared into the traitor's.
"What the hell did you do to Tetsuya?" he hissed.
"What did I…?"
"Renji," Byakuya said sternly, "step back."
"I wanna know what he did to Tetsuya," the redhead growled, "We know this guy's some kinda fucked up psycho and if he knew where the prison was and he went there, but he didn't tell anyone what he knew, then that means he didn't give a damn that Tetsuya and the other children in that place were being experimented on."
Renji pressed forward as Byakuya reached out and took hold of one of the sleeves of his uniform, to pull him back.
"So, you fucking freak, what did you do to the prisoners like Tetsuya? Did you hurt them? Kill them? WHY THE HELL WERE YOU THERE AND WHY DIDN'T YOU DO SOMETHING?"
"Renji, I said to step back!" Byakuya snapped, tugging the redhead back as he spoke and stepping forward to address the still smiling prisoner, "But—you will answer my adjutant's question. Why were you present in Itamigiri and why did you not reveal where those prisoners were being held?"
Aizen's smile warmed unexpectedly and his eyes softened.
"Who says that I did not tell anyone? Who do you think made sure that the information reached you?" the traitor asked, "Torio, there, delivered the message himself, did he not?"
"Taicho!" Renji gasped, "Taicho, if what he's saying is true then he probably hypnotized Torio as well! We need to get out of here and do this later. I can go and get Ichigo."
"You don't need to get me," Ichigo's voice said from near the doorway, where the substitute stood along side Rukia and Kisuke, "I'm here."
Byakuya's head turned slightly.
"I was not aware that the Gotei 13 released information on prisoner interrogations and examinations to banished officers."
"Aw now, Byakuya-bo, you know I've been unbanished," Urahara chuckled, "and when Rukia confided in Ichigo about her worries regarding your visit to see our former colleague, I just wanted to reassure her. I have permission. Mayuri was kind enough to grant me a visitation pass."
"Kurotsuchi Mayuri had no business doing any such thing and he knows it. Or did you use nefarious means to convince him?"
"Byakuya, I heard Renji say that Aizen might've hypnotized both Tetsuya and your attendant, there. Kisuke may have used underhanded ways, but like me, he just wants to help. Let us help you make sure Aizen doesn't try any of his tricks."
"I suppose I should be flattered all of you still find me so capable," Aizen chuckled.
"Tetsuya, please begin the examination."
His cousin managed a stiff nod and moved closer, reaching out to lay his hands on the still partially bound prisoner, but Aizen's voice stopped him just short.
"Byakuya, you should tell Tetsuya to stop. He is a strong empath in addition to being a very highly talented healer, but as a former inmate of Itamigiri and a gentler soul, he will undoubtedly be traumatized by what he sees. I would rather he didn't look."
"Is that the truth?" Renji snarled, "Or were you just bullshitting everyone about what was going on in here? Stop messing with us!"
"Abarai, contain yourself," Byakuya snapped, rounding on Aizen, "And you, if you wish to be examined and have the validity of your abuse claim confirmed, then you will cease talking and allow my cousin to do his work!"
Aizen's brown eye locked on Byakuya's and his voice echoed warningly as he answered.
"I do not want to harm Tetsuya. I chose not to harm him in Itamigiri and I choose not to harm him now."
"Then show me!" the noble demanded, "My gifts are not as strong as Tetsuya's, but I will be able to ascertain the validity of what you've claimed."
"Byakuya-sama, no!" Tetsuya objected, "He is a violent criminal. He—"
"You heard me," Byakuya said sternly, glaring into Aizen's widened eye, "You show me that the claims you've made of physical and sexual abuse in this prison are true!"
Byakuya felt an odd shiver run down his spine as Aizen's voice softened.
"I also choose not to harm you with the sight," the traitor answered.
"Then, it seems we are finished here," Byakuya replied coldly, "if you will not cooperate."
"You wanna tell me?" Kisuke asked, stepping forward, "You know I'll tell them the truth and I don't figure you'd feel all that bad about letting me see."
Aizen regarded the shopkeeper silently for a moment, then nodded.
"Very well."
Kisuke moved forward, motioning for Tetsuya to follow.
"Tetsuya, don't touch him. Just do a visual examination while I do the rest."
"Hai," Tetsuya managed, sweat breaking out on his face as he extended his hands and began to move around the prisoner, taking careful stock of every marking on his body.
As he worked, he began to sweat more profusely and his hands shook. Kisuke too broke out in a cold sweat as he let his fingertips touch Aizen's chill skin and a flash of the prisoner's memories welled up in his mind. After several minutes, a pale faced Tetsuya drew back, his voice quivering as he spoke.
"The pattern of healing bruises and lacerations as well as the traces of reiatsu and…and semen on his torso," he managed, swallowing hard.
"His memories also confirm his claim," Kisuke added, surprising the others with the low burn of anger in his tone, "It was strangely kind of you not to allow Tetsuya to see. I'm not sure why you were feeling so magnanimous, but—thanks."
"Of course."
Aizen was silent as his visitors completed their work and prepared to leave, but as the guard reset his bindings, he used his reiatsu to speak again.
"Byakuya, may I have a word with you—alone?"
The noble paused, studying the prisoner for a moment, then he nodded and motioned for the others to leave.
"Are you sure, Byakuya-sama?" Tetsuya objected.
"Taicho, maybe that's not a good idea," Renji added anxiously.
"Torio, remain at the door," Byakuya said firmly, "With the bindings in place and me out of his reach, I am not in danger from him. Go."
He waited as the others left, then he turned back to Aizen.
"What did you want to say to me?" Byakuya.
The noble felt the strangest sense of alarm mingled with odd nostalgia as the other man answered.
"It is—good to see you again."