The Demon Who Ate My Heart

By Spunky0ne

(I was inspired by Kenpachi Zaraki's bankai reveal to write this piece, so spoilers are ahead if you haven't read the latest chapters. Bankai form Zaraki finds an unconscious beauty in the aftermath of his victory over Gerard, but he will need some time and someone special to calm him down so he will return to shinigami form. Cornered and alone with his demon-form comrade, Byakuya works to calm Zaraki, and in the meantime ends up being the subject of his possessed colleague's explorations. And that is just the beginning of the story! Yaoi, coarse language, mpreg. This is a Kenpachi/Byakuya fic with sides of Kurushimi/Tetsuya (thanks to Shima-taicho31 for letting me use Kuri!), Urahara/Ichigo and Bazz-B/Renji.)

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Chapter 1: Predator and Prey

The red beast laid under several feet of tumbled debris, steam curling out of his nostrils and making small plumes in the midst of the wreckage. Spatters of falling rain disturbed the perfect shapes and plinked against the tangled bits of metal and stone, some of them falling down deeper to strike the sleeping beast's red face and throat. The beast snorted and grunted, one golden eye opening and glaring up at the falling droplets, making several turn to mist almost instantly. He hissed at the weight of the rocks on top of him, and when he got angry enough, he blasted them out of his way and crawled out onto the mess. A feral snarl escaped it as he was pelted with more rain, and he looked around through his narrowed eyes to try to find some kind of cover. He spotted a cave in a nearby cliff and stumbled towards it, only pausing when he heard a soft moan of distress.

His head turned and he sniffed the air, pausing as the soothing scent of flowers reached him. He was still too much in the thrall of his bloodlust to completely calm, but he managed to forget his hatred of the rain to move closer, following the scent to the collapsed and half-buried person who seemed to be its source.

The fallen man was unnaturally pale and what blood had been on his skin had been washed away by the rain, leaving it damp and tinged with blue from the cold. Soaked strands of raven colored hair streamed onto his cheeks and laid plastered there while the man's grey eyes blinked dazedly and tried to focus. Zaraki hissed and the man stiffened in reaction. The beast crawled closer, honing in on the man's sweetness and whining in mingled arousal and annoyance. He paused to reach up with one clawed hand to scratch at the mane of black hair that tumbled down his red-skinned back. Seeming to sense that the fallen man was weak and not likely to fight him, the beast started to turn away, then stopped again as the fallen man's deep, compelling voice sounded.

"W-wait! K-kenpachi, d-don't…"

He panted and coughed, then laid his face against the broken and water-soaked stone, resigning himself to his probable fate.

Kenpachi is no better than a primal animal now. The only thing a beast like that would do for me is to tear my throat out to spare me…or maybe to eat me. I am better off lying here and slowly bleeding to death. At least the cold has made me numb so I will not feel anything.

He made his shaking body relax forcefully, breathing slowly and listening to the pitter-pat of the falling raindrops. He lost track of where the demonized Kenpachi was and nearly bolted out of his skin when a red face came suddenly close to his, sniffing and growling. Byakuya tried to focus on the beast's golden eyes and toothy grimace, but his vision flickered ominously and his mind faded in and out. He was sure he was delirious when he felt something move him and managed not to scream in agony, but only to groan weakly in protest. Whatever was holding him snarled viciously and Byakuya instinctively went still and let himself be carried, although he was more tossed about, dropped and half-dragged. He was sure it would have hurt much more had he been able to actually feel the impact on his body. As it was, he managed to hold back any sound as the beast dragged him off, away from the battlefield, and into the newly constructed lands of the soul king. The beast reached the cave he had spied before and carried Byakuya into it, then dropped him carelessly in the back, before crawling away again.

"Bastard!" Byakuya gasped, trying and failing to move.

Is he just going to watch me bleed to death?

Mercifully, unconsciousness stole him away again, and he fell into a deeper, more carefree oblivion. Flashes of memories passed through his mind, but rather than feeling lifelike, he saw them through a filter that stole their color and much of the sound. It was like watching old film.

I have heard that dying men often see their lives flash before their eyes, but this is so distant and it moves so slowly. Is that because I am dying slowly?

He thought he might have heard some sound that wasn't connected to the picture, and he tried to open his eyes, but all that was left to him was breathing slowly and feeling his steady heartbeats. He drifted in and out of consciousness, sometimes feeling the demon's burning reiatsu near him and sometimes aware that the beast was farther away and hunting. Sometimes, he thought he felt claw-tipped hands and strong reiatsu touch him directly, but his hazy mind wasn't sure of the reality of the exchange. For what may have been days, he teetered on the edge between life and death, with that red beast coming and going, prodding him occasionally to see that he was still alive and nudging him until he made a sound of protest. Byakuya bore it all quietly.

Because there is nothing else I can do. My fate is in this creature's hands and it seems that even though he is a bloodthirsty demon, he has an odd interest in me. Is that insanely lucky or just insane?

Byakuya felt something damp and cold touch his lip, and he scented fish.

He…it…is trying to make me eat?

The smell was barely above putrid and the thought of it having hung from demon-form Kenpachi's clenched white teeth was extremely off-putting, but Byakuya's stomach growled noisily and he quickly surmised that if he wanted to survive, he would have to lower himself to eat whatever the beast offered him.

I eat sushi. I can eat this.

He tried moving his mouth and was relieved to find that he could. Kenpachi growled impatiently as he worked slowly at the bit, and then was offered another. He managed just a few pieces, then turned his head away, only to have it forced to turn back and to suffer having three more pieces shoved into his mouth. He choked them down, then started to fall asleep, only to feel something drip onto his cheek. His dry mouth opened instinctively.

Water?

I don't think I want to know where it is coming from.

He risked a glance and was gifted with the somewhat terrifying sight of the red-skinned and beastly Kenpachi Zaraki, crouched on hands and knees, letting water droplets fall from his open mouth into Byakuya's.

Lovely.

I would vomit, but I really do need the fluids if I want to survive. I am fortunate that Kenpachi, however demonic and primal he is in this form, has for some reason, made my survival a priority.

Although I hesitate to ask why.

He finished the offering of water, then he closed his eyes and started to lick his lips dry, but found his tongue made contact with something soft and slightly salty and smoky. Byakuya's eyes opened and found Kenpachi's red face close to his, and the demon's eyes fixed on him with a curious, measuring look in them. For a moment, neither moved. Then, Zaraki's long, snakelike tongue slipped out of his mouth and traveled slowly up the side of Byakuya's lovely, and instantly glaring, face.

"Do not touch me, you foul smelling animal!" he scolded his comrade, earning a vicious hiss and a dangerous flaring of the demon-form's reiatsu that nearly set Byakuya's silken black hair on fire.

Kenpachi swatted at him, catching his injured comrade easily and knocking him to the cave floor.

"Bastard!" Byakuya snapped shakily, raising himself onto quivering hands and knees and staring as the red beast closed in on him again.

He watched in silent horror as the beast's golden eyes glared and his red lips and white teeth snarled warningly. Kenpachi stalked closer, pausing in front of him and keeping their eyes locked for several long seconds. Then, his long tongue flicked out of his mouth and ran up the noble's soft cheek, finishing by tickling his earlobe with some amount of what seemed like affection.

This time, Byakuya was wise enough to just accept the dubious honor.

I have no choice but to placate him until either someone comes close enough that I can summon them here or I get well enough to leave on my own.

He gave a sigh of relief as Kenpachi huffed out a fishy breath and relaxed enough to sit, crouched on his haunches. He glanced more dismissively at Byakuya, then reached down to scratch his nether region.

I don't want to think about seeing that thing aroused!

Instead, Byakuya busied his mind with plans for what he would do at the first sign of possible rescue and made backup plans in case no one ever took the time to look into the cliffs and little valley Kenpachi had carried him into.

I have to hope he calms and recovers his shinigami form soon. He is very unpredictable and even more nauseating in this form than in his usual one. What a disturbed and unlikable bankai…but then, Kenpachi Zaraki is a very disturbed and unlikable barbarian. We couldn't have secured victory without him, but really…

Byakuya made a soft sound of surprise and Kenpachi appeared suddenly, much closer to him, and shoved him to the cave floor.

"Stop it, you smelly troll!" the noble hissed furiously, making a more guttural sound of dismay as Kenpachi's arm curled around his waist and the monstrous demon's body pressed up against his back.

I don't believe this!

"Let me up, you ridiculous…"

His words were stopped by a red hand that clapped over his mouth. Then, Byakuya was shocked soundly again as Kenpachi's voice spoke into his reeling mind.

Shut up and sleep.

"So, you can communicate now?" Byakuya asked, "That is good. Kenpachi, we have to go to the palace. You have to take me to…"

Byakuya stiffened as Kenpachi's mouth opened wide, expelling a violent roar that riled the noble's hair, shook the cave hard enough to rattle loose a small hail of little pebbles, and left several dribbles of spit on Byakuya's lovely, petrified face. Kenpachi's big hand swatted him down again and the beast's body pressed up against his back as a clawed hand held him in place possessively.

Shut up and sleep.

Byakuya scowled, but didn't dare move.

A four word vocabulary.

It figures.

Byakuya's body relaxed in stages, gradually adjusting to the odd feeling of being held as he drifted towards sleep.

I used to sleep with Hisana in my arms, he remembered, and it was pleasant to feel close to her that way. It's different being the one held.

He groaned inwardly as Kenpachi snorted and grunted in his sleep, then began to snore loudly in Byakuya's ear.

Hisana never made horrid sounds like that when she slept. She was quiet as a mouse.

He cast a withering glance over his shoulder at the sleeping beast.

I liked her better.

At least I could fall asleep next to her.

Kenpachi snorted again and snarled in his sleep, then twitched and whimpered before falling silent.

Oh, thank kami. I am very tired.

Byakuya had barely closed his eyes when Kenpachi began to snore again.

I have to get out of here…

He was sure he would never get used to the roar in his ears, the confining feeling of being held against his will, or the not so irrational fear Kenpachi would stiffen in his sleep and accidentally gut him with the clawed hand that was curled around his waist. But eventually, weariness and the need for rest overcame him, and he managed to fall into a discomfited sleep. He suffered horrid dreams for the rest of the night and woke with nagging aches all over his abused body, but he was pleased to find that Kenpachi had gotten up before him and apparently gone to hunt. Buoyed by the moment of opportunity, Byakuya scrambled out of the cave and hurried down the rough trail that led to the forest floor of the little valley.

He had barely touched down on the valley floor, when something huge and foul smelling crashed into him and knocked him down onto his back.

"Kenpachi, you…!"

Numbing terror stopped Byakuya's words as he stared up into the black, leathery face of an actual spirit demon.

I've read about the demons of the spirit realm. They are horrid things that used to be transcendent beings, but then lost their senses, due to inability to control their own power. When found, they are humanely locked away in pocket dimensions, where they can't harm people. Their scratch is deadly, and the incursion of their blood or reiatsu into a person's body will slowly turn that person into one of them!

Byakuya stared woodenly into the deadly creature's hateful eyes, waiting for the inevitable, violent end to his life.

One moment, he was looking up into the demon's wicked gaze, then in the next the thing was torn away from him, slashed in two and the pieces sent flying through the trees. Byakuya rolled onto his stomach, his heart pounding painfully in his chest and his body shaking uncontrollably. He felt Kenpachi's presence and a shaft of relief passed through him. A moment later, he was lifted and tossed carelessly over a broad shoulder, then the red beast carried him back up the cliff trail and deposited him roughly at the back of the cave. Byakuya collapsed onto his stomach again, working to slow his quickened breaths and reeling at just how close he had come to dying.

He felt Kenpachi's golden eyes watching him closely, then suffered a shudder inside as the red beast pressed up against his back, curling an arm around him.

"I d-do not think I can sleep," Byakuya managed, trying to pull free and sit up.

Kenpachi held him down firmly, sending another wave of shock through the noble's body by pulling Byakuya's hair back to expose the back of his neck. Hot breath on the area made Byakuya's insides quiver strangely, then he felt Kenpachi's teeth take hold and the world around him went decidedly hazy. He knew he should put up some kind of fight, or at least resist as his demonized comrade's body pressed closer, and something large and fiercely hot touched the small of his back. Kenpachi made a giddy and somewhat delirious sounding noise and shifted restlessly, bringing himself into position and slowly entering the spellbound noble from behind. Byakuya's stunned mind couldn't register that he was an anal virgin being taken for the first time, that the one penetrating him was a demon, or that he would rather have fallen on his own sword than let Kenpachi Zaraki touch him sexually. All that registered was melting heat that scorched him inside, slight pain at the back of his neck that made him hold perfectly still, and the soft, purring rumble that Kenpachi's demon form made in his ear as his comrade's hips began to move. Inexplicably, Byakuya moved with him, the two falling into a steady rhythm, Kenpachi continuing that deep, purring sound in his chest and Byakuya moaning and panting in a way that should have made him cringe.

The surreal exchange grew gradually in intensity, Kenpachi's powerful hips grinding harder and Byakuya's pushing back scandalously to increase the sinfully enjoyable friction between them. Finally, Kenpachi groaned and quivered, sending liquid fire into Byakuya's surrendered body in a seething wave that threatened to incinerate him. But the noble had proven his durability in battle, and did himself no less proudly in bearing Kenpachi Zaraki's uncontrolled release. A howl of mingled passion and pain did escape him, but Byakuya was too swept up in his own violent release to chide himself. The two men collapsed completely onto the cave floor and fell into a deathlike state that lasted for several hours before they simply fell asleep together.

Byakuya woke with a start, sometime later, to find Kenpachi was gone again, and that he couldn't remember exactly what had happened after the other demon had cornered him.

Kenpachi must have rescued me.

He did have a vague impression of seeing the demon split in half and flying through the air.

But how did I get back here? Did he carry me? I do not remember a thing!

He crawled to the front of the cave, then froze and stared as his eyes found Kenpachi, looking not red all over, but his normal color, and wearing his shredded shihakushou.

Well, barely wearing it.

Kenpachi crouched beside a roaring fire, cooking several fish he had skewered in a stick. He looked up and spotted Byakuya, and his scarred face broke into a wide grin.

"Well, it's about damned time you woke up," he chuckled, "You get some good beauty rest, princess?"

Byakuya stiffened and his lips curled reflexively.

"Do not dare to call me that, you foul beast!" the noble said scathingly.

"Be nice or I won't share," Kenpachi said, smirking.

Byakuya bristled, but he sensed he was still too weak to forage and cook, so he stumbled to the fire and sat down near his recovered comrade, promising himself that he would kill Kenpachi before ever letting the man take bankai form again.

We may have needed that power to fight Ywach and his elites, but Ywach is dead and there is no more need for that monster to show itself.

"What's wrong, Byakushi?" a girl's voice asked.

Byakuya watched with curious eyes as the pink-haired girl scampered up to the fire and grabbed one of the cooking fish. She swallowed it whole and burped, then giggled and scampered away as Kenpachi swatted at her.

"Wait until they're done!" he yelled at her.

Interesting, Byakuya observed, then, I wasn't imagining things during that battle. Yachiru isn't really a shinigami at all.

She is…part of Kenpachi's power.