Chapter 22: Finding Us Again

Tetsuya stirred and looked up at the bedroom doorway, as the door to the room opened and Kisuke entered, looking frustrated and weary. He slipped out of his clothing and moved to the side of the bed, gazing into the younger man's sapphire eyes affectionately.

"I thought you'd be down for the count," he chuckled, "After having our Mikomi, and then having to leave her behind and come here. Then, hours of healing…"

"I am fine," Tetsuya assured him, "I admit I need rest, but I have been taking breaks where I can. I'm managing."

"I don't doubt that," Kisuke said, curving a warm palm around Tetsuya's soft cheek, then bending to kiss his warm lips, "You're something else, Urahara Tetsuya."

Tetsuya's comely face radiated an unrestrained joy as he pulled Kisuke down onto the bed and pressed up against him, initiating a bout of feisty, wet kisses.

"Damn! This…is just what I needed," the shopkeeper sighed, "Tetsuya, if I'd known how rejuvenating making love to you is, well, first, I'd never stop and second, I'd have tracked you down and made you mine a lot sooner. You really are an anomaly."

"And you," Tetsuya said, caressing Kisuke's smiling face, "are a truly gifted scientist, who can't resist a mystery."

Kisuke laughed.

"It'll take a lifetime to unravel all there is to you. I know that, and I'm glad we did this…even though, at the time, I was really just protecting you from your ridiculous family. You know, as unwise as they are, they really need you and Byakuya to steer them straight."

Tetsuya shook his head firmly.

"The Kuchiki family never needed me, and I am happy to leave their name behind, and to take yours. It is an honor to be loved by Soul Society's hero."

"Isn't that Ichigo's claim to fame?" Kisuke mused, kissing Tetsuya's smiling lips again.

"Other people might believe that he is the only one responsible for saving Soul Society, but I know you are the one who made his survival and growth possible. You continue to steadfastly support Ichigo, and the protection of Soul Society, so, you too, are Soul Society's hero. And you are definitely mine."

"Yeah, your wicked cousin was pretty pissed that I stole you away, wasn't he?"

"I don't think I've ever felt his reiatsu get so riled," Tetsuya sighed, "Orochi has always thought of me as his belonging. It started over a hundred years ago, in Itamigiri, and even now, he remains coiled and ready to take advantage of any opening. I'm afraid that even Mikomi's birth will not be enough to stamp out his desire to possess me."

Tetsuya paused, shivering slightly as he thought again of their decision to leave their daughter in the living world.

"You do think she's all right, don't you?" he asked, "I can't sense across this maze of shadows that conceals the quincy homeland from ours."

"Me either. But, don't you worry, Tetsuya. Tessai and the kids are pros at this kinda thing. Mikomi is safe with them. We'll be back home with her soon."

Tetsuya sighed sadly and lowered his eyes.

"I wonder how soon it can be. Byakuya-sama is still so very confused. He knows who he was, prior to the war now, but the rest is very slow to return."

"I know," Kisuke acknowledged, "but I promise that it's going to come back to him. We're doing all we can do, and I'm gonna make sure that it's enough."

"I believe you. I just…really miss her."

"Of course you do," Kisuke said, kissing Tetsuya comfortingly, "You've only just borne her, and you had to leave her again too soon. It's understandable that it would be hard for you."

"My cousin needs me right now," Tetsuya said solemnly, "and Mikomi is a strong child. She will be a proud member of the Urahara family."

Kisuke's smile warmed beautifully and he attacked Tetsuya's smiling mouth with more ardent kisses.

"Ah," Tetsuya objected, trying to pull away, "You are supposed to be resting, Kisuke. Even a brilliant man like you depends on being well rested to be at the top of his game."

"I'll rest too," Kisuke chuckled, but first, I am going to have a little bit of sweetness."

"This is not the time to be indulging in our love," Tetsuya said reprovingly, "There are lives that depend on us to…"

"Got it," Kisuke said, tackling Tetsuya and beginning to open his clothing, "But, you know? I've found that sex relaxes me in a way that is very conducive to my thought process…so it follows that if I want to be at my best while solving all of these problems that have popped up…"

"Oh, I am not falling for that!" Tetsuya laughed, trying to escape his husband's feisty lips.

"Heh, it looks to me like you already have!" Kisuke answered, sliding a searching hand up his husband's soft thigh and invading his entrance with hastily dampened fingers.

As much as Tetsuya was sure he should resist, the touch and caress of his husband's slicked digits, then their deep probing, swiftly brought him to near breathlessness. He moaned and writhed, raising his hips to deepen the stimulation. Kisuke's pale grey eyes gazed raptly down at him, enjoying thoroughly, his younger partner's surrender to the burning passion between them. He withdrew his fingers slowly, dragging a lurid groan from Tetsuya's parted lips, then he positioned himself and entered unhurriedly, offering his husband a flurry of wanton kisses as they began to move together.

Tetsuya turned suddenly, pushing Kisuke down, then he swiftly mounted the smiling shopkeeper, whose strong hips, thrust, bucked and swayed, offering them both unholy pleasures that brought them quickly to the brink. They plunged over together, moaning and panting each other's names and surrendering to a final bout of hard, biting kisses.

"Ah, god!" Kisuke sighed, wrapping his hands around Tetsuya's bare bottom, "That…is just what I needed to get me going. I'm going to have this worked out in no time, if we keep this up."

"Are you kidding me?" Tetsuya laughed, "I'm exhausted. Where do you get this energy?"

Kisuke grinned and tousled his misbehaving hair.

"You…inspire me," he panted happily, "I love you."

"I love you too."

XXXXXXXXXX

Byakuya rested quietly against soft pillows, cradling his son in his arms and smiling down at the baby's boy's face affectionately. Ichigo rested at their side, watching and grinning as the infant cooed contentedly, reaching out little fingers to brush against Byakuya's soft, pale cheek.

"Isn't he the most amazing thing you've ever seen?" Ichigo asked appreciatively, "His reiatsu is already really strong."

"He will be a force to be reckoned with," Byakuya agreed.

The Kuchiki leader sighed softly and tickled the baby's cheek, making the boy's head turn and eliciting an excited squeal.

"Powers or no powers," Byakuya went on, "I hope you know that you have gifted me with a treasure that I was beginning to be convinced I would never have. First, because I could not seem to find someone right for me, after losing my wife…then, because I was nearly undone by the quincy, As Nodt. Ichigo, in both cases, you did not fail me. You proved that my faith in you was well placed, and even though I knew that loving you would violate clan rules, that is the direction I was moving anyway. I know now that I made a terrible mistake in even thinking that I could deny what is so clearly meant to be."

"I agree. We do belong together. I know that causes a lot of trouble within our families, but there's gotta be a way to work this out. Especially, now that we have our baby boy, we need to give him a home and a family."

Byakuya nodded, but loosed a weary sigh.

"We may not be able to do that in the Seireitei," he offered, "and if that is the case, then I feel that the best choice for me is to remain with you here."

Ichigo looked at him questioningly and Byakuya gave him a measured look.

"Ichigo, I have already once lost my spouse," he reminded his curious partner, "Now offered the happiness of the family that Hisana and I once wanted, I have to consider what is safest and best for that family. If our child was a pure shinigami, the answers would be as difficult to reach, but our child is a hybrid, just as we are. His fate, if we were to return, is clouded. We would have to overcome, not only the charged against you, but also the prejudices against the part of us that is quincy. You, of course, would be accepted back and protected by your family, but my return could very well precipitate a battle between our clans."

"You really think that your clan is going to be that resistant?" Ichigo asked.

Byakuya let out a slow breath and closed his eyes, enjoying their baby's sweet scent as he breathed in again.

"You have to understand the degree of intolerance that I was holding down when I led the family."

"You are still the family leader, Byakuya," Ichigo insisted, frowning.

"Technically, yes," Byakuya agreed, "but in my absence, my cousin has gained power, and I think he will not relinquish that easily. And he will use the fact that I now bear a connection to the quincies and bear quincy power, to drive a wedge between the groups of subfamily leaders on the elders council. I cannot assume that the elders who supported me before will continue to do so. The future is dangerously murky, and I dare not put our baby's life at risk."

"So, you want to stay here?" Ichigo asked, "Is that what you're saying?"

Byakuya nodded.

"For now, it is the safest thing for our family."

"I guess you're right," Ichigo agreed, "but we'll keep on working to make it so we can go home, all right?"

Byakuya nodded.

"Yes."

Ichigo tickled their baby under the chin and kissed the top of his fuzzy head.

"In the meantime, we should name him, shouldn't we?"

"I agree. That would be best. Do you have any thoughts about that?"

"Well," Ichigo said, grinning, "he seems to have a mind of his own. He's pretty stubborn when I try to get him to go to sleep or I want to give him a bath."

"He has a mind of his own?" Byakuya mused, smiling faintly, "I wonder where that comes from."

"Oh, don't think you're going to blame that all on me," Ichigo laughed, "You know you and I agree on a lot of things, and even though you are less likely to break a rule than me, you are more than willing to turn a blind eye while a stupid rule gets broken. I'd say he gets his stubbornness and attitude from both of us. We need a name that expresses that."

"Do you think Kisho, perhaps?" Byakuya suggested, "It means one who…"

"Knows his own mind," Ichigo finished, "I was thinking about that. It suits him, doesn't it?"

"I believe it does."

"Kisho," Ichigo said, taking the baby's face in his hands and looking down into his son's golden brown eyes, "I like it. I think he does too. Look how happy he is."

"He is content because he feels the love surrounding him," Byakuya said quietly, Children sense love, even before they know its name."

"He sure seems to."

The two looked up as a tapping sounded on the door.

"Come in," Ichigo called out.

The door opened and Vogel entered, alongside Menz, who was holding Lucas in his arms.

"We came to see how Byakuya is doing," Vogel explained, "and I wanted to thank him for shielding Menz and our boy from the fighting."

"It was nothing," Byakuya said solemnly, "I was required, if not also compelled by my own conscience to protect the innocent from the dangerous levels of power that were being exchanged. A leader must always protect innocence."

"Well, considering our people are enemies," Vogel said, shaking his head.

"I am no longer simply a shinigami," Byakuya reminded him, "and even if my memory has not returned, I have certainly been made aware of the fact that you assisted me and even shielded me from Nacht's wickedness."

"Unfortunately, not all of his wickedness," Vogel replied regretfully.

"Had you openly defied him, I think none of us would have survived. I appreciate your assistance," Byakuya said insistently.

"Well, you're welcome, then," Vogel said, smiling and patting his son's head gently, "Seems like it's worked out okay for both of us."

"Are you going to be staying here at the palace, now that Nacht is gone?" Ichigo asked.

The two quincies exchanged momentary glances.

"I think we're decided that we want to get away from here and get a fresh start," Vogel answered, "We've been through a lot, and now, all we want to do is to find a quiet place to settle and raise our son. What about yourselves? Will you be going back to Soul Society now?"

Ichigo frowned and shook his head.

"We really can't, because it seems that Nacht did a damned good job of making me look like Byakuya's kidnapper. We're trying to find a way to prove my innocence, but until we do that, it's not safe for Byakuya, me or our boy to go home."

"I wish that there was something that we could do to help," Menz said regretfully, "You both have done so much for us by destroying that monster and helping us find each other again."

"Ichigo and I will be all right," Byakuya assured him, "For now, we are safest here, and we will make the best of our situation. I don't think we're unhappy. At least we are together now."

"That is a huge blessing," Menz said appreciatively.

"There's nothing like losing each other to show just how much is between us," Vogel observed, "though I never want to go through something like that again."

"Me either," Menz agreed, "It's disturbing what that man put all of us through."

"Well, he's gone," Ichigo said, stealing Kisho from Byakuya and standing, "There are pieces to pick up, but we'll get them sorted out. Everything will be all right now."

"I'm glad," Menz said, leaning against his partner's side, "I can't wait to put all of this behind me and start the new life we're going to have together."

"Menz and I hope that you are able to go home and have your new start too," Vogel said, squeezing Menz's hand, "Thank you for everything."

"You're welcome."

"Can we take your baby to the nursery for you?" Menz offered.

"Yeah, that would be great. Byakuya and I need to get some rest. There's a lot going on, what with the shinigamis trying to break in and everyone over there thinking I'm the enemy. I just hope we can get it sorted out soon."

"We hope so too," Vogel agreed, accepting Kisho from Ichigo's arms.

The two quincies took their leave and Ichigo settled on the bed beside Byakuya again, resting against his shoulder.

"How are you feeling now?" he asked.

"I feel much better," Byakuya assured him, "I am concerned that the shingamis may find a way to enter the shadows before I've fully regained my memory, and I worry about how my quincy abilities are going to be received by my clan, but there is no use thinking about those things now. And really, I think that the answer to finding all of myself again, is to explore my connection with you. If you have no objection, I would like to continue what we were doing before our attendants arrived with Kisho."

Ichigo grinned.

"You liked that, huh?" he chuckled, moving in closer and sliding an arm around his dark-haired mate, "Okay."

The two looked quietly into each other's eyes, then slowly kissed, once very chastely, then once more passionately.

"Your mouth is so soft," Ichigo breathed running his fingers through Byakuya's silken hair, "It tastes good."

"Mmm," Byakuya sighed, closing his eyes, "Ichigo."

They kissed again, and Ichigo's hands gently opened Byakuya's yukata, baring the lovely, muscular body beneath it. He traced the lines of his partner's slender body, smiling appreciatively, then he caressed a pale breast and teased Byakuya's pink nipples. Their kissing intensified and Ichigo moved so that he straddled his lover's body and their alert privates rubbed together provocatively.

"That feels so good," Ichigo sighed, "but maybe we should stop. I don't want you doing this for the wrong reasons. You should wait until you feel ready."

"I feel ready now," Byakuya assured him.

"You don't even remember us being together before."

"And I may not remember," Byakuya said, kissing him again, "But even if that part of the past is lost, we can always build on what we have right now. I feel connected to you. I want to be with you, Ichigo."

He colored slightly as he parted his thighs invitingly.

"Who am I to turn down an invitation like that?" Ichigo chuckled, sinking down between them and indulging in another exchange of harder kisses as his fingers slowly prepared Byakuya's body for their joining, "I can't resist you at all."

"You don't need to resist. I am ready to move forward if you are."

Ichigo stopped his words with more powerful kisses as he shifted his body and began a careful entry. When their bodies were fully connected, he laid on Byakuya's bared breast, breathing slowly and deeply.

"I love you."

"And I return that love without hesitation," Byakuya answered, looking up into his hazy eyes and sliding smooth hands down his back, then he wrapped them around his bottom and squeezed his buttocks encouragingly.

Ichigo moved his hips, smiling at the strong reaction in the lovely body beneath his. They fell into a steady rhythm of deep, penetrating thrusts, kissing and caressing each other. Their fingers laced together and Byakuya pushed his hips higher, groaning in bliss as his movement was answered with harder, faster thrusts.

"Ichigo!" he panted.

"I'm with you," Ichigo promised as their movements brought them to the edges of completion, "I'm always gonna be with you now. I promise. I swear it."

"Ichigo!" Byakuya gasped again, arching his back and groaning as his undulating body was overcome.

The two climaxed together, moaning rapturously. Then, they laid, kissing more gently and enjoying the pleasant hum of afterglow.

"When we're like this," Byakuya said softly, "I feel so connected with you. When we're like this, I feel myself beginning to remember."

"Good," Ichigo said, nuzzling his cheek, "Then, if it helps you remember, we'll just keep doing it until everything comes back. I've got plenty of stamina for that."

"Yes," Byakuya chuckled, "I am quite sure that you do."