Hidden Flower

By Spunky0ne

(A fanfic for Shima-taicho31, borrowing her OC Shima Kurushimi and perhaps a few of his family members! Pairings in this story are Byakuya/Renji, Kurushimi/Tetsuya and Ichigo/Grimmjow! There is yaoi and mpreg, so don't read if mpreg's not your thing. Check out Shima-taicho's new story Live and Love, which features Byakuya/Ichigo and Kurushimi/Tetsuya!)

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Chapter 1: Starting Over

"What a damned mess," sighed Shima Kurushimi, brushing several errant brown strands of his hair out of his striking turquoise eyes and surveying the tumbled buildings and scorched earth around him, "If that bastard, Juha Bach wasn't dead, I'd kill him all over again..."

He watched for a moment as his men fanned out to search the ruins for survivors.

What do they expect we'll find? The Sternritters killed almost everything in their path. It's lucky for the clans that we were shown the way to prepare ourselves. Too bad more of the clans didn't follow Kuchiki's lead. Our families and the Shiba clan are the only ones who weren't mostly decimated. There are almost too few pieces to pick up.

"Shima taichou!" called out a young male officer, "We have found some survivors. They are badly injured, sir."

He motioned to the small group of healers he had been protecting and watched as they flash stepped towards the officer. Kurushimi followed more slowly, keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings and measuring the reiatsu in the area carefully.

"They're from the Kuchiki family," he heard one of the men tell the others.

Kurushimi frowned and moved closer, looking down at the faces of the three and pausing as his eye struck one of them. He wasn't sure why...the young man's face was beautiful, but different from the face of his former love. So, why, he wondered, did looking at him cause that same ache inside him? What was it that reminded him so strongly of that pain that had followed him for so long? He turned away to let the healers work on the three, trying to focus again on their surroundings, but oddly unable to focus anymore.

"What are you doing?" he heard one of his men ask stridently, "You know the council has said that the priority is to save the purebloods first! Treat these two and if they are all right, then him."

Kurushimi's frown deepened as he looked back and realized which survivor was being left untreated.

"But sir!" one of the healers objected, "Tetsuya-san is most badly hurt! By rules of triage that our division follows..."

"You heard me!" the officer snapped, "The order of the Noble's General Council is fully supported by Central 46. That trumps your division's rules of triage. You will treat Kuchikis Torio and Koji first."

"But...!"

"Excuse me, Sato Hisoka," Kurushimi said in a low, angry tone, "Did I just hear you say that the order of the Noble's General Council to deny care to the mixed bloods was more important than this healer's own orders from his taichou?"

"Uh...um, sir, I was just..."

"You were just violating the orders of your own taichou to find and treat all survivors of the quincies' rampage," the third division taichou said icily, "And you may want to consider in addition that the person you are about to allow to die is the one whose evacuation instructions are the reason that our clans weren't completely destroyed! Kuchiki Tetsuya was the one who formulated the plans and method for the concealment of our women and children. Obviously, he and these attendants were defending their family when they fell! Now, you will stand down and allow the healers to treat them in the order and manner they decide is best!"

Not waiting for an answer, Kurushimi flash stepped to Tetsuya's side and knelt over him. He examined the young man briefly and made a sound of discontent at what he sensed.

"You must help him quickly now!" he ordered the nearest healer, "His reiatsu is abysmally low and is declining rapidly."

As the healer began the infusion, Kurushimi leaned over Tetsuya and patted his face gently to try to wake him. Tetsuya's lips parted and several unintelligible words escaped him. The third division taichou leaned closer and squeezed the injured man's hand encouragingly. Tetsuya's eyes opened and Kurushimi froze for a moment, falling heedlessly into the twin pools of deep sapphire.

"D-don't let them r-reach the ch-children!" Tetsuya whispered, "Th-there by the trees. We...we hid them!"

"Children?" Kurushimi repeated, "What were children doing out here during the offensive?"

"W-we were betrayed!" Tetsuya managed shakily, "The elders led the men against the attackers and we were helping the...the women and children of the clan to escape."

"Nobu," the taichou said quietly, summoning his third seat to him, "Go and take two healers to see to the children in those trees. Make sure none were harmed."

"Yes, sir!"

Kurushimi turned his attention back to Tetsuya, who was panting uncomfortably and beginning to lose consciousness again.

"Hey, don't think you're going to fade away now, youngster," he chided Tetsuya.

He removed a small flask he carried that still contained a measure of warm, fine green tea. He opened the flask and held it to Tetsuya's lips, lifting his head slightly. Tetsuya moaned softly as he managed a small amount, but then he paused, coughing.

"Easy there," Kurushimi chuckled, "It's only a bit of sake added to keep you warm."

"I don't drink alcohol," Tetsuya whispered, his blue eyes blinking slowly, "J-just a sip undoes me."

"Is that so?" the taichou asked, looking amused, "Well then, as the one who set you drunk, I will be sure to protect your honor, ne?"

He brought the flask to Tetsuya's surprised lips again.

"B-but...!" the blue-eyed noble objected.

"Shh, you really don't want to feel what those bastards did to your lovely body, friend."

"D-do we know each other?" Tetsuya asked, looking confused.

"Sadly, I have never actually seen your face," Kurushimi admitted, "But I have heard of the very capable Kuchiki Tetsuya, who guards Kuchiki Byakuya and is head of security at Kuchiki Manor."

"And y-you are?"

"Shima Kurushimi," the taichou announced, smiling charmingly, "I am pleased to meet you, Tetsuya."

Tetsuya blushed instantly at the more intimate use of his name.

"Thank you, Shima-sama," he said gratefully, "I apologize for not recognizing you."

"Well, you did get beaten senseless protecting those children, didn't you? I think that sin is forgivable after all."

His handsome turquoise eyes twinkled and he continued to smile in a way that made Tetsuya blush all over.

"Again, I thank you, Shima-sama."

"Please," the elder man insisted, smiling warmly, "Call me Kurushimi."

But he received no answer as Tetsuya's pretty blue eyes glazed over, then closed.

"Hmmm, you weren't kidding when you said you can't handle alcohol, ne? Ah well, luckily for you, I am a man of my word. Your honor is safe with me, Tetsu-hana!"

He rose and looked around again, turning Tetsuya over to the returning healers.

"Damn..." he muttered, "Sometimes it's a pain to be honorable."

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"I'm sure he's going to be all right," Renji said bracingly, following on Byakuya's heels as the Kuchiki heir set a grueling pace over and around the broken remains of the Seireitei's buildings, "They did say the healers had reached him and they found the group of children Tetsuya and the others were guarding, unharmed."

"I am aware," Byakuya said shortly, "but I heard it in the messenger's voice. Tetsuya has sustained serious injuries."

"Then, we'll make sure he is healed," Renji insisted, "I can go back and wait for Orihime to..."

"Orihime is in no condition to be healing anyone. As much as she is a courageous girl, she was injured, herself. I can heal Tetsuya, but we must first reach him."

Renji sighed in resignation and remained close at his taichou's side, loathe to leave Byakuya for a moment after all they had endured.

I'm not going to forget that As Nodt trashed him, partly because at that time, I wasn't strong enough to protect him. It was my job as his fukutaichou to take care of him. I didn't do that, and my taichou nearly died.

Never again.

I know Taichou's gotten stronger too, but that doesn't mean that he won't need my strength at some point. I'm going to make sure that strength's there for him, whenever he needs it.

"I feel his reiatsu," Byakuya said worriedly, "It is weak, but it is in this direction."

"Right, Taichou. I'm with you."

Byakuya focused sternly on the battered land ahead of him.

He is in the presence of Torio and Koji, but if Tetsuya is down, then they may be badly hurt as well. And...to make matters worse, there was the order issued by the Noble's General Council and Central 46 for the protection of the surviving purebloods. As though the situation wasn't bad enough, he may not receive priority for care, because of his mixed blood.

Byakuya was brought out of his thoughts as Renji's voice sounding, the words mirroring his own reflections.

"Taichou, can you tell me something?"

"Hmmm?"

"Was that for real? What they sent in those hell butterflies from Central 46?"

Byakuya sighed unhappily.

"It was real," he confirmed.

"Man," Renji mused, his red-brown eyes flaring softly, "Like us peasants didn't already feel like we were pretty much nothing. I mean, I get the clans are important, but..."

"The war has taken a heavy toll on the clans," Byakuya acknowledged, "Much of the leadership was lost in the clans that did not adhere to Tetsuya's suggestions for preparation. And as a result, many clans stand on the verge of extinction."

"And now that they're desperate, they don't mind walking all over the guy who tried to help them, and who was responsible for saving thousands of lives," Renji said in a disgusted tone, "I don't mind them taking a piss on me. I'm used to that. But Tetsuya's the reason a lot of those old farts and their women and children are still alive."

"Do not forget too that Tetsuya left the safety of the encampment to defend those who would not even listen to him beforehand."

"They were idiots," Renji huffed unhappily, "and now a lot of them are dead idiots. Sadly, the ones who are alive are just continuing the insanity."

"That is why you and I are here," Byakuya concluded, "Tetsuya was here for us. Now, we will be there for him."

The two slowed as they spotted a group of men, women and children ahead of them, and Byakuya's face lit up.

"Those are relatives from our family!" he exclaimed, "Those children are the ones he was protecting."

They flash stepped to where women and children were being loaded onto a wheeled transport, but several Gotei officers stood in the way of a man carrying Byakuya's unconscious cousin.

"I told you to get out of my way or I will knock you out of it!" a male voice shouted.

"I am sorry, sir!" one of the officers said, still blocking his way, "It's Central 46 orders to get all purebloods to safety first, then tend to the others."

"You get out of my way, you bastard!"

"Shima taichou," Byakuya said sternly, making the officers present snap to attention.

"Ah, Kuchiki-sama," said the officer who had been objecting, "We were just explaining to Shima taichou the order from Central 46 that all pureblood..."

"I am the head of the highest ranking household and I am telling you to ignore that order."

"S-sir?"

"You are aware that my cousin is responsible for most of the people you see here still being alive, are you not?"

"I understand that, sir. And I don't agree with the order either, but..."

"You will disregard that order and bring my cousin with the women and children he rescued," Byakuya said coldly, raising his reiatsu until the other officers were cringing.

"Y-yes sir," the officer stammered.

Byakuya, Renji and the man carrying Tetsuya moved forward unimpeded and joined the others aboard the transport. Kurushimi laid Tetsuya down on the wooden surface, removing his haori and placing it under the young man's head as a makeshift pillow.

"Thank you for looking after my cousin," Byakuya said quietly, his tone cordial, but stopping short of wholly welcoming.

"Well, Tetsu-hana was responsible for protecting many members of both our clans, Byakurai."

Byakuya flinched at the casual use of odd nicknames the man so favored, but knowing the futility of the effort, did nothing to stop him.

"In any case, you did a service to me and to my clan by seeing that he was rescued and treated. I am grateful."

"Oh, no problem," Kurushimi said, smiling roguishly, "though I did set the poor boy drunk unintentionally. Sorry."

"What?" Byakuya asked, frowning, "You...?"

"When I arrived, your cousin woke and was in a sorry state. He was in a bit of pain and I was the only one available to heal him. He seemed to be in significant discomfort and we were short on anything to dull it."

"And you just happened to have some...?"

"Sake," Kurushimi provided, "I was carrying some warmed green tea with sake, for medicinal purposes, of course."

"Of course," Byakuya repeated dryly, "And you probably neglected to warn Tetsuya of the content of your flask, ne?"

"Sadly, yes, it slipped my mind. I was rather worried for him."

"Worried over a young man you just met?" Byakuya inquired archly.

"He is a very lovely young man, Byakurai."

Byakuya winced and glared.

"As I said, I am grateful for your assistance, but I will take over Tetsuya's care from now on. I will have him returned home to the manor."

"Oh, I don't think so," Kurushimi said, clearing his throat softly.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I was in the area and happened to see that Kuchiki Manor was nearly leveled."

"My home was...?"

"Mostly destroyed, like the rest of the Seireitei," the Shima leader confirmed, "but luckily, a good portion of my home is still standing."

"Tetsuya can go to the fourth division," Byakuya said curtly, "That is where they are taking the women and children."

"And if he goes there, you know that he will receive the same lack of treatment he was being given out in the field. He won't get that in my home."

Byakuya let out a frustrated breath.

The Shimas are so much like their cousins, the damned Shibas. They might as well have the same name...

"Byakurai, you, Ruru-nii and Renren-nii are also welcome to stay in my home until yours is in better order...so that you can also watch over Tetsu-hana."

"Thank you for the offer, but..."

"If you were going to suggest you would stay at your division, you should know it..."

"...was damaged?" Byakuya inquired.

"More like decimated," Kurushimi chuckled, "But don't worry. As I said, I have most of a house and we have plenty of food, medical supplies and good sake to go around. I am sure you will be comfortable, and it will be the best place for our Tetsu-hana to make a recovery, ne?"

"Yes, well...it seems to be the only option for us," Byakuya sighed, "Thank you for your hospitality."

Kurushimi smiled charmingly, glancing at Tetsuya's lovely sleeping face out of the corner of an eye.

"The pleasure is mine, Byakurai!" he said, making Byakuya wince and scowl again.