A/N: Dammit..I can tell this story is gonna distract me from my GrimmIchi. Ugh..yet another story I won't finish. Damn you fanfiction! Anyways, I'm tired, so I'm gonna start this before I fall asleep.
Disclaimer: Once again, I own nothing.
Chapter Two— Buried Alive
When Byakuya woke in the middle of the night, he was not surprised to hear Renji's ragged coughing and frequent sneezing. He let out a sigh and was slightly taken aback when his breath became visible. Apparently it had gotten much colder during his state of unconsciousness, and he briefly wondered how ill Renji had become. From the sound of his wheezing coughs, it wasn't good. He stood from his bed, and walked back into the lieutenants room, trying the lights on the way. Just their luck, the power was still out. Renji sneezed rapidly, and Byakuya could hear him cuss.
"God dammit! Achoo! Son of a- achoo! Mother- ACHOO! AHHH!" He yelled, and then coughed again. Byakuya winced at how painful it sounded.
"Abarai? Is everything alright?" Byakuya asked, stepping in to the dimly lit room. He considered blowing the candles out, but decided not to. Renji was still shaking violently, and when Byakuya knelt down to feel his forehead, his eyes widened. Renji was on fire, and apparently didn't get much sleep.
"Did I wake you? I'm sorry, Captain. I'm fine though," Renji tried to smile, but ended up sneezing and sighing angrily.
"No, you're not fine. I will see if there's any medicine," The noble said, heading into the office. His desk had nothing helpful, and neither did the kitchen. He decided to make tea, and used kido to warm the water. If he could control hado and make it into a small flame, he could boil the liquid. After finding a tea bag, he returned to his lieutenant, who was putting his hair back up.
"Tea? How did you..?" Renji asked confusedly.
"Hado," Byakuya answered simply. Renji nodded in understanding, and gratefully took the cup.
"Ahh..so warm.." Renji sighed in pure bliss. Byakuya almost smiled again.
"Speaking of warm, you have a high fever. I believe a bath would help soothe you," Byakuya said.
"A bath in the dark?" Renji asked, raising an eyebrow.
"We have candles, Abarai," Byakuya replied flatly, and Renji deadpanned.
"Oh yeah..well then, I'll go do that," Renji moved to stand, and let loose another ragged cough. Byakuya gently pushed him back on the bed.
"I will prepare it for you," He says, leaving little room for argument. Renji lay stunned and watch as his Captain went into the small bathroom in the hallway.
'I think the cold weather is effecting the Captain's brain. He's being so nice. Not that it's a bad thing, it's just strange. Is it because I'm sick? Maybe he feels bad for making me go out in the snow? It was my fault for coming back. I don't regret it, though. It's nice spending time with him like this, even if he is going out of his way to help me. I owe him,' Renji thought quietly. Moments later, Byakuya came back in and transported the candles to the bathroom, and then helped Renji out of bed.
"Captain, how come you're being so nice?" Renji asked, feeling his curiosity explode. Byakuya seemed thoughtful for a moment.
"Are you insinuating I'm not usually nice?" He finally says, and Renji immediately starts sputtering words out.
"N-no! Of course not, Captain! It's just..you don't have to do all of this for me if you don't want to,"
"If I didn't want to, I wouldn't waste my time. You know I hate doing that," Byakuya said, and Renji laughed.
"You sure do. Well, I'm sure I can take it from here. Thank you, Captain," Renji bowed, and Byakuya nodded in dismissal before shutting the door behind him.
'I'm getting that strange feeling again. Why does his presence bother me so? The very thought of him being naked behind this door is flustering. If I were to open it..what am I thinking? Renji is my lieutenant! I am not attracted to him, let alone males. Hisana is my only love. What would she think of me now, if she knew my thoughts? Hisana..she wanted me to be happy. But what about now? If I moved on, would she despise me? Or..does she still want me to be happy? Oh..I have a strong feeling..that she wants me to be happy. But with Renji? A male, and my lieutenant? Impossible..' Byakuya mentally debated, until a terrible coughing fit broke him out of it, followed by strings of curses.
'He is confused as to why I'm being so nice. I'll admit, it confuses me as well. Renji does not get sick, I suppose seeing him like this reminds me of Hisana, even though he only has a cold. When she was ill, I did whatever I could to help. Also, it is my own fault that he feels under the weather. I should have waited for the snow to stop before sending him to the tenth. It is my responsibility to help him.' With a nod, Byakuya returned to his room. He opened the curtains, and felt his jaw drop. There was snow. Only snow. It must have piled up so much that it covers the building now. The white substance was compacted against the window, and a thought came to the nobles mind.
'When so much snow is pressed against glass, doesn't it usually crack and break in? I cannot tell how thick it is outside..but..' He trailed off as the window suddenly made a clicking noise, and a giant crack split across. Byakuya felt his eye twitch.
'I really have bad luck, don't I?' He sighed, and decided to leave his room, closing the door. Not a minute later, he heard the glass break and snow pile in.
'Strange things keep happening today. There is no point in sleeping in there, unless I want to freeze. That means..oh no..that leaves Abarai's bed..This will not do. Why does it seem that the world is trying to push us together? Is it a sign? Hisana, are you trying to tell me something from beyond the grave? I cannot think of a reason for this..it isn't just a coincidence'
"Captain? What was that sound?" Renji asked, carrying the candles back from the bathroom. Byakuya turned, and felt his throat go dry. Renji was in nothing but a towel, tied around his waist, long hair flowing. The noble forgot how to speak for a moment.
"The..window broke. During the night, the snow piled up so high, it would appear we are buried. Unfortunately, I cannot sleep in my quarters tonight,"
"Seriously? That's not good. Couldn't you use hado or something to melt it?" The red head asked, slipping his kimono back on.
"I would, if it wasn't for the rest of the snow outside. Even if I melted it, the rest would keep coming in,"
"Oh yeah..well, no problem. You can sleep with me. My beds big enough," Renji shrugged, completely oblivious to Byakuya's reaction to his words.
"I suppose..there is no other choice.."
A/N: Short chapter, I know. Hopefully this explains why Bya is being so nice. When I started writing this, I didn't even think about it. I just wanted to write a fluffy ByaRen. But a reason for it might be a good idea, so there you go. I'll probably elaborate on it later. Anyways, review maybe? Yeah?
