Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or anything related or from it. All copyrights belong to Noriaki 'Tite' Kubo. I only own the plot.
Pairings: ByaRen
Warnings: Cursing. Yaoi. Attempted rape.
Summary: When Renji is struck with a kido spell, he must make the decision between pain or pleasure. Byakuya offers him guidance while searching for the one responsible. Byakuya also must deal with his feelings regarding his fuku-taicho and struggles to control his actions while handling the situation.
A.N. I actually had this chapter written up for a while, but I wanted to edit it first. I probably didn't catch all the mistakes again, so my apologies; especially for that first chapter which I re-upload with corrections. Thank you for all the reviews. I noticed some of you had questions that may or may not be answered in this chapter and for the rest of the answers, it shall be revealed all in good time. And, thanks for reading.
A.N. August 28, 2011; Re-upload chapter with corrections.
A.N. Thanks to beta-reader Kahewei who caught and corrected my mistakes.
The Kido: Pain or Pleasure?
Chapter Two: The Rescue
It was a cool night, and unseated shinigami, Rikichi, was walking back to his room after a long chat with his friend, Hanataro Yamada, who resided in the Fourth division barracks. It was late, and he honestly hadn't planned to stay long. It was nearing two in the morning, and all was quiet. It was strange there wasn't more people out, Rikichi noted absentmindedly. He sometimes wondered if he would ever reach the level of Abarai Renji. Renji was just so cool, and his intense friendship with the substitute shinigami, Kurosaki Ichigo, was something he also desired. Passing by the Sixth division headquarters, he noticed the light was still on.
Kuchiki-taicho must still be working, thought Rikichi. Another man I wish to be like. Powerful, and strong with a very commanding presence. But, he's not like Renji. Renji's nice. With an awesome personality. Yep, Renji's much better than Kuchiki-taicho. Oops, I better not let Kuchiki-taicho hear that.
His journey to his room was all the way across the Sixth division training grounds. Rikichi grumbled to himself, why did his room have to be so far away? His eyes caught a flash of white as he traveled the edge of the courtyard. What's that? Rikichi wondered.
He stopped to take a look, and felt a slight reiatsu. It was very faint and felt familiar. Renji's, he thought excitedly, what is he doing out so late? Maybe I could talk with him?
Eyes glowing with admiration, he quickly scanned the yard to see Renji with another man. Rikichi hid himself behind a wooden pillar, damped his reiatsu, and watched. He didn't know Renji was with someone. However, Renji was very beautiful in a masculine manner.
Rikichi often thought about stealing a lock of hair, but he couldn't do it, not to a man whom he admired so much. He had never seen anybody with that particular shade of red. The man with raven hair and dark, blue eyes was holding Renji very tightly to his chest. Rikichi blushed at the sight of the white yukuta slipping down one tanned and muscular shoulder. He wished he had nice tanned muscles like Renji's. Instead, he was skinny and pale. Short too, now that he was thinking about it.
His eyes widened with surprise, as the man kissed Renji and stroked the long, silky hair. He definitely didn't know Renji was like that. Rikichi was happy, it was yet another thing he had in common with his hero. Sometimes, Rikichi thought Hanataro was just too cute. In the moonlight, with his blood-red hair against the stark whiteness of the yukata, Renji looked otherworldly.
Rikichi wanted to stay longer and watch, but he didn't dare to; he didn't want to accidently disturb Renji. He was about to leave when Renji groaned in pain, and he caught sight of the man slapping Renji in the face rather forcefully. The man looked angry. Moreover, Renji…he appeared to be in pain but he wasn't doing anything to stop it.
Shit, he panicked. Dumbass. Assume makes an ass out of you and me. He was wrong. It wasn't a lovers' meeting. Now, that he thought about it, he had never seen that man before; and he knew most of his division members by sight. He couldn't do a thing, if the guy was strong enough to hurt Renji. In a split-second, he shuponed towards Kuchiki-taicho's office. Rikichi just knew that Kuchiki-taicho could do something. He had to.
Kuchiki-taicho was working diligently through the late night on paperwork. He felt it was better to finish the paperwork than to allow it to stack up. Doing so would grant him more leisure time, and paperwork was something mindless to do. It would allow him to keep his mind off certain thoughts; at least he hoped so. His fuku-taicho was out for a week due to physical injuries; however, Byakuya suspected that Renji would turn up a few days earlier than expected. While it was true there were rumors stating Renji avoided as much paperwork as he could. In fact, Renji's personality seemed to confirm this notion. However, Byakuya had learned over time Renji was a hard worker.
Renji, despite hating paperwork and refusing do anymore than necessary, was not a stupid person. He understood the importance of paperwork—the function it played within the Gotei 13—and after the fight with Byakuya tossing his scarf on him, he sought to perform his duties as expected. He completed his duties and paperwork in a timely manner for the most part, although, his handwriting left much to be desired. Kuchiki-taicho was surprised at first, but back then, he did not know the man behind the brash and loud personality. They had only worked together for about a month before the Strawberry incident. Renji was very much like a chameleon or a street-rat hiding in the dark shadows of an alleyway.
Byakuya should have foreseen this though. Renji was one of the top students in the top class in the Shinigami academy, and he was the sixth seat of the Eleventh division, which was meaningful, considering whom the fuku-taicho was as well as the rather odd placement of people in ranks unsuited to them. Not to mention, Renji was in the Fifth division before then. The Fifth division had a well-run paperwork system, which disintegrated with the disappearance of Aizen. Furthermore, the Sixth division was, although an offensive unit, also the research and investigation department. If Abarai Renji did not have the skill or the talent, Byakuya would have never taken the man as his fuku-taicho.
Sometimes, he wondered if he had a slightly masochistic tendency for choosing a man who utterly hated him and desired to best him in battle. However, after the strawberry incident, the fire seemed to have died down in a more respectful manner. There was no doubt about it in Byakuya's mind, Renji still saw him as a goal. Lately though, it almost seemed as if their relationship had changed. It was almost akin to friendship.
How absurd, thought the sixth division taicho, friendship? I cannot lower myself to correspond with a subordinate. Although, Renji does have a certain appeal about him. I can certainly understand why Rukia is amicable with him.
Deep inside his heart, Byakuya knew he was lying to himself. It was not only friendship, it was a relationship that was bordering on something more, perhaps, no; he did not dare continued that particular train of thought. His brush paused over a sheet of documentation, dripping ink in blotches as he lost himself in thought.
It seems even paperwork is not enough to distract myself from pondering the man who is my fuku-taicho, mused Byakuya, I shall have to redo this tomorrow. At least I am ahead of schedule.
Placing down his brush, Byakuya straighten his paperwork; and stared at the candle on the edge of his desk. It was a scarlet candle; the wax was dripping down slowly. The color reminded him of his subordinate's hair color, and it was merely on impulse, a sort of indulgence really, that he used it to light his work area tonight. He placed the last of the paperwork away, tucked neatly in its individual folder and was about to leave when he heard running footsteps, slapping hard against the wooden floor.
He merely looked at the boy who slammed opened the door, breathing heavily and shouting, "Kuchiki-taicho. Kuchiki-taicho."
Rikichi, was it? mused Byakuya. That boy who follows Renji around like a star-struck fool. Sighing inwardly, he addressed the boy. "What is the matter?"
"Kuchiki-taicho, sir, it's Renji. You've got to help him," rushed Rikichi in a blurb of words. "He's being attacked by a man."
Byakuya's heart froze for but a brief second, before he stirred into action. "Stay here," he ordered. He grabbed his Senbonzakura from its stand, flashed into shupon, and honed his reiatsu onto Renji's, wildly seeking that faint blob of energy. Rikichi slid to ground in relief, as he watched Byakuya disappeared in a flurry of scarf and robes. The Sixth division symbol burnt into the back of his eyes as a symbol of strength and pride.
After a moment, Rikichi said to himself, "Wait a moment? Stay here? Does he even know where to go? No, of course he does, Rikichi, he's a taicho. I gotta go help him." He disobeyed orders, and followed the lingering reiatsu of his taicho's.
As he hurried to the Sixth division training grounds, Kuchiki-taicho was irritated. Who had the audacity to harm my fuku-taicho while he was still injured? Byakuya seethed in anger. Furthermore, who dare to attack a sixth division member in the Sixth division itself? Is there a breach in our security system? Surely, an attack of that level would not go unnoticed. Unless, it was on purpose?
The stoic captain's reiatsu seethed in fury as he saw the man prepared to rape his fuku-taicho, a most dishonorable act, and his reiatsu lashed out wildly when he heard his lieutenant screamed before being muffled by the man's hand. As he flash-stepped toward the fool who did not even appeared to sense his presence, he took his sword and placed against the man's jugular threateningly.
"Cease your actions immediately," ordered Kuchiki Byakuya, his grey eyes glinting with anger.
The man froze and quickly flash-stepped away from the sword, but not before Byakuya slashed his sword to the left, injuring the man in the left arm.
Ignoring his whimpering lieutenant, who appeared to be unaware of his surroundings, Kuchiku-taicho ordered the man to speak. "What do you desire with my fuku-taicho? "
The man shrugged. "Revenge. It is a simple enough desire," he replied, as he obscenely tucked himself away.
"Revenge? You know him, then?" questioned Byakuya.
"He stopped me from selling the only girl in his group."
Byakuya thought, only girl? Rukia!
He attacked the man with his sword recklessly, "How did you enter Seireitei?"
The man laughed and dodged his blade. "How else?" He opened a garganta to Hueco Mundo and slipped through. The man knew he could not beat a man like Kuchiki Bykauya, but he could escape. He had not expected the Sixth division captain to arrive.
Byakuya flashed to Renji's side, and sheathed his blade. It was no use following the man, he had no idea where the portal lead to and what would be waiting on the other side.
He stared down at Rikichi who had arrived during his brief duel with the stranger. Rikichi had pulled Renji's yukuta back down modestly, removed the red cloth from his wrists and was now attempting to ascertain the source of pain. "Rikichi, stop touching him. You are exacerbating the pain," observed Byakuya.
Rikichi immediately halted, and looked at his taicho. "But, Kuchiki-taicho, I can't find the source of injury."
Kneeling down, Byakuya gently brushed a hand over his fuku-taicho's hair. Renji, having gotten used to the pain somewhat, had regained his state of mind during the time his taicho chased off Hiroki. "S-stop it. D-don't-t…t-touch m-mee," he stammered out between whimpers of pain before being lost in the haze of torment again.
Studying the reiatsu in front of him, Byakuya frowned deeply at what he discovered. "Rikichi, leave us. I shall take him to my manor."
Rikichi stared at him with wide eyes. "Kuchiki-taicho, sir, shouldn't we take him to the fourth?"
"Negative," answered Byakuya, as he carefully tried to lift Renji into his arms. It could not be helped, there was bound to be discomfort however he shifted the redhead. Ignoring the mutterings of his lieutenant, he continued, "This is a hado spell that cannot be solved through any healing techniques."
"How'd you know, sir?" questioned Rikichi timidly, he wasn't sure if Kuchiki-taicho would dignify him with a response.
"Do not speak of this to anyone."
Kuchiki-taicho settled Renji as best as he could, and he shuponed away. He did not want anyone to discover this incident, and he knew Rikichi would keep his mouth shut either from fear due to his wrath or out of respect for Renji. The only troubling thing was the solution to ending the hado spell. It was a very delicate situation. Byakuya decided to push it out of his mind until they had reached his manor.