Chapter 2: Handfasted and Bound
Renji knew better than to piss Byakuya off or to rile the other powerful beings around him by asking any more stupid questions. He stood quietly at his captain's side, trying to suppress a shiver as he wondered about what was going to happen to them. Although the Royal Guard had appeared and formed a large ring around them, they now appeared to be standing sentry as Byakuya and Renji were met with the rest of the group that had approached them. A man taller than Renji, dressed like the Royal Guardsmen, but with flashes of blue and gold on his uniform stepped forward. Renji held his breath and listened carefully.
"Welcome to the King's Garden," he said, bowing, "Byakuya Kuchiki…King's Guardian and Renji Abarai…King's Vessel, I know you have many questions. His majesty has appointed me, Yemon Arai, to guide you through the process of his rebirth, explaining each step as we undertake it. I will first explain in general what you may expect, then will answer your questions as we complete each step."
He turned to the others gathered and introduced himself again, then turned back to Byakuya and Renji.
"Our king is an immortal being, though the worlds he oversees and all within them are more transient. To be an immortal creature in a place of mortality requires that he also submit to the rebirth process…but being our supreme being and monarch, while obeying the physical laws that carry us through our cycles of life and death, this spiritual being, though yielding his body in long cycles, is protected from ever dying by this ancient rebirthing process. Through it, the king's power and his memories are always protected and fed into his new form."
He paused and studied the two men who stood waiting before him before continuing.
"The rebirthing takes place at random times, for reasons which we are not meant to understand. The requirements are thus…that from among the full shinigami population a King's Vessel shall emerge. This one shall be marked with a golden sigil and brought to the spirit dimension at the time of the rebirth. The Vessel is committed to the process by the right of the king to choose his vessel and will be released to resume his or her shinigami life upon completion of the task."
He turned to Renji and touched the marking on his forehead. Renji swallowed hard and stared, still knowing better than to say anything, no matter how sick the whole situation was making him feel. He especially felt creeped out at being referred to as a 'vessel.' That, in and of itself had all kinds of eerie connotations. But he was somewhat buoyed by Byakuya being called King's Guardian. Byakuya was powerful…and Renji, though sometimes fearing that power, trusted Byakuya to protect him.
"The King's Guardian shall appear among the ranks of the king's noble families, being marked with a silver sigil, and shall be brought to the spirit dimension, to purify and render his power, and to transfer it to the King's Vessel for containment and protection as it calms and forms itself, then emerges as the king's spiritual form. This noble shall then be released to resume his or her life as well."
Yemon turned to Byakuya and touched the sigil on his forehead.
"The first step in the rebirthing process is to purify the shinigamis chosen for the task. You will remove your clothing and bathe in the King's Font. This will remove all impurities, all imperfections and all markings but the sigils. It will remove your shinigami powers and abilities for the duration of the ritual."
Yemon turned them and the circle opened to reveal a huge, white fountain.
"So…we have to get naked and take a bath together…in front of all these people?" Renji asked, earning a seething glare from his captain.
He caught his breath and winced at the flare of Byakuya's reiatsu.
"Shut up, now…" the noble hissed beneath his breath.
He nudged the reluctant redhead towards the fountain as the others watched in perfect silence. Renji stifled the urge to say anymore, but quailed inwardly at the thought of being naked and that close to his dangerously riled captain. He knew if he spoke out of turn again, Byakuya was likely to inflict pain, so he kept his mouth shut, fought down his embarrassment and slipped out of his clothes, then waited as Byakuya did the same.
All right…how in the hell does he stay so calm about this? They said this would remove our powers…it's enough to make me shake all over, but his expression hasn't even changed.
His cheeks burning, he tried to ignore the flush that was making the paler parts of his skin turn red and accepted Yemon's hand to help him over the edge and into the King's Font. He completely avoided looking directly at Byakuya, but was amazed, looking out of corner of an eye that the noble looked unruffled and as pale-white as ever.
Does anything ever scare that guy?
Renji shook his head and stepped toward where the water rained down, thankful that the water seemed to be comfortably warm. He caught his breath in surprise as Byakuya's hand caught hold of his and the two stepped under the water together. Renji wasn't sure what was meant by 'bathing' so he waited to see what Byakuya would do. The noble stood quietly, not moving a muscle and letting the water run down his body. And as it did, Renji took a step back and stared. Before his eyes, the noble's thick, black hair slowly brightened and turned the same silver color as the sigil on his forehead. His eyes too, lightened and turned that same silver color. The water coated his already pale skin and turned it a glowing white. In the end, though the shape was right, the creature standing in front of him looked like something out of a myth…something unreal. He got the sudden urge to know how he was being affected and looked down at his own body. Immediately, he recoiled, realizing that his hair and eyes had turned golden and his own skin had gone perfectly white like Byakuya's, the black markings disappearing entirely.
"Oh my kami!" he gasped, pitching forward, slightly.
Byakuya caught him by the arm to steady him, but the odd, silver eyes only worsened the feeling of sickness that was taking over. The feeling worsened even more as the water sank beneath his skin, invading everything and burning away his spirit centers. And although he had promised himself not to make a fuss, he couldn't force down a scream of pain as his connection to Zabimaru disappeared. He dropped to his knees and was suddenly aware that although Byakuya had not made a sound, he had likewise fallen and his eyes looked tormented.
A hand touched Renji's arm, distracting him from looking at Byakuya and he was helped out of the fountain and back onto dry land. He breathed slowly and tried to force his frightened mind into calm as someone carefully dried his body. He was aware that Byakuya was being likewise assisted somewhere in front of him, but caught up in the shock of what was happening, Renji felt himself reeling. He did his best to remain standing, but at some point, he dropped to his knees and couldn't stop the shaking. Although he had been told everything would go back to normal, it was hard to look at himself, changed beyond all recognition, separated from everything familiar and forced into this odd, unexpected ritual. He felt Byakuya glaring at him again, but couldn't make his body obey the unspoken directive. Nobody had asked to use his body this way, to strip it down and steal away its power, to leave him cold and empty like this. He had had no warning at all. One moment he had been calmly living his life, doing his work…and then he was torn away and brought here…and subjected to…this…
Hands touched him and lowered him onto his back and the placid, lovely face of the King's Healer appeared over him. The young man smiled bracingly at Renji and placed his hands on his ghostly white body. Immediately, the healer's touch warmed him, sent calm flowing back into him, and reassured him that no one had intended to hurt him.
"Rest easy, Renji Abarai," the healer said comfortingly, "your body was given a severe jolt and needed some relief. You should feel better quickly."
Renji nodded, and within a few minutes, managed to sit up again. He saw Byakuya watching in the distance, his expression no longer angry, but his emotions unreadable. Finally, Renji climbed to his feet, knowing that if his body hadn't been drained of all color, he would be blushing furiously from embarrassment at fainting like a girl. He tightened his lips and resolved to get through the rest of the damned ritual without embarrassing himself or pissing off Byakuya again. He stood quietly as the healer checked him over a final time, then nodded at Yemon to continue the ritual.
Attendants appeared and were let into the circle. They approached the two chosen and set about dressing them. Renji felt better knowing that he was going to be dressed again, and the kimono he was dressed in, though a very traditional and ceremonial type was surprisingly more comfortable than he would have expected it would be. He gave a little sigh, relaxing as he was dressed and watching Byakuya being dressed, noticing how beautiful Byakuya looked…still cold and distant in demeanor…but physically attractive. Then he wondered just where the hell the thought had come from. He had never thought of Byakuya in that way before. While cognizant of his attractiveness as a male, he had never felt even a hint of attraction…just mostly respect…and often fear. He pushed the rogue thought away and tried to clear his mind, calmer now that things seemed less threatening…calmer now and ready to get this over with so he could go home and let everything go back to normal.
Once they were dressed, the attendants were let out of the circle and a different part of the circle was opened to reveal a large, vine covered gazebo. Yemon turned toward it and Renji fell in beside Byakuya, walking calmly and more confidently now. While the removal of his powers had been a shock, he was adjusting to the situation and his mind was coping better with the strangeness. It was all happening more like a dream around him than something he was part of. That distancing gave him what he needed to move forward and handle things as they happened.
They reached the gazebo and Yemon turned them toward each other, taking their hands and binding them together with a length of white silk. Renji stared down at their joined hands, cognizant that something had changed about Byakuya. His face still wore a mask of calm, but the hands bound to his were shaking softly and sweating beneath the light fabric that bound them. Renji looked up at him questioningly, but knew better than to say anything. Byakuya avoided his eyes.
"Byakuya and Renji," Yemon said, placing his hand over theirs, "We are now ready to proceed. As the process of the rebirthing requires a permanent binding of souls, all commitments to any others, living or deceased are hereby relinquished and the two of you will be first handfasted, then soul bound."
Renji's jaw dropped in surprise.
"What?" he managed to gasp as Byakuya's hands tightened warningly beneath the binding, "What the fuck? I have to…you're saying I have to…?"
"I am saying," Yemon told him calmly, "that because of the demands of the ritual, you and Byakuya will now be married and your souls bound together. The rebirthing demands a pair of bound souls…and our laws demand that all bound souls be handfasted."
"Hey…no one said anything about MARRIAGE! No one fucking asked me if this was okay! Do we…can we be unbound at the end? I mean, you did say we would go back to normal after…"
Yemon met his eyes apologetically.
"I am sorry, Renji Abarai, but this is not something that will be undone…ever. Souls bound for this ritual remain bound for the rest of their lives. There is no unbinding. They cannot be unbound."
"You…you're crazy!" Renji gasped, trying to tear his hands away from Byakuya's.
The noble held his hands tightly in place and glared at him, but Renji was beyond being afraid anymore. He threw his body into Byakuya's, forcing the stunned noble to the ground, then tore his hand free, rending the silk that had bound him. He placed his hands on either side of the stunned noble's body and screamed in his face.
"There is NO WAY! I am NOT doing this! I am not spending the rest of my life with some fucking, stuck up noble, who has a stick jammed so far up his ass he can't look down at where the rest of us exist! You can't want this, Captain…TELL THEM! Tell these fucking idiots how crazy they are to even THINK we'll do this! Tell them!"
Renji didn't know exactly what he expected in response, but he was taken by surprise as the body he held down surged upward, white hands gripped his kimono tightly and an enraged white face with flashing silver eyes moved to within inches of his. His hands fell uselessly to his sides as the noble held him tightly and shook him as he spoke.
"Abarai…I told you to be silent and to do as you are told," Byakuya began.
"You can't make me do this!" Renji fired back.
"You idiot!" snapped the noble, shaking him, "Do I LOOK like I want this any more than you do? What makes you think for a minute that any of this is my doing? I came to be here just as you did. I did not choose this."
"Then tell them! Tell them we won't do it, Captain! Tell them…"
"I think you've told them loudly enough. Everyone here is aware of your reluctance. But understand, this is a duty we cannot escape, however we might feel about it."
"Duty?" Renji seethed, "You call being forced to marry a noble…a guy…my captain…duty?"
"Renji, many nobles enter arranged marriages…and are bound together unwillingly. It is the way of things."
"The way of things for nobles, maybe," Renji agreed, "but not for me! Why would anyone require a Rukon kid like me to be bound to…to someone like you? This is crazy…insane…you can't…make me do this. The very idea makes me want to throw up!"
Byakuya's hands tightened painfully on his kimono and his face moved closer so that their noses were almost touching. Even without his reiatsu, Byakuya was a frighteningly powerful man…
"And how will you feel," Byakuya asked icily, "if this ritual is not completed? Do you have any concept of what that would mean?"
He shoved Renji away violently, rose and stood over him, glowering down at him.
"If the ritual is not completed, then our immortal king will lose his immortality. He will die, Renji. And when he does, what do you think will happen to our worlds?"
Byakuya turned away, but Renji felt his emotion just as keenly.
"Our worlds would erupt into chaos…and would be torn apart…would collapse…and if that were to happen, I think any sane person would offer himself or herself into something like this to undo it. But by then, it would be too late. All that we know would be lost. What freedom would any of us have then? Considering that…I am willing to bind myself to you…to marry you and offer you what contentment I can. Do you think you can stop feeling sorry for yourself and do the same?"
He didn't wait for an answer, but returned to the gazebo and stood silently, his eyes downcast…waiting. Renji closed his eyes in defeat, loosing a quivering sigh and trying to ignore the throng of staring eyes all around him. He pushed himself to his feet and on leaden legs returned to the gazebo and stood, looking down at his hands as they were bound again to Byakuya's and the ceremony began. He barely heard the words and only responded with the words as he was prompted. He didn't look up at Byakuya again. He didn't dare.
When it was over, he let himself be led into the center of the circle again and he and Byakuya were turned to face each other. The Kuchiki elders stepped in around them, each extending a hand and half laying their hands on Byakuya and half laying their hands on Renji. They stood shoulder to shoulder, facing in and raised their power, making the ground around them quake. They held the power steady, then slowly, they focused it and sent it into the two men, where it sank down, took root and began to pulsate. Blinding light erupted around them, and Renji caught a glimpse of Byakuya's eyes. He shivered at the sudden look of terror, at the momentary loss of control as the power of the elders gripped the two of them tightly and began to seal their souls to one another. Blinding pain ripped through him, tearing an incoherent scream from his throat and somehow, his fevered mind registered Byakuya's strangled cry. His mind was forced open and forced together with another. He gasped in agony at the harshness and suddenness of the joining. He could feel Byakuya's mind recoiling at the contact as well…and was stricken with the presence of heady, strong emotion in that mind that rivaled his. He quickly became aware then that Byakuya had told him the truth. He didn't want this any more than Renji did…and even though he had done it out of duty, he was terrified of what was happening. He was given that insight, then their natural emotional shielding was allowed to snap back into place. He was left with a connection to Byakuya's mind, an ability to read him emotionally, but thankfully, each was shielded from the full mental force of the other.
Renji realized suddenly that he had fallen onto hands and knees…and that Byakuya had as well. The elders had released them and returned to the circle around them. Yemon stepped forward as they pushed themselves wearily to their feet.
"That is all for this day. Attendants will take you to your room, now and you will be allowed to rest. It is only required that while you are together that you do not yet consummate your marriage. We will see to that portion of your binding later in the rebirth ritual."
The words made Renji cringe inwardly, but he was too damned tired to react very strongly. Instead he fell in beside Byakuya and allowed himself to be led into a large bedroom that, thankfully, held two beds. So it seemed that there was more to their binding before sex came into the picture. It wouldn't be long before it was an issue, but thinking back to Byakuya's words, he realized that there wasn't any choice and forced himself to push away the thought. He held still as he was undressed and dressed again in a comfortable yukata. He fell onto his bed and closed his eyes. He was a little surprised when they were left alone that Byakuya didn't say anything at all to him.
Renji cracked an eye open and caught his breath at the sight of his captain, kneeling on his bed, leaned against the wall, looking out at the full moon with a tired, lost expression. As sleep began to overtake him, the image of Byakuya that way shimmered and began to disappear…but some part of him was soundly shaken as it registered a single tear running down the noble's glowing white cheek.
It spun in his exhausted mind as he drifted off, but then gradually faded from his awareness and was forgotten by morning…