Chapter 3: White Lily Dreams in Red

(Thanks a million to everyone reading and reviewing! This is turning out to be the most popular AU of the ones I've written, so I am happy to continue and will enthusiastically keep the chapters rolling! Thanks to Nekobabeforever (Oh, and the sexy doesn't stop there! New levels of sexy have only just begun.), Gianna Sparrow (I am honored to get such a reaction!), LittleMissy (So glad you are loving the AUs. I like stepping out of my comfort zone and trying new things. Glad you like that too. I will be updating all three of those this week, so stay tuned!), Karenaangel1986 (You've got it! More hot Bya/Ren with a feisty side of Grimmy/Tetsuya!), Kyuumihaira (Now that's the response I was hoping for!), Emmagem803 (Be careful what you wish for...lol), Henka-chan (Aww, thanks! Ren is a great character, perfect for this story!), Mina Kye (So glad you're reading along!), Cody Zik (Oh, those hips caught Bya's attention, big time! That will be a focus in this lovely chapter!), SunlessNights (I can't wait to get deeper into the story! This is going to be soooo much fun!), Hylla (Oh, I never get tired of looking at him!), CallMeSenseiKuchiki (Okay, here you go!) Snowflowersister of Toshiro (So glad you like!), SCJ0263 (You think that was naughty? Wait until you see what he does next! *fans self*), MissLilly2012 (Aww, glad you enjoy Grimmjow/Tetsuya! I have to pull out Heart of Ice and get that going again. They are perfect for each other with Tetsuya's more innocent nature meeting Grimmy's feisty, bold and more brazen personality.), CrimsonNight41 (What will Bya do next? Hmmm...*looks at title of new chapter* I wonder!), Aquarius Seth (Thanks so much! More is on the way!), phAnt0mgh0st7018 (And it will get hotter!), Alabirdie (Aww, thanks a million! I'm so glad you suggested this!), and Nyma (You've got it! More updates are coming!) Enjoy the chapter! Love, Spunky)

"I am...so...sorry, Brother," Rukia stammered, blushing darkly and looking down at the floor of the limousine that carried them, "I swear that I had no idea what Rangiku was planning. And when we arrived, I told her I wanted to go. She just wouldn't take no for an answer. Please don't be angry with me, Byakuya!"

"I understand what happened," Byakuya replied quietly, looking out the car window, "That is why I came, myself, to retrieve you. Rukia, I do attempt not to intervene in your friendships. You were not raised in our family and our rules are sometimes difficult for you. You have a loving, accepting heart, not unlike your sister, but there are some lines that must not be crossed. Rangiku Matsumotou must have this explained to her. If you cannot manage it, I will, but this simply cannot happen again."

"I know, Brother," Rukia said in a soft, wounded tone, "I will talk to her tomorrow."

"Good," Byakuya answered, looking back at her as the car rolled into the manor driveway, "Go now and get some rest. You have your next fitting in the morning."

"I remember," Rukia replied wearily, "I'll try not to mess that up too."

Byakuya started to answer, but paused as a shaft of guilt passed through him when he saw so clearly the toll that the unwanted wedding was taking on his sister. And before he could find the words he wanted, she exited the limousine and was on her way back to her room.

"It isn't your fault, you know," Tetsuya reminded him gently, "Rukia knows how you feel about arranged marriages. She knows that the only reason you are going along with it is because the elders of the family believe it will be good for our relations with the Ishida family."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better about selling Hisana's sister into a marriage she doesn't want? Because it doesn't."

Byakuya paused, reconsidering his words.

"I am sorry, Tetsuya," he added quietly, "I shouldn't take my feelings about this out on you. It's just that Hisana did ask me to look after Rukia and to keep her happy and well."

"And you do that, as much as is possible, considering who our family is," Tetsuya assured him, "And there really isn't anything you can do to stop the wedding. The agreement you made to convince the family to accept her..."

"We shouldn't speak of that," Byakuya said quickly, "I don't want Rukia to know about it."

"I understand," Tetsuya replied, nodding briefly, "and even though you don't want her to know, you have to know she would understand too, if you told her. You promised to obey the rules of the family without fail if they accepted her as one of us. You did this to protect her on behalf of the Lady Hisana. It is a touching, if not sometimes difficult expression of your feelings for her."

"She was a gentle, beautiful person," Byakuya said softly, "and Hisana gave me more than one precious gift before we were parted."

The two men looked up as a youthful voice called out to them from the manor entrance.

"Daddy!"

A rare smile touched Byakuya's lips at the sound of the boy's voice and he exited the limousine and met his son halfway between the car and the house.

"Daddy, you're finally home!" the violet-eyed boy said, jumping into Byakuya's waiting arms.

"Did you have an enjoyable day, Kisho?" Byakuya asked, as the boy kissed him on the cheek and crossed borders that few ever did with Byakuya by threading his fingers through the long, silken strands of his father's raven hair.

"It was okay. Cousin Gia came and we had our dance lesson together, then our bodyguards let us practice our self defense."

"I trust that Ikkaku and Yumichika instructed you to fight honorably."

"Of course, Father," Kisho answered, dropping back to the ground and falling in next to Byakuya as Tetsuya took up a position on the other side, "I missed you at dinner, though."

"I am sorry," Byakuya said, glancing furtively at Tetsuya, "I had something come up. But, if you would like, we could walk in the gardens and I could tell you a story before it is time for you to be off to bed."

"Okay!" Kisho agreed, enthusiastically, barely able to keep himself just walking and not running ahead as they reached the entrance to the beautiful family gardens.

They meandered slowly along the finely sculpted pathway, enjoying the sweet scents and the blending of bright colors all around them, the touch of cool breezes on their skin and the splash of koi in the garden ponds.

"So, what kind of story would you like to hear?" Byakuya asked, lying down on his back and looking up into the bright stars as Kisho snuggled up next to him.

"Something about tigers," Kisho requested, "Gia and I went to the zoo and learned about lions and tigers from the handlers there. The lions were great, but I liked the tigers more because of their stripes."

"Very well," Byakuya agreed, "A story about tigers. There was once a fine white tiger who led his family of white tigers amidst a region of many other kinds. Some among the family did not like the other tigers coming around, but the leader, whose name was Ichiseidai delighted in their differences. For, he told the others, how does one see his own majesty if he does not look at others who are different? The others were not so convinced. They worried at the closeness of the others and shunned them by turning their eyes away. But Ichiseidai rebuked them and told them that it was unwise to look away from them.

One day, as Ichiseidai walked the boundaries of his territories, he sensed another tiger nearby, a female. He sniffed the air and roared a warning to protect his territory, then he crouched in the foliage and waited. The other tiger came into view and his eyes were riveted on her, enjoying the beauty of her lovely red coat as she walked along the very edges of his territory, looking around curiously.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, startling her and making her lower herself and bare her white fangs, "I warned you that you walk on the edges of my territory, and still you are here."

"I did not step over into your territory," the she-tiger growled back, glaring at him through golden eyes as he rose up and moved towards her, "I only came to see one of the radiant white tigers. My father told me about your family. They are different from all of the other families that live here. And indeed you are beautiful. Now that I have seen for myself, I will go."

"That is not necessary," said Ichiseidai, "Come with me."

The two walked side by side, enjoying the cool breezes and the beauty of their wilderness home. The red tiger hunted a deer and the two devoured it together, licking each other's faces clean after and lounging in the warm sun until they grew sleepy. They parted at sunset and Ichiseidai gave the lovely red tiger a gift to take back to her family. Some time later, in the spring, a white tiger was born to her. He was beautiful and strong, like the lily white tiger who was his father. And raised by the red tigers, witness to Ichiseidai's wisdom and graceful acceptance of their differences, that small white tiger was the beginning of change that would permeate all of the tiger clans. Thus, by one small act was something good and just brought to their world.

Byakuya paused, kissing his now sleeping son on the forehead then lifting the boy into his arms and carrying him back to the house, where he laid him in his bed and kissed him goodnight.

He walked slowly to his own bedroom and undressed, baring his soft, white skin then gazing at his naked body in the full length mirror. And suddenly, for reasons he could not divine, he found himself thinking about the red haired man who he had first seen, covered in fine clothes and driving a limousine, then that evening he had seen again, slowly peeling his clothes away, his handsome, muscular body swaying to the music as the dark lines that danced along his skin were gradually, delectably revealed. His heart thumped strangely at the memory and Byakuya felt a longing twinge in his piqued loins as he abandoned the nightclothes he had chosen, and instead walked to his bed, still naked, and slid in under the covers. He liked the feel of the cool, starched sheets touching his bare skin. He and Hisana had always slept without clothes. He had taken to wearing clothes at night again after her death, but for some reason, he needed to be freed of everything.

Unburdened, he thought as he drifted towards sleep.

He heard the sound of a door opening and closing, then the click of a lock sliding into place. Soft footsteps approached his bed and he sensed a rich, wild scent on the person moving to join him. The man paused by Byakuya's bed, and the Kuchiki heir opened his eyes and looked up into fiery, red-brown orbs. The man was dressed like a gentleman, but what Byakuya saw in his feral eyes was anything but gentlemanly.

Without a word, the man began to move in front of him, letting his hips sway rhythmically, as though to music, though all was quiet in the room. He extended a hand and Byakuya emerged from the bed, naked and lily white against the darkly clothed, red haired man. The man pulled him close, still moving as though to music, pressing up against Byakuya's bare body and writhing teasingly until the Kuchiki heir groaned and pulled the man's hands down to curve around his petal-white bottom so that he could dance too.

"Renji!" Byakuya hissed, laying back as the other man held him and their hips ground scandalously together.

The words seem to sink down into the other man, igniting the primal side of him and emboldening him. He threw the Kuchiki heir down on the bed and Byakuya watched wordlessly as his body continued the enthralling movements and his hands loosed him, piece by piece from the clenching tie, then the tailored jacket, white, long-sleeved, button down shirt and the spotless white t-shirt underneath. His hips undulated mercilessly as he undid his belt and moved closer to Byakuya, grinning and reaching a hand down to capture his fine-boned chin, to guide him to the redhead's finely endowed nether region. And on hands and knees on the bed, he offered the beautifully tattooed man a long and intense display of his appreciation. His slender fingers traced the black lines on Renji's sides and belly and round bottom, while Byakuya moved with the redhead, bringing him closer and closer to sheer oblivion. Renji growled as beautifully as he looked when he released, and Byakuya moaned in delight at the wild, feral taste of him. He closed his eyes, savoring the perfection of the moment, then found himself being pulled onto his feet and pressed up against Renji's now-naked and still heavily grinding hips.

Renji pushed him up against a paneled wall, holding him tightly and biting down on his mouth, invading and indulging in the erotic mix of their flavors. He rubbed hard against the Kuchiki heir's trapped body, bringing him quickly to the ends of his wits. Renji's arm wrapped around his waist, and he guided Byakuya back to the bed and shoved him down again. This time, he followed the Kuchiki heir's fine, pale body down onto the bed and trapped him there on his belly.

The redhead's sharp teeth nipped at the back of his neck, making chills run down Byakuya's spine as the man began to prepare him. he flinched at being touched that way and felt a blush crawl all over his skin. He heard Renji laugh, but didn't find the sound at all mocking. Instead, he sounded pleased, and his appreciation showed in every touch he placed on Byakuya's paler body. He finished the preparation and Byakuya closed his eyes against the expected pain of his entry.

He inhaled in surprise as Renji turned him onto his back and, instead, laid on top of him, looking deeply into his widened gray eyes as their bodies were slowly and nearly painlessly joined.

"Why did you do that?" Byakuya whispered, touching the redhead's rougher lips with his fingers and watching as Renji sucked on them while he answered.

"Lovers should look into each other's eyes, don't you think?" Renji answered with a smile.

He moved his hips and Byakuya moaned rapturously, disappearing into the pleasure as the two forgot all restraint and thrust against each other like wild animals, biting at each other's faces and throats, heedless of the marks they left on each others' sweating forms. They exploded into orgasm together, their motions slowing as Byakuya was filled with the redheads scathing heat and his own release spilled out between them. They fell still, panting heavily and basking in the bliss of heavenly satedness as they indulged in slower, deeper kisses, before surrendering to sleep still sprawled and hopelessly entangled.

Byakuya woke suddenly, gasping as his body quivered and hot seed splashed onto his belly. He waited, gazing quietly up at the white ceiling and letting his fingers play in the damp remains of his pleasure before leaving his bed with a sigh and availing himself of a hot shower.

But even awake, the image of Renji's naked, tattooed body returned to him, teasing and tormenting him until he found himself closing his eyes and indulging his flesh to stave off the erotic rush of desire. He finished surprisingly swiftly, then let the water wash him clean again, before exiting the shower and this time dressing before he returned to his bed. But even that, it seemed, couldn't keep dreams of Renji Abarai from his reeling mind as he slept. He wondered, as he woke to find himself damp between his thighs and yet painfully aroused.

What is this? I haven't really been attracted to any men before. I loved Hisana, and it never occurred to me that a man could rile me like that.

I have to see him again.

But, it's wrong. I shouldn't. It would break the rules of the household that I promised to follow. And besides, I have no idea if he would even feel the same about me. He could be heterosexual and not at all interested in the attentions of another man. No, I should forget about this.

But...I want to be sure that Renji gets out of that place and is able to pursue the job he prefers.

He climbed out of bed, still aching in his loins as he showered again and dressed. He moved blindly through his morning routine, focused solely on that moment when he left the house, headed for the limousine company, wondering as they went, if he would find the handsome redhead there when he arrived.

XXXXXXXXXX

"You all done there, Red?" Kenpachi Zaraki asked as the naked dancer stepped out of the club's employee shower and began to dry himself off.

"Yeah, why?" Renji muttered sleepily, "You in a hurry to go home tonight, Kenpachi?"

"I have my girl, Yachiru, this weekend," the bigger man answered, "But that's not why. He said to have you escorted to him when you were done washing up."

"Aw, fuck!" Renji complained, "I already did the guy this afternoon! And Gin's back from his trip. Does that son of a bitch really need another guy in his bed? Why don't you go have a turn at him, huh?"

"Sorry," Kenpachi chuckled, "I guess he prefers redheads. So, get your ass moving."

"My ass has been moving all fucking night!" Renji seethed, "I have to work in the morning or I'm out more pay, which means more time before I can pay him back!"

"Heh, I don't really think the boss gives a rats ass about the money, Red," Kenpachi said, shaking his head.

"Yeah, I try not to think about it, though," Renji sighed, tying his yukata and following Kenpachi out of the shower room.

"You're a good kid, Red," Kenpachi said bracingly, "and I told him you weren't feeling well. He didn't seem to care."

"There's a big surprise," Renji mumbled sarcastically, "There's only one thing Sousuke Aizen cares about, and that's having what he wants, when he wants. Why do you work for that guy anyway?"

"Fucking hell, Red, why do you work for him? We need the money and there aren't any other ways to get it, end of story. We've got a raw deal, but it could be worse."

He moved closer, speaking more softly into Renji's ear.

"I hear he's setting up the white haired guy. The guy's an agent. He's looking to put Aizen out of business. So, you may get your wish of being free of him, but we may both end up eating from the dumpsters if Aizen really does go down."

"What does he push anyway?" Renji asked, scowling.

"Who knows, but it's illegal. Keep your head down and your nose clean and don't piss the guy off. He's not above killing people who piss him off."

"Yeah," Renji sighed sadly, the image of a sad looking, blonde haired man coming to him for a moment before he pushed the thought away, "I know. I remember."

"Don't get down in the dumps. Go do what you've gotta do and then wash it away. That's all you can do."

"Right," Renji said in a troubled voice as they reached Aizen's door.

"Ah, Renji," Aizen said, welcoming him with a predatory smile, "I am glad you are feeling better. I thought that you could keep Gin and me company tonight."

"After that inspiring performance," Gin added, "we just couldn't help ourselves."

"So you're just gonna do that now," Renji sighed, sliding into the bed with the two as Kenpachi closed the door and walked away, "Fine, whatever."

"Well, you're not very enthusiastic tonight," Gin observed.

"I'm tired. I worked all day and all this evening and now you're gonna have me up all night too. I have another job, you know. I actually like that job. I'd really like to keep it."

"I see you're being troublesome tonight," Aizen purred, reaching into a drawer in the nightstand and withdrawing a syringe, "We'll have to see what we can do to relax you."

"Aw, no, that's not necessary," Renji said, backing away.

"Nonsense, you need a little pick-me-up to get through tonight and tomorrow," Aizen said as Gin captured the redhead and held him still while the brown-haired man injected him, "And I need some information!"

"Information?" Renji queried, blinking as the compound seeped into his bloodstream and made his legs weaken and his head spin.

Aizen waited until the redhead was well controlled by the substance, then laid him on his back on the bed and leaned over him.

"Renji, can you hear me?"

"Y-yeah," the redhead answered dizzily, "Whaddya want?"

"I want you to tell me...if you are in any way involved in Agent Hitsugaya's investigation. Tell me anything and everything you know, Renji."

"Wh-what?"

"You heard me."

"I...don't know anything," Renji panted, turning his head left and right, reeling at the disorienting swirl of colors around him, "I keep outta other people's business. I'm just trying to keep food on my table, y'know? I don't wanna get myself killed."

"I wondered if you were involved," Aizen went on, "I was watching when that man came in and had his sister talk to Toshiro. He was watching you very closely."

"M-man? A man? What man?" Renji mumbled dazedly.

"Byakuya Kuchiki. He was here tonight. Toshiro and his sister spoke briefly, then Byakuya's bodyguard escorted his sister to him and they left."

"B-byakuya? His s-sister? You mean, the one who's marrying the Ishida guy? Sh-she doesn't even like him," Renji rambled on, "They're making her get married. Even Byakuya can't do anything about it."

"Renji, try to focus," Aizen said in a low, dangerous tone, "Is Byakuya cooperating with the authorities to bring me under scrutiny?"

"Byakuya...he's fucking gorgeous...so...damned pretty. Gonna help me get out of...here he said. I don't know how. I know how s-screwed I am."

"That sounds like a 'yes," Gin said, "although it also sounds like he isn't part of Toshiro's plans."

"No," Aizen agreed, "I'm glad. I actually like him. I would hate to have to cut his heart out."

He paused for a moment, gazing down at the disoriented redhead.

"Maybe we can use him. If Byakuya is making plans, Renji could be useful. He obviously feels an attraction to that man, and you saw the way Byakuya was watching while Renji danced."

"Y-you won't hurt him, right?" Renji mumbled incoherently, "Byakuya, he's...a really nice guy."

"If he is not involved in Toshiro's scheme, I will not harm him," Aizen whispered into Renji's blushing ear, "but if he is involved, he will only wish that I would kill him!"

"Well," said Gin, "what do we do with him now? He's practically out cold."

"Let him sleep it off," Aizen said, climbing into the bed, "Come here now, Gin. I've missed you terribly while you were gone!"