Chapter Four
When Byakuya woke the next morning, his first impression was that he felt hotter than usual. For him, that was pleasant, since he had low blood pressure and generally felt cold while sleeping, but it took him a few moments to think of a reason why that would be so. Slowly, he shifted a little and opened his eyes.
A shock of red met his vision. The wild mane of his vice captain was spread on the pillow before his eyes. Beneath it, the man himself slept with a perfect serene expression, his head resting on Byakuya's arm. Byakuya watched him for a time, noting that he had probably spent the whole night in Byakuya's arms like this. Then he realized that the pain he'd seen in Renji's face so often lately had melted away. He tried to think if he'd ever seen a more peaceful expression. But all these warm and pleasant thoughts lasted but a moment.
More important was how Byakuya would treat the situation from now on. Firstly, he couldn't escape the fact that he was filled with regret and shame for the way he had handled this whole thing. His normal solution would be to distance himself from Renji, but he'd been asked not to do that. After doing this, he couldn't exactly keep ignoring Renji.
The middle ground was to treat him the same way he had always treated him, with no change in their relationship at all. He didn't have any particular problem with this, except that it seemed unlikely to happen. Then he could always take an aggressive stance and do all in his power to move Renji's attentions away from him. Several ideas occurred to him along this line.
What did not occur to him was the idea that, with the exception of Yamamoto Soutaichou, there was not a single person in their acquaintance who would object to them having a relationship. Truly, the most uptight person Byakuya knew was the head of the Kuchiki family. Himself. Which is why an open and consensual relationship was not on the table for him. It wasn't even in the room.
Though part of him would much rather have lounged in bed with Renji, he slowly pulled himself away and silently readied himself for the day.
Renji awoke with his hands reaching across the bed, unconsciously searching for the warmth that had recently been there. He opened his eyes blearily and looked around. This…was not his room.
All of a sudden, thoughts of the previous night came flooding back to him. His face flushed red hot and he buried his head in the pillow out of embarrassment. Then, as he breathed in, he realized…it was Kuchiki Taichou's pillow. Though the man only slept here when circumstances prevented him from sleeping in his mansion, it still held the strong scent of his captain. He breathed it in in disbelief for many long seconds.
Then, a slight noise alerted him to his captain's presence.
Renji whirled around, hoping he hadn't been caught. "Taichou," he said, rising half out of bed before realizing he was naked. He sat back down with the sheet over his parts, blushing. "Good morning," he said.
Kuchiki had the same cold expression he always did, as he wrapped his usual scarf around his neck. "I'm going to work. You are welcome to use the bath, but please put everything back where you found it." With that, he turned to leave.
"Ah, Taichou!" Renji called, stopping him.
Kuchiki half turned to look at him.
"Um…I want to say, before we go back to normal," Byakuya's eyebrows raised a little bit at this, unbeknownst to Renji. "I…thank you. I was very happy."
Kuchiki looked at him stonily for a while. Then he merely sighed and left without a word.
Renji's head fell a little. Unconsciously he gripped the sheets in one hand. But no, he said to himself, no sadness. He could never have wished for such happiness. He would never forget it.
It was around this time that the thirteen divisions received word of a particularly resilient hollow that was causing trouble in one of the wilder districts of Rukongai. Yamamoto Soutaichou assigned the sixth division to deal with it, and Kuchiki Taichou sent Renji. He assigned him two other seated officers, and two rookies for backup.
Renji was honestly looking forward to the distraction. The fact that this hollow had already killed a handful of shinigami and dozens of other weaker souls did not concern him. He assumed that, as with most occasions, things that were dangerous to lower level shinigami posed no problem for him. For the most part that was true. However…
He couldn't explain what happened. He remembered a few moments when they were chasing it through the forest, and suddenly his vision was filled with his own blood. Not far away he heard cries of others and saw splatters of blood, and suddenly the air was thick with it. He glanced down, and saw a gaping wound in his chest. The blood was flowing fast, down his chest and legs and sinking heavily into the earth. He swayed slightly. He had to stay awake. If he fell unconscious now, he would die.
Then, a huge, masked face came slowly into his vision. "Go ahead," it said. "Fall, shinigami."
Renji felt himself leaning. He gritted his teeth and planted his foot more firmly in the earth. Then he raised Zabimaru.
"Hoero…" he said. "Zabima-"
The hollow's tail, which weighed easily twice what he did, hit him square in the chest and sent him flying into a tree. The pain rocketed through his body. He slid down, and fell onto his hands and knees. More of his blood splattered into the earth. As his consciousness slipped away from him his last word was, "Taichou…"
It was half an hour before a report reached Byakuya. He stared at the 12th division's report, which had been monitoring reiatsu in the area. The hollow in question was still around. Renji's reiatsu, as well as those of the other 6th division members, were either gone or so small they could barely be seen. Byakuya strode from his office and ran as fast as he could to go the area, alerting the 4th division on the way to join him as soon as possible.
It took him slightly less time to arrive than it had taken the 12th division to report on the incident. He questioned the local people, who indicated that it was likely that the shinigami had chased the hollow into the forest. He raced inside it. Unfortunately, without Renji's reiatsu to guide him, he was practically blind.
Instead, he followed the strongest reiatsu, knowing it would belong to the hollow who might have killed his vice captain. It didn't take him long to catch up.
He drew his sword suddenly to halt the tip of a black tail that threatened to pierce straight through his chest. The strike had been without warning, almost instantaneous. Far more dangerous than a normal hollow then.
"Well done," said a mocking voice from behind him.
He turned to look. The hollow did not look much different from any other. It had a slightly lizard-like physique with a black body, and a relatively simple white mask. But Byakuya could tell that what it lacked in flash, it made up for in skill.
"You're no ordinary shinigami," the hollow continued, crawling around to face him.
"I would say you're no ordinary hollow, enough to give my vice captain trouble anyway, but when it comes down to it, a hollow is a hollow. You'll still die as soon as I release my sword."
"Oh is that right? Funny, it hasn't been a problem for me yet-"
"Chire, Senbonzakura."
SQUISH.
All at once, the hollow was minced, and presently dissipated into the air. Byakuya would normally have been irritated at his subordinate for not being able to defeat something at this level, but at the moment he had no spare room for such thoughts in his mind. He raced through the forest.
In reality, it only took him about ten minutes to find his division, although it felt like an eternity. He glanced around at the scene. Blood was everywhere. The two rookies were clearly dead; they had body parts missing. The seated officers were lying very still, so it was hard to tell. When Byakuya saw Renji he felt the bottom in his stomach drop.
His red hair was splayed wildly on the forest floor. His body lay face down, and beneath it, a sickeningly large pool of blood. He was pale, and very still.
Byakuya raced to him and rolled him over. The wound was bad, but he could tell it would not have been instantly fatal at any rate. He put his ear next to Renji's mouth. He stayed there for a moment. Then he breathed a sigh of relief. It was faint, but Renji was still breathing. So Byakuya held his hands above the wound and began using healing kidou. It was not his forte, but he reasoned it was better than nothing, at least until the 4th division arrived. He tried to imagine his hands weren't shaking as he did this.
Several minutes later, some members of the 4th division arrived, and told Byakuya to step back. He hesitated, having a momentary thought of outrage that they should ask him to do so, but his reason returned and he got to his feet silently and let them do their jobs. However he did not move from his spot standing over Renji.
Later, the 4th division informed him that the two seated officers would survive as well. They each had a single stab wound to the torso and had suffered blood loss. The worst hurt – and still alive – was Renji. Apart from the hole in his chest, he had also been slammed against a tree which had broken three ribs and caused internal bleeding. If they had not found him quickly, they said, he would have survived for maybe an hour at the most. Byakuya felt less inclined to criticize Renji's failure after hearing about his injuries, though he was still fairly sure he would do it anyway.
Byakuya wanted to wait for Renji to regain consciousness, but he did not. The 4th division assured him that this was normal given his blood loss, and he would probably sleep for the rest of the day at least, even after they finished treatment. But Byakuya stayed with him. Even after they made the careful trip back to the 4th division barracks, Byakuya stayed. His propriety was telling him this was the last thing he should be doing, but he couldn't make himself leave.
Into the evening, and most of the 4th division had left the relief station. Byakuya's two other, also living, subordinates were still there, but he had completely and very irresponsibly forgotten their existence. He stared at Renji's pale and slightly pained expression. The thought finally fully formed itself as silence sank in around them. Was this his fault?
It was then that Renji's eyes flickered open. Byakuya unconsciously sat stiffly forward in his chair.
Renji met his gaze and Byakuya nodded in greeting. He said, "How do you feel?"
Renji's eyes widened. "Taichou?" As memories came back to him, his expression sank. "I failed the mission. I have no excuse."
"I see."
"What happened to the hollow?"
"I dispatched it."
Renji frowned. "Yourself? Was it that dangerous?"
Byakuya glanced away with disapproval. "No. I believe you let your guard down too much. It wasn't more than you could handle."
Renji's expression darkened. He said nothing. Byakuya's gut twisted uncomfortably.
"But given the circumstances, you fought well. The fourth division told me you were the only one who was still standing after the initial attack."
Renji merely stared straight ahead; apparently this was of little comfort.
Byakuya struggled for the appropriate thing to say. Comforting people had never been his strong suit, and he honestly believed that Renji could have done better. He could not bring himself to lie to make someone feel better. However, it was the fact that he had sent Renji into a situation that may have been too much for him which caused Byakuya to consider it in the first place.
"Your injuries were severe. You should go back to sleep."
Renji shook his head. "It doesn't hurt much." Renji's gaze was fixed down for a time. Eventually, he looked up and said, "But…why are you here, Taichou? Were my injuries really that bad?"
Byakuya didn't know what to say. They had been bad, but after the fourth division arrived, his life was no longer in danger. For any other subordinate, Byakuya doubted he would have even looked in on them, let alone stayed by their bedside. Even a month ago, he would probably have not done the same for Renji. How could he explain this?
"Rukia…was worried about you. She asked me to look in on you."
"Oh," Renji said, with a light smile. "Good timing. Please tell her I'm fine. I'm sure I'll be out of here tomorrow."
"No. You had internal bleeding and lost most of your blood, you shouldn't leave here for a few days."
"I'm sure it's fine. I don't like being idle."
"Are you disobeying orders?" Byakuya asked, coldly.
Renji blinked. "No…I understand, Taichou. I'll wait for the 4th division's permission."
Byakuya nodded. As silence fell between them again, Byakuya was unable to think of anything to say, although he felt like there was something he wanted to express. It was Renji who spoke next.
"It's very kind of you to stay and talk to me, Taichou. By the way, it looks dark outside. What time is it?"
Byakuya glanced out the window. "I think about nine. I'm not sure."
"I see. I'm very sorry to have inconvenienced you so much, Taichou. I need more training."
"Yes," Byakuya said, with a trace of hesitation. "But now you should rest. Settle down, I'll wait here until you fall asleep."
Renji gazed at his captain with eyes caught between awe and sweetness. "Taichou…have you always been this kind?"
Byakuya turned away uncomfortably, not sure whether he was being inappropriate, or whether Renji had noticed.
"I'm really glad I fell in love with you."
Byakuya's heart leapt. He stared at Renji, shaken by the bold-faced honesty with which he said this. His subordinate was smiling up at him, and though his expressions had been much calmer since that night, there was still a trace of pain in his eyes. Byakuya looked away.
"I see," he said, considering. "You know," he said with a light sigh. "I've been wondering for a while, but what exactly is it about me that makes you feel that way?" Byakuya had difficulty saying the actual word 'love'.
Renji looked surprised to hear this. Nevertheless, he gave it a few moments of thought, and then said, "It's hard to explain, but there's not one thing in particular that makes me love you. It's more like there's nothing I don't love." Byakuya felt his face growing hot, but kept his expression cold. "By the time I realized it, I was thinking about you all time. I just long to be beside you, every second I'm awake."
Byakuya couldn't speak for a while. A disgusting thought occurred to him, and his face flushed even darker, which was unfortunately very obvious on his pale skin. Instead, he bit his lip for a moment. Then, he bent and kissed Renji lightly on the lips.
His vice captain stared up at him, as Byakuya still hovered over him. He looked shocked. Then, without waiting for permission, he took Byakuya's face in his hands and returned his kiss deeply and warmly. Byakuya's eyes fluttered closed as he reluctantly allowed this impertinence. Renji's fingers did that thing again where they wove through his hair and explored his scalp. Byakuya had never known he was sensitive there, but apparently the back of his neck was also an erogenous zone, and it was giving him pleasant shivers all the way down his spine.
All of a sudden, the fact that they were in a fairly public place returned to his thoughts, though of course it was late and there was likely no one else around. Byakuya shoved Renji back roughly and covered his own mouth with the back of his hand, gazing anywhere else but at his subordinate.
Renji coughed uncomfortably, glancing around to make sure they were not spotted.
"I really hadn't thought about this," said the vice captain softly. Byakuya glanced at him. "It's what you were telling me all along, isn't it? Even if you were agreeable, we couldn't possibly be in a relationship like that, if only because it would compromise your reputation. I'm sorry I kissed you. I won't do it again."
Byakuya's chest panged so sharply he almost lost his breath. Apart from anything else, Renji was now apologizing for something Byakuya had started, somehow imagining it to be his own fault. And then there was the other thing he said…well, that they could never be in a relationship, and Byakuya pretended that hadn't bothered him…but also the reason.
Byakuya's reason, when he rejected Renji initially, had been partly an issue of the spirit rather than the letter of the law – since there was no law specifically against relationships in the Gotei 13 – and partly an issue of integrity. He did not want to be the captain of a division that was thought to have low moral standards. Somewhere around third or fourth on this list was his position as the head of the Kuchiki household. Homosexuality was not unheard of in his family, but for the head of the family it was. If they had such tendencies they were always dealt with discretely. But Renji's primary concern was Byakuya's image? In other words, he cared about Byakuya's reputation even over his own honor?
"Not in public," Byakuya found himself muttering. With his back to Renji's shocked face, he said, "I'll return home now, and let Rukia know you're feeling better. I'll come again tomorrow."
Renji tried to stop him and then sucked in a breath and touched his ribs. Byakuya whirled to see if he had hurt himself. But his vice captain merely sat back in bed, though he kept one hand on his rib cage, and smiled serenely at him. "I'll be waiting, then."
Byakuya felt heat rising to his cheeks again, but instead of responding to that feeling, he nodded tightly and exited the building. He was grateful to breathe the open night air again to clear his head and cool down his burning cheeks. His head went over and over their exchange, and unfortunately for him, it just kept going back to the kissing bit.
When Byakuya returned the next day to visit, two things had him immediately perturbed. One, Renji was standing up and fitting his shihakusho over his bandages as if nothing was wrong, and two, together with him were Hisagi Fukutaichou and, of course, Kira. Byakuya paused with one fist clenched at his side before entering the room.
Unfortunately, the first to notice his presence was not the one he would have wished.
"Kuchiki Taichou." Kira said in his usual, soft voice, with only the slightest trace of anger.
Renji looked up and was about to greet him when Kira stepped in between them and put his hand on Byakuya's shoulder, turning him around.
"Just the person I wanted to see. Would you join me outside for a moment, Taichou?"
Byakuya glared at him. Under his breath he muttered, "You had better have a good reason for taking precious minutes of my time to talk to someone I abhor."
Kira merely chuckled and lead him outside. When they found a place where they could not be easily seen or heard, Kira grabbed Byakuya by the collar and hissed, "Did you fuck him?"
"Don't be crass," Byakuya replied, with just the slightest expression of disgust.
"Is it my imagination? I don't think it is. He seems awfully happy today, despite having a hole in his chest the size of my fist, and I'm pretty sure he blushed the last time I mentioned your name. Know what his reaction used to be when I did that? He used to look sad. Not to be cruel, but I liked it better that way."
"I have no doubt of that," Byakuya said, with a superior expression. "You would rather his blushes be saved for someone who loves him, I'm sure."
Kira looked ready to hit him again. "Just tell me."
Byakuya considered whether he would gain anything from hiding it. Kira already seemed fairly certain. However, was Kira the type to sabotage another person by revealing such information publicly? Either way, it was probably too late anyway. Eventually, Byakuya's silence had given Kira all the answer he needed. Slowly, he released Byakuya.
Kira looked away with a heavy expression and didn't speak for a time. He took a few steps away and folded his arms, staring listlessly at the ground. "All right," he said, at length. "I won't interfere anymore."
Byakuya's eyebrows rose minimally.
Kira turned to look at him. "Anything I did now wouldn't make any difference anyway. So let me implore you again, please think about what you are doing. I admit, it's a bit late to be saying this now, but what you've done…you've just sealed his fate. Whatever happens to him now is completely up to you. If he lives happily ever after, great. I doubt it, but great." Byakuya allowed a brief scowl at that. "And if his heart is broken to a point where he can't love anyone ever again, I think you know there's only one person who can be responsible for that. No more passing the buck now. No more turning back, either." He patted Byakuya once on the chest, and then left to go back to Renji. As he did, he said, "Much though I am loathe to say it, good luck, Taichou."
None of that should have been particularly upsetting to Byakuya. He tried to imagine that most of it had already occurred to him anyway, so there was no point in worrying about it. And yet there was a nagging feeling in his gut that Kira might be right. He may have done something irreversible.
He took a moment to gather himself, then returned to the relief station. Renji already looked ready to leave, and apparently Hisagi and Kira were going with him. "Taichou!" he said, smiling. "I've been okayed to go home, so we're going celebrating."
Byakuya sighed. "Is there anything that you celebrate without drinking?"
The three men exchanged glances. As if the question itself had been strange, they all replied, "No."
Then Renji said, "Would you like to come along, Taichou?"
Byakuya breathed in and out. He started to say, "I don't think…" But a glare from Kira stopped him. He cleared his throat and continued, "All right."
In no time, they arrived at their usual izakaya. Byakuya was getting really tired of these drinking parties with subordinates. At least this time there were only three of them to annoy him.
"How was Matsumoto today?" Renji asked of Hisagi.
The normally taciturn man blushed. "G-good. She showed me some shopping catalogues and asked me what I thought about things, I don't really know why."
Kira nodded. "Women do that. It means she sees you as an equal."
"You mean as a girl," Renji and Hisagi said in unison.
Kira tilted his head and glanced away politely, not willing to be so blunt.
Hisagi slumped over the table, slightly behind Renji's hand which grabbed his drink out of the way. "Hahh…" he sighed. "I wonder what she looks for in a man, though."
Byakuya was completely out of his depth during this conversation. Aside from the fact that he was mostly unaware of what subordinates thought of one another, he was not perceptive enough to grasp that Hisagi had feelings for Matsumoto. Nor was he able to follow the flow of the conversation. Why did asking someone to look at shopping catalogues make them a girl?
"Anyway," Renji said. "She certainly doesn't hate you. That's something to be happy about."
Byakuya glanced up as he said this. Although he gathered that Renji had no ill intent when he said it, it still made Byakuya feel unpleasant. He wondered if Renji was, intentionally or not, thinking of him.
Hisagi sat up, taking a single breath to return to his normal, controlled self. "You're right. I won't give up so easily."
"That's the spirit," Renji said.
Kira raised his glass to him.
"Abarai, as soon as you're up and about, I perfected a new move recently that I would like to try against Zabimaru," Hisagi said.
Renji nodded as he drank, then set his glass down. "What sort of move?"
The conversation went on for quite some time about techniques. Although this was a conversation Byakuya could follow, it was not one he had any particular interest in. Again, what subordinates chose to do with their time only bored or annoyed him. Battle techniques were no exception.
"By the way, Taichou," Renji said. Byakuya looked up. "I admit I was too slow to see the technique that cut me. Do you know what it was?"
The other two looked to Byakuya as well.
Byakuya felt uncomfortable. It was like being reminded that he was the cause for Renji's injuries. Well him, and Renji being a fool. "It was a simple technique. Although he was fast, his strength was his ability to hide his killing intent, even up to the instant of impact. I was able to block it because my mind was still." That part was a lie. He had blocked it on instinct, his mind was anything but still at the time. But he knew this was the lesson Renji needed to learn from that fight. "When one's mind is calm, it is easy to sense even the slightest hint of ill intent. Additionally, he was intelligent. He lured all of you out into the forest, and he attacked you first, perceiving that you were the strongest one there. Because his first attack was successful, he was able to…"
Byakuya stopped speaking as he saw Renji's gaze fall. They both remembered at the same time that two men had died that day, and two more were seriously injured. Renji thought the fault was with him, Byakuya assumed it was his own. Neither was able to comment on the matter.
"At any rate, the things I would like you to learn from that battle are stilling your mind, and being smarter."
Kira and Hisagi both snorted with laughter. Byakuya glanced between them, annoyed.
"Did you hear that, Abarai?" Hisagi asked, smirking.
Renji got up-in-arms all of a sudden. "What?" he demanded. "What is so funny about that?"
"It's gotten to the point where your captain needs to tell it to you. 'Get smarter'," Kira repeated, and then burst out laughing.
Their laughter wouldn't stop and eventually Renji stood.
"It's not funny, you jackasses!" he said. "I've had enough celebrating for today. Taichou, let's go home."
Byakuya was grateful for the opportunity. He nodded to Hisagi and Kira. "Good evening," he said, and followed Renji out.
Hisagi and Kira were still chuckling slightly as they left.
Byakuya sighed, grateful to be outside. He was surprised that as he glanced at Renji's face beside him, he was no longer annoyed, but smiling. Nevertheless, he said, "Thank you for inviting me out with you."
Renji chuckled. "Yeah. I wasn't really that mad, it just seemed like a good opportunity."
"Opportunity?"
Renji looked a little bit awkward and then said, "I really shouldn't have invited you. I know you don't like this things. It was nice of you to come anyway."
Byakuya glanced away for a moment. It was true. He had only agreed because Kira's argument had gotten to him, and he was feeling guilty about what he had done with Renji.
"If…" Renji said, slowly. "If this is out of some feeling of guilt, it's really all right. I don't feel badly about what happened between us," Byakuya felt himself blush a little, "And it's obvious that the incident yesterday was my fault. So if you're playing along with me out of guilt, it's really not necessary."
"I see," Byakuya said. He was unable to deny it. And yet, somehow, the way Renji spoke made it sound distant. It made Byakuya nervous. Which is why he said something impulsive. "By the way, Renji…I'll…be in my quarters tonight. You may come if you wish."
Renji was silent for long enough that Byakuya looked up at him, wondering if he'd heard. His expression was pained, as it bad been before they slept together. "I…" he said, softly. "Thank you, Taichou, but…my wounds are still healing."
Byakuya gasped slightly. How had he forgotten? He turned away. "Of course. Forget I said anything."
"But thank you," Renji said again. However his pained expression had not left him. He stared at the ground as he said, "Your invitation alone makes me very happy."
Byakuya's chest tightened. He just said "happy". Why did he look so sad?
That evening, it rained heavily. Byakuya was preparing for bed, after taking a hot bath to banish the cold of the rainy night, when there was a knock on his door. He opened it to find a soaking wet Renji, his wild red hair uncharacteristically limp. He was shivering and looking as if he may have been crying.
"I'm sorry, Taichou, I know I said I wasn't coming, but…"
Byakuya yanked him inside. Once there, he went to the bathroom to grab a towel, and threw it over Renji's head. He removed his bandana and ponytail and dried his long red hair underneath the towel. Through all of this, Renji stayed silent but for the occasional chattering of his teeth.
Byakuya gave him a change of clothes, and once he finished changing, offered him a seat on the bed.
"Why did you come in the rain with no umbrella?" Byakuya asked him, angrily.
Renji was silent for a while and eventually shook his head. "I don't know, I just…I had to see you. I tried to hold back but…"
Hold back? Byakuya wondered to himself. Why?
Renji shook his head again. "I'm sorry, Taichou. I'm trying, but I still…" He put his head in his hands, and Byakuya could tell he was crying. "…I still love you so much."
Byakuya lifted Renji's chin and kissed him, though later he could not explain why he did this. His vice captain hesitantly leaned into his touch. Byakuya wiped away his tears with his thumbs, and kissed him again. This time Renji met his kiss, and pulled Byakuya onto the bed with him.
Byakuya slid his knee between Renji's legs, and moved his hips against Renji's. Renji let out a small moan. The sound reached Byakuya's ears and hastened his need. He gently tilted Renji's chin away and kissed up and down his neck. Renji gripped Byakuya's shoulders and his hips moved involuntarily, seeking stimulation from Byakuya's body over him. Byakuya continued downward to kiss Renji's chest, pulling apart the white kimono that he had given Renji while his shihakusho dried. He was pleased to see that there was no bleeding underneath the bandages. Since the first time had been rather rushed, he savored how strangely good it felt to kiss a man's body. Or at any rate, this man's body.
Where Byakuya was on the slender side, Renji's whole body was packed with muscle. They moved beneath his skin under Byakuya's touch. Hisana, when he kissed her body, had smelled sweet and fresh. Renji's body was musky, and rich-smelling so that it was noticeable, where Hisana's smell had been subtle. And to be honest, although he knew he was skilled in bed, Byakuya had only ever been with one woman. He wasn't sure if all women were sweet-smelling, or all men musky like Renji. But he found he liked the contrast.
"Taichou…" Renji murmured, softly. Then he held Byakuya's head and kissed his hair. Byakuya's eyes lidded, touched by the gentleness in this normally brash man.
He was planning on taking his time stimulating Renji's body, especially because of his injuries, but his vice captain pushed him away. He was concerned until Renji pushed him back onto the bed. He received another passionate kiss from the younger man as Renji straddled him over his hips. Then Renji's hands began to caress his body. He closed his eyes again, letting the pleasant feeling wash over him. Then Renji's hand reached down to touch his member. He sucked in a harsh breath.
Renji glanced up at him, and slowly shifted his body down, stroking Byakuya's length while he lay kisses all over his chest. Then, the kisses stopped for a moment, and when Byakuya looked down, he saw Renji's tongue extend over the tip of his cock. He licked it gently. Byakuya had to grip the sheets and clench his teeth to avoid making a vulgar noise. Even Hisana had never done this for him.
Renji kissed the tip, and then took it loosely into his mouth, while his tongue made circles around the tip. Byakuya's body was convulsing against his will. But if the alternative was making lewd noises, he would take the trembling. He especially did not want to show an embarrassing side of himself to Renji. But Renji seemed to have other ideas.
His vice captain tightened his lips around Byakuya, and took him deeply into his mouth. Byakuya could not help a quick inward breath. He felt his cock touching the back of Renji's throat. It was an amazing amount of stimulation for someone who'd never done this before. Renji drew back again, once again swirling his tongue around the tip. Then he drew back further, and flicked the most sensitive part of Byakuya's penis with his tongue while stroking his length with his hand. Finally he swallowed him deeply again. It seemed as if, the harder Byakuya tried to stop making sounds, the more the sounds wanted to come out of him.
Eventually he got fed up with being in this vulnerable position, and grabbed Renji's hair to pull him back. As he did, Renji's tongue lolled out in an unbelievably sexy way. Byakuya reigned in his desire.
"Renji," he said. "Bring your lower half over here."
Renji's eyes widened and he blushed deeply. Hesitantly, he complied, first removing his kimono and laying it conscientiously on the bed. He turned around and placed his hips above Byakuya's face. Byakuya gazed at Renji's package, with genuine curiosity. He'd never looked at another man's equipment very seriously before. He started by slowly stroking it. He considered for a time whether he would go any further. But when he felt Renji's lips on him again, he shuddered and his doubts faded.
He tasted the tip experimentally. No, it did not taste good, not that he expected it to. But as soon as his tongue touched him, Renji had flinched and a soft moan vibrated through Byakuya's cock. He closed his eyes to hold back his desire. Then he took Renji's cock into his mouth.
Renji's whole body trembled, and though he had been on all fours, he now fell onto one elbow. He tried very hard to concentrate on his task, but every now and then his hand and mouth would be stopped by Byakuya's movements.
Byakuya held back a small smirk. He was liking this method of pleasuring. Then an even more exciting idea occurred to him. He removed Renji's cock from his mouth for a moment and stroked it in the meantime. He placed two fingers inside his mouth and wetted them liberally. Then he brought them up to Renji's asshole. He started to massage the entrance.
Renji gasped and moaned in protest over Byakuya's cock. Byakuya merely looked at him with a trace of devilishness, and then took Renji's cock back into his mouth. The stimulation, even though Byakuya had yet to insert his fingers, was getting too much for Renji and his mouth started to loosen over Byakuya's cock. Then Byakuya inserted one finger. Renji trembled and Byakuya's cock fell from his mouth.
"Concentrate," Byakuya admonished. However, he was thoroughly enjoying himself.
Renji's body was still trembling with sensation, and he could not hold back the occasional moan, but he managed to return to sucking Byakuya's cock. Somehow, the heat of desire seemed to be affecting him. His ministrations seemed to be becoming more passionate, and though he moaned a lot, he rarely left his task.
Byakuya inserted another finger. Renji trembled, but kept his head and tongue moving. But in a few moments, Byakuya's fingers brushed against Renji's prostate. At that point, he cried out and Byakuya's cock fell from his mouth again.
Byakuya tried not to smirk. "What's wrong, Renji?"
"N-nothing…" Renji panted, and reached for Byakuya's cock again.
However, Byakuya pressed down at that special place inside him again, and Renji's cock began to drip precum as the vice captain collapsed against his captain's hips.
Byakuya had had enough teasing. "Move over there," he told Renji, indicating the head of the bed.
Panting to try to recover from the intense pleasure, Renji nodded. He lay on all fours, his ass facing Byakuya. Byakuya inserted two fingers again, and eventually a third. Occasionally he would intentionally caress Renji's prostate, enjoying the uncontrolled passion of the other man. Finally, he inserted his moist cock inside his vice captain.
Both men struggled against the intense sensation for a moment. Then Renji started to pant hard. "Tai…chou…!" he panted.
"What?"
"It's…strange…it doesn't…hurt, this time…" Renji managed to say, while trembling and clearly fighting back the urge to cum.
Byakuya grunted. "Because we did oral first, I imagine." So it did hurt before, he remarked to himself, casting his gaze away. Then he leaned down to speak softly in Renji's ear. "I may not let you sleep tonight," he murmured.
Renji blushed all the way up to his ears, apparently more than willing.
Byakuya thrust powerfully inside him. Renji cried out, falling to his elbows. Byakuya moved lightly back and forth, then impaled him deeply again. Renji's moans grew louder as his desire to cum and relieve the burden of this intense desire increased. Then Byakuya felt Renji's sphincter tighten. He was going to cum. Immediately he gripped the base of Renji's cock, hard.
Renji made a choked cry and breathed heavily. "Taichou…?" he murmured, breathless.
Byakuya frowned at him. "Who gave you permission to cum before your captain?"
Renji's eyes widened, tears forming in the corners from too much stimulation. "Ah…Taichou…" he murmured. Then, something that made Byakuya lose control. "Please…fuck me…fuck me harder…"
Byakuya's jaw clenched. His fingernails dug into the skin on Renji's hips, and he forgot his idea to tease Renji until they could cum together. He took in a breath. Then he thrust hard into Renji's insides, slamming their bodies together over and over. Renji was losing it, light tears forming in his eyes and drool dripping from his mouth, and he could no longer hold back his voice. Over and over he cried out for his captain, and finally he twisted his body so he could look at Byakuya.
Then Renji murmured, "Byakuya…"
Byakuya's whole body tensed. He suddenly grabbed onto Renji's body and bit into the skin of his back, hard, as he came. Renji cried out, finally unable to keep himself from cumming. Byakuya shuddered, slowly removing his cock from Renji, and watching as a trail of cum dripped out of Renji's contracting hole. The two of them trembled together for a long time.
For some reason, after the pleasure faded, Byakuya felt his heart aching. While holding him from behind, he caressed the bandages over Renji's chest. He had the wish that he could do something for him, though he couldn't imagine what. In the end, he quietly kissed Renji's back and breathed in his scent.
Slowly, Renji lay down in the bed, and Byakuya followed him. They faced one another in a post-coital glow, Renji with his eyes closed and head comfortably in the circle of Byakuya's neck and chest. Byakuya held him and stroked his still-damp hair. He was happy, and yet something seemed very wrong to him. Something about the atmosphere around Renji made him nervous. But he didn't want to think about it, so he gave into the desire to sleep, Renji safely cradled in his arms.
It was four in the morning. Renji blinked awake. He looked at the man holding him in his arms, a serene expression on his sleeping face, his soft black hair falling gently across his cheek. He felt his heart might burst with simultaneous happiness and pain. Then he lowered his gaze. This had all been too confusing. Renji was starting to delude himself into thinking this was something that it wasn't. He remembered a time only recently when having a sexual relationship with Kuchiki Taichou would have been beyond his dreams. But being this close to him had made him greedy. It was time to draw the line. Or he might forever kill himself with happiness.
When Byakuya woke the next morning, he was alone. The bed had been made, with him inside it, and he did not feel sticky as he expected to. He couldn't imagine why that was. He looked around, but there was no trace of Renji. That bad feeling returned, and he quickly got dressed.
He first visited Renji's quarters. He knocked, but no one answered, and there was no reiatsu or presence there either. Starting to really worry, he went to his office, intending to send out a hell butterfly to ascertain Renji's whereabouts. When he arrived, he saw Renji leaning against the wall beside his office. He looked up when he saw Byakuya.
"Good morning, Taichou," he said, smiling. Byakuya frowned; there was that familiar pained expression again, but this time it was much more obvious.
He nodded tightly, pretending that he was completely undisturbed until that moment. "Did you need something?"
Renji nodded, still smiling. "Yes, I needed to talk to you about an assignment. Can we talk inside?"
Byakuya felt that nervous feeling again. How could Renji have an assignment that he didn't know about? But he nodded and unlocked the door. He offered Renji a seat, but Renji refused with a smile, saying it wouldn't take long.
So Byakuya took a seat at his desk, glancing up apprehensively at Renji as he did so. "What did you want to talk about?"
"I'd like to be reassigned at a post in the human world for a while."
Byakuya's eyes widened. What?
"Preferably in Karakura-chou, since Ichigo is there too. If possible, I'd like to stay there…six months."
The bottom dropped out of Byakuya's stomach. He honestly couldn't comprehend, or perhaps accept, what Renji was saying. Was he serious?
Renji glanced around, awkwardly. "I, um…I just need a change," he said softly.
Byakuya stared at him. Eventually he managed, "Six months? That's six months of your life you'll never get back." He started to feel an intense emotion building with him, and perhaps because he didn't acknowledge it, it just continued to grow. "Why would you want to leave Soul Society for six months? In the human world-"
"Taichou, I understand-"
"-what is there for you there? You won't be able to train properly. I'm your goal. How are you going to defeat me if you're there?"
"I can train with Ichigo, and after all when you two fought…" Renji stopped that line of thought, sighing and beginning again. "I know it's sudden. But I've made up my mind. I just need your approval."
Byakuya was about to shoot those words back at him and tell him he couldn't have it, but something in Renji's expression stopped him.
With a sad smile, Renji murmured, "Please, Taichou."
Underneath the cover of his desk, Byakuya clenched his fists until he broke the skin. However, he cast his gaze aside expressionlessly. "I understand," he said.
Renji looked a bit surprised, but grateful. He nodded, and left Byakuya's office. After that day, Byakuya didn't see him in person again until the brief period before he sent him off to Hueco Mundo.