Chapter 7: Reflections

(I meant to get to this before, but got upended by other things, so here's some more to heat things up. Enjoy, love Spunky.)

A deep, grating rumble brought Byakuya back to the surfaces of sleep, leaving him somewhere in between awake and slumbering, somewhat aware, but unable to move. He felt adrift, but oddly still anchored in the strong, unyielding arms that had held onto him all night. A warm, musky fragrance radiated around the man holding him, a scent that trickled down into Byakuya's senses, leaving him in an unusually agitated and aroused state.

I am not letting that beast touch me like that again!

Swallowing hard, he kept his eyes on Kenpachi's relaxed sleeping face and carefully wriggled out of the man's clutches. He was mildly surprised at being able to work himself free without waking his hulking comrade.

As soundly as he sleeps, I am surprised that Kenpachi has survived until now.

Byakuya grabbed a warm robe that laid over a nearby chair and he stepped out through the open garden doors, where he put on a pair of slippers before starting down the quiet garden path.

Mist hung in the air, obscuring the pathway ahead and curling hypnotically around the lush flora. As much as it lent to the feeling of solitude he always felt in that place, there seemed to be an unusual warmth radiating through his insides and a general feeling of comfort and satisfaction.

I do not remember the last time I had an orgasm. I never allowed myself completion around Hisana, as my reiatsu was overwhelming as it was. And I never entered her for fear of impregnating her. It would have hastened her death even more. Before last night, the only hand that ever touched me sexually was my own. No one else would have dared. But I cannot be angry with Kenpachi for doing so. However it happened, he is my spouse.

But, the truth is, I am furious. The anger inside me at being touched when I did not invite it…then, suffering that unwilling wash of desire so intense that I could not control it. I suppose it is because my body was deprived for so long. I am, after all, a living soul. We crave connection with other souls. We crave that sharing of pleasure. What I cannot fathom is the extreme attraction my soul feels for his. That is the root of true resonance…that uncontrollable desire for that one other soul that makes one's own feel completed.

Is this happening because I so wanted to have a child and Kenpachi is giving me my heart's desire?

The sound of a distant, rumbling snore brought him out of his thoughts for a moment, and although he wanted to be annoyed at the intrusion, the expression on his face was one of grudging amusement.

One thing is certain. Life with Kenpachi is not going to be boring. If I had ever wanted to defy the Kuchiki elders to the point of them assassinating me, this would have done it. The only reason that they accept it is because they have no argument against the effects of hollow vamp saliva and the deep truth of resonance. After the heir is born, however, they may encourage me to free Kenpachi from our marriage. They do not want him in the family, but they had to order it because the heir needed to be born in wedlock. We can separate after the birth.

Kenpachi should be glad to hear that.

He sensed almost immediately that he was lying to himself. Kenpachi's words returned to him, battering at his assertion.

Kenpachi's powerful eyes narrowed and he pressed his hips forward, impacting Byakuya's aroused nether region and jolting his slim, lovely body with warm friction. The noble sucked in a stinging breath, unable to say a word as pleasure rocketed through him. Kenpachi watched closely until Byakuya started to recover, then he moved his hips again and watched his husband's deep grey eyes cloud with barely restrained lust.

"You like that," the big man chuckled, his voice rumbling through his thick torso and teasing Byakuya's trapped nether region unmercifully, "Maybe you still hate me, but you like what I'm doin' to you."

"Y-you're crazy!" Byakuya fired back.

His breath left him again as Kenpachi's hips moved again and he leaned forward, bringing his face close to the angry noble's.

"And you're not used to letting yourself feel good," Kenpachi answered, "They've screwed you up so bad, you don't even really know right from wrong anymore. You don't know how to listen to your instincts."

"W-well, some of us have grown beyond being undisciplined monkeys!"

Byakuya gasped and writhed fitfully as Kenpachi's hips began to move again, derailing his thoughts and sending deep throbs of pleasure through his long deprived loins. And before he quite realized what was happening, his own hips seemed to rise of their own accord, seeking more of that hot, delicious friction.

"That's it," Kenpachi purred, the deep, relaxed rumble of his voice seeping into Byakuya's undulating form, "See, it's good for something, right? It's making you feel good."

Byakuya shivered involuntarily at the memory.

I did not want to feel anything when he touched me, but my body responded to his touch with scandalous enthusiasm. Maybe I really did want him to touch me…to kiss my mouth with those hard, unyielding lips. I feel aroused again at the thought.

What is wrong with me?

He was sure that he had fallen into a dream state as he sensed Kenpachi approaching and turned to see the mist swirling erotically around his husband's huge,, naked and towering form. Glowing green eyes glared out of the fog and the big man's lips were curled into a cocky grin. Byakuya wanted to be furious, to lash out and to push him away, but he stood frozen as Kenpachi swept forward, capturing him in a powerful embrace and crashing their lips together forcefully. A gasp of mingled pain and arousal escaped him as he was forced back against the slender trunk of a sakura tree and his mouth enthusiastically invaded. And as much as he told himself to push Kenpachi away, to yell at him to stop…to do something, he couldn't escape how good it felt to be grabbed and held in strong arms, to have his mouth forced open and to feel the deep, probing of that hot, slick, driving tongue exploring him in the most sinful, lascivious way. A lurid groan escaped him as the bigger man's lips suddenly freed his.

"You want something from me, princess?" Kenpachi growled in his ear, "Tell me what you want and we'll do it…right here, right now."

There is no way this could really be happening, Byakuya assured himself.

The assumption felt safe enough and his senses were sharp enough to sense anyone approaching before he was seen in such a state.

He glared up at his grinning husband, the flesh of his back stinging slightly from the impact with the tree.

"What're you waiting for?" Kenpachi teased him, "Tell me what you want."

"I want you on your knees," Byakuya instructed him.

His heart pounded mercilessly as he watched the big man lower himself, his muscles rippling as he crouched like a wildcat, ready to attack. Breathing slowly, Byakuya gained enough control of himself to move gracefully along Kenpachi's side, running cool fingertips through his bowed husband's wild hair and over the scarred flesh of his muscular shoulders and back. Kenpachi loosed another impatient growl, then sucked in a surprised breath as a sudden swirl of pink petals erupted from Byakuya's hands and fashioned itself into a long, sakura rope. Byakuya snapped it, making Kenpachi hiss out an infuriated curse as a red welt rose on the back of one shoulder.

"I do not trust you," Byakuya said in a low, warning tone, "You are barely tamed enough to be called a shinigami. But you are my husband and I desire you sexually. So…when we are together, you will be bound."

Kenpachi's thick laugh set his heart pounding harder.

"However you like it, sweetheart," he chuckled, "Just don't kill me, okay?"

"Don't worry," Byakuya purred, leaning over him to breathe the words into his ear, "While you carry our child, I will not kill you. I may, however, make you wish that I would."

"Is that right?" Kenpachi panted softly, reaching a hand down to caress himself.

Instantly, another sakura rope formed and curled around his wrist, yanking it back and securing it to the base of the tree. A third rope formed and secured his other hand.

"You are a kinky little thing aren't you?" Kenpachi taunted him, "Do those stuck up elders of yours know about that? Naw, you're good at hiding. You just know that I see you."

"Shut up!" Byakuya hissed, snapping the end of a sakura rope threateningly as he stepped over Kenpachi's bound hands and positioned himself in front of his husband, "If you are going to insist on opening that big mouth of yours, then you will use it to pleasure me."

A feeling of euphoria passed through him at the deep, throaty laugh that emanated from Kenpachi.

"You want me to…?"

Taking a shaky breath, Byakuya loosed the tie at his waist, baring himself to his bound husband.

"You heard me."

Kenpachi eyed his nether region with almost frightening aggressiveness. He leaned forward, then yelped and swore as Byakuya's fingers sank into his hair and yanked his head back.

"Do not dare to injure me or you will suffer a fate worse than death!" he snapped.

Byakuya's eyes burned and stung, aching to close, but unable to tear themselves away from the sight that was playing out in front of them. Kenpachi's mouth opened and closed in on him, then closed again, making the noble gasp and his legs quiver as the ordered stimulation began. He quickly lost awareness of anything around him, focusing his eyes on his husband's more feral ones and moving his hips to intensify the horrifyingly beautiful contact.

Is this really happening?

Byakuya's fingers sank into Kenpachi's riled hair, marveling at its softness and feeling heavy twinges inside as the big man tensed in reaction.

He looks eerily lovely this way…bound in my power, his eyes wild and unfocused, everything about him dangerous and untamed.

Byakuya drew in a shocked breath, breaking suddenly out of the dream state that had overcome him and finding himself standing alone with his back pressed hard against a sakura tree and his yukata open and rippling in a soft breeze. Cold air soothed his alert nether region and he quickly tied his clothing back in place.

This is insane.

What just happened?

It felt so very real, but…

He realized then that the rumbling snoring had stopped and he felt that Kenpachi was waking. He walked slowly back to their bedroom, carefully composing himself along the way and reaching a much calmer state before he entered the bedroom. He found Kenpachi sitting up in their bed, running rough fingers through his thick, messy hair and smiling in greeting.

"G'morning, princess."

Byakuya scowled.

"What's the matter?" Kenpachi laughed softly, "You have trouble sleeping? You looked pretty out of it when I woke up a few times and snuck peeks at you."

"I do not think anyone could sleep through that horrid sound," Byakuya complained.

"Eh, you'll get used to it," Kenpachi snickered, "Just like I'll get used to your cute little princess farts."

Byakuya suffered a rare moment of speechlessness.

"M-my…? How dare you!" he hissed, glaring, "Do not ever say things like that to me!"

"What? Why not? It's the truth," Kenpachi said, matter-of-factly, "You fart in your sleep. Doesn't everyone?"

"Shut up, you wretched, vile…buffoon!" Byakuya snarled, his reiatsu rising warningly.

Byakuya's breath caught in surprise as a swirl of bright sakura escaped him, swiftly forming a glowing pink rope that snapped around Kenpachi's wrist.

What?

Why did that happen?

Byakuya quickly made the unintended conjuring disappear. Kenpachi sat up, staring at his wrist for a moment, then looking up at Byakuya curiously.

"What was that?" he asked, "I mean, I know what it was. But I never saw your blossoms do that before."

Byakuya gazed back at him, lost for words as Kenpachi turned his hand over to reveal a splash of blood on the underside of one wrist.

"Looks like you weren't quite in control, ne?" Kenpachi chuckled, "Or should I count that as a love bite?"

"You may count it as a warning not to irritate me further or your wrist won't be all I cut next time!" Byakuya answered heatedly.

"Nice," Kenpachi snickered, "Okay, no talk. But maybe we could have sex?"

Byakuya bristled.

"Come on, I woke up with a hard on!" the big man complained.

"As does every virile male," the noble answered scathingly.

"Hey, you're supposed to…"

"I have to go to work," Byakuya said brusquely, disappearing in a flash step and leaving Kenpachi staring at where he had been.

"In your PJs?" he mused, "Heh…"

Byakuya was halfway to the sixth division and still flash stepping at top speed when he realized the state of his attire. He was tempted to return to the manor to dress properly, but abandoned the idea as he imagined his naked husband waiting to accuse him of coming back for more.

I have an extra uniform I keep in my closet at work. It will be fine.

Byakuya reached the division and dashed inside, missing entirely Renji's presence at his desk as he raced into his quarters. Renji looked up, blinking in surprise as he flash stepped past.

"Taichou?" he mused.

The redhead looked down at his work, then at Byakuya's closed door, his mind going back to his earlier conversation with Rukia.

He laid in his bed, his body naked and still wound around Rukia's while she snored softly in his ear. It was well past when he should have escorted her home, but his heart was still pounding and his sated loins still couldn't believe that Rukia had finally let him inside her.

"I've wanted to do that for years, you know," he whispered in his longtime friend's ear, "I've loved you forever, I think."

Rukia smiled and opened her eyes.

"You have not," she giggled.

Renji gazed down at her through completely serious eyes.

"Sure I have," he insisted, "You just weren't paying attention. I don't know what I did that finally caught your eye, but I'm glad it happened. I love you, Rukia."

Rukia blushed and met him for a long, wet kiss.

"I love you too, Renji," Rukia answered.

She sighed and looked down at her seed splashed body.

"I'm glad we did this too."

She glanced at the clock by the bed and her violet eyes rounded.

"Renji, look at the time!" she gasped.

"Yeah," Renji chuckled, "Kinda got away with us, huh?"

"How can you be so casual about this?" the young woman demanded, "I am always home in time to say goodnight to Byakuya and Tetsuya unless I'm on a mission! Byakuya is going to know something…"

"Would you stop worrying," Renji chided her, "I mean, now that I know you want to be with me, all I have to do is to talk to him. I'm a fukutaichou, you're a fukutaichou. It's cool now, right?"

"The courting part is fine," Rukia agreed, slipping out of bed and beginning to hastily dress, "But we shouldn't be too obvious about the fact we're having sex."

Renji laughed and tugged her back down onto the bed.

"Oh, you mean we can have some more?" he teased her.

"Renji, you ass, I have to go home! I've got to think of something to say about all of this…"

"Don't worry about it," he said soothingly, "I'll go to work early and I'll just tell Byakuya I confessed my feelings to you and I'll ask him for his blessing to date you."

Rukia rolled her eyes.

"He's not going to be fooled for a second," she said skeptically, "He'll probably chase you away with his petal blades."

"He's not going to hurt me," Renji chuckled, "He's probably suspected for a long time I liked you and he'll just warn me to be respectful."

"And having sex with his sister before telling him we're dating is respectful?" Rukia said, crossing her arms and tapping her foot.

"Eh," Renji said, looking less sure of himself, "Maybe you're right. Maybe he won't take it so well."

"But we have to tell him," Rukia persisted.

"I wanted to tell him!" Renji complained, "Then you had to go and get me all flustered. If he sees my reiatsu like this, he's going to know something went on that shouldn't have. Maybe we shouldn't do this now."

"Um, it's a little late," Rukia said pointedly.

She studied Renji's anxious expression and sighed again, reaching up to touch the pendant at her throat.

"Well, at least we were careful and used a protection charm."

She paused as her fingers searched, but failed to find the mentioned charm.

"Oh no!" she gasped, dashing back to the bed and diving onto Renji, her hands tearing at the bedding, "Where is it? Where is it?"

Renji's face went white.

"It was there before! I put it on you myself!"

Rukia stiffened and lifted her hand that now held a charm on a broken chain.

"Shit…" Renji managed.

"What do we do now?" Rukia asked, swallowing hard.

Renji felt as though Byakuya's petals had already raked over him once and were swirling around, preparing to do it again.

"I'll talk to him," he said in a thick voice, "I'll just…I'll just tell him I want to marry you right now."

Renji's heart pounded painfully as he rose and walked to Byakuya's door. He paused for a moment, quivering inside, then started to tap on the door. To his surprise, it opened and Byakuya exited the room, almost crashing into him.

"S-sorry, Taichou!" Renji exclaimed.

"What out of base missions are on the board?" Byakuya asked abruptly.

"Uh," Renji stammered, "J-just one to Karakura Town to do some recon. But that doesn't really require…"

"Accept it," Byakuya said shortly, "And get ready. We'll leave in an hour."

"Okay," Renji said, backing away.

Byakuya frowned and his head tilted slightly.

"Did you want something, Renji?" he asked, "Why were you coming to my quarters?"

"Eh…oh…ah, I was just…I…it was nothing important."

If I wait until we're in Karakura Town, I'll have more time to think of how to tell him without pissing him off too much.

"Oh?"

"Yeah, sorry," Renji said, shaking his head, "I'll uh…I'll just go pack."

"Renji," Byakuya said, stopping him in his tracks.

Oh gods, he figured it out?

"There is something we should talk about before we go."

"Yeah?" the redhead managed, trying to lean casually against the wall and nearly falling.

"Are you all right, Abarai?" Byakuya asked.

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine," Renji assured him.

"Well, I needed to talk to you about some wedding arrangements."

SHIT!

"W-wedding arrangements? Uh…"

Byakuya nodded.

"It seems that when Tetsuya was attacked by that hollow vamp, he was affected by the vamp's saliva."

"T-tetsuya?" Renji said in a surprised tone, "But vamp saliva…"

"Yes," Byakuya said in an annoyed tone, "It affected Tetsuya and he had relations with Ichigo and Ichigo became pregnant."

"Wha…whoa! Wait, Ichigo is pregnant?"

"Mmhmm, and Tetsuya is the baby's father," Byakuya went on, "As you can imagine, although the elders know that the two could not help what happened, they are not pleased about the situation. Still, they have agreed to support the union as both our clan and the Shiba clan will benefit from the binding of Tetsuya's strong reiatsu with Ichigo's. So, the two are putting their plans together and have said they would like you to take part in the wedding as their best man."

"What? Me? Really? Who, uh…who's the maid of honor?"

"Rukia, of course," Byakuya answered.

"That's great, Taichou!" Renji answered, distracted slightly by the good news, "Sure, count me in."

He thought for a moment, then frowned and looked back at Byakuya questioningly.

"Hey uh, Taichou, you were attacked by a hollow vamp that night too, weren't you?"

Byakuya frowned warningly.

"Yes."

"And uh…Zaraki Taichou found you."

"He did," Byakuya agreed, his reiatsu darkening threateningly.

"Oh," Renji said in a small voice, "Well, uh…guess it's time to go, eh?"

He started to turn away, only to find himself suddenly shoved back against the wall and with Byakuya nose to nose with him.

"T-taichou?" he croaked.

"What happened that night Kenpachi came to find me is between that barbarian and me," Byakuya hissed, "You will not speak a word about this to anyone without my leave!"

"Okay!" Renji said quickly, "Not a word, Taichou!"

"We will have to make an announcement about the baby when Kenpachi delivers, but…"

"WHAT?" Renji shouted, his eyes nearly popping out of his head, "Zaraki Taichou is…?"

"Not a word, Renji!" Byakuya snapped, "This needs to be handled the right way."

"R-right," Renji said, nodding, "Just…Taichou, one thing?"

Byakuya scowled.

"You want something to convince you to maintain your silence?" he asked sharply.

"No, it's not like that!" Renji exclaimed, "Not blackmail or anything. I was just wondering…if you mind if I date your sister."

"Hmm," Byakuya said, letting go of him and starting towards the office, "What did she say on the matter when you woke up together this morning?"

Renji broke out in a sweat and his legs went weak.

"That you were probably going to kill me?" he croaked.

"I would if I was not distracted between Tetsuya's situation and my own," Byakuya said dryly, "Did you at least use protection?"

"Yeah, but the thing is, it kinda broke."

Byakuya stiffened, then let out a long breath.

"So…it will be a double wedding?" he asked resignedly.

"Well, three if you and Zaraki Taichou…"

"We are already married," Byakuya said shortly, "And it is a confidential marriage, so you will not say a word to anyone, do you understand?"

Taichou married Zaraki Taichou and Zaraki Taichou is pregnant?

"Renji?"

"Yeah, yeah, I understand."

Taichou married Zaraki Taicohu and Zaraki Taichou is pregnant?

"Come, Abarai. I want to get out of here before that barbarian comes here looking for me."

"Right, Taichou!"

Taichou married Zaraki Taicohu and Zaraki Taichou is pregnant?

"Renji!" Byakuya snapped.

"Coming Taichou!"