Chapter 7: A Teachable Moment

"Well, well," Hinata said, smirking as Byakuya and Ichigo exited the training area, "That was a very tasty little exchange, wasn't it? I didn't think that much could make your saucy little cousin, Tetsuya-kun, blush after the lurid display he and Renji-kun put on for us..."

"Hey!" Renji objected, "You...!"

"Oh, don't get yourself all hot and bothered, Renji-kun," the counselor said off-handedly, "You'll have that pretty boyfriend of yours salivating for you again soon. But, why don't you two run along and do what you do best, ne? I need to work with these two."

"What, here?" asked Ichigo, blinking.

"Well, you didn't seem to have a problem heating up the droll environs of the training grounds a moment ago. I think I want to capture the moment before the passion fades and you go back to being obstinate."

"What? Hey!"

"Oh, do be quiet and work with me here. Here is as good as anywhere else, ne?"

"Actually," Byakuya said, glowering, "I would prefer that romantic exchanges be practiced somewhere more private."

"Ah yes, well, it would probably do to put you two in a better mood for romance, though I do say you create more sexual energy fighting than you do attempting to kiss anyway. So, I guess it is back to the bedroom with you two."

"Oh my god," muttered Ichigo, "Do you really think that Byakuya and I can't figure it out? We're two adult men. I think we can manage to make a baby without having to have you tell us how to do it!"

"Maybe," said Hinata, looking amused at the increasingly tempestuous look growing on Byakuya's usually calm features, "But you know, it's not all about fucking and making babies, my little Romeo. You are two people who have been chosen by the powers that be to share the rest of your lives. And whether you politely fuck a few times to produce the heirs, then part ways or turn this forced mating into a lifelong love is a matter of choice. I am simply giving you the tools for making and employing an intelligent decision."

"What the hell did you just say?" Ichigo asked, frowning, "Speak in a language we understand, okay?"

"A language you understand?" Hinata said disdainfully, "I am sorry. I do not speak cocky little brute. Onward and bedward now!"

"We should just kill him and put him out of our misery," Ichigo whispered, earning a riled smirk from his lovely intended.

Ichigo felt a growing reluctance as they neared the bedroom, but then found himself going back to the night before and thinking about what he had learned from Byakuya.

"My father and my grandfather had their marriages arranged by the Nobles' General Council."

"Huh," Ichigo mused, relaxing more and uncurling his body so that he sat more comfortably on the bed, "I didn't know that."

"Most of the clan leaders and heirs are arranged into marriages, There is more freedom for those not bound for leadership, but marriage is a way for lines of power to be protected and alliances to be maintained. It assists in keeping the peace between the hundreds of clans, greater and lesser."

"Oh, I see," Ichigo said, looking down at his hands, "I didn't even think about asking why."

"That is because you do not yet have awareness of your exact place within your clan."

He tried again to imagine what it would be like, not just having sex with Byakuya, but living with him...waking up in bed with him, greeting him and eating with him each morning, bathing together and taking walks around their home. He tried to imagine Byakuya holding their newborn child. It made his heart pound and his head spin dizzily, but he forced himself to think about it until it lost some of its power over him.

It's not really so bad. Byakuya is good company when he lets down his guard some. And he's been doing that with me.

Maybe...

But whatever he thought might be changing, the feeling of sickness returned as they reached Byakuya's bedroom and walked inside, where Hinata smirked at them and closed the garden doors.

"Don't want anyone peeping," he quipped, watching as Byakuya sat down on the bed and Ichigo took the chair beside it.

He frowned disapprovingly.

"What? Are you planning on being a spectator?" the counselor chided him, Now, take off some of your clothes and get comfortable boys, because we're not leaving this room until the two of you ejaculate."

"Eh?" Ichigo grunted in surprise, blushing, "What'd you say? You're fucking kidding me, right? People courting don't just do that, do they? I mean, what about all of that stuff about proper courtship? We have to...?"

"Ichigo is right," Byakuya agreed, "This treads on the lines of propriety."

"Oh come now, you two!" Hinata said, shaking his head, "You think the greater part of noble society isn't hitting the sheets and testing the wares long before the big day? And I haven't asked you to go all the way! You are being instructed in your interpersonal interactions with a trained professional. You aren't trying to get away with anything...at least, not yet. When we get to the point where you are, then we can certainly consider chastity belts for the two of you, but as you are usually generating about as much sexual energy as a couple of wart hogs, we don't really need to be worrying about that yet."

"Huh," Ichigo huffed, "You weren't complaining about our sexual energy when I was kissing Byakuya out there on the training grounds."

Hinata gave him a look of reproach and sighed in annoyance.

"You call that kissing?" he said, shaking his head, "You have no idea at all, little fool-kun! But, if you want an example to model yourself after, try this..."

Before either of the other two men could move, Hinata had swiftly frozen them in place and climbed on to the bed with Byakuya. His eyes flashing golden again, he shoved Byakuya down on his back and laid on top of him, then while the stunned clan leader was still reeling, he plunged into Byakuya's mouth, holding his hands down and forcing his way in roughly. Byakuya's eyes blazed with fury, and the air cracked around the two as he struggled to break the power that held him down.

Ichigo stared at the two in shock, his mind driven back into the past.

He heard Maya crying, and her father's angry voice admonishing her to be quiet. Fear flickering in his heart, he crawled up the basement stairs and crept down the hall. He peeked into the open doorway and...

"Stop! Stop it!" Byakuya hissed furiously as Hinata's tongue thrust into his mouth again, stopping his objections and making his tensed body quiver with rage.

Ichigo stared in dismay at where Hinata's hands held Byakuya's down, his heart pounding as he looked at the noble's face that was beginning to show signs of fear.

Byakuya's so strong. He is an expert in kido. How is that guy...?

He saw Hinata's hand begin to reach for the tie at Byakuya's waist, and read the clan leader's shocked reaction. Instinct took over, and before he realized what he was doing, he had shattered Hinata's power that was holding him still, and leapt onto the bed, shoving the counselor away, and shielding Byakuya.

And Ichigo was surprised again at his own words that followed, and the malevolent tone they were issued in.

"Touch him again, and I'll kill you."

"Ichigo..." Byakuya whispered, staring at his deadly expression and laying a staying hand on his arm.

"You told him to stop," Ichigo said in a low, angry voice he barely recognized as his own, "If he puts his hands on you again, I won't be responsible for what I do to him. I don't care that he's a counselor. He's touching you against your will."

"Hmmm," Hinata said, his eyes sparking dangerously and his expression aggressive, "Exactly the form of protectiveness that lovers should express for each other, ne?"

"Wh-what?" Ichigo asked, scowling, "What are you...?"

"You know, for someone who protests that you are not bisexual and that thinking about having sex with the lovely Bya-kun makes you sick, you certainly come to his rescue when his virtue is threatened, don't you?"

"You asshole!" Ichigo yelled, swinging at him, only to find his hand stopped well short by Hinata's kido, "You did that on purpose to provoke me! I've told you before and I'll tell you again. I may have to marry Byakuya and have kids with him, but I am not going to fall in love with him. I'll protect him because he's my friend! So stop trying to manipulate me! It isn't going to work!"

"Really," Hinata said slyly, "Isn't that odd? Because the way you kissed him before told me something different."

"Hey! That was..."

"Oh, don't explain," Hinata chuckled softly, "But maybe we should cut this short. You see, you have upset your spouse to be."

"What? I have?" Ichigo asked, blinking in surprise, then turning his head to look at Byakuya, "Hey..."

Byakuya's body was turned away, and Ichigo could feel the harsh tension in his body.

"You should leave, Ichigo," he said with forced calm.

"No way," Ichigo said, shaking his head, "That guy tried to molest you. I'm not going to..."

"Would you stop!" Byakuya snapped suddenly, still not looking at him, "If I cannot fend off the advances of that ridiculous pervert, then I do not deserve to lead my clan. I do not need you, friend though you may be, to fight my battles for me. You have made it plain enough that the idea of being with me sickens you. We shall leave it that way, then. I will not see you again until the wedding, and will only lie with you to make our heirs. Other than that, I want nothing more to do with you. Get out."

"Hey, Byakuya...!"

"Get out!" Byakuya said angrily, abandoning the bed and flash stepping away, leaving Ichigo looking at Hinata's annoyed expression.

"You know, Ichi-kun, you really are cruel," he said through tightened lips, "You know full well that Bya-kun has fallen head over heels in love with you, but you miss no opportunity to let him know how much you do not return the feeling. The very least you could do is to think about his feelings sometimes instead of just your own. You're very good at making your feelings known, but shockingly stupid about being sensitive to anyone else's."

Dammit! He's right...

I'd better go find Byakuya and apologize.

He started to get up, but paused and stared as Hinata's hand wrapped around his wrist.

"What are you doing? Let go!" he objected.

"I don't think so," Hinata said, looking more serious than Ichigo remembered him ever looking before, "As much as I was amused by your pseudo-romantic floundering, you are really inflicting pain on your fiancé. If you continue this way, you are going to do real damage. Why don't you just run along now? I will go and find Byakuya. We can have a cup of tea together and commiserate about our combined complete failure to awaken the slightest sense of romance in you!"

"Dammit, let go of me! I'm not letting you corner him alone. You'll probably end up raping the guy!"

"And what business would that be of yours, Mister 'No matter what, I don't want this marriage and to have to have sex with the most beautiful shinigami in the Seireitei?' You don't want the man for yourself. Why shouldn't Byakuya be courted by someone who at least sees how beautiful he is and does something to express that to him? All you have done since this fiasco began is to continually point out how not attracted you are...how sickened you feel at the thought of making love to him. You have single-handedly destroyed that man's confidence. He now feels as though he is the ugliest and least desirable shinigami in existence. Bravo, Ichi-kun. You shattered that man's heart more capably than you shattered his blade when you fought over Rukia-chan's fate."

"I...I have?" Ichigo whispered, looking in the direction Byakuya had gone, "I didn't mean to. I just...I thought that I should be honest about things."

"Well, you've done that," Hinata said reproachfully, "You have apalling manners. I would have slapped your arrogant face and left you by now. But then, Bya-kun is a slave to his family. He would lie down with the devil, himself, to honor them. He bears it all well, but I think you have finally beaten him down. Go and find him if you think I am wrong."

"I am going to find him," Ichigo snapped, pulling his hand free, "I'm going to find him and apologize. But after this, I want you to leave us alone. All you're doing is pissing me off, and causing me to get mad and say things that upset him. If you're out of the picture, things will settle down."

"You think so?" Hinata said, smirking mockingly, "You are arrogant, Ichi-kun."

"Would you stop calling me that and get outta here? I have to find Byakuya."

"Hmmm, knowing your lack of ability to read reiatsu, I will just tell you he is up at that waterfall he favors," Hinata said, watching as Ichigo moved to follow the path Byakuya had taken, "Good luck not making any more of a mess of things. But...I won't hold my breath."

Hinata sighed unhappily.

"What to do...what to do...hmmm."

His eyes brightened and a slow, wicked smile found its way onto his lips as a thought crossed his mind. He barely managed to hold back an evil laugh.

"Oh, Bya-kun, don't cry, dear. Your faithful counselor is about to make Ichigo's head turn hard enough to snap his fool neck!"

Chuckling to himself, he started towards the waterfall, carefully masking his reiatsu and beginning the necessary alterations.

"I can't believe I'm stooping to this level," he mused, "But that Shiba heir is making me want to rip his ginger hair out by the roots! I wonder how a pretty thing like Byakuya could fall in love with that. Ah, then, but he has always been rather odd that way. Quite the romantic, despite the icy front he puts up..."

He reached the waterfall and concealed himself near where Ichigo had approached Byakuya near the edge of a cliff.

"Do you worst, you bungling idiot," Hinata breathed, "I am going to have you in the palm of my hand after this."

Out near the waterfall, Ichigo slowed as he approached the place where Byakuya stood beneath a sakura tree, looking out over the cliff and into the distance. He took a steadying breath, expecting Byakuya would just yell at him to leave, then lost his breath entirely as he registered a soft sniff.

Byakuya is...?

I made him cry?

His mind strayed back to the only other time he had seen tears in those solemn gray eyes.

"Grant me this final request. Please forgive me for having to lay this burden on your shoulders," Byakuya whispered, his voice weakening ominously, "Please...protect Soul Society, Kurosaki Ichigo."

He moved forward slowly, expecting that, any moment, the clan leader would tell him to leave. But Byakuya just stood quietly, looking out across the lake and meadow, not seeming to notice him at all. He didn't react, even when Ichigo reached him and moved to stand beside him. He only turned his head away to conceal the tears that had leaked onto his pristine features.

"Byakuya, look, I'm...really sorry."

He waited for some kind of answer, but received only silence in response. He slipped a hand into Byakuya's, sighing at the way the clan leader's neither resisted, nor tightened on his.

I deserve that.

I really hurt him.

I hate to admit Hinata was right, but I am an idiot when it comes to stuff like this. I have no idea what the hell I'm doing. And this is how being stupid like that can really hurt someone.

But, what do I do?

How do I fix this?

"Byakuya, I've been bitching and moaning about how this has all been bad for me, and I didn't realize that while I was doing that, you were putting aside your own feelings and giving this marriage a chance to work. It didn't matter that you weren't attracted to me, at first. You gave this a chance, and you ended up falling for me. But, I've been a jerk, just thinking about my own feelings and not considering yours at all."

"That had not escaped me," Byakuya said quietly, still not looking at him, "You don't have to apologize. You have been honest with me, and I accept that you will never fall in love with me. You don't need to apologize, but you really should go."

"I will," Ichigo sighed unhappily, "But before I do, I just want to say that...you really are a beautiful person. And you deserve to be with someone who appreciates that...who makes you feel as beautiful as you are. So...when we've had our kids and I leave you...don't think it's because you weren't good enough or beautiful enough. I'm only going to leave you because you deserve to really be loved. And you'll never find that if you stay with me. I think it's clear that I'm pretty much hopeless when it comes to love."

"I know."

Taking a steadying breath, he slipped an arm around the clan leader and kissed him on one damp cheek, then let him go.

"I really am sorry I hurt you."

"Goodbye, Ichigo."

"R-right," Ichigo sighed, hating himself for what he was doing, "So...I will see you at the ceremony."

"I will be there."

"Okay," the Shiba heir said, shaking his head and turning to leave.

He moved away in hesitant steps, leaving Byakuya still looking away. As he reached the forest, he heard an eerily familiar ripping sound, and a sudden tear opened up in the sky over the surprised Kuchiki clan leader. Before he could move, a huge tentacle snaked out of the opened garganta and wrapped itself around the surprised man's waist.

"Byakuya!"

Kido erupted from Byakuya's hands, but to Ichigo's horror, seemed to have no effect.

"What the hell?" he gasped, calling his sword to his hand, "What are you doing? Let go of him!"

Byakuya's face paled, and he fought the grip of the monstrous creature as it lifted him high off of the ground and dragged him into the garganta. Ichigo blazed towards the opening as the tear started to mend itself.

"No, don't! Byakuya!"

He reached it as it snapped shut, leaving only a tranquil blue sky and bright sun in front of him.

Shit! where did that thing take him? How am I going to find him? I suck at sensing reiatsu traces!

He bit at his lips, swearing as he tried to think of something he could do.

"Rukia," he said, looking back at the manor, "Rukia can track him!"

Moving as fast as his flash step could carry him, he raced back towards the manor to find her.