Chapter 9: Unquenchable Lust
"Kuchiki-san," the guard restraining Tetsuya said quietly, "We have arrived at Aizen-sama's manor. When the car stops, you and I will go into the house, and Aizen-sama will come to speak to you."
"Good," Tetsuya hissed, his blue eyes flashing, "I have more than a few things to say to him! He is going to pay for laying hands on me. And if he has abducted my cousin, I will kill the man with my bare hands!"
"Right," scoffed the other guard, rubbing his face where Tetsuya had kicked him earlier, "I'd like to see you try. You will be on the ground and undone before you think to lay hands on that man. You have no idea who you are dealing with."
"I know exactly who that man is!" Tetsuya responded hotly, "He is the bastard I'm going to destroy if he dares to touch me or Byakuya-sama!"
"Huh!" huffed the piqued guard, "You're a feisty little princess, aren't you?"
"You want to see feisty?" Tetsuya seethed hotly, "Lay a hand on me again or insult my family and I'll remove your head next time instead of just kicking it!"
"All right, you little worm, I've had it!" the guard said, flying at the restrained Kuchiki.
"Hey, stop it!" shouted the guard holding Tetsuya, "You idiot, you're hitting me too!"
The guard let go of Tetsuya and shoved the other man away as Tetsuya took the moment of freedom to tackle the man who had insulted him. He landed a sound strike to the abdomen, knocking the man back so that he slammed soundly into the closed door, striking his head on the glass of the window. A heavy blow to the head followed on the heels of the first attack, sending the man crashing into unconsciousness. He slumped against the door, a thin dribble of blood leaking from a wound at the corner of his mouth, where the second blow had landed. Tetsuya turned and pressed back against the unconscious guard, glaring at the remaining guard with deadly, enraged eyes.
"Do not even think of laying hands on me!" Tetsuya warned him, "Or you will join him in unconsciousness, you roach!"
The guard shook his head, an unbidden smirk on his face.
"Don't worry," he chuckled, "I'm not as much of a fool as Jun. And all I'm doing is following orders, you understand. Aizen-sama issues the orders and it's my job to obey them and do what he says. You understand that, right? It's not personal, Kuchiki-san. Now, just stay calm and cooperate. No one here really wants to hurt you, not even Aizen-sama. In fact he ordered us specifically not to allow any harm to come to you."
Somewhat mollified by the second guard's calmer demeanor, Tetsuya relaxed slightly, some of the venom leaving his pretty features. He let out a soft breath, his expression becoming more troubled than angry.
"You're quite a good fighter, Kuchiki-san," the guard observed approvingly, "Who in that respectable family taught you to stand up for yourself like that?"
"Byakuya-sama," Tetsuya answered softly, "I grew up a family outcast. Except for Byakuya-sama and Ginrei-sama, none of the rest wasted a kind word on me. Byakuya-sama said that, given the events and issues surrounding my birth, I should expect to need to be strong. He taught me to fight, himself. And he told me to use that skill to keep anyone from ever impeding me."
"That was good advice," the guard agreed, "But, Kuchiki-san..."
"Tetsuya. Call me Tetsuya."
The guard smiled.
"Tetsuya-san," he said, nodding and extending a hand, "I am sorry that we met in an unpleasant way. I am Miki."
Tetsuya hesitated for a moment, then accepted the man's hand.
"Tetsuya-san, it is good that you can defend yourself. But if you want answers, you need to be patient and wait for the person who has them. That is Aizen-sama. And when you see him, it would not be good to attack him. As much as you want to hurt him for interfering with you, he is a very powerful man and he will not hesitate to do whatever it takes to stop you."
"You say that like it actually matters to you," Tetsuya said, frowning.
"I like you," Miki admitted, letting out a soft, piqued breath, "You look soft and pretty, but you fight like a storm. It's hard not to respect that in a person, Tetsuya-san."
Tetsuya blinked curiously, then flinched and scrambled closer to Miki as the car came to a stop and Jun groaned and stirred, beginning to come awake again. Miki chuckled in amusement and opened the door on his side, motioning for Tetsuya to follow.
"We'll want to be on our way. Jun has a bad temper. He's going to be gunning for you when he wakes up. He doesn't like being beaten."
"Who does?" Tetsuya mused, the beginnings of a smile touching his lips.
"Come, Tetsuya-san," Miki said nodding towards the mansion, "I will take you to Aizen-sama."
Tetsuya fell in quietly at the brown-haired guard's side, studying the man's gentler, green eyes and continuously calmer demeanor as they walked. But his attention was quickly stolen away by the brightness of Aizen's home, the high vaulted ceilings, large windows and lovely contrasts of black and white with occasional touches of color.
"This way, Tetsuya-san," Miki said, turning them down a short hallway that emerged into a large studio.
Upon entering the room, the calm that had returned to Tetsuya's body disappeared as he spotted Grimmjow Jaegerjaques standing near a huge, black grand piano.
"You!" he exclaimed, breaking away from Miki's side and leaving the surprised guard staring after him.
"Tetsuya-san," Miki breathed in a stunned tone, "What are you...?"
"You lying, disgusting, perverted piece of filth!" the young Kuchiki snapped, flying at Grimmjow, "I'll kill you for what you did to me!"
"What the...!" Grimmjow gasped, his eyes widening as Tetsuya closed in on him.
He sidestepped the first brutal punch, reaching out to grab the younger man's wrist, then reeling as Tetsuya's body spun and his foot scored a glancing blow on the blue-haired vocalist's head.
"Damn it!" hissed Grimmjow, "You little asshole! What are you doing?"
"Hadn't you better step in?" a silver-haired man in flowing white robes, standing beside one of the large cameras in the room said to Miki in an amused tone, "Someone might get hurt."
"Ah, Gin-san, I didn't see you there," Miki answered, still watching as Tetsuya attacked Grimmjow with a barrage of furious punches and kicks and the blue-haired man fended him off, "I think I will just sit this one out. Grimmjow-san doesn't like it when we interfere in his fights. He tends to damage his allies as much as his enemies. And besides, Tetsuya-san can hold his own. I think they can work out their differences on their own."
"Hmmm," chuckled Gin, "And even if not, it is kind of cute, ne?"
He opened his slitted eyes slightly more and honed in on the movements of the two young men as the fight continued.
"Those Kuchikis are pretty and deliciously temperamental, aren't they?"
His smile faded as Grimmjow gained the upper hand, forcing Tetsuya back against the wall and holding him there as the young Kuchiki spat defiant insults at him and struggled to break free.
"Oh my, it's over so soon?" Gin commented, turning the camera slightly and catching the two in its sights, "That was really getting my heart pounding. They have good chemistry. They will look very good in the video, once costumed. But I wonder if Tetsuya-san really fits that angel motif Aizen-san wants. He's quite the little tempest when his fur gets knotted, ne?"
Miki started to answer, but went silent again as the studio door crashed off its hinges and a blaze of mingled red and black shot across the room.
"What is this?" Gin breathed, his strange, blue eyes opening wider, "Is that...?"
"Abarai Renji," Miki finished, staring, "Well, I'll be..."
"What the hell?" Grimmjow growled, turning at the resounding crash as the studio door exploded inward and Abarai Renji flew across the room in a blinding rage.
"Get your goddamned hands off of him!" the redhead exclaimed, reaching for Grimmjow.
Shoving Tetsuya down onto the floor, Grimmjow turned to face his new attacker.
Tetsuya was back on his feet instantly, striking at Grimmjow's back, then finding his attack solidly blocked as the blue-haired man fended off both attackers. Across the room, Gin held the camera on them and smiled.
"Oh my, we have a devilish little love triangle forming here, ne? All hot and steamy."
"Maybe I'd better stop them," Miki said, stepping forward.
"Oh no, don't," Gin insisted, adjusting the lens to zoom in on the three, "This is just getting interesting, don't you think?"
"Huh? But Gin-san..."
"Oh, don't worry," Gin assured him good-naturedly, "We won't let anyone get killed. But, I want to see what happens."
The two watched as Renji and Tetsuya attacked together and Grimmjow's lithe body dodged capably. He caught Tetsuya's kicking leg and threw him down again, dismissing him and turning his attention back on Renji.
"What's wrong, Renji-san?" Grimmjow asked, scowling and deflecting a blow, "You pissed that someone was playing in your kitty box?"
"What are you talking about?" Renji steamed, "I saw those guys grab Tetsuya, and I knew where they had to be taking him. Then, I get here and you've got him cornered, you bastard. But you're not going to fuck with him, you hear me? You're not going to screw with his head the way you screwed with mine!"
"Renji..." Tetsuya gasped softly, staring, "Renji, what do you mean?"
He looked from Renji's furious face to Grimmjow's more cocky one.
"Is this about before?"
"Huh," huffed Grimmjow, "I guess. You mean, Renji didn't tell you that he and I were lovers?"
Across the room, Gin put a hand over his mouth and his eyes opened even more.
"Oh, this is interesting. Go on, boys..."
"I wouldn't call it that," Renji answered in a wounded tone.
"You did before," Grimmjow said quietly, the smile leaving his lips, "You seemed happy enough, naked in my bed and letting me lick those wicked tattoos of yours until you couldn't breathe."
"Bastard!" Renji shouted, stepping forward, "If I was your lover...if I ever meant a damned thing to you, then why did you say nothing when Aizen told me to go whore myself to win that contract?"
"Renji," Tetsuya whispered, staring at the anguish in the redhead's features.
He didn't miss the sudden flash of that same emotion in the blue-haired vocalist's eyes before Grimmjow recovered himself and stepped back, shoving Renji away.
"You don't have an explanation, do you?" Renji asked bitterly, "It's the same as it was five years ago, when I asked you before."
Grimmjow stared back at Renji silently, but said nothing. Tetsuya saw again, that flash of pain in the blue-haired man's eyes.
What...is that?
What really happened before?
Renji...what happened before that caused the two of you so much pain?
"Oh!" Gin said from across the room, "Oh, brilliant! Marvelous! Just brimming with lust and intrigue!"
The anger seemed to drain out of Renji and Grimmjow, and Tetsuya climbed back onto his feet and moved to Renji's side.
"I'm sorry, Tetsuya," Renji said in a calmer voice, "I should probably have told you about what happened before, but it was before I knew you, and really, I wasn't wanting anyone to know."
"It's all right," Tetsuya assured him, looking into Grimmjow's piqued blue eyes, "It seems that he was attempting to repeat that history with me."
"What are you talking about?" Renji asked, "Is that why you ran outta the studio like that? What did this guy do to you, Tetsuya?"
Grimmjow flinched as Tetsuya closed his eyes for a moment, then carefully withdrew the picture that had been sent to him. Renji gazed at the photo of Tetsuya, naked and laid out prettily across Grimmjow's bed, and his eyes darkened with rage.
"You!" he snarled, pushing past Tetsuya, "You perverted son of a bitch! Did you lay hands on him? Is that where he was when he disappeared yesterday? You were drugging and raping him?"
"Whoa!" gasped Grimmjow, the fury returning to his face as the words registered in his mind, "Whoa, I didn't rape him! I didn't do anything but take some pictures to convince him to record the new song. I was under orders! Aizen said to..."
"Right," Renji said in a disgusted tone, "And just like that, you went along with it, just like before. You know, I might not have been willing to whore myself for Aizen Sousuke, but you don't seem to have a problem doing so."
"Shut up, will you?" Grimmjow snapped, "You of all people should know, I have a lot to lose! I'm sitting on top of a world famous band and if I do the wrong thing, I get toppled! You said that you understood that! And you should. You were there too, Renji. But then, you chose the other option. And you saw what happened. It's not a good thing to defy that man. He is ruthless and powerful, and he gets what he wants out of people. He could break me in half if I don't keep in line, so what the fuck do you expect I'm gonna do! Did I take the pictures, yeah, I took'em. I took them, just like I was supposed to and gave them all to Aizen. I was just following orders!"
"Just following orders, huh?" Renji mused, clenching his fists, "Well, as you might remember, I'm not so good at following orders. But what I am good at is following my conscience! But then, I don't think you'd understand a thing like that, because you don't fucking have one!"
"Shut the hell up!" Grimmjow hissed, squaring his body threateningly.
"No way. Aizen couldn't force me to do anything and you can't either. Now, my conscience is aching to make you pay for fucking with Tetsuya, and I'll be damned if I'm gonna walk outta here before you're good and bloody!"
"Ooh!" sighed Gin, angling the camera, "This is getting very good! Go on, gentlemen!"
Across the room from him, Renji threw a punch at Grimmjow, only to stare in shock as Tetsuya suddenly turned and blocked the violent motion of his hand and arm. Tetsuya's hand wrapped tightly around his wrist and the younger man's sapphire eyes looked up into Renji's enraged red-brown ones.
"Tetsuya, what're you doing? You're...defending the guy who took those pictures of you?"
Tetsuya let out a soft breath and turned slightly so that he could see Grimmjow's face. The blue-haired man looked as surprised as the redhead, but seemed also at an uncharacteristic loss for words.
Across the room, Gin's eyes narrowed again and he honed in on the three men's faces.
"Ah...so beautiful. Go on..."
Tetsuya swallowed hard, his heart pounding as he struggled to find the right words.
"The two of you shouldn't be fighting each other," Tetsuya said solemnly, "It's clear to me that neither of you should really be directing his anger at the other."
"But Tetsuya, he...," Renji began.
"Forget about the pictures, for the moment," said the younger man, "You said that Aizen tried to force you to do something against your conscience before. He schemed and he put you in a situation where you had to choose to do what he said or lose everything, ne?"
"Y-yeah," Renji agreed, "But..."
"Aizen did the same thing to Grimmjow-san, didn't he?"
Renji let out a frustrated breath, and Grimmjow remained oddly silent.
"Renji," Tetsuya said, tightening his hand on the redhead's, "You focus your anger on the wrong person. What Grimmjow-san did was wrong, but...what Aizen did...is unforgivable. He hurt you both with his manipulations. And now, he is trying to hurt my family. He has already hurt Byakuya-sama once before."
"Shit," Renji said, frowning, "I think he's right. I hate it, but..."
Tetsuya turned to fully face Grimmjow.
"You don't like working for him, do you?" he asked softly.
"Huh," Grimmjow huffed, "What do you think? The guy's a ruthless, manipulating, backstabbing bastard. I despise him."
"And you should," said a calm, male voice that made the three men turn and stare.
Grimmjow's blood went cold in his veins and sweat broke out on his forehead as Aizen stepped over the shattered remains of the studio door and into the room.
"Another broken door," he mused, smirking.
Tetsuya pressed closer to Renji and Grimmjow stood, stock still as Aizen walked past the smiling Gin and the nervous looking Miki, then approached them. He stopped, just short of them and looked them over briefly.
"Miki," Aizen said quietly, "Please show Abarai Renji out."
Renji's anger started to flare again, but was stopped as Gin's voice rose up.
"Wait, Sousuke, hear me out, for a moment."
Aizen looked back at the artist and cameraman curiously.
Well, what is it?" he asked.
"You want to make a lot of money on this song and video, ne?"
"Of course."
"Then...if you want to know where the real money is, it is in mining the sexual energy between those three!"
