Chapter 11: Circle of Fire

(Dang, I need a tranquilizer after this one! Thanks going out to Aizenfan6969 (I am so glad you are enjoying the excitement.), Kittykins (Ah, redemption is a tricky thing, but these two really do love each other. It will be difficult, but love is worth fighting for.), Summersun Ginger (It's not surprising that so many readers have harsh feelings towards Renji. It is going to take a lot of soul searching and growth for Renji to deserve redemption and even more for him to earn a second chance. I promise you a lot of excitement and drama, for Byakuya and Renji as well as the ones standing by them through the difficulty. Thanks again for staying with me as I spread my wings a bit and attempt something different.), Carmelita28 (Thank you for taking a chance with this story. And I promise you that what is between Byakuya and Tetsuya is only brotherly affection. They are not romantic and will not be, even if they do marry. I don't want to give away the plot, but to reassure you to keep reading. You won't be disappointed in the end.), Alabirdie (I have also had to deal with anger towards Renji, because I have had an unfaithful lover before. People do come back from that, but it is extremely difficult, and that will be a force in this story. :) And I will be merciful and keep the wait between chapters as short as possible, now that the drama is high. Thanks so much for reading!), and Charmander (Renji does have to face what he did in a way that most normal folks don't have to when they cheat. His situation will force him to face his demons, the things that made him act as he did and he will grow, but will that be enough?) Enjoy the chapter! I will have the next soon. Love, Spunky)

Renji's heart pounded madly and sweat poured down his lanky, tattooed body as he knelt in the fiery circle drawn around him by the power of his seething superior's equally furious zanpakutou. He remembered how fearful Byakuya's reiatsu had been in the beginning, how it had seemed to surround him and squeeze in on him from all sides so that he could barely breathe. But even that couldn't compare to the terrifying feeling that his very body was about to begin burning slowly into ash. He didn't dare speak or try to move, but remained riveted as Yamamoto's rage radiated all around him, making him wish that he could sink into the ground and just disappear.

"Do you have any idea what you have done, Abarai fukutaichou?" Yamamoto said in a low growl that sent waves of warning heat flashing over the kneeling redhead's face and chest, making the skin flush and sting, "I was born of a noble house, just like your taichou. Kuchiki Ginrei and I have been lifelong friends. I was present when Kuchiki Soujun was born, and when he and Lady Sorano brought Kuchiki Byakuya into this world. I comforted my dear friend when Soujun died and I promised him when he left for the royal realm that I would keep a watchful eye on his grandson. These people are like my own family and now I am forced to take an action that will hurt them, even while they are already hurting."

"Wh-what do you mean?" Renji managed, forcing the words out in a shaky voice, "Soutaichou, you don't mean you are going to punish Taichou? But he didn't do anything wrong! He was always discreet. We were very private with our...interactions. And he informed their council about us. They said..."

"You fool!" the captain commander hissed, "It doesn't matter what they said! Everything hinged on his discretion and yours and there is NOTHING DISCREET about what is happening!"

"I...I know and I'm...s-s..."

"SILENCE!" Yamamoto roared, singeing Renji's clothing until it began to smoke, "Don't tell me you're sorry! Sorry will not clean up this mess. Sorry will not give that man back his good name or stop what I have to do to him!"

"What do you mean?" Renji asked, his face blanching, "I told you this was all my fault and not his. Soutaichou..."

"I TOLD YOU TO BE SILENT!" Yamamoto yelled, making the fire around Renji's crouched body rage and close in threateningly.

"Kuchiki Byakuya is a clan leader, who is required to, at all times, maintain the face of a model of nobility. I don't think you understood what a cruel thing that is, but I hope you see it now. It does not matter what his intentions were or what yours were. It does not matter that you only debased yourselves in private or that you didn't mean for people to find out. What matters is that when it came to public attention, it shattered that face he wore for them and lowered him in a way that can't be undone. No apology, no matter how abject is going to fix it. And that is only the beginning. He will also face charges as a Gotei 13 taichou."

"But why? There's no provision against officers having relationships!" Renji objected, his body shuddering as the heat around him flared again.

"No," Yamamoto growled, his eyes burning as dangerously as his shikai, "but there are rules about taichou interactions with subordinates. There must be an inquiry into whether he used his position illegally to seduce..."

"That's bullshit!" Renji yelled, forgetting the pain the circle of fire was causing and surging to his feet, "I seduced him! I already told you that! He didn't even want to do it at first, but I...!"

"Are you saying that you forced him?"

"N-no! I didn't. I was...enthusiastic when he said he was interested in me. I kind of overwhelmed him, but I didn't force him and he was more than capable of stopping me! The guy can still kill me just looking at me!"

"I doubt he will want to look at you again," sighed Yamamoto, shaking his head and lowering his eyes.

"Please, Soutaichou, do you have to do that to him? I swear, he didn't force me. I'll sign whatever you want, just...don't...!"

"I told you I have no choice," the captain commander answered, his tone betraying the slightest edge of apology, "In a case where a relationship between a taichou and subordinate becomes public, a tribunal must be held to decide if improper behavior occurred. If you want to do something for your taichou, you should testify on his behalf. Just be cautious. If you say the wrong thing, he could be convicted, stripped of his position and dishonorably discharged, perhaps imprisoned."

"Th-that could really happen to him?" Renji asked, his eyes tearing and his voice breaking, "because of me?"

Yamamoto took a steadying breath and the circle of fire around Renji slowly died away. The captain commander's eyes bored down into the petrified redhead's meaningfully.

"It is the risk he took when choosing to be with you...and all taichous are made aware of that risk when they accept the position. He knew exactly what he was doing and how he could pay for it. None of what is about to happen will come as a surprise to him...though it is interesting he kept that burden from you and shouldered it himself."

"Yeah, he's like that with the people he..." Renji stopped, choking on the last word.

"The people he loves?" Yamamoto supplied gruffly, "Is that what you meant to say? It is, isn't it?"

Renji's body stiffened until he couldn't make a sound, then a tear leaked from his eye and ran down over his paled face. Yamamoto moved closer, his steps echoing in Renji's head as he advanced.

"I think you begin to understand the seriousness of the situation. And now that you do, I want you to look me in the eyes and tell me why it came to this."

Renji's head lifted and his eyes rounded, his throat constricting as he tried to speak. Yamamoto waited wordlessly as the stricken redhead gathered himself.

"I...was scared."

"You were scared," the old man repeated tonelessly, "Of what?"

"I don't know," Renji said deflatedly, "that I didn't deserve him...that he'd figure it out and leave me...that I'd lose my freedom, or worse...I'd lose him."

"Well," Yamamoto said matter-of-factly, "you have preserved your freedom. But do you realize that with your own actions you only proved you didn't deserve him, gave him no choice but to see that, and you, yourself, caused him to leave?"

"Yes sir," Renji said softly, "I get it now. But...what can I do? I'm not trying to save my own skin. I just don't want him to pay for my mistakes. Tell me what I can do...anything!"

Yamamoto gazed at him silently for several painful moments.

"You are to speak only to the tribunal about this and only say what you have to so that you express that the affair was your idea and you had to work to convince him. Be careful of his honor, as the proceedings will be held in public and do not say a word to anyone at all, other than at that tribunal. It will be difficult because his clan will be acting already to place the blame on you and you will take some scathing criticism."

"I don't care," Renji sighed, "There's nothing I can do about that, and like you said, I did it to myself. He just shouldn't have to pay because of my infidelity."

"I hope he won't have to. But you should be aware that if anything goes wrong or you say the wrong thing, that man you don't deserve, but who probably, from what I know of him, still loves you, as undeserving as you are...will be destroyed."

"I understand, sir," Renji said, calm returning as he slid into acceptance.

"Good. Now, I will have a unit escort you back to the sixth division, where you will remain in seclusion until the tribunal."

"When will that be?" Renji asked, frowning.

"The proceeding will take place as soon as an advisory council can be gathered. A day or two, perhaps. The summons will go out immediately."

"Okay," Renji said, barely audibly, his heart pounding and the sweat breaking out on his skin again, "Okay fine. I'll be ready."

XXXXXXXXXX

"You're very quiet tonight," Byakuya said, his dark eyes focused up into the night sky and enjoying the thick blanket of stars visible, far from the more lighted areas of the Seireitei, "Is something bothering you, Tetsuya?"

His cousin stirred where he laid on his back at Byakuya's side and also gazing upward.

"I am all right," he assured the clan leader, "except, of course, that I do miss Ichigo...and I am also, I admit, worried about...things."

"Do you mean that you are worried about the wedding? It won't be for a while yet. And it really doesn't have to change things between us."

"Oh, I'm not so worried about that, but..."

"Don't be," Byakuya said, slipping a hand into his, "The marriage is not real, Tetsuya. We will say the words and act the part before others as many of our kin are forced to do when marriages are arranged, but what happens between us is still up to us. Nothing will happen that we do not choose."

"But we will have to consummate the marriage, right? Not to say that I am not willing, of course. I am comfortable with you touching me. And we did explore each other sexually when we were younger."

"We did," Byakuya agreed, "The first person I ever kissed was you, and I am glad. I never have to be sorry that I took that step with you. I almost wish that we had made love all those years ago, then maybe it wouldn't have stung with such force when Renji...but no, I don't think it would have mattered. It would have hurt just as much either way. But, getting back to our marriage, it is not going to be real, Tetsuya, just on paper. No one will be forcing us to have sex, so I am willing to just not. I won't deny it if you wish it. You will be my spouse, but if you feel uncomfortable..."

"It's not that," Tetsuya said softly, his breath misting slightly as the night air grew colder, "I think I just...I love Ichigo very much. And even if we are never to be together again, I want to remember what it was like for as long as possible. Naoki's touch is easy to remember because Orochi's was so painful. But with Ichigo, for the first time, I knew love that didn't have to be hidden or shared. We could love each other openly and with our whole hearts. That was something that Naoki and I could not have because we were prisoners. So...being with you wouldn't be unpleasant. It would just...slowly erase the memory of the way Ichigo's body felt when joined with mine."

Byakuya smiled sadly.

"I wish that something could erase the memory of what it felt like to be with Renji," he sighed, his free hand straying downward to rub his slightly aching abdomen, "It pains me to think of how loved I felt, how every touch made me feel desirable and respected, even treasured. Yet to know it meant so little to him that he would be with someone else...If our marriage is to be a lie, Tetsuya, it is no more of a lie than those feelings he gave me."

"Then, if it will comfort you to forget, you needn't wait for our wedding, Byakuya-sama. I don't want you to be in pain over him."

"Oh, Tetsuya, if I thought that would make him disappear, I wouldn't hesitate. But it doesn't matter. I won't be able to forget. Renji isn't someone I can forget...not ever. No matter how much I want to."

"You love him that much, even after what he did to you?" Tetsuya asked, his eyes tearing.

"How can I not love him?" Byakuya confessed quietly, "He was the first person to make love to me, and he gave me the one thing that even Hisana, my own wife, couldn't. We will always be connected by these things. And you and Ichigo will always be connected too, watashi no itoko. You shouldn't let yourself forget. You are blessed to have had honest love, even if it is lost."

"I know that hope is thin at best. I won't lie to myself about that, but I still hope that Urahara-san is successful in finding the way to return Ichigo's powers."

"I feel the same," Byakuya confessed.

"You do?" Tetsuya asked, smiling shyly, "I thought you didn't approve of him."

"He is brash, defiant of any limitations and far too cocky," Byakuya said, shaking his head, "but when he cares for someone, he is unstoppable. That is why I also hold out hope that his powers will be returned to him, Tetsuya."

"You do?"

"Yes. He is a person we can have confidence in. I know that. And when my situation has improved and the day comes that he returns to you, we will have our marriage quietly annulled, as it will never have been consummated."

"I won't do anything that will compromise you," Tetsuya said, frowning.

"It will be fine," Byakuya said soothingly, squeezing his cousin's hand, "By then, no one will be focused on me. They will have found other interests. Everything will be all right. Have faith in that."

He went silent and rigid as a small black butterfly fluttered into view and angled towards them. Tetsuya felt him stiffen and studied him curiously.

"Byakuya-sama?" he inquired softly.

"It's all right," Byakuya assured him, "I knew that this was coming. It will be fine."

"What?" Tetsuya asked, sitting up as the small creature reached them, "What is happening?"

Tetsuya's eyes widened and his face paled as the hell butterfly floated in the air in front of them and yielded its message.

Kuchiki Byakuya, Kuchiki clan leader and taichou of the sixth division, you are hereby summoned to the first division for military tribunal at nine o'clock in the morning in two days. The tribunal will examine the nature of your relationship with your subordinate, Abarai Renji, fukutaichou of the sixth division, to determine if rules regarding officer relationships were broken. Please be aware that failure to respond immediately to this summons will result in your arrest and will only complicate efforts to clear your name. Return of your acknowledgment via this hell butterfly is required to secure your freedom until the tribunal takes place.

"What does that mean?" Tetsuya whispered, "If you don't answer, they will...?"

"They will place me in the first division jail until my hearing," Byakuya explained, sitting up and slipping an arm around his distraught cousin.

"They would...imprison you?" Tetsuya managed in a horrified tone, his heart pounding as images of his own experience flooded his panicked mind.

"Shh," Byakuya soothed him, "Don't let your emotions get the best of you, Tetsuya. It wouldn't be like your experience. Don't worry."

"B-but they would...?" Tetsuya managed, shuddering and leaning against the clan leader's shoulder, "Byakuya-sama, I don't want that. I can't accept it."

"You have no choice, if it happens, Tetsuya. Those are the laws. I know it is difficult, but..."

"NO!" Tetsuya cried, coming to his feet and loosing his reiatsu around him, "No one is going to imprison you! I won't let them!"

Byakuya disappeared in a flash step and reappeared next to the younger man, embracing him gently and speaking quietly into his ear.

"They won't imprison me, because I am going to respond to the summons and appear as required."

"What? But you didn't do anything wrong!" Tetsuya objected.

"No. And I will trust in the members of the tribunal to conclude that."

"But what if they don't!" Tetsuya demanded, "You know what happened to my parents and me was not fair, though they tried to make it sound like we'd done something wrong! Byakuya-sama...!"

"Stop. It's not good for you to rile yourself like this. It isn't like your situation. The ones who will judge me will be fair and impartial. And they will hold the proceedings in public, so they cannot act improperly. Tetsuya, you must not do this. I need you at my side at the tribunal, but you cannot set foot in that place unless you are in control of yourself. Do you understand?"

Tetsuya quivered under his cousin's hands and closed his eyes tightly as he composed himself. Byakuya held him silently and watched until Tetsuya's eyes opened again and his body stopped shaking.

"I am sorry," Tetsuya apologized, "I was just...afraid for you."

"Do not let your fears overtake your reason," Byakuya warned him, "The only way it will end...is in disaster."