Chapter 14: Temptations and Indulgences

Byakuya woke to a scene that, in his opinion, would have been one of perfection, had it been shared with Renji Abarai. The bed he laid in was sinfully soft and comfortable, the linens and bedding fresh and nicely scented. He rested on his side, turned almost onto his stomach, with his yukata opened and the silken belt traveling down his slender body and onto his lower extremities. A devilishly warm body wrapped around his, the other's hand resting with his palm against one creamy, white thigh and his cool fingers lightly touching the noble's warm genitals. He had awakened to find Renji wrapped around him, just so…so many times since the beginning of their love relationship. And despite the fact that he was currently in the arms of, not his lover, but a dangerous hollow, he could still imagine what would happen between Renji and him upon waking wrapped around each other that way.

It was still early, so he only opened his eyes partway and turned his head enough so that he could admire the lovely golden-tanned form of his vice captain. Renji's face looked untroubled and sweetly relaxed, and he smiled in his sleep. Byakuya's sweet, sakura scent mingled with Renji's more fiery, masculine scent in a dizzying, intoxicating blend that he breathed in and savored as his passions began to ignite once more and the hunger in his body awakened. He tried to remain still, but the soft feel of the silk of his yukata on his thigh and the cool fingertips that gently teased his genitals made him sigh so wantonly that it brought a blush to his face and throat.

But then, that was the wonderfully sinful nature of what Renji unleashed in him…

He didn't have to look to see the feisty brown eyes of his lover had opened or to know that his momentary loss of control over himself had been sensed. Renji's fingers moved slowly, exploring the dark nest of curls and the thickening member that rose out of it.

"So last night wasn't enough for you?" Renji whispered, his heated breath warming the noble's ear, "You want more?"

"I want more," he whispered back, his heart jumping at the desire in those words, "I always want more of you, Renji…"

Renji's touches always sent beautiful shivers through him, made him catch his breath in wonder at how good they felt, and left him panting softly and asking for more. And the handsome redhead was always more than happy to comply with those sweetly spontaneous eruptions of lust and need. His head turned and he coaxed the noble onto his back, wrapping strong hands around the noble's slender wrists and holding them down, bringing his body to rest on top of Byakuya's, nipping at his lips, then plunging into his mouth and exploring every inch, though, to Byakuya's mind, there couldn't be any part of his mouth that the redhead had not already plundered. And as he devoured the noble's mouth, his hips moved erotically and his hot, stiff arousal rubbed enticingly along Byakuya's, making the noble's body tremble softly and arch hungrily up into his.

"Does it feel good?" Renji asked him, kissing and biting down on his throat.

"Oh gods! It feels s good, Renji!" he moaned, making the flush rise on his skin again.

He had always been relatively quiet and somewhat reserved in his lovemaking with Hisana, but Renji reached down inside him and found where his passions lived, then dragged them forcibly to the surface and ignited them. And he couldn't be quiet or reserved with Renji. Renji brought his body to life with intense pleasure, making him say things that made him blush…made him moan and writhe and even plead.

"Tama…"

Sai Dal's voice snapped Byakuya back out of the lovely fantasy and made him inhale sharply. His body tensed, and it was then that he realized that as he had lain next to the man, dreaming of being with Renji, Dal had come awake, and seeing that he was beginning to be aroused, had gotten the completely wrong idea.

"Ah," the hollow sighed, taking hold of the belt at Byakuya's waist, "I see you are warming to the idea of us being together sexually."

He pulled on the silken tie and it slid provocatively against the noble's hardening length, teasing Byakuya into catching his breath as he tried to press his legs together.

"Oh, don't be shy," Dal said, sliding a hand down the noble's torso and stroking his thighs until he nudged them apart again, "I think it's wonderful that you are beginning to respond to me."

He lifted the silken belt and took hold of one of Byakuya's hands.

"And now, I want to indulge in a little bit of a fetish, if you don't mind…"

"What are you…?"

"Shh," Dal said, stopping his words with a kiss, "Remember, I promised not to penetrate you until after your uniform is finished. This is just…foreplay, if you will."

Byakuya shivered as the hollow used the silken belt to bind his hands to the metal bars on the headboard, then slipped a blindfold over his eyes.

"Blindness," Dal said, licking his earlobe, "forces your other senses to heighten in compensation. Some people find it very arousing not to know what to expect from a lover."

Byakuya gasped softly as a fingertip brushed suddenly against a nipple, which swelled instantly in response.

"In addition, helplessness in the face of the unknown, makes the heart beat faster and the adrenaline rush more heady. Do you feel it, Tama?" Dal said, running a hand along the restrained noble's inner thigh and laughing as Byakuya gasped again.

"You aren't much for words, are you, Tama?" Dal whispered, brushing kisses along his throat, "But I plan to see what I can coax out of you, even without penetrating you."

The hollow's mouth returned to his, teasing him with several light kisses, then sinking into his mouth so deeply, he couldn't help but yield a small sound of pain. He felt a soft, contented growl, then made a sharper sound of protest as the hollow latched onto his mouth and began to feed gently on his life force.

"Stop!" Byakuya gasped, "Master Dal…you are…!"

He shivered again as he felt the hollow pull away from him and felt the heavy swell of Dal's arousal against his thigh. He could feel the cold, angry eyes glaring down at him and waited for something painful to happen. He couldn't help but flinch when Dal's hand touched his face and removed the blindfold. The eyes that looked down into his were riled, but seemed to have regained control. The hollow gave him an apologetic smile.

"I am sorry, Tama," he said, stroking Byakuya's face lightly with gentle fingers, "It's just that…you are such a temptation."

"You were feeding on my life force," Byakuya said quietly, "You could have killed me."

Dal nodded and lowered his eyes.

"I said I was sorry. Remember, Tama, I am, after all, a hollow. I have the urge to devour souls."

"Is that what you are going to do to me?" asked Byakuya, "When my uniform is ready, are you going to make love with me and then devour me? Is that what you do with your lovers?"

Dal gazed back at him with what looked like torment.

"I do not mean to," he whispered, "but a few times, I have not been able to stop myself. They were just too beautiful and they tasted so good. And you are more beautiful and you taste better than any of them, Tama."

He reached over and released the noble's wrists, then wrapped his arms possessively around Byakuya, who forcibly held himself still, though his mind screamed of the danger.

"I will try very hard not to devour you," Dal promised, the same torment in his voice, "I know that telling you will make you more likely to fear me and to want to run from me, but if you can control your fear, perhaps you can calm the hollow in me and bring out the lover. Will you try, Tama?"

Byakuya gazed deeply into the hollow's eyes, reading the odd mix of warm sincerity and chilling darkness. He wondered again how many of those dead former lovers of Dal's had lived beyond the day they received their uniforms.

"Master Dal," he said quietly, "will you promise me something?"

"If I can, my love," answered the hollow, brushing a tear away from his eye, "What is it?"

Byakuya took a soft breath.

"Will you promise me that no matter what happens to me…that you will not ever allow harm to come to my son? Koji is all that matters to me. I cannot bear the thought of harm coming to him. If…anything should befall me, would you promise to allow him to return home?"

Dal's eyes softened and he brushed his cheek lightly against Byakuya's.

"You truly are one of a kind, Tama," he whispered, kissing the noble and staring down into his eyes, "I think you are the one. You are the one I have waited for. You are not just beautiful out here, on the surface. Your beauty goes deep beneath the skin, my Tama. It is almost too much for me to wait."

He sighed softly.

"I will promise you now that if anything should befall you, I will raise your son as my own. I will never let anything hurt our child."

Byakuya felt a shiver pass through him at the odd, dazed look that had come into Sai Dal's eyes. He reached up and touched the hollow's face, but was met with the same blank stare. And when he spoke again, the noble noted with a chill that the words were not spoken to him, but to one of the dead men whose portrait hung in the hallway.

"I will never let you or our child be hurt again…Tomio…"

"M-master…Dal?" Byakuya whispered, "Are you all right?"

The hollow blinked and shook his head, then took a deep breath and frowned.

"I apologize," he said tightening his arms around Byakuya again, "I know you are not him. But sometimes…well…sometimes Tomio haunts me. He was the first of my lovers, and you are the one most like him."

He looked as though he wanted to say more, but seemed to catch himself. He forced his lips to smile and kissed Byakuya gently.

"Perhaps you will be the one," he said softly, "Perhaps you will make the ghost of Tomio Kuchiki disappear."

Byakuya clamped down on his emotions, forcing himself not to react.

Tomio Kuchiki?

Tomio Kuchiki was his first victim?

Then he remembered something he had noticed about that first picture.

He was already a hollow…

And he was with child…

XXXXXXXXXX

Renji waited in the darkness of the hallway of the main arena until he spotted Ryota and saw the hollow beckon him. Then he flash stepped to the other hollow and the two moved cautiously through the silent stadium, carefully placing the explosives.

"So why won't they just use one of the smaller arenas for the Grudge Match?" Renji asked, "Wouldn't that make more sense than either putting off the match or moving it?"

Ryota shook his head firmly.

"Simply put, the Grudge Match is the big moneymaker for the Battle Pit. The big arena is always sold out and every seat is always filled. The management is not going to allow the event to be ruined, and they would rather it was a little delayed, rather than moved entirely."

"Ah," said Renji, nodding, "So what will they do when this thing blows?"

"Most likely, they will assess the damage and try to repair it as quickly as possible. If it is not possible, then they may move the Grudge Match to Sai Dal's compound. That would actually work in our favor. If that happened, you and I would be housed in Sai Dal's guesthouses, just outside his personal residence. Then, we would only need to get past whatever security he has in place to rescue my son and your comrades."

"Huh…" Renji muttered, setting the next explosive in place, "Hey, uh, Ryota. You don't think your crazy brother is going to hurt Byakuya, do you?"

"I do not believe so. He seems to be very attracted to your captain. That will make him more likely to stick to his pattern and wait for his uniform to be finished before taking him."

"Whoa," said Renji, pausing in the setting of the next charge, "You mean, sometimes he doesn't wait?"

"No, it isn't that. It's that sometimes the lovers try to leave him before their uniforms are done."

"And let me guess, Sai Dal doesn't like getting dumped, ne?"

"He kills them."

Renji caught his breath sharply and Ryota clapped a hand over his mouth to keep him quiet. Renji tore his hand away, but heeded his look of warning and kept his voice down.

"You didn't tell us that before!" he snapped, "You don't think that maybe Byakuya would have wanted to know that? And what does he do to them that makes them run before he has sex with them? Tell me that!"

"I do not know. Renji, I know this is disturbing, but try to remain focused. It is not just your captain who is at risk in this. All of us have something to lose. So trust in your captain to weather Sai Dal's advances. If he does so long enough so that he and Rikichi can find and take back my son, then we will all get what we want."

"Yeah, well, not knowing what Byakuya's having to deal with makes me really worried for him."

"Trust him, Renji," Ryota said firmly, "He is a man of great strength, as are you."

"Yeah, I know," said the redhead, shaking his head and turning back to the explosive he was placing, "but even strong people have their limits…"

He started to say more, but broke off, staring as a security guard turned into the hallway. Ryota grabbed him and pulled him into an alcove and the two held perfectly still, breathless as the guard paused and looked around, then moved towards one of the charges.

"Damn it!" whispered Renji, "This is not good. The charges are set, but…"

"Not good," Ryota agreed as the guard realized what he was looking at and reached for his radio.

Ryota bit his lip and gazed for a moment into Renji's eyes. An unspoken agreement passed between the two…and Ryota's fingers settled on the detonation button.

"We cannot be found here or it's all over," he whispered.

Renji swallowed hard and nodded as the hollow pressed down on the button. A deafening roar sounded and the guard looked up in horror as the explosives detonated, turning the area into a huge firestorm. As the guard disappeared into the flames, Ryota forced Renji down and covered the shinigami's body with his.

"Remember," Ryota said, "If only one of us survives, he must carry the other out. We cannot be found here or Sai Dal will kill us all!"

Then, the wave of fire swept over them.

XXXXXXXXXX

"That's very good, Mitsuru," said Rikichi, smiling, "You are a very fast runner! And your cero is already powerful for one so young."

The hollow boy smiled, panting softly to catch his breath.

"Thank you, Koji. It's nice to have someone to play and train with. I get so lonely here. Dad is really good to me, but I don't have any friends and I never get to leave the house."

"I understand," said Rikichi, "This is fun for me too. I don't have a lot of friends either. And I don't have any friends here, except for you."

"You are the best, Koji!" Mitsuru said enthusiastically, "Let's train some more!"

"Patience," Rikichi said, warmed by the feeling of being like an older sibling to the hollow youth, "We will. But I think I need a moment or two to rest and something to drink."

"Me too," agreed the boy, "And then, we can train on my sonido and your flash steps. We have to practice that, in case the kidnappers ever get in."

"Wh-what?" asked Rikichi, his eyes widening, "What do you mean?"

"The kidnappers," the boy said, "I heard my dad talking about them to the guards. Someone threatened to kidnap me. And that's why dad is so afraid to let me have friends around me."

"Well, don't you worry," said Rikichi, "With your sonido and my flash step, and our fighting skill, we will be safe…from any danger. Come, I've had enough rest. Let's train."

"Only if you can catch me!" cried Mitsuru, disappearing and reappearing across the yard.

Rikichi laughed and flash stepped after the boy.

XXXXXXXXXX

Byakuya walked out into the hallway and down to the portrait that had been on his mind all day. Tomio's handsome face looked down at him from the picture, his dark eyes joyful as his hand rubbed his rounded belly. His uniform was slightly loose at the top, exposing the hollow hole in his chest, but even as a hollow, the young man looked as beautiful as he had in life. Byakuya thought back to when he had been a child and Tomio had been a member of the family. He had always looked somewhat troubled, not so happy as he looked in this representation.

But that had to do with the council…and the fact that they denied him the right to wear the Kuchiki name…because his father was caught carrying on an illegal relationship with a hollow.

I never understood why they punished him too.

He remembered, too, the day that Tomio had died…the sudden rush of hell butterflies, the quiet groups of councilors meeting and talking in hushed voices, the secrecy.

Because even disowned and bereft of his name, Tomio's suicide reflected poorly on them. They tormented him until he could bear it no more and then when he took his own life because of it, they buried him in lies.

"Do you know him?" said Sai Dal's voice from behind Byakuya.

"I…did," the noble said carefully, "I was a child when he died."

"You mean when he killed himself," Dal said, reaching up to touch the portrait longingly.

His lips tightened and he sighed softly.

"He was deeply tormented when I found him. He was so beautiful, but so very sad. I took him in and tried so hard to take away his sadness. And for a while, Tomio was very happy here. And by some miracle, he became pregnant. We were going to have a child together. But fate was so cruel…even to one so undeserving of that cruelty. Just before our child was to be born…a shinigami came here and spouted some lies about how he was the true father of our baby…and that Tomio had lied to me because he loved me, and he wanted us to have a son. So he laid down with that man to make us a child, then claimed it was mine."

"And what did Tomio say?"

"He said," Dal began, then choked on the words and stopped, "He said that the man raped him. And…he showed me pictures that proved his injuries, which he hid from me at the time. He said that he was afraid for me to know, because he worried about what that man would do to us…and our baby. The shinigami struck him with a killing blow…only steps from where you stand. I saw that he was dying, that I could not save him…and…I placed him in suspension. If I wake him, he will die…and our baby will die. But they might as well be dead, frozen in time like that."

Dal took a trembling breath and released it.

"And I feel dead inside without him. I know it makes no sense, but that is why, you see. That is why I had these other lovers. I long for my Tomio. I want to hold him in my arms again. I want to feel his body join with mine."

A tear rolled down one cheek as he touched the portrait of his lover again.

"And so…I find young men like him…as much like him as I can. And I try to love them. But none has touched my heart like my Tomio…and all of them have rejected me."

He turned his head and looked deeply into Byakuya's eyes.

"Will you reject me too…Tama Yoshino?"