Title: Covenant
Series: Amaranthine (third in series; sequel to Nexus and Apotheosis)
Author: Akuni
Universe: Bleach
Genre: Drama/Romance
Rating: M for 'Much Smut' (NC-17)
Pairing: Renji/Ichigo (Note: I always write them reversible)
Spoilers: read through Soul Society, Arrancar, & Hueco Mundo Arcs
Warnings: By this point, everyone reading this story should know that this is futurefic, with all that that implies – character development, interpretations of events not yet seen in canon, etc. There's more talk of the war with Aizen, and mentions of character deaths during the war.
Word Count: you wouldn't believe me if I told you yet ;)
Summary: Three years after Ichigo began a rewarding life as a full-time shinigami captain, an unexpected challenge changes things for everyone, and Ichigo and Renji face their biggest trials yet.
More info and author's notes on chapter 1.
Chapter 14 – Miscalculation
Upset with himself at having been caught off guard again, Ichigo was hugely relieved when he left the 4th Division infirmary – the only serious injuries had occurred before he'd slipped up. The altercation with his Hollow had seemed to last a long time, but in reality it had been over in merely seconds, and Ichigo had recovered swiftly.
That's still no excuse! He fumed silently as he headed home in the evening. I should be better prepared for this sort of thing. I should see it coming.
Belatedly, he realized that, with all that had been going on, he'd put off attempting to speak with Zangetsu for so long that he'd actually forgotten he'd intended to do so. Oh yes, very responsible, 'Kurosaki-taichou'.
Ichigo managed not to slam the door and stomp across the room like a child, but he was still chagrined at how he'd let his guard down and given the Hollow the opportunity to test him in such a dangerous situation.
He gathered his thoughts as he made tea and set it out on the low table in the main room. Seating himself cross-legged on the wooden floor, Ichigo took a deep breath and closed his eyes, shifting his awareness internally.
It was easy to find Zangetsu in the strange mental landscape. The imposing man in the dark cloak was perched as always at an impossible angle, and this time when Ichigo approached the world behaved as it ought, though the sky was ominous and dark.
"Zangetsu. Been a while since we've been able to talk," Ichigo greeted him.
:Things have been… strange, here.: Zangetsu disappeared and reappeared in front of Ichigo with a single step.
"It's his fault, isn't it?" Ichigo tried to keep the annoyance he felt at the Hollow out of his voice. He was so certain, it was a surprise when Zangetsu shook his head.
:I think only partly. You know things here change primarily based on your mental state, and there's been a great deal going on for you these past several months.:
Ichigo snorted. "Ya might say that." He looked around. "Never figured him for the hidin' type. Probably does it just to piss me off."
Zangetsu smiled faintly. :Probably,: he agreed drily. Ichigo chuckled in spite of himself; Zangetsu didn't seem all that worried, which was reassuring.
"It's a bit extreme, and he's picked a fuckin' terrible time to pull this shit again, but I guess that's why I shoulda seen it comin'." Ichigo scratched the back of his head idly.
It felt good to talk things over with Zangetsu. Ichigo valued his fighting partner's opinion – even though he wasn't entirely certain where the wisdom came from, since they were supposed to be part of the same whole; he chose not to investigate that too closely, chalking it up to interactions with other zanpakutou.
In the end, Ichigo found he already knew what he had to do. "If he's gonna take advantage of this, then I just hafta be prepared for it."
:Will you challenge him again?:
"If I have to. I'll do whatever it takes to get things back under control," Ichigo said firmly. "Anything else is just not an option."
The tall figure looked at him silently for a long moment, then nodded. :You're still the king,: Zangetsu replied, sounding satisfied.
Ichigo smiled grimly. "Always will be." He turned away and stared into the distance as he prepared to leave. "Count on it."
:We are,: Zangetsu said solemnly just before the buildingscape vanished.
When he opened his eyes and brought his awareness out of his internal world, Ichigo realized immediately that he wasn't alone anymore and was being watched. "Hey," he greeted Renji, who was reclining lazily on the couch. The easy flow of their energy helped lift his mood immediately. "Didn't hear you come in."
Renji offered him a crooked smile. "Didn't wanna disturb ya – talkin' with Zangetsu?"
Ichigo nodded, unsurprised by his partner's perceptiveness. They'd seen each other in that sort of meditative state far too often for it to be mistaken for anything else. "Something happened today. I needed to figure some things out."
Tattooed eyebrows rose in a silent question, and the light spiritual link between them intensified.
"It's the Hollow again," Ichigo explained, standing and shaking the kinks out of his knees; he'd spent longer talking with Zangetsu than he'd thought. "Givin' me way more trouble than he should."
Renji frowned slightly and dragged a hand through the hair lying loose over his shoulders. "Like when ya went to practice with Zaraki-taichou?"
"Worse." Ichigo related the day's events, including the details of his mistake. Settling matters in his own mind had helped enough so he could get through the telling without feeling quite so bad, but it didn't make him feel any less guilty about his lapse.
"So, he's just gonna keep pushin' at ya, to make sure you're not gonna fall?" Renji mused. "That's some twisted logic."
"No kidding. I'll just hafta remember to keep a closer eye on him. He won't catch me napping again," Ichigo stated confidently, firm in his resolve. "I can control him."
"No question there." Renji nodded, but there was something about the shift in his energy that sent Ichigo's mind skidding down another road entirely. "But I can never figure out how you always manage that when ya can't even control yourself around me."
Ichigo stared for a moment, then stalked over to plant himself directly in front of Renji. "You sayin' I'm easy?"
Renji peered up at him through the vibrant red curtain. "Ichigo..." His voice was a low murmur.
Ichigo smiled as he leaned in. "Hmm?" He lowered himself over his lover's reclining body. Long arms snaked up around his waist, pulling him close and sending them both tumbling off the couch.
Ichigo yelped as his elbow knocked painfully against the wooden floor, but that didn't matter to him in the slightest. He covered Renji's lips with his own, letting his tongue trace the familiar contours of the mouth that moved eagerly with his.
"Clothes. Off. Now." Renji insisted between urgent kisses. Ichigo definitely agreed.
They parted briefly, surrounded by a flurry of black and white as they hastily undressed. Fire blazed between them every time; the heat and passion that flared when their skin touched never got old.
As soon as they'd shed their clothing, Ichigo hauled Renji down beside him and kissed him again. Ichigo liked kissing. He liked kissing Renji. But Renji loved kissing; it was almost a thing for him. Given the chance, Renji would fasten his lips to Ichigo's and stay there until they were both breathless, lips chapped and jaws exhausted.
With that in mind, Ichigo made a point of drawing Renji into the most thorough kiss he could. He teased Renji's lips apart with his tongue, licking at his teeth, tasting the warm mouth that opened for him.
It wasn't something he'd ever thought about before getting involved with Renji, and he hadn't been entirely certain after their first sake-flavoured kiss, but it hadn't taken many more before Ichigo had realized the unidentifiable something he'd come to crave in those heated exchanges could only be his lover's own taste.
It seemed odd at first to think of a person having a taste; he'd endured a month of cheesy strawberry-themed jokes when he'd inadvertently revealed this during one of Renji's periodic visits to the living world early in their relationship. The jokes had stopped during Renji's very next visit, after Ichigo got Renji staggeringly drunk one frozen winter night and made him admit his newfound taste for real strawberries was completely and totally biased.
There were no jokes now as their tongues twined around each other, mouths moving in sync. The dance was always familiar, and always different – the tempo changed fluidly to match the beat and swirl of energy between them. Ichigo's tongue moved forward to sweep the roof of Renji's mouth, then drew back as his teeth were traced one by one in return.
Soft, wet sounds and muffled breaths heightened the driving need that had landed them on the floor in the first place. Hands that had been clutching shoulders and waists began roaming purposefully; two lean, muscled bodies pressing together sending shocks of pleasure to the hardened flesh between them.
Ichigo ran his hand up the firm thigh and grasped Renji's hip; it turned against his palm as Renji rolled to kneel over him. He ignored the twinge in his spine as he was pressed against the floor, but then the pressure was gone and Renji was sitting back on his heels with a pained expression.
"What?" Ichigo was breathing hard, grateful for the chance to catch his breath but a bit confused at the sudden stop.
"We got a perfectly good bed right over there." Renji's grimace turned into a smirk. "No sense doin' this on the hard floor." It was hard to focus on anything but the desire in the shared aura, but Ichigo realized belatedly that Renji echoed his momentary discomfort.
Sore knees. Ichigo grinned and scrambled to his feet, grabbing Renji by the wrist and pulling him up. He managed two backward steps before they crashed together again – grasping, nipping, licking, touching anywhere and everywhere they could reach.
Their legs and feet knocked together, nearly tripping them as they stumbled toward the bedroom. Ichigo left it to Renji to steer, giving himself up to the haze of lust that smothered all other thoughts and awareness, and was therefore unprepared when his back slammed into the wall. They'd missed the entrance to the bedroom by a good metre.
Twin grunts echoed on impact, but that didn't stop Ichigo from grabbing Renji by the back of the head, tangling his hand in the long, loose hair and pulling his lover's mouth against his own. Renji's groan was lost somewhere in the back of Ichigo's throat, and Ichigo's head spun along with the energy spinning furiously around them.
Renji's weight shifted, and Ichigo was shoved more firmly against the wall as one of Renji's hands sought his rear and lifted. Ichigo readily obliged, hitching his right knee over his lover's hip and coiling an arm around Renji's waist to grasp one of his flexing buttocks.
Still locked at the lips, the searing kiss continued unbroken as they ground against each other. Desire flared with each rhythmic bump against the wall, and when they finally broke apart a minute later, Ichigo needed several deep breaths before he was capable of speech.
"The bed—" he began, but then Renji's lips were on his throat and Ichigo needed to get closer. Setting his foot back on the floor, he dug his fingers into Renji's hips and pulled, tilting so their bodies melded together. They rolled across the wall, working their way toward the bedroom – and slid sideways abruptly when they fell through the open doorway.
They tumbled toward the floor, managing to land on the futon in an awkward heap. Renji snickered loudly, and Ichigo laughed outright as they separated only long enough to orient themselves and crawl to the centre of their bed. Then they were wrapped around each other again.
Ichigo flung one leg over and straddled his lover, grinning widely as he leaned down and mouthed Renji's inked skin from collar to ear. Long fingers dug into his thighs as he drew Renji's earlobe between his teeth, sending an irresistible surge of desire through him.
"Want you now," Ichigo gasped, his lips brushing over the reddened flesh of Renji's neck, just below the ear. Renji shivered against him, then gripped him tightly as they rolled again until Ichigo was staring up at him through a bright red curtain.
"Good, 'cause I can't take much more," Renji groaned. Heat curled tightly in Ichigo's gut as Renji marked him from navel to nipple, sucking on the soft skin as his tongue traced a wet path up his torso.
Ichigo threw his hand out toward the bottom shelf, colliding with Renji's on the same urgent mission. They fumbled for a moment, spilling more of the newly replenished oil than they intended over their fingers, but it did the job. Renji's slick fingers slid into him easily, and Ichigo let out a breath that was half moan as he coated Renji's erection with his oily fingers.
The demanding pull of the sexually charged energy crackling between them was beyond intoxicating. A firm slap on his ass had Ichigo breathing even harder; he pushed himself down on Renji's fingers, wanting more, twisting his wrist as he pumped his lover firmly.
One final squeeze, then Ichigo let go, holding Renji's eyes with his own and wrapping his legs around his waist as Renji dropped into position.
"Ready when you are, lover." Renji's voice was low and heavy with desire. Ichigo nodded, winding his arm around Renji's neck and grasping his hip. He tightened his grip as Renji entered him, Ichigo's groan blending with his lover's deep noise of pleasure. Only iron will, forged in experience, kept him from bucking as Renji filled him, sliding inside torturously, deliciously slowly.
But when they began to move together, it was impossible to go slowly anymore; careful movements gave way immediately to long thrusts that shocked the breath from them both, triggering a flare in their meshed reiatsu. The tension had built between them incredibly quickly.
"Too much…ahh…foreplay?" Ichigo managed a grin despite the sensations threatening to drown his senses.
"Mmmh…maybe…" Renji swung his head, flinging his long hair over one shoulder, and dropped his forehead to rest on Ichigo's. "Feels so good to be inside you… surrounded by you." His eyes were half-lidded, his breath coming in quick bursts as he dug his fingers into Ichigo's hips and buttocks and lifted, driving into him deeply.
White sparks danced in front of Ichigo's eyes, and he cried out wordlessly, the slap of skin ringing loudly as they smacked hard against each other. His hand flew to his aching arousal, stroking between their heated, sweat-streaked bodies. It was only a matter of seconds before he was arching against Renji, painting them both with his release and sending the energy level in the room soaring.
A low growl rumbled in Renji's chest, and Ichigo held on as Renji clung to him even tighter, his thrusts growing faster. Ichigo was still riding out the intense pleasure when Renji gasped, every muscle tensing as he buried himself to the hilt. His hips jerked, eyes flashing darkly as the wave crashed down over them again.
Gradually they fell still, deep satisfaction taking the place of the fire that had been racing through the shared aura. Renji's lips were red and just a bit swollen when they met Ichigo's again, firmly but less urgently than before.
When they separated, Ichigo was grateful to drop his tired legs, and he shifted to lie on his side with a contented sigh as Renji groaned and flopped onto his back. He thought they probably should go get cleaned up, but he was far too comfortable to move just yet, and he didn't think anything would move Renji from his sated sprawl anytime soon.
Renji dragged an arm across his glistening brow. "Phew!"
"What's with you lately, Renji?" Ichigo laughed at his partner's dramatics. "Always lazing around in bed."
"Hey that was hard work!" Renji protested, grinning. "But if you ain't tired after that, then we're doin' it wrong."
Ichigo thumped him on the arm. "Hardly," he began, then stopped. "Hmm, yanno maybe we'd better do it again, just to make sure." He gave Renji his best smirk.
It wasn't long before they were tangled together again.
§
Omake
-Chapter 14-
Ichigo: What are you doing?!
Akuni: Decorating. -bangs hammer against the wall-
Renji: But you're puttin' cracks in our walls! -grabs hammer-
Akuni: Hey I'm just the flunky, she's the artist. -points- She says the walls need cracks, so the walls get cracks. -snatches hammer back and bangs some more-
Ichigo: You told her to put cracks in our walls?
Shelagh: -on a stepstool- It needed something up top here. -makes more cracks in the walls- The way you two bang around blindly trying to find the bedroom, I'm surprised there aren't more.
Ichigo: …good point.
Art
See the story posted on LJ or ygal for links to the art that goes with this chapter. Link to my LJ – where this story is very prominently featured – is on my bio.
'Burnin' Up' - Oh baby! I love the urgency in this pic. They're so hot for each other they're crashed up against the wall, grabbing and grinding and kissing and asdfghjkl! Renji's leaving a substantial lovebite on Ichigo's neck, and Ichigo's grabbed an extremely naughty handful. This is how hot, exciting sex should be! Plus, I love the tree outside the window - Shelagh laughed at me for saying that. :P
Music
♫ 'Burnin' Up' – Flock of Seagulls