Dear Reader, Once again, I had to split the chapter again! This one chapter will probably end up being broken down into three or four parts! Grrr! Anyway, I hope you enjoy. Peace, TK

Chapter 20 In the Respite

"As the darkness throws its cloak upon the ground
I start to run to you. I've got to take you down."

Deep
Justin Hayward

Shortly after midnight, Nelphune and his party rumbled over to the respite Lutan had reserved for them; and here, when the Orator reclined, he tugged on the chain hard enough to bring Yumichika pressing to his side.

"Do you see them all looking at you? Hungering for you?" he whispered. "They don't know what's inside you. But I do."

Yumichika felt Nelphune's hand running sensuously down his spine, and he wondered if the Orator would have any compulsion against having sex with him right here in front of the party-goers. As Nelphune's touch descended into the crevice between his buttocks, he could not disguise the shiver that went through his body.

"Does that excite you?" Nelphune teased, his voice deep and breathy in Yumichika's ear. "Do you want that I touch you here in front of everyone?"

The exhibitionist in Yumichika had one answer; but the other part of him, given to reason and restraint, had quite a different answer. The latter won out as he eased back in the Orator's grasp.

"I don't want to do that," he said bluntly.

"Ahhhh, but he does," Nelphune said knowingly. "He wants everyone to look at him . . . no matter what the reason. He likes to be the center of attention."

Yumichika was silent, but Nelphune continued – both the caressing and the speaking. "This is what draws him out. All this touching and erotic sensation . . . I know. I know this is what most pleases him." He probed and pressed through the sheer garment, indifferent to the surreptitious glances of those around him.

And suddenly the idea of a public display was no longer a question of mere possibility. It was clear the Orator was perfectly open to spectator sex; and with the insistent movement of his fingers against that part of Yumichika's anatomy, Yumichika knew it was only a matter of time – minutes, possibly seconds. He had to divert Nelphune from his course, for being sexed by the man here before the eyes of anyone who cared to watch was simply too much to bear.

He kneeled on top of Nelphune's muscular thighs so that he was a head taller than him, then with the benefit of years of experience bolstering his resolve, he grasped Nelphune's jaw, tilted his head back and kissed him with all the vigor and wanton luridness he could muster – which was considerable.

Nelphune's first reaction was to clasp Yumichika's hips and draw him up against his own body, but Yumichika resisted, interrupting the kiss long enough to deliver a coy warning. "If you make me do things I don't want to do, you'll ruin me."

A smile widened on the Orator's face. He loved it when Yumichika tried to toy with him. "You will do many things you don't want," he cooed. "But in time, you will come to want them, to crave them. And you will desire those things long before you are, as you say, ruined."

Yumichika was not giving up. He placed his palms against the Orator's ebony cheeks and leaned close, so that his lips brushed Nelphune's as he spoke. "Don't make me have sex in front of these people. I'll do it in private—I'll do whatever you want in private. Please don't make me do it in front of these people."

Nelphune chuckled. "There he is . . . only a shadow, but there he is."

Yumichika felt a ping of triumph, although he wasn't sure what the victory was. He had the sense that he had prevailed, that—at least for tonight—there would be no public presentation of sexual exploits. And he had done it using his ability to seduce. And, if Nelphune were correct, could it be that some small part of Ruri'iro Kujaku had seeped through whatever barrier held him apart and enabled Yumichika to exude a thin wisp of what had once been a torrent of sexual energy?

Yumichika wet the Orator's lips with his own tongue. "Does that mean you'll do as I've asked?"

Nelphune rubbed his clothed erection against Yumichika's stomach. "For now," he replied, then he laughed heartily. "So, I have need of Damir! Or Lamos!" He looked past Yumichika for his Keeper of the Bedmates. "Where has Damir gotten to? Someone go find him! Or Lamos! Bring me whichever one you find first!"

"I'll never cease to be amazed at how you can do that," Fourth Seat Pelqua said admiringly as she watched Lieutenant Matsumoto's Haineko billow the sails of The Storm Queen. "Zanpakuto that have mastery of the forces of nature always . . . they're just so impressive."

Rangiku smiled. "Your Numanasa isn't exactly child's play."

"True," Pelqua agreed. "I wouldn't trade her for another. But her basis is brute force. There's nothing refined or . . . ethereal about her like there is with Haineko—"

A burst of laughter sprang from Rangiku's lips. "Ethereal?! Haineko?! Believe me, that just means you don't know much about her. Sure, she's beautiful in action, but she's the most spoiled, lazy pain in the ass ever! I thought she'd get better after the whole Muramasa thing, you know? She'd had a chance to be on her own, have her freedom. But she went straight back to being a brat." She paused and a proud gleam showed in her eye. "Still, I can always count on her when I need her."

"I guess that's what's important," Nara said. "As long as we can rely on them, I guess it's okay if they're a little on the contentious side."

"You know, I've always been surprised that you didn't end up in Squad Two or Squad Eleven," Rangiku mentioned. "Numanasa is one of the most brutal melee-types I've ever seen."

"Well, I did everything I could to stay out of Squad Two," Nara replied. "I can't stand Captain Soifon. And to be honest, Squad Eleven gives me the creeps. They're a little too blood-thirsty for my tastes."

"Yeah, but isn't Captain Kuchiki a bore?"

Nara chuckled. "He's a little stiff. If I'd had my choice, I would have wanted to serve under Captain Komamura, but there were no openings, and well . . . by the time there were, I'd already settled in at Squad Six, and Captain Kuchiki really didn't want to see me leave. I guess I felt a sense of loyalty." She glanced back over her shoulder where Ikkaku was sitting cross-legged and perfectly balanced on the side rail. "I was surprised to be put on a mission with him. He's not even a Shinigami anymore. I know Captain Kuchiki was not happy about one of his officers being assigned to a mission led by a former Shinigami."

"Ikkaku may not wear the uniform anymore, but he'll always be a Shinigami at heart," Rangiku replied. "And he's the best choice to lead this mission."

"I'm not sure about that," Nara replied doubtfully. "Don't you think he might have too much of a personal stake in it? Ayasegawa was his best friend." A pause. "And I have to admit that I'm surprised the Gotei 13 would take such an interest in rescuing a former Shinigami from slavery. There have been no attempts to shut down the slave trade before, but now one Shinigami is involved, and it becomes important. And even then, there's still no interest in shutting it down. They only want to save Ayasegawa. I don't get it."

"I don't either," Rangiku admitted. "Maybe it's because of what Yumichika did all those years ago, defeating the demons. Maybe the head captain feels he owes it to him. Whatever the reason, it was important enough that he felt he needed to use seated officers to carry it out."

"And you trust Madarame to do a good job at that? He's always been a brute force kind of guy, not much for nuance. Do you think he'll be able to do this and not just start swinging away the second we land?" Nara asked, and her manner was not derisive or condescending. She was genuinely curious, for her own previous interactions with Ikkaku, limited though they were, had not left her with the impression that he was a man given to deep, calculating thought. She hated to think that the entire mission might be in jeopardy because of the impetuous and hot-headed nature of his leader.

"That's why we're here!" Rangiku proclaimed light-heartedly. "Ikkaku is everything you just said. But remember that personal stake you mentioned? That's precisely why he'll do everything he can to make sure this mission succeeds. The only thing that matters to him is Yumichika. If we can continue to convince him to take things slow and move under the radar, this will turn out well. But that's our first job – to make sure he doesn't get overcome by his own reckless tendencies."

Nara nodded then changed the subject. "What do you think of Gonow?"

"Well, I've only been there a few times," Rangiku replied. "It's not an easy place for a patrol because of the seki-seki. So, we'd flashstep to the Pilutes Islands and take a boat the rest of the way. No one really paid us any mind. Shinigami don't hold any weight there. Well, you know that, you've been there, too."

"What I meant was, what do you think of it? Of how they live? They're so different from the rest of Soul Society," Nara said. "Their entire culture thrives on slavery and brutality. I don't think they have any moral virtues. It's survival of the fittest. I know it sounds crazy, but every time I've gone there on patrol, a part of me wishes I could stay. There's something that pulls you in, takes you down, if you stay there long enough."

"Lawlessness has its appeal," Rangiku conceded. "But only for the powerful."

"I don't think Gonow is lawless," Nara countered. "It has laws. It's just that the laws are based on—like I said—survival of the fittest. And as long as the stronger are willing to protect the weaker and provide for them, the weaker take happily to their lesser status."

"Or their captivity," Rangiku added. She shook her head, troubled. "I can't understand how any soul would be happy being enslaved."

Jubal's voice surprised them both.

"That's because you haven't seen the full extent of the slave trade in the lower east," he said. "I have." He joined them and stood leaning with his back against the main sail mast. "You think of slavery as souls doing manual labor and living in shacks or being forced to have sex against their will or working as servants in someone's house. And you always imagine that these people are being forced to do these things against their wills, that their freedom has been taken away. A lot of the time, that's true, especially when it comes to slave labor. But the part you don't see, the part you don't know, is how many slaves actually like their conditions. House servants have it pretty good. They're fed, clothed, housed. A lot of the sex slaves—the ones bought by great houses—live better than we do. They have better food, better accommodations, better clothes, and they're catered to all day, every day. They figure, so what if I have to sleep with a few people? This is a better life than what I'd have otherwise, and I'm not going to ruin it."

"But they're not free to make their own decisions about their lives—" Rangiku began, but Jubal cut her off.

"And if they were, how many of them would choose to stay right where they are, doing what they're doing? I'd go so far as to say that none of the great houses would lose a single slave."

"You're not trying to justify it, are you, Jubal? It's disgusting, no matter how you cut it," Nara put forth. "You can take care of people and still give them their freedom."

"I'm not defending it," Jubal stated emphatically. "I'm answering Matsumoto's question about how a soul could be happy being enslaved. Believe me, once we arrive in Gonow, you'll see it for yourself."

"Well, Yumichika would never be happy with it," Rangiku said with certainty.

"I hope you're right," Jubal said, and he had a hint of doubt in his voice. "Ayasegawa loved being looked at and pampered and envied. He was a complete narcissist. He'll find everything he needs to massage his ego as a bedmate—"

"He won't have Ikkaku," Rangiku cut in, keeping her voice low. "And Ikkaku's more important to him than his ego."

Yet, despite keeping her voice quiet, she, Jubal and Nara were all caught up red-faced and embarrassed when Ikkaku spoke from his perch.

"Damned right." He got down from the railing and as he passed them on his belowdecks, he said with a cheeky grin, "And I will do whatever I have to, to make sure this mission is a success. So, don't sweat it, Nara. I may be like the blind leading the really blind, but that's why you're all with me."

Fourth Seat Pelqua felt a sting of embarrassment that he had evidently heard her entire conversation with Matsumoto, but the lack of an admonishment and the oblique words of praise made her think that perhaps she'd underestimated Ikkaku Madarame.

Maybe this mission would not be an unmitigated disaster.

Supho might be one of the most considerate souls Yumichika had ever met.

Yes. Yes, that seemed very likely.

The young guard had positioned himself between Yumichika and the disgraceful show of public carnal pleasure taking place not ten feet from where he sat. Nearly two hours earlier, Damir had been retrieved from wherever he had gone, fairly bursting into the alcove in a show of a giddy exhilaration at the prospect of putting on a show with the Orator for all to see.

And many did see. Some were subtle in their voyeurism. Others made no secret of their blatant desire to watch the two carry on.

Yumichika kept his eyes averted the entire time, but he could still hear the sounds – the moans, the smacking of skin against sweaty skin, the garbled words of desperation from the Keeper . . . and other sounds he preferred not to identify. And this horrendous affront to decency had been going on non-stop for nearly two hours!

And even though Yumichika counted his blessings that it was Damir and not himself being rubbed raw, he felt mortified to be anywhere near them. It made him feel sick to his stomach, for which Supho procured a glass of wine, for all the good it did.

At last, he turned to Supho. "I need to get away from that . . . I need some air."

Supho looked at the Orator, rolling and writhing among the cushions, then he looked at Yumichika, who looked one moment short of vomiting. He reached down, took his arm and helped him to his feet. He was about to unhook the chains when, instead, Nelphune—never as unaware as he appeared—picked up the loose end and yanked forcefully, dropping Yumichika to his knees, and then reeling him in as Yumichika tried to keep up, skittering towards him on all fours, fearing the pins would be ripped right out of his breasts.

To his horror, he suddenly found himself face-to-face with Damir, who made a disgusting lapping gesture with tongue, from which Yumichika back-pedaled, only to discover Nelphune had slid around behind him.

The Orator looped his arms under Yumichika's shoulders and leaned back, drawing Yumichika down on top of him, Yumichika's back against his chest.

Damir was lifting the sheer.

Yumichika thrust out a leg to push him back.

"Let him." Nelphune's voice had a measure of humor in it.

"N-no!" Yumichika protested. "I—I—I belong to you! Not—not him!"

"And as your master, I say to you, let him do as he wills," Nelphune commanded. He reached his legs around from the outside and planted them inside Yumichika's legs, drawing them to the sides and spreading Yumichika wide open and accessible.

Damir lifted the sheer up to his waist and removed the pouch covering his privates.

Yumichika's pleas fell off as Damir's mouth closed around him. Any attempt to speak now would only turn into a pitiful whimper of protest, and he wanted no one to see such weakness. He closed his eyes and tried to block out the well-mastered ministrations of a man he despised.

But before much could happen, there came a sound Yumichika did not recognize and when he opened his eyes, he saw a curtain being drawn across the opening of the alcove. The next thing he heard was Campion's voice, loud and authoritative.

"My Lord!"

"Not now, Campion," Nelphune replied. "Do you not see that I am enjoying myself?"

"My Lord! Regent Kennah has arrived, and he is inquiring after you!"

Campion's announcement had the effect of putting an abrupt and sloppy end to the particular enjoyment of the moment.

Nelphune released Yumichika from his grasp as Damir straightened up right away.

Supho, seeing Yumichika moving slowly and shakily to a sitting position, leaned down, returned the sheer to its proper place, and helped him to his feet. He led him back to the pillows and sat him down, keeping a hand against his back until he was sure that Yumichika was steady.

The curtain that had been drawn and was now blocking out the stares of onlookers formed a backdrop to the figure of Captain Campion, whose stern countenance and unmistakable air of urgency was actually a welcome break from the debauchery that had just been taking place.

"Leave it to the Regent to arrive at the most inopportune time," Nelphune quipped, several servants rushing to robe him as quickly as possible, although his own manner itself was unhurried. "Where is he?"

"He is in his own respite," Campion replied. "One of his house guard came up to partake or else I should never have known he was here."

"When did he arrive?"

"Within the last hour."

Nelphune sniggered. "Ah, I was busy with other things!"

"He wishes for you to come see him . . ." Campion paused and his gaze went to Yumichika. "And to bring the million dema purchase."

The look of snide satisfaction on Nelphune's face spoke volumes. He might not be the most powerful man in the province, but he certainly was the most admired. He looked to Damir, still basking in the glow of his performance.

"Damir, my little lovely, put him back together, pouch him," he ordered.

"It will be my pleasure, Orator." Damir made a great show of primping Yumichika's tussled hair and touching up his makeup, but when he went to replace the pouch, Yumichika refused.

"Give it to me and I'll put it on myself," he said.

"Don't be silly," Damir deferred. "I'll do it." He made to lift the sheer, but Yumichika took a step back.

"I said I'll do it myself."

"And our master told me to put you back together—"

"I said no." Yumichika was emphatic.

In a rush of angry, impatient movement, Campion strode across the respite, took hold of Yumichika's arm in the vice-like grip of one hand and drew the sheer up with the other. "Put the damned thing on him, Damir, and let's get this over with."

Damir simpered. "So forceful, Campion . . . it gives me shivers." He put the pouch back over Yumichika's privates and straightened the sheer.

Still maintaining his hold on Yumichika's arm, Campion cast a scornful look in Supho's direction, then pulled Yumichika roughly across the room to stand beside the Orator, who was now clothed again, looking as if he'd not been engaged only moments earlier.

Campion found the end of the chain and handed it to the Orator. "He's ready to go."

Nelphune beamed a white smile at his captain. "As efficient as you are beautiful. Come, let us go visit the great wind-bag."

The curtain was drawn and the Orator proceeded with Campion, who never once took his hand off Yumichika's arm.

If there was one thing Campion hated—and he actually hated many things, but the one that topped his list—it was whiny men.

And whiny bedmates were the worst of all.