Chapter 25: Returning
Byakuya knelt, pale faced and silent, waiting…
He waited as the breeze blew in the open window and fluttered through his hair, as the leaves hissed softly across the ground outside, as a chill came into the air and as the solemn footsteps approached. He listened to the shuffling step, a low, soft cough and felt the slight burn of that man's reiatsu against his skin. Everything hung on this moment, on the words he had prepared, on the plans he had made…everything…
Soutaichou stepped solemnly into the room and stopped in front of the noble, studying the formal kimono he wore, the too pale features, the haunted gaze. He wondered if he was truly saving anyone by sparing Byakuya's life. For all intents and purposes, the noble was dying. The loss of his heart was taking a toll far greater than Soutaichou had imagined.
"I was told you wished to see me," he said quietly.
"Yes," Byakuya replied, raising his eyes, "Renji and I wish to be married before his execution. I have come to ask that you allow us to be married at Kuchiki Manor, in the traditional manner of my family…and that Renji be granted an extension of time suitable that we might be together for one night before his execution. Soutaichou may, of course set any requirements of supervision he deems necessary to assure himself that we will not deviate from what has been granted us."
Soutaichou closed his eyes and released a slow breath. He opened them again and let them fall on the dutifully positioned body, the carefully controlled demeanor and the slight waver in his reiatsu that hinted at the slow self-destruction taking place inside.
"Kuchiki Byakuya, I have known you since you were brought into this world, and I have known each of your forebears for several generations. I am clear on what I see when I look at you, and I know better than to offer the desperation that builds inside you an opportunity to be brought forth as an act of rebellion."
He moved forward and slipped a hand under the noble's chin, raising the calm, dark eyes…and the light sank down into them, and it told him that there was nothing this man would not do to save the one who was slated to die…even unto his own death.
"But even though I must deny your request, I will offer you this as compensation…you may be married here, under the supervision of the secret mobile corps and I will see that you are sealed into a private, guarded room until sunset. I hope you will understand why this is necessary. I see that this will not end until Abarai has taken his last breath…and I see that, one way or another, his last breath will be taken alongside your own. I grieve that this is so, but I see the inevitability written in your eyes. You must have recovered fully, because I see in you again the taichou who I know and respect…who I know and have faith in…who I know and love. Go and see to your handfasting. Time grows short…and it would be a sorry thing indeed to see it wasted."
He released Byakuya's chin and watched the weight of his words settle over the calm, quiet features. He turned away and started out the door. He paused as he reached it and looked back at the solemn figure who remained kneeling on the floor.
"I know that you will force me into a position where I must take your life, Byakuya…and I will carry out my duty just as you will carry out yours, but I do not take joy or pride in the spilling of your blood…or in the taking of this one who means so much to you. We are all acting as we must. Remember that as death closes in around you."
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The midday sun shined brightly and a gentle breeze passed through the large first division gathering room. Byakuya and Renji stood side-by-side, dressed in formal kimonos and with their sheathed zanpakutou carried by young attendants and waiting for their part in the traditional exchange that was a hallmark of Kuchiki family weddings. A pale, but somewhat recovered Tetsuya stood before them to officiate the ceremony and the full compliment of the Kuchiki Council of Elders sat in attendance.
Renji's eye strayed to the numerous others who had joined them and felt a swell of warmth pass through him. His mind acknowledged each…Rukia, Ichigo, Uryuu, Chad, Orihime, Yoruichi, Kisuke, Tessai, Jinta, Ururu, Rikichi, Ikkaku, Yumichika, Rangiku…and the list went on and on…so many people. And how word had reached them so quickly, how permissions had been granted, even for Kisuke…all of it came back to the silent, dark haired taichou who stood waiting to marry him.
"Byakuya," he breathed, "this is amazing. Arigato…I can't believe this is happening."
The noble said nothing, but the small half-smile and slight nod he gave Renji spoke volumes. Tetsuya cleared his throat softly and the two looked up at him. The room went silent, except for the breath of wind that passed through the room and the sounds of birds coming in through the open doors.
The room remained silent as Tetsuya's soft voice rose up, giving a short introduction, then moving on to a reading of the names and lineage of the clan leaders up to Byakuya.
"And today," Tetsuya added afterward, "the council is pleased to enter Kuchiki Beniko, the son of Abarai Renji and Kuchiki Byakuya as heir to Kuchiki Byakuya's holdings and as heir to the leadership of the Kuchiki clan."
He paused, smiling briefly at his cousin.
"We are assembled in this place as witnesses to the fact that love moves in way that defy understanding, that it flows in patterns of its own making, that none can predict its turns and falls, and that nothing can stop it when it acts upon two hearts to bring them together. The love we honor today is not futile. Although it is entered under a cloud of uncertainty, the ones who stand before us choose willingly to believe that love is enough to see them through…and even as threats to it darken the air around it, their love brightens all it touches…and never loses faith…never lets hope fade.
"Abarai Renji and Kuchiki Byakuya, having indicated your will to be bound into this union, I invite you to offer a statement of that intent."
Renji turned and slipped his hands into Byakuya's, meeting his eyes and smiling warmly.
"When I was told that my recent memories had been taken, I looked into your eyes and I wanted to die, because I was convinced that what had been taken were the days that led us to fall in love. And I thought it was horrible…and I thought it was tragic…that I could have taken from me, the days that brought us together…that made us fall in love. But I couldn't have been more wrong. Because, what happened between us didn't just happen recently. It's been happening slowly over time…starting from the first moment we laid eyes on each other. And every step taken has been a step forward…and I need never look back to know what is between us. I feel it inside, in a place that can't be touched…in a memory that can't be taken…in a heart that belongs only to you. I offer that heart now to you and I look forward to taking our next steps together. Kuchiki Byakuya, aishiteru yo."
Byakuya gazed at him in silence, letting the silence deepen as he blinked slowly and drew a trembling breath.
"I believe that you are right when you say that love is not something that happened recently…that it has happened over time…and that it began when we first laid eyes on each other. I believe it because even before we knew that what we were feeling was love, we lived every moment passionately, even when our passions resulted in the crossing of our swords. We have drawn each other's blood in fury…and we have sought in desperation to stop its outpouring. But always where our blood flows, it burns with the passion that forever keeps us circling each other, testing each other's defenses. It is time to close the distance and let blood and fire fall where they will, but to experience in full awareness, the love that binds us. Abarai Renji, aishiteru yo."
"Byakuya and Renji, your words of love exchanged, your intent to wed made known, now enter the vows and bonds of marriage we have gathered to witness. Do you, Abarai Renji, take Kuchiki Byakuya to be your lawfully wedded spouse, to have and to hold from this day forward? For richer or for poorer, in sickness or in health, will you love, honor and cherish him for all of the days of your lives?"
"I will," breathed Renji.
"And do you, Kuchiki Byakuya, take Abarai Renji to be your lawfully wedded spouse, to have and to hold from this day forward? For richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, will you love, honor and cherish him for all the days of your lives?"
"I will," answered Byakuya.
Renji took a gold wedding band from his attendant and slipped it onto Byakuya's finger, repeating Tetsuya's words as he was prompted. Byakuya turned and took Renji's wedding band from his attendant and slipped it onto the redhead's finger, repeating the same. They stepped forward and each took a taper and brought them together to light the larger candle that symbolized their joining. They returned to Tetsuya and each turned to his attendant, retrieving his zanpakutou. Byakuya drew his blade and brought it to Renji's extended palm, touching its edge to the offered flesh and drawing a single drop of blood. Renji lifted Zabimaru and brought it to the pale skin of Byakuya's palm, pausing uncertainly and meeting the noble's dark eyes. Byakuya allowed a small tight smile to reach his lips, but held his extended hand perfectly still. Renji touched the edge of his blade to Byakuya's extended hand and watched as the small drop of blood appeared. Tetsuya took their hands and lightly bound them together at the wrist with the ginpaku kazahana no uzuginu, then placed his palm over their bound wrists and invoked the clan's rite of handfasting.
"Byakuya and Renji, in the name of our forefathers and with the blessing of the Council of Elders, I declare you handfasted, blood-bound, partners in life and bonded in love for all of the rest of your days. Now exchange a kiss as token of the vows you have taken."
Byakuya leaned forward and met Renji for a wonderfully slow, sweet kiss. As their lips separated, a gust of wind blew across the room and the flame they had lit together suddenly died. Byakuya's hands tightened on the redhead's arms and a small gasp escaped him. All eyes fixed on the sight of the extinguished candle and the tiny plume of black smoke that rose into the air above it.
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Renji quietly followed his attending guard to the small room where he undressed and slipped into a silken white yukata. The guard then led him to a large, comfortable looking bedroom, waited for him to enter, and then sealed the door behind him.
Byakuya was dressed as he was and knelt silently, waiting on a mat in the middle of the room. Renji approached him in silence, as was customary and settled on his knees facing the noble. The dark eyes lifted and met his. Renji took in the lovely sight of his pale, porcelain skin, his softly heaving breast and the unrestrained black, silken hair that fell down over his shoulders and partially concealed the left side of his face. He brought a palm to Byakuya's face and leaned forward, meeting him for a light, tentative kiss, then rejoining for a slower, deeper and more sensuous exchange. The noble's hands curled around his arms and Renji's arms wrapped around the slender, warm body, pulling him closer.
He sank into the hot, sweet depths of his life partner's waiting mouth, entranced by the smoky, half-closed eyes and dreamy expression. He could feel the soft racing of Byakuya's heart beneath his fingers and the quickening of the warm breath that touched his skin. His tongue moved slowly along the length of his lover's, curling around and savoring the taste of him, then sank in deeper, touching and exploring the surfaces, sweeping back again to recapture that other warm tongue, teasing it into motion again. He pulled his mouth away and they inhaled together, settling back for a moment of anticipatory heat, before Renji climbed to his feet and brought the noble up with him. They started toward the bed and as Byakuya reached it, Renji's arms wrapped around him from behind to hold him back for a moment.
Renji felt the sudden tension of the warm body in his embrace, the catching of breath, and the uncertain tremor that ran through him. He pulled away and Byakuya turned and locked eyes with him. Renji started to speak, started to ask why there was fear in those beautiful eyes, but a pale hand stopped the words at his lips and a soft mouth returned to his to kiss them away.
Whatever it was, then, he didn't want to talk about it…
A tanned hand slipped down between them and released the ties on their yukatas. They shrugged off the soft white cloth, baring their flesh and laying it warmly against each other, then the noble's body went slack in Renji's arms and they moved into a long, slow fall onto the soft bed. They met for a flurry of kisses, turning until Renji rested on his back, with Byakuya's body stretched along the length of his. Soft hair and skin teased him shamelessly, and a pair of dark, wanting eyes met his, then closed as Byakuya's mouth found and meandered along his throat, then began a long, slow exploration of his body. Renji found that he couldn't hold still as the soft hands pleasured him and that beautiful, sinful mouth tasted and explored him, leaving him breathless and dizzy. Lips and tongue traced the edges of his tattoos and soft, probing fingers followed the curves of his chest, stopping to linger over one raised nipple, then the other. The noble crawled slowly down the length of him, leaving nothing untouched, not an inch of him neglected. He held onto his composure until a probing tongue dipped into his navel, then lifted out and traveled down in a long, languid lick that ended at the tip of his very aroused member. Byakuya's tongue moved slowly, sending a shiver through Renji and drawing a delighted gasp as Byakuya repositioned slightly and continued the stroking and teasing, until Renji couldn't bite back a deep, hungry moan and fluid leaked furiously from the tip of his aching arousal. Byakuya laughed softly against his skin, then lifted himself slightly and continued his erotic ministrations.
Pale fingers invaded Renji's mouth and he sucked at them and bathed each in saliva, then tried to hold in a delighted gasp as they slid down his body and one pushed slowly inside him. He looked down and nearly melted at the beautiful sight of Byakuya, eyes closed and face bathed in an expression of deep pleasure, everything forgotten but the enjoyment of their coupling. He winced slightly as a second finger joined the first, but found himself instantly distracted by the scraping of teeth against sensitive skin and a deepening of suction that threatened to undo him then and there. That hungry mouth sank down on him one more time, sucking hard as a third finger pushed inside him. He arched his back, moaning loudly and emptying himself, watching as Byakuya drew back, swallowing several times, then released him and slowly licked away the last stray bits of his release.
He returned to Renji's mouth, and Renji couldn't help moaning with renewed pleasure at the mixture of their tastes, at the blending of their scents, at the thought of what was about to happen. With his mouth still fastened on the redhead's, Byakuya parted his thighs and slowly entered him. As much as he had been prepared, Byakuya was well endowed and very aroused, so he worked his way in slowly, then waited as Renji's body adjusted.
They rested against each other like that for a time, joined but unmoving, and Byakuya's hand slid down, stroking and teasing him until Renji found himself getting aroused again. His body finally gave in and relaxed and Byakuya began to move, nipping and sucking at his throat, then moaning and panting as his movements quickened and his heart raced softly against Renji's skin. Renji's hands slid down the noble's back and curved around the slim, lithe hips, encouraging their motion as Byakuya's upper body lifted away and his breathing grew ragged and uneven. His arms trembled softly and his head lowered, sending long strands of black hair down to tickle the skin of Renji's chest and upper arms.
Renji could see he was close and deeply distracted. Smiling wickedly, he turned and overthrew his lover, rolling Byakuya onto his back and freeing his own body to move without restraint. He placed his open palms on the surprised noble's sweat dampened chest, enjoying the fast rise and fall of his breathing as he threw his head back and made his hips dance against the noble's. Byakuya's eyes widened and darkened deliciously, his lips parted in gasps of delight and his hips bucked upward, meeting Renji's as they sank down and writhed against him.
Finally, the pale hands reached up and gripped his where they rested on the noble's chest, and Byakuya thrust upward, his body shaking madly and hot seed bursting out of him, into his lover's core. He sank back onto the pillows, breathing heavily and still trembling softly as Renji pulled free of him for a moment, then curled into his arms. He bathed the lovely white skin of face and throat in soft, pleasant kisses, then returned to his mouth to indulge in the warmth and sweetness again as their heartbeats slowed and they dozed lightly in each other's arms…highly aware of the passage of time and loathe to let themselves fall asleep.
Renji lay quietly letting his finger's play over Byakuya's face, the heat of their joining slowly working its way deeper into his body. He felt odd and light-headed and rested his face on a muscular shoulder, a feeling of shock passing through him as he realized…
"Kami, Byakuya!" he hissed softly, "I think I'm really starting to remember!"
Byakuya gazed at him in disbelief.
"But…they…"
"Well, yours didn't work," he reasoned, "And even though mine did…I've been having flashes of memory, snapshots…"
"But it worked on everyone else," Byakuya said, furrowing his brow, "Why would we be any different? Could it be that something changed when we…helped to birth the new king? But the former king was the one who ordered Soutaichou to take our memories. It doesn't make sense…unless our contact with the new king changed that somehow…I don't know…but, how much do you remember?"
"I remember that the king was killed…and being sealed in the garden. Byakuya…it's all coming back! Damn! I'm sorry, Byakuya…I'm sorry I ever let them make me think for a minute…"
"Stop…don't waste time thinking about it. Renji…we only have a short time. Let's put all the rest aside and just focus on each other. It is a relief that you remember…I don't feel so alone in what happened…but the minutes are passing quickly…and our time is running out. And before the end comes, I want to share a lifetime of being together like this…Just…hold me, Renji. I feel the darkness coming back again…and I don't want to be alone in it."
"You won't be…because I have a feeling that things are not going to happen as anyone expects them to. Byakuya…because I remember now…"
Call on it only when you feel all is lost and you will have my assistance.
"I remember now…and that means that when the time is right, we can call on him together as he intended."
"And you think you know when that moment should be?" asked Byakuya.
"Yeah…I think I do."