Author's Note: This chapter contains a lemon so if you are not inclined to read such stop reading after Renji and Orihime reach the new safe house.
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach in anyway but am inspired by the work created by Tite Kubo
Waking Up – Chapter 28 – "Strong House, Strong Arms"
It was the morning after Ichigo's Hollow had hijacked his body completely and went with Grimmjow to Hueco Mundo. Orihime and Renji had received the news from Rukia the night it happened and Orihime was almost inconsolable. Renji tried not to let it bother him, this was not the time to be jealous, and he knew that Orihime had chosen him fully and completely. He realized he wasn't necessarily jealous, just pissed off that the orange hair had managed to hurt her again. However, this was also not the time to be pointing fingers of blame. They needed to figure out what to do. There was no hiding this from Soul Society and the repercussions could be severe.
The head captain had read them the riot act for not disclosing the situation regarding Kurosaki. Renji was surprised he hadn't been relieved of duty as he was technically the senior member in charge as Orihime's body guard. However, none would let him take the blame fully. Even though its circumstances were not what he would have wished he was granted the privilege of seeing his friends stand up for him, regardless of the potential wrath it brought down upon them. "Strength in numbers," Ishida had said and they all agreed.
"It goes without saying the safe house is no longer of that category. We must move Inoue Orihime to a more secure location and this time only Lieutenant Abarai will be with her," Yamamoto ordered. Renji was sent coordinates via his soul communicator. Rukia offered to handle closing up things at the Kuchiki safe house while he and Orihime made their way to the new location.
Both packed what they could into a suit case each and left right after the meeting with Yamamoto had concluded. They were not even allowing a driver to know the location so Renji was given a vehicle encased by shielding kido and they were off within an hour. Silence filled the car, both of them lost in their own thoughts.
Orihime turned her head to look at Renji and sighed. "He looks so tense though I can't blame him, it's been a rough couple of days," she thought. She reached out her hand and to grasp the one he'd had resting on the gear shift. He flicked his eyes towards their intertwined hands and allowed himself a small grin. He hadn't smiled all day and she was glad to see it.
The drive was long and soon Orihime found her eyelids drooping, shaking her head to try to stay awake. Renji noticed, thinking, "She looks so cute when she's sleepy."
"Orihime, go ahead and lay the seat back and close your eyes. We still have a good distance to go before we arrive," he said gently.
She shook her head, "But that would not be fair to you, I mean, I know I'm not much company right now but I can't just sleep while you're still doing all the work."
"Work? All I'm doing is driving. Lay down silly girl, I'll feel better knowing you've gotten some rest."
She sighed but didn't continue her argument being too tired to do so. She complied and eased the seat back, falling asleep almost immediately as she was horizontal, snoring lightly causing him to chuckle.
A few hours later he had stopped the car at a gas station to refuel and allow them to take a break. He woke her and she headed to use the restroom while he gathered some snacks and drinks, paying for them along with the gas before heading back to the car. She'd returned by then and was sitting in the passenger seat smiling at him as he walked up.
"I got us a little fuel as well," he said with a grin handing her various snacks he knew she liked. She thanked him with a light kiss before he pulled back and shut her door. They drew back onto the road to continue towards their destination.
When they had reached a shopping center Renji surprised her by pulling into it. Orihime knit her brows in confusion as they parked. He answered her inquisitive look, "Where we are going this time is a bit off the beaten path so we'll have to gather some supplies. I'd rather load up now than have to come back." She nodded her understanding and they went into various stores together gathering food, toiletries, some household items and even bedding. All their purchases complete they loaded up the car and kept going.
Orihime wondered at the irony of the situation. Under other circumstances she and Renji being sequestered to a secluded secret location would have her heart thumping in gleeful anticipation. Her heart was thumping but it was with apprehension due to their situation being so dire. For having had so much peace for so long (barring the occasional hollow encounters in Tokyo) they'd suddenly found themselves losing every fight in one way or another.
Renji noticed her pensive look out of the corner of his eye and asked, "Orihime, what's on your mind love?"
Despite her gloomy mood she smiled at his pet name for her. It made her heart fill with warmth whenever he called her that. Sighing, she answered his question, "I was just thinking about all that's happened."
"Vagueness is not something I'm used to from you," he replied with a grin, thinking back to how she used to ramble endlessly about this, that or the other. When he allowed himself to dwell on it he realized he missed that part of her personality. It hadn't shown itself in the past few days but then again, she'd been through a lot. They all had been really but being a healer lent her to being an empath which meant she was more affected by the turmoil going on around them than others.
She smiled at his teasing before continuing, "I know, lately it's been hard to find the words to describe what I'm feeling. I guess I'm kind of in shell shock. I mean, we went from relatively nothing happening to three encounters with Grimmjow over the course of three days, all of which resulted in his taking something of value from us…from me."
His grin faded at her words. Yes, they were all feeling the effects of the assaults but she was right. Grimmjow had taken two of her powers and one of her friends. Gripping the wheel tightly in his anger Renji vowed again to himself and whatever Kami may be listening to help her get back what she had lost.
After another hour of driving Renji took a small turn off that Orihime was sure no one would see unless they were looking for it. The road went from smooth and even to bumpy fairly quickly and she realized the reason they had been given an SUV; a regular car would have not fared well here. They went deep into a wooded area and she realized just how literal Renji had been when he said this place was off the beaten path.
They reached a clearing with the side a large rock wall before them. The trees basically created a cul de sac and looking up she could see the branches completely blocked the sky. It was pitch black save for the headlights of their car. Renji left the lights on when they stopped so they could see their way. He got out and told her to wait in the car. Once he'd reached the wall he traced along it until he found what he was looking for: a small sliver that unseen unless one were searching for it. He reached in the pocket of his jeans and took out something that was the size of a business card and slipped it into opening. A moment later there was a rumbling as part of the rock face slid to the side. Orihime's eyes-widened in surprise, this was not what she had been expecting at all.
Renji had returned to the vehicle and drove into the cavernous darkness. Stopping when they were just inside he headed to the same area where he'd put the card in and took it back out from the other side. The rock slid back into place with a resounding crash and he got back into the car to continue their journey. Should they not have had the headlights there would be no way to see where they were going. Orihime felt both apprehensive and secure, this was certainly a new form of a safe house!
Eventually they rounded a bend in the road and the lights hit upon a small but quaint cabin like abode. "This is home until further notice," Renji said as he parked the car. "I know it's extreme and feels like too little too late but I hope this is acceptable." She unbuckled her seatbelt, turned in her seat and leaned over the gear shift to kiss him deeply. He was surprised at the action but returned her kiss reaching up to grasp behind her head. When she moved away she had a smile on her face.
"As long as you are with me wherever we go will be acceptable," she said in a low sweet voice.
He felt a palpitation of joy and it was his turn to lean to her, holding her face with both hands as he kissed her again. She sighed contently into his mouth and he groaned at the heat building in his groin. He couldn't believe how just kissing her could get him riled up so fast. They broke apart again, both breathing heavily and smiled at each other.
"Come on, let's get unpacked and settled in," he said.
She followed his lead, him taking the bulk of the load while she gathered what items she could carry. While he returned to the car for more items she busied herself with putting away the food. When he'd unloaded the car he started a fire in the hearth. Renji had never been to this particular strong house and so when he'd completed his task he went outside with a flashlight to survey their surrounding. The cavern was huge and he could hear water running somewhere. Turning he saw the road actually continued past the cabin heading in an upward trajectory. "There must be a waterfall or stream," he thought to himself walking a little further up the road. "Of course, they would make sure there was water nearby, how else would anyone be able to stay here for a long period of time?" He took some time to walk the perimeter and familiarized himself with the dwelling's security measures. Entering the building he walked throughout it. It was considerably smaller than he'd imagined it would be since it was intended for high profile guests but he supposed simplicity worked better. He found a door leading deep underground and he found a large opening. His flashlight fell upon a door that looked to be to a panic room. Flitting the light across the rest of the opening he saw a weapons cache on one wall and more storage which could be filled with more supplies should an extended stay be necessary.
Returning to the main level and making his way to the bedroom he heard the shower running in the bathroom. He smiled, noting Orihime had already unpacked their suit cases and made the bed. Surprisingly he wasn't as tired as he thought he would be so he sat in the living room next to the fire reading while he waited for her. He was fairly lost in the story in front of him and did not hear her enter the room.
"Renji," her soft voice said and when he looked up he dropped the book. She was wearing a silk royal purple floor length nightgown with a slit up the right side. It hugged her curves perfectly and her red tresses glowed in the fire light. His throat suddenly felt dry and he swallowed trying to find his voice but was struck dumb with the vision before him. Apparently he was immobile too because he couldn't move and just sat there staring at her.
She giggled slightly at his expression and moved slowly forward. Upon reaching him she sat sideways on his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck. At her contact he moved on autopilot, wrapping his arms around her waist keeping his eyes on her beautiful face. Finally he spoke in a hoarse whisper, "You look amazing." She smiled brightly and leaned down to kiss him lightly on the lips but when she went to pull back his hand flew behind her head pulling her into a deeper kiss.
Releasing her lips he trailed his down her chin, to her neck giving light kisses that caused goosebumps to form on her skin while massaging the nape of her neck with one hand and rubbing her thigh with the other. She was breathing more heavily as he continued his attentions going further down her neck to the top of her chest. Her hands gripped the back of his neck tightly at first but then she moved her hand to the tie of his pony tail and pulled it out to run her finger through his crimson hair.
"Of all the times," he asked throatily still kissing her neck, now with firmer pressure, adding his tongue against her skin now and again causing her to gasp, "you choose now to seduce me? Are you sure you want this now?" When he'd spoken this last question he'd stopped his attentions to her neck and pulled her face to look at him. Her eyes were hazy, her breath deeper and her face flushed with pleasure, not embarrassment. This was a new blush he'd not seen before and he thought her exquisite.
Her breathing was still uneven as she was nervous. Nervous because she'd never done anything like this with anyone before and nervous because she wasn't sure how he would react when she said what she needed to. In the past she would never have been this forward but she'd decided her time of being afraid was over.
"Renji," she began voice barely above a whisper, "I…I know we haven't been together long, at least not officially. But the months we've spent getting to know each other have been the happiest of my life. I mean that, the very happiest of all my memories." His eyes widened as she continued, "And I know without any doubt that…I…" here she faltered again, the fear of rejection creeping in and she closed her eyes. He waited but she still stayed silent. Suddenly she squealed when he pinched her side and her eyes flew open to meet his.
"Oi, I'm waiting in suspense here woman, you what?" he said with mock irritation.
This made her giggle and feel light hearted again. Staring in his eyes, full of sincerity, of honor and cherishment she found the courage to continue, "Renji, I love you." His face betrayed his surprise and he leaned back a little to take in more of her face. She waited, breath baited, for his reply. Seconds ticked by feeling like hours but he stayed silent as he stared at her face. She was beginning to get nervous again when he suddenly grabbed her waist and hips to rotate her into a straddled position on his lap. He swallowed her gasp of surprise with a hungry kiss, hands roaming up and down her back, into her hair and through it then down to her hips where they rested in a firm grip. He pulled away, both of them gasping at the intensity of the kiss, and leaned his forehead against hers, his eyes closed.
"Orihime, I love you too. I knew the morning after you told me you'd picked me over Ichigo that I loved you but I thought it was too soon to tell you," he said before kissing her again and then continuing, "I crave you like nothing else in this world or Soul Society. You have become fused to my soul and I never want to be apart from you but…" she stopped him with a finger to his lips causing him to look up into her eyes. Now she had leaned back to bring his face fully into focus before she spoke.
"Renji, I know what you're going to say but I don't want you to. I understand your reservations and why you hesitate. But I don't care about the obstacles we will face. We will always have trials, challenges and danger in our path. But now, because we have each other, we walk one path together giving us hope in the face of adversity, happiness in the midst of trouble, and love in the middle of pain. I know this won't be easy but that fact does not change how much I want to be yours completely. We are fused in heart, soul and mind. I want to fuse in body as well. All my life I've hesitated, waiting for perfect moments that never come. I want this with you and I want it now." Her words were strongly said, no wavering, no stuttering or hesitation, spoken with full conviction of her heart. He heeded her request and as he stood up her legs wrapped easily around his waist. She hugged her whole body to his as he walked to the bedroom.
He set her down on her feet in front of the bed and stroked the side of her face with his battle-hardened hands. Her skin was so smooth, almost like porcelain and he couldn't believe how beautiful she looked in this moment. He kissed her gently at first, savoring the feeling of her lips before deepening the kiss to taste her mouth. She sighed and ran her fingers through his hair again eliciting a groan of deep pleasure from him. He couldn't believe how the simplest of her touches could ignite him.
Gripping the smooth fabric of her nightgown he pulled it up higher until they broke contact of their lips so he could lift it over her head. He dropped it to the ground and stood back to look at her. In that one fluid motion he'd lain her bare before him and his eyes hungrily drank in the sight of her form. She blushed slightly under the intensity of his gaze but made herself stand still. When he'd moved to remove his clothing she said slightly embarrassed but forging ahead, "Renji, I…I know the gigais are well made but…I want to feel you, the real you." He couldn't stop the grin of pride on his face.
"Ok Orihime, wait here, I'll be right back," he said kissing the tip of her nose. He walked into the living room and extricated himself from the gigai, leaving it on the couch, before heading back to the bedroom. Orihime was sitting on the bed when he came in and roamed her eyes over his shinigami form. She couldn't stop herself from moving to him, wanting to participate in the removal of his clothing. He grinned at the irony that he was the one on display for her now. They hadn't had a rapid fire of clothing removal, stumbling in the dark as he had done with some of his former bedfellows. No, this was slow, sensual and full of significance.
When she'd reached him, her eyes engulfed with a fire of passion he'd not seen before, he chuckled and said, "Interesting response, it's not like you haven't seen me like this before."
"Yes, but now I'm allowed to ogle you. It's true what they say about a man in uniform. You're so handsome and sexy," she said, her voice low and full of desire. He wondered when she'd turned into such a minx. He was gratified and a little surprised that she wasn't shy of showing her body to him. He'd believed it possible that when he'd told her to wait for him she would have covered up but here she was, standing fully nude in front of him and saying things in a voice that caused his erection to firm up even more. If he thought he'd known what desire was before he realized now he had been sorely mistaken. He had never, in his entire life, felt the things he was feeling with anyone else but the woman standing in front of him now.
While he'd been thinking these thoughts Orihime had been busy with her hands, loosening the sash of his shihakusho and pushing it apart exposing his chest. She ran her finger lightly over his skin causing him to inhale sharply from the pleasure. "If little touches get me this excited I just may die from anything more," he thought as he enjoyed the tracing of her fingers over his tattoos. Before she moved further he reached behind him and removed Zabimaru leaning him against the dresser behind them. She then pushed the cloth more and it fell from his shoulders. He lifted his arms out of the sleeves, torso completely exposed, watching her face.
Orihime was no stranger to Renji's muscles; she'd felt them during her training which had been a distraction to say the least when her attraction to him had begun increasing. But now it was like she was seeing him for the first time. His chest looked like chiseled rock, abs perfectly defined. The man had no excess body fat on him at all. She moved forward to rub his back muscles and felt him tense at the connection of her chest to his.
Renji was losing his battle for control of himself, the worst of it being he knew she was not trying to tease him. He placed his hands on her shoulders and pulled her back breaking their contact. Her eyes were full of concern but he silenced her doubts by kissing her firmly as he guided her hands to the sash again. She understood his want and untied it completely allow the robes to fall away completely leaving him in only his shitagi. Still kissing her he stepped out of the underclothing and she felt him completely bare against her.
Her cheeks were on fire. She'd never felt nor seen a man like this before but she was determined not to shy away. She broke the kiss and looked down. To say he was well endowed would be an understatement and her nervousness increased tenfold. He saw the concern in her eyes and lifted her chin, bringing her gaze back to him.
"We'll go slowly and if at any time you want to stop just say so, I want you to enjoy everything we do ok? I know it's difficult but it will be easier if you can relax. But don't worry," he leaned forward kissing her neck again, sucking slightly on the skin while sliding his hand over her smooth stomach and up to cup one of her breasts, "I know how to relax you. Trust me, Hime," he ended huskily against her throat. Her breathing had increased again, the pleasure she felt from his caress heating up her body. She merely nodded and he picked her up again to walk her back to the bed.
Laying her down he nestled beside her, one hand under the small of her back the other slowly gliding up and down her body, touching her with light then firm grasps as he kissed her neck. Her breathing was increasing and he whispered, "Easy, close your eyes and just relax." She did as told and slowed down the intake of her breaths. Now Renji leaned up and was hovering over her, both arms extended just enough to keep his full weight off of her but she could feel his skin against hers and it was amazing. He had moved his lips down her neck towards her chest, kissing lightly then firmly sucking, alternating as he moved down. She gasped at the sensation of his lips and teeth at her breast, her nipple hardening under his attention. She couldn't believe how amazing his mouth felt on her body.
Still moving he kissed his way down her stomach, tickling her slightly and making her giggle. He grinned but kept moving. Soon he was pushing her knees apart slightly and kissing up and down her thighs. Orihime wondered how this was supposed to relax her because she felt pent up and excited, impatient for something she wasn't quite sure of since everything was so new to her. Her eyes flew open in surprise as she uttered a guttural groan of pure ecstasy when she felt his mouth and tongue on her heated core. Never had she felt anything like this in her entire life and it was almost unbearably pleasurable. Her legs were moving on their own accord and she felt his strong hands hold her still, not breaking the contact of his mouth but increasing the pressure.
"Oh Renji, oh Kami," she panted and he grinned again, loving the noises he was wringing from his woman. When he pulled back she whimpered slightly but then inhaled sharply again as he inserted two fingers into her before lavishing her with his tongue again. Her cries of his name were getting louder the higher he drove her pleasure and it was driving his libido crazy but he kept the focus solely on her. It didn't take much longer for her to release, leaning up as she cried out before crashing back down onto the bed.
Now she understood what Renji meant by relaxed! Her limbs felt heavy and she tingled all over but she was happy. She felt him move away from her for a moment and heard water running. Then he was back lying next to her and stroking her hair. She opened her eyes to meet his amused ones saying, "Renji..that was…I mean…wow!" He laughed out loud and kissed her lips lightly before saying against them, "I'm glad you enjoyed it Hime, I loved giving you that much pleasure."
"What about you?" she asked and his smile increased.
"That's my Hime, always worried about everyone else. I'm fine," he said softly.
She indicated she wanted him on top of her again and he gladly obliged. Kissing him heavily she ran her hands up and down his firm back reveling in the feeling of his muscles. His strength had been something she'd admired from afar and now being able to touch it was almost unbelievable to her. She broke their kiss and reaching down grabbed his shaft causing him to almost stop breathing as she cooed in his ear, "Renji, take me now, I'm ready for you."
He needed no further encouragement and kissed her heatedly with almost bruising force but she loved it. She loved that he wanted to ravish her, that he didn't treat her like a breakable object but a hot blooded, desire filled woman. He moved from her lips to kiss her shoulder, nipping at the skin slightly before leaning up and positioning himself to a better angle over her. Looking deep into her eyes he asked, "Are you ready? This may hurt." She nodded and he pushed into her quickly, breaking her seal and causing her to cry out. He smothered her lips with his again before kissing all over her face as she eased into the feeling of having him within her.
A few moments later she rolled her hips and felt amazing pleasure of a different sort. Their connection was so complete she really did feel they were fused together and marveled at the sensation. Slowly they built up a rhythm of give and take, both breathing hard, gasping each other's names. Renji wanted to give her his best but he was so worked up from their earlier tryst that he wasn't sure he'd last as long as he normally would. He was surprised to see the tell tale signs of her reaching her peak again so quickly but he wasn't going to wonder about it too much. He was glad he could make her feel this good while enjoying pleasure of his own. He increased his pace and she cried out his name again and again. Before much longer he'd been satiated and felt his release come strong within her. She followed a heart beat later and he all but collapsed on her chest, trying to not crush her with his full weight.
She hugged her body around his and kissed his neck before he extricated himself from her and rolled to his back. She followed his motion and laid her head on his chest hearing his rapid heartbeat which matched her own.
Inhaling deeply she said upon her exhale, "I love you Renji Abarai."
He grinned and gripped her tightly replying, "I love you so much Orihime Inoue."
In the next moments they were fast asleep wrapped in each other's arms.
