Chapter 29: A New Beginning

Gia looked up questioningly as Byakuya stepped into the bedroom. Her eyes widened as she took in the sight of the tall, dark haired, dark eyed shinigami. They traced the outline of the kenseiken set into silken lengths of black hair, the pale skin and somewhat stern expression. They played over the beautifully crafted formal kimono and came to rest on the sheathed weapon at his hip.

She climbed to her feet and approached him slowly. As she reached him, he lowered himself to one knee and smiled at her, bringing a hand up to touch her face. Gia looked deeply into the deep gray eyes and a smile lit her face as well.

"It's you!" she said wonderingly, "You switched back?"

Byakuya nodded. He drew Senbonzakura and at his command, the weapon glowed pink and a small rain of sakura petals fluttered down around them. Gia giggled softly and captured several petals in her hands.

"You're not going to need a flower girl at your wedding!" she laughed, "You can just make the sakura petals rain down like this"

"Nonsense," he said warmly, "I will be much too busy to think about such things. I have to remember many things…where to stand, when to move and also what to say…No, I won't be able to concentrate on anything else."

Gia leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. Byakuya smiled, loving her softness and the way it felt when her stray hairs fell and tickled his skin. She tried to brush them away from her face, but the small flurry of hairs kept dropping back onto her face.

"Stupid hairs!" she muttered, "I can't…get them…to…STAY!"

Byakuya reached up and stopped her hand as it again sought to control the wild hairs. Gia stopped and stared into the dark eyes. Byakuya smiled.

"You look lovely, Gia. Do not worry about your hair. It looks pretty the way it is."

He continued to gaze at her meaningfully.

"I want to tell you something before you come to live with Renji and me at Kuchiki Manor. It is something that Hisana had to learn that I think will help you to be happy."

"What is it?" she asked, her eyes growing wide and curious.

"Gia, when you take your place at Kuchiki Manor, there will be some among the nobles who will try to make you feel uncomfortable, who will try to make you feel that there is something wrong with you because you were not born to the noble class. At times when that happens, I want you to remember…it is not a noble name that makes a person worthy of honor, worthy of respect. It is who that person is. And I don't know a single one of those stuffy nobles who, at five years old, ever raised a sword to defend the life of their clan leader. You are a strong, brave and beautiful child. I am proud that you are to be my daughter…and you never need to feel you have to prove yourself to anyone…do you understand?"

"Yes…um…" she paused, looking confused, "What am I supposed to call you?"

Byakuya looked back at her uncertainly with an expression that told Gia that he really hadn't thought about it. She giggled.

"I have two daddies after today, so I have to have a way to tell you apart."

Byakuya nodded.

"Yes, that will be a problem. What do you think we should do about that?" he asked.

Gia smiled.

"Well, you could be Daddy Byakuya and he could be Daddy Renji…" she speculated, "but your name is really long…so…"

The door opened and Renji walked in. He smiled widely as Byakuya rose and turned toward him, and Gia ran to him and gave him a fierce hug.

"What's going on in here?" Renji asked.

"Gia is helping me to sort out what she is going to call us," Byakuya explained.

Renji glanced at Byakuya, then at Gia, then raised his eyebrows.

"Well, I hope you don't have to call him 'Master' like he makes me…"

"Renji!" said Byakuya sternly, "I have never made you call me that!"

"Ah, he denies it in front of everyone else, but when…"

"Abarai Renji, I won't have you spouting such nonsense in front of our daughter."

He turned back to the girl.

"Renji calls me Taichou at work and Byakuya when we are other places. Don't believe a word he says. I have never made him call me 'Master!'" he said, flicking his eyes toward Renji.

Gia giggled again.

"So," she said, continuing on, "You're name is pretty long. It will be hard to say if we are in a hurry, so I will make it shorter. My name is Gia…Gi-a. It has two. Ren-ji has two. Two is easy to remember. I will call you Daddy Bya…By-a has two also…see? That will be easy to remember."

"Oh, I don't know. He doesn't usually let…" Renji began.

"Daddy Bya will be fine," Byakuya agreed.

"Oh, man, has someone got him twisted around her little finger or what!" Renji mused, shaking his head, "I can see you're planning to completely spoil this child, Byakuya. Well, as her father, I…"

"He talks too much," Byakuya whispered to Gia, "Don't pay any attention to him."

"Hey! I heard that!" Renji objected playfully, "Don't undermine my authority with our daughter, Kuchiki Byakuya!"

"I assure you, Renji, I have no intention of spoiling our daughter…but," he said, turning to Gia and withdrawing a parcel from within the folds of his dark blue kimono, "in honor of our wedding, I thought that she should have something pretty to wear."

He handed the package to Gia, who slowly unwrapped it and lifted a beautiful pink and white kimono from the packaging. Renji smiled at both the pretty kimono and how happy it made the little girl holding it.

"It has sakura blossoms, like your sword!" the girl exclaimed.

She ran into the bathroom, closing the door behind her with a loud thump. Renji grinned at Byakuya.

"That was really sweet of you. But really, you should be careful not to spoil her. I mean, she has lived on the streets and hasn't had much, so…"

"So I will not overly indulge her," Byakuya finished, "but considering the importance of this day, I wanted her to have something nice to wear for the occasion."

Renji nodded and moved closer, meeting Byakuya for a gentle kiss.

"It was nice of you to do that."

He turned to look in the direction Gia had gone.

"So…this is really happening, right? I'm about to marry my taichou…and according to Gia, we're supposed to live 'happily ever after.'"

Byakuya slipped his arms around Renji and kissed him again.

"Is there anything wrong with that, Renji?" he asked softly, "Is there anything wrong with being with the one who you love?"

Renji looked back at him with a tinge of worry in his face.

"No…that part is good, Byakuya, but I do worry about what the council…"

"I told you not to worry about that," Byakuya said, kissing away the words, "This is our wedding day. Our friends are here. We are about to become a family, Renji. Focus on that and let me worry about the elders. I told you. I wouldn't agree to anything I couldn't live with. Trust me. All will be well."

Renji opened his mouth to object, but at that moment, the bathroom door opened and Gia stepped back into the room, frowning.

"I can't get this tied!" she exclaimed, "I haven't learned to tie."

"Well, that's easy enough," Renji said, "Byakuya, do you want to show her or shall I?"

Byakuya nodded.

"You go ahead."

Byakuya smiled, watching as Renji knelt next to her and slowly showed her how to tie the belt at her waist. They practiced several times.

"Don't worry," Renji assured her, setting her belt in order, "You'll get it."

"And now, I want to do my hair in a braid," Gia announced.

She sat down on the bed and quickly wove her black hair into a braid that fell halfway down her back.

"Wow, I didn't know you could braid your own hair," said Renji.

"I like braids," Gia said, looking into the mirror, "I learned it from Mina, one of the bigger girls."

She looked from Byakuya to Renji and back again.

"Can I put a braid in your hair?" she asked them, "Just a little one?"

Byakuya and Renji glanced at each other.

"I can't see why not," Byakuya said, nodding.

Gia moved close to him and captured the long black strands just behind the three captured in the kenseiken, weaving them carefully together with a few other strands and creating a long, small braid that fell down the left side of his face and gently touched his shoulder at the tip. She smiled her approval, then moved on to Renji, quickly twisting some of his red hair into a braid. Renji's was longer, falling over the front of his shoulder and onto his chest with other free strands dancing around it. Renji yelped as she ran her fingers through his hair, catching several tangles.

"Mina would say, 'I've seen shaggy dogs with less tangles than this.'" Gia said disapprovingly.

She picked up a comb and started to carefully comb out the tangles.

"Hey, be careful there," Renji complained, "Don't pull it out."

He was surprised at how carefully she worked and how smooth his hair felt when she was finished. He ran his fingers through to the ends and found no remaining tangles.

"You're pretty good at that," he commented, "I'm not patient enough to sit and comb it out like that."

"Well," said Gia, "all of the girls in our group used to comb and braid our hair together…and then Mina would tell us stories. She would tell us about handsome princes and beautiful princesses, and how they fought witches or wizards or trolls or hollows. She is the one who told me the story about Kuchiki Byakuya and the Lady Hisana. She said that Kuchiki Byakuya was a noble, and that he looked like a handsome prince from the fairy tales."

"Well, now the storytellers of the Rukongai are going to tell the story of the Lady Gia and how she slew the hollow and saved Kuchiki Byakuya."

"Won't they think you were Abarai Renji?" asked Gia.

"No…the witnesses saw my zanpakutou release. They will know it was me, but they will say I was in disguise," Byakuya suggested.

"They don't want to know the real story!" Renji said, rolling his eyes, "What a mess!"

The door opened and Yoruichi walked in.

"Are you ready to go?" she asked, "We're supposed to be at Kuchiki Manor soon."

"We're ready," Gia said, "We were just braiding our hair for the wedding."

Yoruichi studied the their braided hair.

"Very nice!" she said, nodding approvingly, "Now if Renji will go on with you, I have to talk to Byakuya for a moment."

"Well," said Renji indignantly, see if we save her any cake!"

He took Gia's hand and led the giggling girl out the door. Yoruichi sat down next to Byakuya, studying the braid Gia had woven into his hair.

"You look very happy," she commented, "I just wanted to tell you that I'm really happy for you."

"But that isn't the only reason you are here," Byakuya said, looking up at her.

"Hmm," she muttered, "You're pretty sharp. So…are you going to tell me or do I have to beat it out of you?"

Byakuya furrowed his brow questioningly.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Sure you don't," Yoruichi said, narrowing her eyes, "Come on! Your staff put together this wedding faster than lightning, but everyone knows about it and the entire council of elders is coming. How did you get approval?"

"For the wedding?"

"Not just for the wedding," she said, folding her arms across her chest, "How did you get that crusty group of elders to not just okay this wedding, but to endorse the union by being there?"

"You mean you thought they would resist?" he asked coyly.

"Look, Little Byakuya, you'd better tell me…"

"Negotiation," he said, climbing to his feet, "You should try it sometime. It generally works better than threats and manipulation."

He turned on his heel and flash stepped out of the room, leaving her staring after him. Yoruichi shook her head.

"Negotiation, huh? I wonder what poor Little Byakuya had to promise them…"

She shook her head again and flash stepped after him.

XXXXXXXXXX

Byakuya stood at the garden doors in his bedroom with Rukia, Gia and Renji at his side. They peeked around the garden doors out at the hundreds of guests waiting for the wedding to begin.

"Byakuya, how in the hell did you pull off something like this so fast?" asked Renji, "I think half the Seireitei is here. And the gardens look amazing! How did they have time to do all of this?"

"I am the clan leader. There are expectations for how weddings are conducted. Even if they are on short notice, there are certain rules about how things must be done."

"Whatever you say! But this is unbelievable…the lights, the flower petals, the music…Bya, it's just…beautiful!"

Byakuya smiled.

"I'm glad it meets with your approval. That is important to me."

He admired the deep burgundy colored formal kimono Renji wore.

"You look exceptional, Abarai Renji," Byakuya commented.

"You look pretty darned exceptional yourself," Renji replied, stepping closer.

Gia stepped between them, frowning.

"No kissing until the ceremony!" she said sternly, "It's bad luck!"

"That's right," Rukia agreed, "No kissing until later."

"Sheesh!" muttered Renji, "How am I supposed to resist that?"

"Not to worry, Renji," Byakuya said softly, "It looks like they're ready to begin."

Music began to play and Rukia took her place at Byakuya's side, while Gia walked alongside Renji. They proceeded to the back of the rows and rows of friends and family, then waited for the signal from the head elder. They moved slowly up the aisle then as the music continued to play and the guests turned toward them as they reached the front. Rukia kissed Byakuya on the cheek and Gia kissed Renji, then the two carefully placed Renji's hand in Byakuya's. The two then took the last few steps together and approached the head elder. The old man smiled and bowed his head, first to Byakuya, then to Renji. The two returned the gesture, then stood facing each other with their hands joined.

"I welcome all of you," said the head elder, "to Kuchiki Manor for an occasion of great happiness for our clan and its leader. Today, we will join Kuchiki Byakuya and Abarai Renji in the bonds of holy matrimony."

Byakuya gazed calmly into Renji's eyes, but inside he didn't feel calm at all. It wasn't just that he was finally getting married to Renji, or that Gia was about to become his daughter. It wasn't standing in front of the crowd or having to speak in public. What unnerved Byakuya was how easily the elders had allowed this, how they were here at the ceremony to show their support. And then there was the fact that he had no idea what they had done to him.

He had carefully examined every inch of his body and searched his own reiatsu, but everything seemed completely normal. The only effect of what they had done was that whatever it was, drained him of power for several hours after. But once he rested, his reiatsu returned to normal and he still had no idea what they could have done. He sighed softly, hoping he wouldn't regret having yielded to their agreement. Still, he had gained their support and whatever it was, they would certainly never do anything to hurt him or to steal his power. They weren't above doing something punitive, but if they were trying to punish him for his disobedience, then they would have made a point of telling him what they were doing. His pride was enough that he rankled at the thought of asking them. No, he thought, it was much better to wait it out and find out as things happened. He pushed the concerns from his mind and clung tightly to Renji's hands. Whatever the price, Byakuya decided, at least he was being allowed this happiness, this union with Renji. That made it worth the cost…whatever that cost turned out to be.

"And now, Byakuya and Renji, will you share with us a statement of your love and your intent to wed."

Renji smiled and squeezed Byakuya's hands.

"Byakuya, I don't know where to begin, trying to say how I feel about you. Even before I loved you, I was drawn to you…not just to your outer beauty, but to what I sensed beneath it. I always knew never to take you at face value, that there was something deeper inside…and more recently, I've come to learn so much about how you became the person you are…and I've decided that I love who you are, outside…inside, everything that makes you who you are. Life as your fukutaichou has been an adventure…and I know that life as your spouse will be an even greater one. So I offer you my heart and my hand and I can't wait to find out what tomorrow will bring for us."

Byakuya smiled and paused, drawing a steadying breath.

"Abarai Renji, you have given me the greatest of gifts…not simply as my fukutaichou, but as my friend. That gift is in the liveliness you bring wherever you go. Whenever you are around, my life seems richer for it, whether you are watching my back on the battlefield, entertaining me with your unique kido abilities, comforting me through difficult times, offering the advice and comfort I need or letting me know in every way you can how much you love me. Your love carried me through a time when I found it difficult to be myself…and you made me realize that I am lucky to be who I am. Because I am the person you chose to honor with a lifetime commitment. I will spend every day of the rest of our lives showing you my gratitude for that. So I offer you my heart and my hand and I can't wait to find out what tomorrow will bring for us."

As they stood taking their vows, Byakuya sank into Renji's eyes until the rest of the world around him disappeared. He couldn't believe that when they woke up the next morning, they would wake up side-by-side in their room at Kuchiki Manor. He thought of how many nights they would lie down together, how many times they would make love and argue and make up, how often they would walk together under the stars or sleep side-by-side on the battlefield. He thought of how many times they would sit together in the gardens eating meals and how often they would walk to and from work together…and maybe some of those things seemed like small things, but those small things made a world of difference, because he wouldn't be doing so many things alone anymore. There was someone special to share those moments with…and that meant everything to him.

He felt Renji squeeze his hands and realized suddenly that he had completely lost track of what was happening. But Renji was leaning toward him, closing the distance between them. That meant it was over. The time for being alone had ended and the time for sharing his life with this wonderful other person had truly begun. Byakuya leaned forward and embraced that future, meeting Renji with the sweetest of kisses.

(AN**Don't worry! The 'cost' of allowing Byakuya to marry Renji will become abundantly clear very soon. Next chapter…their wedding night! ;) )