Thanks to my beta reader - peanutbutterthedog
disclaimer: I own nothing. Kubo Tite made bleach. This story ignores everything that happens and is explained in the Fullbringers arc and forward with Ichigo miraculously getting his powers back (who cares he's not even in this story!). Hope things won't get too confusing .
Check out my DeviantArt (VoidInYourSoul) to see how my original characters look like. (uploaded new pictures :P)
Chapter 38 – Lose control. Gain control.
"...ass!"
"It will only worsen your situation."
"But this is outrageous!"
"No, this disciplinary action suits your delinquency quite perfectly."
"But this is... Child labor!" Kaya yelled indignantly.
"You are not a child..." Byakuya replied blankly.
"No, but I'm still growing!" she kept yelling.
"I certainly hope so." he said, the corners of his lips twitching.
This shut Kaya up. Leaning back in the chair infront of the captain's desk, she stared at him in fury and disgust, unable to believe he was willing to abandon her so happily. And that last comment was also slightly disturbing.
She was sitting quietly the entire morning, waiting for her captain to finish his dull paperwork, when during the early afternoon a messenger arrived. Thinking that he came for the captain, she paid him no mind. That is until she realized he was talking to her.
Tomorrow she was to join the cleanup team that took care of clearing the mess caused by the collapsing of the sokyoku.
She was so angry at the moment that she didn't even notice that someone had knocked on the door and only realized that there was someone else in the room when a voice spoke behind her.
"Byakuya-sama." he said courteously and Kaya turned around to see him bowing.
When he straightened up and she saw his face she gave a muffled yelp of surprise and fell off her chair. She have seen him before, he was the Kuchiki that insulted her on the street. But that wasn't why she fell off the chair.
Back then, she was too pissed off to actually pay any attention to his look but now she just couldn't understand how she missed it. He looked exactly like Byakuya! Obviously he wore different clothes, but his eyes, his eyebrows, his nose, his chin... his mouth...
'Holy son of a bitch! They are identical!' Kaya thought frantically, vaguely disturbed by the detailed knowledge she had on her captain's facial features.
His smooth, black, long (longer than Byakuya's) hair was held neatly in a ponytail and adorned by a fancy hair accessory. He wore silky white long kimono and coat, both embroidered in various gold and jewelry.
"Oi! We've met before!" she snarled at him as he put his hands together infront of him, hidden in the long sleeves.
His eyes narrowed as he gave her the briefest of glares and then averted back to Byakuya.
"There is a matter I wish to discuss with you, Byakuya-sama." he said politely, ignoring Kaya completely.
"Hey don't ignore me!" she yelled.
"I am listening." Byakuya said.
"You too!"
"I was hoping for a more... private conference." the man who looked like Byakuya said, his eyes darting to Kaya again.
"You better hope-" Kaya started to say when Byakuya cut across her.
"Brat, get out.".
His voice was flat and bored, as if he didn't really care whether the order reaches the designated ears or if it is being obeyed.
"Say what?!" Kaya blurted, her voice shrill from indignation.
"I am afraid that hoping is the best we can do for a private conversation." Byakuya said in fake disappointment, shrugging. "Speak, Takeru.".
Both Kaya and the man called Takeru stared at Byakuya. Takeru looked offended but Kaya was surprised. She recognized her captain's behavior as not just an attempt to be insulting and degrading but also dismissive, as if that man was hardly worthy of Byakuya's time and what's more, he didn't bother trying to hide it.
"Byakuya-sama, why are you letting her-" Takeru started to ask, looking stunned and resentful but Kaya started talking over him.
"Wait a second. Who is this guy and why the crap does he look like you?" she asked loudly.
She wasn't sure if Byakuya knew that she and this Takeru guy had a little shouting match a while ago or if he was about to find out, but she didn't think it was a good idea to let this man have a private talk with her captain.
"I heard that you two exchanged insults the other day so you obviously know that he is a member of my clan. We have similar appearance due to some negligible blood-relation." Byakuya said remotely and then looked at Takeru questioningly. "He is my... nephew?".
Kaya looked at Takeru with a scowl, thinking that nothing short of a twin brother can explain the situation. Takeru grimaced, looking just as discontent about that explanation, and closed his eyes while taking a deep breath before speaking again.
"I am your uncle, Byakuya-sama." he said slowly and then bowed slightly. "You lack the necessary kin that could provide you with nephews...".
"You lack what?" Kaya blurted. "Wait, a nephew is your mother's... no, your grandpa-"
"Brothers." Byakuya said tiredly.
"He's your brother?!"
"I do not have brothers or sisters, therefore having a nephew would be somewhat difficult for me. Takeru is my uncle." Byakuya said, looking at Takeru who's face was starting to become red. "I suggest you speak now, Takeru. While her mind is preoccupied.".
Despite their matching faces it appeared that, unlike Byakuya, Takeru had no difficulties in expressing his feelings. Right now he looked quite livid.
"Byakuya-sama, I am here because the elders demand that you cease any affiliation with Otori Kaya." he said coldly.
"You wh-"
"Be quiet." Byakuya said sharply, silencing Kaya.
There was a heavy silent in the room. Byakuya stared blankly at Takeru who looked very determined and angry. Kaya looked at one and then at the other, realizing how different the two man were. Despite being (obviously) younger than his uncle, Byakuya had a more collected and calm demeanor than Takeru who seemed to have no desire at all to keep his opinions to himself. Both were proud and arrogant and it's not that Byakuya was the incarnation of modesty but Takeru actually enjoyed shoving it into people's face. All of this was obvious to her from his behavior when they first met, from the way he talked to the way he looked at her and the way he carried himself, walking around as if the king of all within his sight.
"Why did the elders send you? I have already heard their opinion." Byakuya said slowly after a long silence. "And speaking of your presence here, I do not recall granting you permission to leave the house at this hour nor approach me in public.".
"I am here as the council's new representative. They did not send me, I merely came here to make sure that their bidding will be fulfilled." Takeru said.
Kaya was surprised by the obvious commanding in Takeru's voice and the way he held his head up proudly, looking directly at Byakuya. A strange tension filled the room and Kaya felt her body and senses springing to life, ready for fight or flight.
"They let you join the elder's council?" Byakuya asked quietly, his eyes narrowing.
"Yes. Does it shock you?" Takeru replied, a sly smile appearing on his face.
"Not as much as it repulse me."
"Okay I have a question!" Kaya said loudly, liking the man less and less with each passing second. "Who are those elder people who thinks they can order Byakuya around like that?".
"I told you to be quiet." Byakuya said, glaring at her.
"Well fuck that! I'm-"
"How dare you..." Takeru hissed angrily. "How dare you talk back to your captain? How dare you disobey your superior? How dare you address the head of a great noble clan so casually?".
It seemed that something inside Takeru snapped. He stared at Kaya, his eyes burning in rage, his face contorted in fury. He was positively spitting when he spoke.
"A lowly rascal like you, who don't even deserve to lick the dirt off Byakuya-sama's foot, has been granted this unparalleled honor to serve under a the head of my noble family. Instead of showing humility and gratitude you bite the hand that feeds you. Goofing around like a street punk, wrecking and vandalizing everything in your path-"
"Don't." Byakuya said sharply, his eyes not moving from Kaya who was starting to tremble.
She felt her anger heating up, slowly reaching boiling point. She knew she couldn't attack this man. He was from a noble family, Byakuya's family, and she decided she wasn't going to let her anger control her anymore.
"-all manners of foul business, not caring that you are besmirching the Kuchiki name. Your mere presence around Byakuya-sama is enough to detract him from his honor-"
Biting her lip and clenching her fists, she glared at Takeru who reminded her so much of Byakuya, trying to ignore the stinging words he was yelling at her.
"-slightest concept of respect, you are nothing but a spoiled runt. You are a selfish, thankless bastard-"
At that point Takeru had to stop because of what was happening infront of him. Before she could stop herself, Kaya's hand moved behind her toward her zanpakto. Her fingers didn't find their target because a hand closed on her wrist and she found herself being pulled back on top of the desk. Byakuya got up when he saw her trying to draw her weapon and leaned over the desk to grab her hand before she could do so. Pinning her hand down he glared at her, completely disregarding the petrified Takeru.
"What do you think you are doing?" he hissed.
"Trying to slice his face up!" she snarled, trying to pull her hand free while half of her body was on the table and the rest dangling off the edge.
"Do you know what will happen if you so much as point your blade in his direction?"
"No but it can't be much worse than what happens when I do it to you!"
"We will continue this discussion at another time, Takeru." Byakuya said without looking at the man.
"But Byakuya-sama..." Takeru tried to argue but was silenced by the glare Byakuya gave him.
Biting his lip, Takeru bowed and left.
"Yeah you better leave you fu-" Kaya snarled as the door was closed, trying to get up with her free hand only to have it pinned down as well so that she was laying on the desk again, glaring up at her captain.
"Did you hear what this bastard called me?!" she asked indignantly.
"Quite clearly and I highly advise you against calling a man with a dignified and proven lineage a bastard. Or drawing your sword against such."
"I hate this guy!" she yelled.
"I am sure you do and have the greatest sympathy with you on that matter. Unlike me, however, you don't have the privilege of expressing it without being arrested for assaulting nobility." he said tiredly.
"I'll show you assaulting nobility!" she snapped, feeling that if she already failed so miserably at holding her anger she might as well do it all the way. Throwing her legs up over her head so that she was now laying on the back of her neck and shoulders, she placed them on Byakuya's shoulders. Before she could close them on his head, he let go of her wrists and grabbed her ankles.
"Oops, that backfired." she grunted as he smiled down at her from between her legs.
Considering her for a moment, he pulled her legs down until she rolled off her back and caught her around the waist, sitting down with her in his lap.
"Okay, I'm sorry." she muttered when she found herself with her back against his chest, straddling his legs, and her bottom pressed tightly on his erection.
"Obviously you were misguided by my forgiving behavior so let me explain it to you: If you attack or insult someone from a noble family, even the lowest-ranking ones, if you so much as draw your sword or behave disrespectfully you can and will be put to trial. Although I doubt you will be executed for insolence, your record is not exactly clean so there will be very little for me to do if they decide to exile you or something of the sort."
"I said I'm sorry." she mumbled thru gritted teeth, grabbing the desk and trying to pull herself out of Byakuya's hold.
"Not as sorry as you will be if I ever hear you insulting a noble again. As much as Takeru deserves it..." he whispered, letting her pull out of his hands for a second only to grab her again, thrusting with his hips as he pulled her back.
"Don't!" she gasped when his hardness slammed against her behind.
"Hm... your zanpakto is in the way..." he muttered, releasing her waist but grabbing her above the elbows, letting her lean away from him but not get up completely.
"Why do you hate this Takeru guy so much?" Kaya asked, leaning her forehead on the desk. "And why does he need your permission to leave the house?".
At this Byakuya sighed deeply and let go of her arms. Deciding not to jump off immediately, Kaya leaned with her elbows on the desk, pulling away from his nether regions to sit on his knees.
"Takeru is... an extremist. He is a very dangerous, power-hungry man and he detests me, with whom he had some... disagreements in the past. He could have been very troublesome for me if I didn't have something that keeps him confined."
"But... he seems so respectful toward you..."
"He respects the figure of the head of the Kuchiki family, not me."
"Yeah, I can sort of understand him... Well, you were kind of a bitch to him just now... not knowing that he was your uncle and all that. I was insulted, and you weren't even talking to me." Kaya said thoughtfully. She never ever heard Byakuya talk to anyone like that, even not to people he didn't like. Well, sometimes he talked to her like that but it was different...
"It was my intention to insult him. I really don't like this person." he sighed. "The last thing I need right now is Takeru walking around, doing as he pleases.".
"Why don't you just kick him out of the family?" Kaya offered. "You said you have something that confines him?".
"A little secret..." Byakuya sighed again. It didn't sound like he wanted to keep talking about the subject.
Kaya looked at him over her shoulder and was surprised to see his tired expression. He was staring blankly at mid-air and something that looked like sadness lingered on his face.
"Hey let's go train!" she said cheerfully, unable to see him so emotional.
"So how did it go, chief?" Oga asked when Takeru stormed out of the 6th squad building.
"Not entirely so, but as I expected." Takeru said briskly.
"What does that mean?" Oga asked, hurrying to keep up.
"We proceed as planned."
Oga grunted loudly, flinching when Takeru threw him an angry look over his shoulder. "I mean, hooray! It's show time! Let's get this shit over with-"
"Patience, Oga, we need to wait for the right time. I know subtlety is not your dominant trait but I trust you know what happens when you get too eager..?"
"Yes master, no need to remind me." Oga said quickly. "You really should do something about that perversity of yours...".
"What did you say?" Takeru hissed, turning around to face Oga.
Altho distinctly shorter than Takeru, Oga Katsushiro was robustly built and in perfect shape. He wasn't in the gotei 13 but worked-out and honed his skills to the level of a 3rd seat if not stronger. Compared to him, the slender Takeru who knew less about fighting than the maids who cleaned his room was nothing but a punchbag.
Despite that, Oga was now shrinking under the furious glare Takeru was giving him.
"Nothing, nothing!" Oga said, falling to his knees. "Please forgive me.".
"I don't want to hear you say something like that ever again." Takeru said sharply.
"Yes master." Oga said submissively.
"You will shut your mouth or I will shut it for you."
"Yes master."
"I intend to regain my freedom and I will not allow your prattling tongue to compromise my efforts."
"Yes master."
"Get up, we are in the middle of the street."
"Yes master." Oga repeated, standing up quickly.
"You are a filthy pig, Oga."
"Yes master."
Starting to walk again, Takeru glanced back at Oga who followed behind, eyes fixed on the ground. Yes, someone like Oga could be very useful for someone like Takeru. That is of course if someone like Takeru managed find a way to control someone like Oga.
"You will come to my chamber tonight, Oga." Takeru said quietly. "You need to take your dose today."
"Y-yes master..." Oga gulped.
"You can stop agreeing with me now." Takeru said with a little smile.
"Yes ma- err... hmm."
"You are preforming rather poorly today." Byakuya said flatly, the glittering shards of his shikai floating around him.
They were at his private training grounds, their usual place, and since it was getting late and the chances that they will be interrupted were slim he decided he could loosen up a bit.
"Well, what do you want me to say?" The girl grunted bitterly as she pushed herself up. "It's pretty hard to keep up with Senbonzakura.".
"Naturally, but it is as if you are not even trying." he replied, sending his shikai at her again, this time much slower.
"What makes you say that?" she asked, dodging the lazy, almost teasing attacks.
"You are not rushing at me like an idiot and you keep leaving yourself exposed." he said and with a swing of the hilt in his hand, the swarm of blades moved from behind her, slicing her heel.
He caught her hand just before she hit the sandy ground and, with his other hand supporting her back, leaned toward her. "Something on your mind?".
"Well, I figured I'd let you do all the idiotic rushing today." she said with a grin just when he felt cold metal being pressed to his throat.
Flesh-stepping away from her, Byakuya touched his neck, searching for injury but there was none, his fingers felt only his quickened pulse. Usually, she would get mad by now after being hit so many times but today she took the beating rather docilely, which made him somewhat irritated.
"I figured that it's much easier for a certain jackass to take advantage of me when I'm angry." she said, raising her fists in a ready position. "Oh, I'm not talking about you. Altho I think this statement applies to you as well.".
She was talking about Hiraishin, obviously. Only now did she realize that he could control her when she was angry? No, that wasn't it... she was very strange today but very ambiguously so. On one hand, she wasn't as alarmed by his increasingly invasive manhandling as he thought she would be. On the other hand, her tolerance seemed to be not without a limit and she would shake him off rather violently whenever he reached it, only to return to that passive cooperation until the next line is breached.
"I've been telling you that for months..." Byakuya sighed, returning his zanpakto to it's normal shape. It's time to clear things up but he had to do so in a way that will allow him to remain distant and in control, forcing her to come to him...
"Hey what are you doing? We're not finished!" the brat yelled as he sheathed his sword.
"If you are not going to listen to my instructions there is no point in this." he said, turning to leave. Just like she said, it was very easy to take advantage of her when she was angry. "What's more, you are not even fighting back. As much as I enjoy knocking you around, if you are not learning anything from it, it is just a waste of my time.".
Something swooshed past his ear and a moment later the girl appeared infront of him, catching the small blade that she just threw. Unfortunately, making her angry had its downsides. Namely, it made her angry.
"And what the hell is that supposed to mean?" she asked quietly.
"From day one I told you, at least once a day, to keep your temper at bay. It doesn't matter if you are a normal person, a warrior or a stupid brat possessed by a psychopathic spirit, if you let your emotions and whimsical desires dictate your actions you are nothing but a brainless beast." he said coldly.
"Beasts don't have emotions like us..." she muttered sulkily.
"No, they have instincts which tells them how to act in certain situations. Instincts are like emotions. Nothing but codes of behavior relating to different situations. We, however, have logic and reason to stop the automatic reaction to our immediate surrounding and see beyond the here and now and take a more appropriate course of action."
"That's a rather fucked up philosophy..."
"You think so? Tell me, how would you feel if I slapped you every time you talked back to me, just because it angered me?"
"I... errr.." she looked rather taken aback by this question.
"How would you feel if I sliced you up every time you disobeyed me, just because it insulted me?" he asked quietly, slashing at her zanpakto-holding hand and ripping a gash all along her inner forearm, from elbow to wrist.
She dropped the small blade and backed away, looking alarmed both from the sword that was suddenly out of it's sheath again and the icy glare he was giving her. She stumbled a bit because of her injured leg and he moved toward her, slashing at her other leg.
She fell on her back, gasping, and he kicked her legs apart, kneeling between them. Dropping his zanpakto beside them, he grabbed the front of her kimono and pulled her toward him until they were nose to nose, his other hand grabbing her hip. She stared at him with a mixture of fear and... something else.
"How would you feel if I took you right here and now, just because I feel like it?" he hissed, digging his fingers into her thigh as he felt a throb in his groin.
'Wait what am I doing? This is insane. Why isn't she resisting?' the small voice of reason screamed desperately in his head as the throbbing became unbearably painful. He wasn't sure how long he could hold himself...
"Okay. I got your point." she said shakily.
"No you didn't. Not yet." he whispered, pulling her closer to his aching crotch.
"No really, I got it. It-it's very rigid and-and solid." she muttered desperately.
Feeling slightly light-headed, he pushed her down, ignoring her whispered protests, and started grinding slowly against her pelvis. Hovering over her he felt her straining against him, almost convulsively, shrinking away from him as if burned by his touch.
"Dammit Byakuya! Here?!" she blurted breathlessly.
Something in her voice snapped him out of the trance. He froze, appalled by what he was about to do, but his hands refused to leave her buttocks. Before he knew what happened, a fist landed very close to his eye, followed by a strong push against his chest. Slightly dazed, he felt her twist to the right, hooking her injured hand under his knee and with her other hand grabbing his left hand by the wrist. Then she pulled his knee and at the same time pulled his hand to her chest, throwing her legs open and pushing with the back of her right leg against his armpit and he lost balance, falling on his right hand across her. The right hand, the one she pulled, was stuck between her legs which rested one on his back and one on his neck and his wrist held tightly in her hands.
He tried to get up but she pushed down with her legs and arched her back, painfully bending his elbow in a way it isn't supposed to bend.
"You. Are. A. Fucking. JERK!" she bellowed, over-enunciating every word.
"All right but I am going to need this hand." he groaned, trying to push her leg over his head but to no avail.
"Hell yeah you're gonna need it! Because you're gonna be jerking off for the rest of your life!"
Painful jolts ran along his hand, completely eliminating any traces of perversion from his mind (and body), even when he stopped trying to get up or pull out of her grip. The leg on the back of his neck kept pushing down mercilessly, dripping blood down his neck from the recent injury, adding to the torture.
"Release me." he hissed, noticing his discarded weapon.
"I don't think so." she snarled when he tried to reach out for his sword, pushing with her legs.
"Unless you are planning to kill or permanently disable me, I suggest you let go." he whispered in the most threatening voice he could muster while resisting the urge to squirm in pain.
She didn't release her hold, which was growing slightly weaker due to her bloody hand, but stopped putting pressure on his neck and hand. He didn't try to pull out but gave her a chance to let go of him completely, hoping to close this scene in a peaceful manner.
Thankfully, she released him and rolled away, rising into a standing position only to stumble to her knees, her injured heels unable to support her. Carefully flexing his hand, Byakuya retrieved his zanpakto and returned it to it's scabbard, keeping watch on the brat from the corner of his eye.
"I would like to hear what was going thru your head just now." she said darkly, rubbing her bloody hand.
"Nothing coherent, I am afraid." Byakuya sighed, rubbing his neck which was wet from her blood.
"I don't get it!" she snapped angrily, standing up. "Wasn't the purpose of that stupid speech to boast about your superior self restraint? I mean what the freak was that?!".
It would seem that indignation helped her ignore the injuries. She stood steadily, glaring at him as if she wasn't spraying blood from three of her limbs. Her ability to recover so quickly was quite astonishing...
"The purpose of that stupid speech was to inform you, in case you still did not realize it, that I have been far too tolerant than is reasonable with your severe waywardness until now. Consequently, I expect you to show the same amount of tolerance toward my..." he wasn't sure how to finish the sentence.
"Deviancy? Perversion? Kinkiness?" the brat offered.
"Call it however you wish..." he muttered.
"I call it lechery!" she yelled.
Rolling his eyes, he turned away from her and started walking toward the bathhouse at the end of the training field. As he expected, she started yelling indignantly and followed him. It seemed that she wasn't too upset about his advancement, having recovered her usual temper very fast. It was her move now, there was nothing to do but wait.
"Dammit Byakuya! Here?!" her words echoed in his head. He smiled bitterly to himself, wondering if she really was going to make that move, and if she did, will he dare to follow.
~{-}~~{-}~~{-}~~{-}~~{-}~
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