Chapter 5: Simple Dreams
Michio leaned over Byakuya, extending his hands over his healing chest and nodding approvingly.
"This is healing well," he said, glancing over at Tsuneo, "I believe you have Tsuneo to thank for that. The captain who brought you to me may have kept you from dying, but it is obvious that you have been well cared for since leaving my office…though, knowing of your tendency to work too hard, I would suspect he had to tie you down and force rest upon you."
"Tsuneo never needs to use force," Byakuya replied, looking up at the vendor with gratitude in his eyes, "He simply makes sense, and any wise man would take his advice."
"Good enough, then," the doctor said, good-naturedly, "I imagine by morning that Bya will be back on his feet and on his way back to his students. I was out at the school yesterday, and I have to say…your students are doing a lovely job of keeping the place up and running. Fumio and Gina, the two eldest, are teaching, and all of them are making sure the schoolhouse is kept clean and tidy. But they do miss you, Master Bya. I wonder how you will tell them when the time comes that you must leave…"
Byakuya's eyes grew troubled.
"Hopefully, the eldest will continue things. They seem driven to do so…"
He sighed softly.
"I do wish that my former life would never have caught up with me…"
"Well," said Tsuneo, "I have seen no sign of either of those captains in a week, Bya. Perhaps they have given up and gone to look elsewhere."
"One has," Byakuya said quietly, "but the other has merely concealed himself with two intents. He hides himself from my enemy and he waits for me to emerge. He will likely make contact when I show myself at the school."
"But how do you sense him when you have no powers?" asked Tsuneo, "Are you so certain that he is there?"
"I am," said Byakuya, looking up at him, "I do not know why I can still sense him, but he was very close to me at one time. Perhaps it is merely instinct."
"Actually," said Michio, "It may be some instinct and some your bond with this captain, but there is one thing more. You remember that when you were first brought to me, you told me that a divine blade of royal issue had been used to devour your reiatsu?"
Byakuya nodded.
"Apparently, it did not take everything. You have told me that sometimes you sense things and sometimes you leave sakura petals where you have passed."
"Only more recently…"
"Yes…and that makes sense. Your powers that are left are being stimulated, likely by the need you have for your lost powers."
"I have no need for that power," said Byakuya softly, "I do not even desire it."
"But it belongs to you nonetheless. And I would advise you to go to the living world…to seek out the one man who might be able to restore you."
"I want to remain here," insisted Byakuya, "I have built a new life here."
"But…you do not belong among us," the healer said gently, "You never have. And the return of this small bit of your power is a sign that your time here will not last much longer. Your enemies will sense you and search harder. This will not go away, I am afraid."
Byakuya looked down at his hands and offered no more objections.
"You should go to the living world soon. Kisuke Urahara is your best chance of restoration…if you want to survive an encounter with the man who seeks to kill you. But for tonight…rest…eat. Let Tsuneo spoil you. And enjoy the simple life of an Inuzuri schoolteacher for one more night. It may be all there is before your old life finds you."
"Arigato, Michio," Byakuya said quietly, "for the healing and the advice."
"He is right," Tsuneo said as the old healer left them and closed the bedroom door, "You have always been more than a schoolteacher. I tried my best to help you change that, but it was nothing more than wishful thinking. And now we are down to the last of your days here."
He studied Byakuya's wounded expression and sat down at his side.
"Bya…do you think, perhaps, a part of you has always known this would not last? That this is why you have remained remote, even as you offered your gifts to the children of this town…why even as you loved and cared for them, you taught them as though they would someday be without you? The older taking over and teaching the younger…the lessons to bind them to each other and make them work as one to raise their strength. You really have helped them in ways that no one ever has. But always, there was a sadness…a sense that this would not last. So…isn't it true that you have always known you must go back and face your pursuers?"
Byakuya sighed softly.
"It wasn't something I admitted to myself…but yes…I think you are right."
Tsuneo moved closer.
"And is it also true that this, more than anything, is why you have resisted me? I know you still care for Ronin's mother, but…"
"Tsuneo…I…didn't refuse you because of any other. I refused you because it is as Michio said. As much as I would give to be the schoolteacher I tried to be…"
Tsuneo leaned forward and captured his lips gently.
"You are truly an angel who fell from the sky, who gave this town a gift…and who blessed me with his company and friendship for ten years. I would not give up a moment of that time, nor selfishly ask you for more…but I will ask for one thing…and I pray you will grant it."
The vendor's fingertips touched Byakuya's lips where he had kissed them.
"If we are to have no future…if our pretenses must end when morning comes, let the two of us dream tonight. Let us have this small bit of time to make our dreams come to life, even if for just this night. I will ask for no more of you. You have my word."
Byakuya's eyes closed and his head bent forward.
"It would be selfish of me…and unfair to you. How could I take advantage of you when I could only offer you one night…one night and no future?"
Tsuneo smiled and shook his head.
"You see. It is just like you to think in other ways than we do here. Has Inuzuri life taught you nothing, Bya? When we offer any future to each other, we are lying to ourselves. For as much as we would like to have a future, we are only guaranteed here and now. Inuzuri folk don't bank on 'tomorrow.' Your presence and your friendship is a gift…and one night in your arms would be just that as well. Let me hold you and we can promise ourselves whatever we want, even though we know that when the next sun rises, dreams will fall away and fate will be upon us."
He kissed Byakuya again, gently.
"Give me just one last dream, my fallen angel. Then seek the way to mend your wings so you can be whole again."
Tsuneo's hands captured Byakuya's face and his lips caressed the shinigami's longingly. His gentle brown eyes widened as Byakuya's lips moved against his, and when the shinigami's eyes met his, the vendor was struck with the impact of slate gray, peeking out from beneath a curtain of silken black. Slim, pale arms opened, inviting him to close the distance. Tsuneo loosed the ties on their yukatas, then settled into those arms, carefully avoiding putting too much pressure on the shinigami's healing chest. He took the soft, inviting lips again, then sank hungrily into Byakuya's mouth, curling their tongues together…tasting…then slowly exploring the pleasant depths of that lovely yielded place. Eyes half-closed and locked together, each man's hands roaming the curves of the other's body, they kissed harder and more deeply, fire flaring softly under their skin and making them strain wantonly against each other. Byakuya pushed his hips upward, arching into the vendor's body. Tsuneo moaned and attacked the shinigami's throat with wet kisses and gentle suction as his thick arousal found Byakuya's and slid along its length, making both men moan louder and thrust into each other's bodies more eagerly.
Tsuneo lifted himself and made his way down the shinigami's bandaged torso, working his way carefully around the man's wounds…caressing an erect nipple with strokes of his tongue, kissing around the edges of the white bandages and tasting every inch of the pale, glowing flesh. His tongue sank into Byakuya's navel and the shinigami's back arched and his lips parted in a silent gasp of pleasure. His fingers sank into the vendor's short, thick black hair, both caressing gratefully and slowly urging him to move down lower. Tsuneo answered with warm stimulation that left Byakuya nearly breathless.
Byakuya sat up and brought the vendor's mouth back to his for several deep, slow kisses, then lowered himself between the man's parted thighs and returned the same lovely treatment Tsuneo had offered him.
The vendor's hand captured his and he sucked on the pale fingers. He leaned back slightly and parted his legs wider, then stared in surprise as Byakuya shook his head and sank back, pulling the vendor's body down on top of his.
"Oh…" Tsuneo whispered, "Bya…it wouldn't be right. You…you are…someone important…powerful. Or were…and will be again. I am just a simple vendor…"
"No Tsuneo," Byakuya said, touching his face, "Tonight, I am simply Bya, an Inuzuri schoolteacher…your friend…and tonight, your lover. It is no more than you deserve for saving my life ten years ago and brightening what would have been the darkest days of my life. As much as I have been a gift to the children of Inuzuri, you have been a gift to me. I am not free to offer you a future, but I can offer you this much. Though it will never be enough…"
"Trust me," Tsuneo said, smiling warmly, "This is nearly more than I can bear. And it is certainly more than I dared hope for, Bya."
They left off speaking and returned to exchanging hard, passionate kisses. Tsuneo moistened his fingers in the shinigami's hot mouth and slowly prepared him. Their eyes remained locked as Tsuneo took the lovely, white body beneath his with slow, gentle thrusts. They paused, fully joined, to exchange softer kisses. Then, lacing his fingers into Byakuya's, Tsuneo began to move.
Byakuya's hands slid down the other's strong back and settled on his hips, gripping them and pulling them in harder and faster. The vendor lathed his throat in kisses as Byakuya closed his eyes and nuzzled his face into Tsuneo's hair.
"Sweet kami!" hissed the vendor, "You truly are an angel…Bya…your whole body is glowing!"
Byakuya's body arched upward into his, carrying the two over from pleasure into absolute bliss, Tsuneo's warmth filling Byakuya and the shinigami's hot seed exploding onto their skin. The vendor lifted himself away and lowered himself again to lick away the sweet remains of their lovemaking. He recaptured Byakuya's mouth for a final exchange of gentle kisses, then pulled the exhausted shinigami onto his chest and brought Byakuya's head to settle on his shoulder.
"You are still a bit shaky, ne?" Tsuneo said softly, "Are you sure you want to go back to work in the morning?"
"I will be fine," Byakuya assured him, "and besides…it is important for me to prepare the children for continuing my work when I leave."
"Sleep, then, Bya. You are safe in my arms for this night."
Tsuneo watched Byakuya's contented face as sleep overtook him and he rested on the vendor's shoulder.
"I won't close my eyes even once tonight," Tsuneo whispered to himself, "I won't miss a moment of this last, sweet miracle you've brought to me, angel. It is only for tonight, but I will remember this night forever."
He kissed the shinigami's forehead lightly, so as not to wake him.
"Tomorrow will difficult for all of us…but it is only right that you return to your own kind, that you regain the strength they took from you, and that you will overcome the evil that brought you down that night. I cannot go where you must, but I can help make you strong for your journey. Let your cares fall away for these last few hours. Be content and know that you are safe and loved. It isn't a lot I offer you, but it is all I can do…"
XXXXXXXXXX
Byakuya woke to find Tsuneo still awake, watching him quietly with solemn eyes.
"Is it morning already?" he asked softly.
The vendor nodded.
"Did you sleep at all?"
"No," Tsuneo admitted, "I was far too enchanted watching you sleep. You are beautiful, Bya. But it is time for us to stop our daydreaming and return to reality."
Byakuya nodded and sat up, taking the vendor's hands in his.
"Tsuneo…" he said, looking down at their hands, "It is as you said. The time approaches when I must return to the place I came from. Before I do, I want to tell you…who I am…where I came from…and how much I appreciate the role you have in healing me."
"Bya…you don't have to tell me anything. I…"
"My name…my full name is Byakuya Kuchiki."
Tsuneo's eyes widened.
"Kami…" he whispered, "I thought you were noble…but…him? How can that be?"
"I was the 28th leader of the Kuchiki family…and captain of the sixth division. But I took three actions that violated the rules of my clan."
"You married a commoner…I remember hearing of that," Tsuneo added.
"Hisana…she was from Inuzuri. She found me and brought me to Michio when I was injured in a battle here. I married her even though it was against the rules of the clan. And after her death, I took her sister into my family…out of respect for her final wish. That was my second offense. The final offense occurred years later, when I fell in love with another commoner…this one male…and my own vice captain, Renji Abarai. There was a cousin of mine, who had long been close to me…or so I thought. This trusted cousin turned on me…and made sure the elders discovered my affair with Renji before I was ready to face them. He manipulated the council…and me. And somehow…he must have been involved in Renji's decision to leave me. The relationship that I shared with Renji was different from the beginning. I felt a sense of fate…and when we first made love, I felt that something…happened. I researched it endlessly, but didn't understand until I realized…"
He took a short breath and continued.
"You have long assumed…as has everyone, that I was with a woman after Renji…and that she bore Ronin and we parted ways. I did not correct that perception for Ronin's sake. But no woman carried Ronin…"
"What?" Tsuneo said, sitting up straighter.
"There is, inscribed in the histories of my family, a record of every Kuchiki family leader. And among those, I found one…one who loved another male…and he found a way to bind his very soul to that one. Because of that binding, something was triggered inside him…something that allowed him to carry a child. Finding that, I shared the information with Renji…and we sought to make this connection between ourselves. It was somewhere around that time that my cousin, Tsuyoshi, said or did something that unsettled Renji very badly. He changed in how he looked at me…and I sensed there was trouble, but I had no idea what my cousin was doing behind my back. Several things happened at once then. Happily, I discovered that Renji and I had been successful and I was with child. But at the same time, having exposed our relationship, Tsuyoshi approached the council and, using records of my past indiscretions and his gift for lying convincingly, he brought the council to his side. A meeting was called to confront me about Renji. I prepared for it, planning to refute the council's arguments by revealing my soul connection to Renji and the fact of my pregnancy. The council came to the manor and while there, my cousin stole an heirloom sword, a powerful one that he could use against me. That same night, Renji came to me. Tsuyoshi was at my side as Renji told me that he was leaving me, but refused to explain why. I knew there was more to his leaving than what he was saying, so I prepared to go after him…to tell him about our child…but with the council present…and Tsuyoshi exerting pressure, I let pride stop me. I remained at the manor, but collapsed from a combination of factors. For the next two months, I struggled to deal with losing Renji and to manage the council's anger at my actions. I dared not reveal to the hostile council that I was pregnant, because I was weakening and sensed that my child might be endangered by one or all of them. If not harmed, he could be taken away. Learning that my fears were justified and that the council had turned against me, I made the decision to leave the Seireitei. I stopped to speak to Renji one last time…but found that he was with another man. We had been broken up for a few months, but still…the sight of him like that…I ran it. And I was near Inuzuri when Tsuyoshi caught up with me. He used the stolen sword to defeat me…and the sword destroyed my powers. Well…all but the bit Michio sensed when you brought me to him."
"Michio remembered you, didn't he?"
"Yes. I swore him to secrecy. I remained here and disappeared briefly to have my son…then raised him, thinking never to go back. But then…I saw Renji…the captain who found me after the hollows attacked me…my former lover. And Tsuyoshi…I sensed he was following. Renji led him away, but I would be a fool to think he won't find me again. And if he does, he will kill me…and if he finds out Ronin is my son, he will kill my son as well. Tsuneo, I am sorry for keeping things hidden from you. But I believe I was going back…even though I always suspected that somehow I must. I have to allow Renji to reach me…and we must have out our differences. And once we do, I must seek Kisuke Urahara and try to regain my powers. Ronin and I can no longer hide. We will be found eventually. And if I take no action, I will be helpless to protect my son."
"So…it isn't Ronin's mother who held your heart all of this time. It's in your eyes when you speak his name. You are still in love with Renji Abarai. You do not believe, despite your words, that Renji wished to leave you. You suspect that your cousin deceived him somehow and caused him to leave you."
Byakuya hesitated, his eyes tormented, but then nodded.
"So when Renji returns…I will listen to what he has to say…and I will decide what action to take from there."
Tsuneo sighed softly and shook his head slowly.
"I had no idea how complicated this was…not any at all. But thank you," he said with sincerity, "Thank you for telling me. I will say nothing to anyone, least of all to Ronin. That is for you to do. But if you need anything…"
"Tsuneo…" Byakuya whispered, tears rising in his eyes, "you put me to shame with your kindness!"
"There is no shame in having your wings broken and having to learn to fly again…Byakuya.