Chapter 14: Love Unbroken
(For Henka-chan! Thanks also to Snowflowersister of Toshiro241, PLS, TomyAllen, Purple Light Snow and Clobojojo. Love you all!)
"R-renji," he said softly, his eyes widening, "Renji, this is...?"
"Yeah," the redhead said, leaning forward and giving him a warm, lingering kiss, "Kuchiki Manor. Welcome home, Byakuya."
"Home," Byakuya repeated almost soundlessly, sitting up and looking around, as though uncertain whether he was truly awake or still dreaming, "I haven't set foot in my own home for ten years. I'd almost forgotten what it felt like to be here."
He started to climb out of bed, but was stopped by a gently restraining hand on his shoulder.
"Hey, not so fast," said Renji, stopping him and earning a look of reproach, "You just woke up after taking a pretty hellacious beating. You've only just been healed and you still need to rest. Believe me, we're going to have you back on your feet and throwing your petals around soon enough."
Byakuya's eyes narrowed, but he fell back against the pillows and allowed Renji to join him on the bed. Renji set his dinner tray on the noble's lap and the two began to share bites of food as Ronin sat alongside them, watching them closely and taking bites of his own meal.
"I think that you two need to fill in the blanks for me," said Byakuya, "I do not recall exactly what happened in the forest."
"Hmmm," said Renji, taking a sip of tea, "Why don't we start with what you do remember, and we'll work our way forward from there."
Byakuya sighed and closed his eyes for a moment, thinking.
"I was just about ready to leave the preparation room to join you for our wedding, and Tsuyoshi appeared suddenly and threatened to do harm to everyone there if I did not go quietly. I heard Ronin in the hallway and was eager to avoid revealing his status as heir, so I agreed to leave with him. We slipped out the window and he took me into the forest, planning to complete the execution that failed to kill me ten years ago. He activated Tenrai Keibatsu, but Ronin appeared and blocked the sword with his own, a reckless move, as if the blade had touched him, it could have drained him as well. It is a horribly powerful artifact, and never meant to be used again."
"So why didn't they just destroy it?" asked Renji.
"No one knows how. That's why it was placed in the archive...for safekeeping. But Tsuyoshi won his way into my confidence, and I allowed him to enter the archive, giving him the chance to steal it. He was able to activate its power in our battle, but the weapon is sentient and has a will of its own. It did not fully accept Tsuyoshi as its master, and so did not employ all of its destructive power when it drained me."
"Which explains why you survived."
"Yes, but getting back to what happened," said the noble, eyeing Ronin sternly, "I left a mark that you would not miss, clearly instructing you not to follow. But it seems you were of a different mind."
A flush rose on Ronin's cheeks and he looked down at his tray.
"I knew that, that man was going to kill you, Dad," he said quietly, "I couldn't let him do that."
He met Byakuya's eyes hesitantly.
"I couldn't have lived with myself if I hadn't done something. Please don't be mad. I just didn't want anything bad to happen to you."
Byakuya closed his eyes and drew a soft breath, then released it and met Ronin's eyes again.
"You are a child, Ronin," he said, watching the youth stiffen in protest, "But...you acted, not in the way of a child...but in the way of a fighter. Your instinct to protect overcame your conditioning to obey your father's order. And that quick thinking resulted in me living long enough for you and Renji to rescue me. I am grateful"
Ronin caught his breath softly, his body relaxed, his lips smiling, and the blush on his skin deepened.
"I'm just glad you weren't hurt, Dad," he said softly.
"And I am glad that you were not," said the noble, remembering, "But I believe that what protected us was the awakening of your zanpakutou."
Ronin nodded, an ache in his chest as he remembered.
"I knew that you were in real trouble and I was desperate to help you. I felt this burning inside, and then I heard a voice and felt a 'presence' inside. And I heard a name...Akai no Hinote."
"Red flames," said Byakuya, a smile touching his lips, "a fire sword. I saw the flames on the blade, but I am afraid I must have lost consciousness before I could see your shikai."
"You didn't miss anything," Ronin said, sounding slightly disappointed, "Renji saved both of us when your cousin attacked us before I could release my shikai. I still don't know what it is."
"It may simply be a release of controlled flame," suggested Byakuya, "like the head captain's Ryujin Jakka, or it may take the form of a creature, as the soukyoku takes the form of Kikouou, the phoenix. I did notice that, as with Kurosaki Ichigo, your zanpakutou affects your external appearance. The ends of your hair and the full length of your red braid lit with fire. It may be connected with how your power works. We shall see, I imagine. But...although I remember you arriving and Tsuyoshi trying to attack you, that is the point at which my memory ends."
"I got there just as Tsuyoshi attacked Ronin," said Renji, "I saw you push the kid down and put yourself in the way. I blocked his blade's power with my ban kai."
"Did you kill my cousin?" Byakuya asked quickly, "Is that why we are here?"
"N-not exactly," chuckled Renji, "I certainly had every intention of killing the guy, but before I could, your council of elders showed up and stopped Tsuyoshi from finishing you off. They said that because he failed in the original execution to kill you, he had no right to do so. And since when Ronin's power manifested, they sensed that he was the rightful heir, they wouldn't allow him to hurt Ronin either. They ordered him to make a place for you and Ronin here, at Kuchiki Manor, and they said that you had thirty days to prepare to face Tsuyoshi in battle."
"Yes," agreed Byakuya, "Because he failed to kill me in our prior battle, once I return to the clan, I have the option to accept him as my leader or challenge him. If I simply accepted him, Ronin and I, and likely you would probably not live to see another day, and the elders knew that. So, instead, they invoked my right to challenge him. He may not touch any of us until after the resolution of that challenge. To harm us...or to allow harm to come to us while we are under protection of the challenge, would result in him being disgraced and removed as clan leader."
"So, the challenge bought us some time to help you get your powers back," concluded Renji.
"But that is going to be a rather arduous task," said the noble, shaking his head, "Tenrai Keibatsu swallowed up my core power. And that means that my full reiatsu cannot be restored unless my core power can be returned. But that power lies in the sword, and we do not have access to it. You can bet that Tsuyoshi will not hand it over willingly, and will guard it with his life until our battle."
"Well," said Renji, "that's where Kisuke comes in. He'll either find a way to get hold of the sword or he'll find a way to restore your core power without it. But in the meantime, you are going to rest and eat, and get well. Your cousin seems to be avoiding us, for now, so we'll take advantage of that and put your body back together while Kisuke works on how to restore your powers."
Byakuya started to reply, but stopped as three attendants entered the room. Torio stopped in the doorway, tears forming in his eyes as he noticed that Byakuya was awake and looking up at him with an expression of extreme gratitude.
"L-lord Byakuya..." the attendant whispered.
He moved forward to the edge of the bed and clasped the noble's hand warmly in greeting.
"I am no longer lord of this place," Byakuya said softly, "But...it is...good to see you, Torio. And I am grateful to have the chance to thank you once more for assisting me in escaping the manor that day. If not for you, my life would have ended here, as Tsuyoshi originally planned."
Byakuya squeezed Torio's hand, then gently embraced the young man.
"Arigato, Torio."
The attendant smiled and brushed the tears out of his eyes.
"We were all devastated when we heard that you had died," Torio said, bowing his head, "The time without you was difficult. Lord Tsuyoshi is a hard master. But, now that you have returned, justice will return to our home."
Byakuya shook his head gently.
"Torio, I do promise to give my best to ending Tsuyoshi's leadership, but you must be cautious in your words and actions until he has been defeated."
"I will...Master Byakuya," the young man promised.
Byakuya nodded.
"Good."
"We have prepared the bathing room," the attendant said, "whenever you are ready."
"Ronin," said Byakuya, "Go with your attendant."
He looked up at Torio, who indicated the youngest of the three attendants.
"My brother, Akio," Torio said.
"Go with Akio and bathe," the noble continued.
"Come, Master Ronin," said Akio, extending a hand, "I will help you with your bath and then I can show you around the gardens, if you like."
"That sounds great," said Ronin, standing, "But...um, what about...him?"
"Not to worry," said Torio, "Lord Tsuyoshi was...less than pleased at having certain guests within the manor and has elected to stay at the sixth division, for the time being. I do not think you will run into him."
"That is a relief," sighed Ronin, accepting Akio's hand and standing, "Very well, then, lead on."
They watched the two boys leave, then Torio turned back to Byakuya.
"We are ready whenever you are, Master Byakuya."
"Ah..." replied the noble, glancing at Renji, "I think that Captain Abarai and I would like some more time to finish our meal and to talk. I will summon you when we are ready."
"Yes, sir," said Torio, turning with Koji and exiting the room, closing the doors behind them.
Byakuya lifted the tray off his lap and set it on the nightstand. Renji smiled.
"I thought you were still hungry."
"I am," Byakuya said, looking into his eyes, "Waking to find myself back here, in this place...makes me ache for everything that I lost...most especially...you, Renji."
"Oh no," laughed Renji, "You just woke up after having the snot beaten out of you, There's no way I'm going to..."
He went quiet as Byakuya turned in his arms and fastened his mouth on Renji's, stopping his words with a pleasantly insistent tongue that invaded his mouth and curled provocatively around his.
Gods!
I can face down a ban kai almost bare-handed, but this guy's kiss makes me weak...
Renji's arms wrapped around Byakuya, caressing his back and letting his fingers run through the silken lengths of his hair, while the noble's fingers traced the bold markings on the redhead's muscular shoulder and breast. He released the ties on their yukatas, allowing them to open, then laid his bare body against Renji's savoring the redhead's warmth and smiling as the two continued to kiss and explore each other.
"This is all of the restoration I need," whispered Byakuya, sucking a soft earlobe into his mouth, "Even if I never spent another day in my own home, if I never wielded another ounce of power, I could live for your kiss alone, Renji..."
"I feel the same about you, Bya," Renji whispered back, "I'm so sorry we ever had to be apart. And I'm not leaving you ever again!"
"I will not leave you either," Byakuya promised, attacking the redhead's mouth, face and throat with kisses.
He lifted his body and brought it down slowly, taking the redhead inside him in short, careful thrusts, until he was fully entrenched. He paused with his flushed face close to Renji's and kissed the redhead's lips tenderly.
"This should be our wedding night," he whispered, "though I need no blessing or piece of paper to say that I belong to you. We opened our hearts to each other long ago, when we made Ronin together. And when I have been restored, we will enjoy the full beauty of that connection."
"Well," Renji chuckled, "I hope that doesn't mean you won't marry me now, because the elders have given their blessing to our marriage, and they are coming tomorrow to make it real."
Byakuya paused, staring.
"They...are coming here? To marry us? They said that?" he asked, his eyes misting sweetly.
"Yeah," Renji said, nodding and curling a rough hand around his face, "That's okay, isn't it? I thought that maybe you might prefer to be married here...like we planned before. I remember that you told me you had wanted to be married in the gardens here, where your parents and grandparents were."
"You remembered that?" Byakuya asked, his eyes closing for a moment.
"I remember everything you said to me," Renji said, kissing him, "That's all I had to live on when I thought you were gone."
"Those days are over," Byakuya whispered, moving his hips and catching his breath as Renji penetrated him deeply, "No one is ever going to take us away from each other again. I love you...I love you, Renji. I love you!"
"I love you too!" Renji moaned, pushing his hips upward as the noble sank down in him, "I love you, Byakuya!"
Their words gave way into harder, more urgent kisses, heavy thrusts and moans of intense delight. Byakuya lifted his body away and straightened atop the redhead, intensifying the motion of his hips. The noble's hands pressed against his red-haired lover's chest, enjoying the hard pounding of Renji's heart as their bodies thrust against each other, gradually bringing both tantalizingly close to the edges of bliss.
In a sudden, dizzyingly fast turnabout, Renji surged up against him, toppling the noble and bringing him down onto his stomach and entering him from behind. Byakuya hands clawed at the bedding, deep, lovely moans escaping his lips as Renji's thrusting hips crashed against him and left him seeing stars. Pleasure erupted through their bodies, raising their hungry moans into hard, beautiful cries of completion. Renji's heat exploded into the noble's shaking body, filling him with heartbreaking warmth and bringing tears to his eyes as he collapsed beneath Renji, his own release spilling out beneath their heaving bodies.
Renji chuckled softly, a warm, comfortable rumble against the exhausted noble's bare back. He parted the silken strands along the back of Byakuya's neck and placed slow kisses on the noble's sweat misted skin.
"I wasn't going to let you talk me into this, you know," the redhead said, shaking his head, "But I have no resistance when it comes to you."
Byakuya smiled, enjoying the warm weight of the redhead's chest along his back.
"And even before I was made powerless," he whispered back, "You left me defenseless..."
"I guess we're even then," sighed the redhead, sliding off the noble's back and pulling him into his arms.
Byakuya rested his head against Renji's shoulder and closed his eyes.
"I think we are."