Chapter 21

Note: SO sorry everyone! I know it's been a few months since I updated. I was hired as a professional writer and had deadlines to meet. It wasn't something I applied for, it was something that fell into my lap. One of my friends called me to ask for my help by writing articles for her company. So, I wrote about the trucking industry. Surprisingly, I enjoyed it. Between the writing and the court reporters it got CRAZY! I was only eating, working, and sleeping a few hours. I ended up quitting the writing job because it interfered with my proofreading business. I REALLY missed Dragonborn and my Tumblr account where I write Bleach fanfic. I will never give up on this fanfic. I have story arcs planned for this story so it's really just getting started. There is so much more to come! I truly hope you can all be patient while I catch up. I promise, I have not forgotten about all of you that enjoy this story. You will get some yummy, heart-melting, smutty goodness soon! If you haven't checked out my Tumblr, you may want to – I recently wrote a scenario that is actually a sex scene from Dragonborn. I adapted it to a reader insert, but you'll see it later in this story. So, if you need something to keep you going until things heat up here, then it's worth a visit. I've also created two other works "Bleach Your Headcannons" and "Bleach Your Fantasies" where all the Tumblr content is archived by character. Thanks for continuing to read my story! Love & hugs to you all!

On their way to the great hall, Byakuya pulled Myssa into an alcove. "Byakuya? What – " His lips silenced her. He kissed her deeply, his hands pulling her hips to his. She wrapped her arms around him, wanting him as close as possible. The passion in his kiss was so filled with need it nearly made her cry. He's so starved for affection. The thought skipped through her mind. She became very aware of every touch – his and hers. All she wanted in that moment was to have his skin against hers. His lips moved down to her neck and she sighed, a contented sound. Her lips were close to his ear, "We could wait until breakfast to tell everyone. We could take this to my bedroom."

He lifted his head, looked down at her, "As tempting as that is, we cannot." He couldn't resist her mouth and had to kiss her again before continuing. "Alone with you in any room with a bed would be more than I could bear." Kiss. "The law says we must wait until our wedding night," kiss, "so we must wait." He deepened the kiss again, his hunger completely at odds with his statement. She felt too good in his arms, he couldn't get enough of her. Pushing the limit of his control, he indulged in letting his hands wander to the curve of her butt. When she moaned in his mouth, he had to pull back and calm down. That one sound of raw need from her had nearly snapped the last thread of his control.

Myssa's hazy eyes looked up at him, "Your mouth says 'no' but your body says 'yes'."

He tucked her hand on his arm and pulled her toward the great hall entrance., "Which is why we are going to surround ourselves with lots of people."

She snickered, "Is that your way of saying we need chaperones?"

He gave her a side look, "More like safety in numbers."

In the great hall, music was playing and people were dancing. When Byakuya and Myssa entered the music abruptly stopped, the dancers parted, and all eyes went to the couple as they made their way to dais. Xanthan and Abigail stood up from their thrones. Abby was wearing a look of anticipation while Xanthan looked completely regal. "Well, what have you got to say, Byakuya Kuchiki?"

"Sire, I have asked Princess Myssa to be my wife." Part of him wanted to break out into a huge grin, but his noble training kept his face placid.

Xanthan looked at Myssa, "And what was your answer, daughter?"

She smiled brightly, "I said 'yes'!"

The hall erupted in applause, hoots, whistles, and calls for blessings on the couple.

Abby was all over them, hugging and kissing them each in turn. Byakuya looked so stricken when Abby's light kiss landed right on his lips Myssa thought for sure he was going to recoil. He looked wary as Xanthan embraced him and patted his back. Probably thought he was about to get smooched by a king in public! She thought.

What followed was the two of them being passed from person to person starting with Myssa's brothers, Rukia, and Renji, and then ending with Xanthan calling for silence. His voice rang in the quiet, "We are all very happy for this union! The engagement celebration begins now!" He paused as a cheer ran through the crowd. "As is tradition, any suitor seeking the hand of a daughter must submit to challenges set forth by her family to prove himself worthy of her. Tomorrow, Byakuya Kuchiki, you will cross swords with Rygar. You will go against Auron in an archery competition. And, you will face Maycen and Jaycen in hand-to-hand combat. Best her brothers and they will grant you their blessings. Lose and you will never live it down, they'll make sure of it." Everyone laughed. He waited for it to go silent again. He fixed Byakuya with emotional eyes, "As for my challenge, I will not set one." There were gasps. "You have proven yourself far beyond any betrothal challenge, not only in your strength and skill, but in the depth of your love for my Aleris." He looked over at Abby, "However, now you will face your first challenge." Looked back at Byakuya, "The lovely queen will be the one to test you both."

Abby stepped forward with a vial of ornate, red glass. "Byakuya, Myssa, you will be given the test of love's essence."

A collective gasp went through the hall and Byakuya felt Myssa squeeze his hand. He felt her move closer to him, tucking herself to his side.

"I will place a drop of this elixir on your tongues." Abby continued. "When you kiss and your tongues meet, you will have a burst of favor flood your taste buds. If the taste is unpleasant it means that you are not compatible in love and should consider going your separate ways."

Byakuya squeezed Myssa's hand. No way in Hell am I ever letting her go! Elixir be damned! He wasn't about to let Abby's alchemical concoction separate him from Myssa.

"If the taste is pleasant then you are compatible in love." Abby finished. She stepped forward as Byakuya and Myssa turned to face each other. "There will be no taste until you kiss." She placed a drop on Byakuya's tongue, then on Myssa's before stepping back.

Byakuya wasted no time, his hand tilted Myssa's face to his. His lips and tongue were possessive as he pulled her against him. The taste that exploded in their mouths had them both pulling at each other in an effort to get more. His mind was spinning. She tastes like fresh, ripe strawberries on a lazy summer afternoon.

Remembering where they were, he sealed the kiss and saw her looking at him a bit bemused. Abby leaned in, "I want each of you to whisper to me what you tasted." First Myssa, the Byakuya whispered in her ear. Abby's eyes flew wide and she stepped back. "You're – you're a destiny match." Those who heard gasped and whispers began to ripple through the hall. Abby's eyes brimmed with tears. "You both tasted the same thing." She threw a look at Xanthan. "There has only ever been one other destiny match that I have experienced and that was your father and I." She kissed each of them on the cheek. "I am overjoyed for both of you!"

Xanthan was beaming he was so happy, "Well, this truly is cause for celebration." Called out, "Bring more wine, start the music! We have a destiny match to celebrate!"

The hall erupted again with cheers then with music. People were happy and dancing.

Byakuya looked a bit confused. Myssa led him into a space among the dancers so they could dance. "Destiny match?" He quizzed as they began to dance. He smiled down at her, "We were destined to be together?"

She smiled back at him, "You say that like you don't believe in destiny."

"That is because I didn't." He leaned closer, "Until now."

They spent a long time dancing, the two of them in their own world of loving looks, touches, and words. When Myssa began to look a bit tired, Byakuya led her to a seat at the table where Rukia, Renji, Isane, and Hanataro were sharing laughs and drinks. They were greeted with hugs and congratulations before blending into the conversation. When Myssa learned that Hanataro didn't know how to dance, she pulled him out onto the dancefloor for lessons. She was determined that the sweet officer was never going to miss out on dancing with any pretty ladies just because he couldn't. It took her the better part of half an hour, but Hanataro caught on pretty quick once he learned how to lead.

Upon her return to the table, Myssa looked a bit pale and even leaned into Byakuya for support. He was instantly concerned, "Are you all right?"

She gave him a little smile and nodded, "I'll be fine. It takes longer for me to recover from poison than it does from physical damage. A good night's sleep and I will be back to normal."

He stood and pulled her to her feet, "Then it is time you were in bed."

They both bid everyone a good night before Byakuya led Myssa to her bedroom. "It's been such a wonderful night, I don't want it to end." She said as they stopped outside her door.

"Tomorrow will be even better."

She smiled, "Yes, I get to watch you spank Rygar in a sword fight."

He smiled at her, then kissed her goodnight. As the door closed between them, they both felt a sharp twinge of separation.

- The Next Morning -

The day dawned sunny and chilly. Byakuya was on his way to Myssa's room when he saw Xanthan leaving it. A moment later he knocked and Myssa opened the door. Seeing how her whole face lit up upon seeing him made Byakuya happier than he'd been in decades. She ushered him into the anteroom where a serving girl was arranging flowers on a table. The girl was quite young and kept darting glances at Byakuya, fidgeting so much she nearly knocked the flowers over. Myssa sent her down to the kitchen to have breakfast sent up for them.

Byakuya waited for the door to close before he spoke, "Why do I suddenly have such an effect on women?"

Myssa kissed his lips then smiled, "You have always had a powerful effect on women, you just haven't taken much notice until now."

An eyebrow raised ever so slightly, "Is that so?"

"False modesty does you no credit, Byakuya." Her eyes were teasing. "You are the object of desire for just about every woman in the Soul Society. Even your sister thinks you are the perfect man. You are the measuring stick by which women measure other men." She took a step closer. He was dressed in a black T-shirt and blue jeans, and she couldn't keep her hands off of him. She touched his face, "You are devastatingly handsome," her hands moved to his shoulders, "broad shoulders," across his chest, "chiseled chest and abs," stroked down his arms and pulled them around her waist, "strong arms…"

Anything else she was going to say was lost when he pressed her against him, kissed her deeply. After a few moments, he pulled back, "How are you feeling today? Have you completely recovered from the poison?"

"I woke up feeling wonderful." She smiled, "Although, until I opened the door to you I had the vague feeling that last night was all a dream."

His thumb traced over her lower lip, "It was. It was the best kind of dream – one that comes true." He smiled, "I'm looking forward to spending my life making all your dreams come true."

She grinned, "Even the naughty ones?"

He chuckled, "Especially the naughty ones." He leaned in to capture her lips again.

Their kiss was interrupted when two servants from the kitchen arrived with their breakfast. They settled at the table next to the window and enjoyed their meal. Afterwards, the servants cleared everything away. Myssa led Byakuya out onto the large balcony outside her bedroom. They sat down on a large outdoor couch.

"We need to talk about your birthright." She told him.

"Is something wrong?"

"Not at all. It's just – my father didn't explain everything to you like he should have." She shifted to sit so she could face him. "When Xanthan gave you your birthright, he made certain changes during the process. He crafted your birthright to resonate with mine – to allow us to link to each other through it."

He was putting the pieces together quickly, "When you healed me at Xander's fortress, I felt like I was being pulled to you."

"I felt it too. It was our birthrights striving to connect."

"What happens when they do?"

"We can combine our powers. Eventually, after some training, we can combine our zanpaktos' powers as well."

His eyes widened at bit. The possibility of them uniting their powers as one was mind-boggling. "You will have to achieve bankai."

She fidgeted a bit, "I know." Her eyes held his, "I think I may finally be ready." She took a deep breath, "I'm still scared, but it's time I started moving forward."

He reached over and laid his hand on hers, thumb rubbing across the top of her hand, "I will be with you every step of the way."

She gave him a smile, "That means everything to me." She paused slightly, "When we return to the Soul Society, Maycen and Jaycen will come with us. They have a similar linking ability and will train us."

Byakuya was about to ask a question, but a knock on the bedroom door drew their attention.

When Myssa opened the door, she and Byakuya were assailed with the sound of a crying child. Auron stood in the doorway holding his 5-year-old daughter. "Sorry to both you."

"It's no bother," Myssa said, reaching for the child, "What's wrong with my little Myssa-monster?" At the sound of her aunt's voice, the little girl immediately grabbed Myssa and wrapped her arms and legs around her. Burying her face in Myssa's neck, the little girl stopped crying and began hiccupping and sniffling. Myssa kissed her forehead while she rubbed her back as she spoke to her brother, "Auron, what happened?"

He shrugged, "I don't know. One minute she's playing with her brother, the next minutes she's crying and wailing for her Aunt Aleris."

"If you want, you can leave her with me today."

"Really?"

"Sure. We'll have fun watching Byakuya whip up on you, Rygar, and the twins."

Auron laughed, "He can take Rygar and the twins easy, but me – don't count your coin yet." He looked at Byakuya, gave a bit of a chin jut, "How are your archery skills, Byakuya?"

"I guess you will find out in a few hours." He replied.

Auron grinned, "Spoken like a man of confidence." He returned his attention to Myssa, "You're sure you want Aurora today?"

"Yes. Give Marcel to father and Abby, then you and Amelia can spend the day together with no kids to run you crazy."

Auron kissed her cheek, "Little sister, you are wonderful!" He kissed his daughter's cheek, "I love you, Aurora." She mumbled back what sounded like "Love you, Daddy." Then Auron was gone.

Myssa turned to Byakuya, but spoke to Aurora, "Aurora, this is Byakuya Kuchiki. He is the man I'm going to marry."

Aurora perked up, her green eyes brightening, "Does that mean he is my uncle?"

"He will be soon."

Aurora whispered loudly to Myssa, "He so – pretty!"

Myssa giggled, Byakuya chuckled. "Byakuya, this is Myssa Aurora Starjax."

Byakuya took her little hand, dropped a kiss on it, "Truly a pleasure to meet such a beautiful little princess." He was suddenly struck with a vision of a possible future for himself. The little Myssa was nearly an exact duplicate of his Myssa. In that moment he knew without a doubt that one day he would hold a child that was theirs.

Aurora tittered and smiled brightly at him, "Thank you! You are beautiful too!"

"All right, you little flirt," Myssa sat down and shifted Aurora to sit on her lap, "now, how about you tell me what made you cry."

She rubbed at her eyes, "Can I sit with Uncle Byakuya?"

"Not yet. Tell me what happened."

"Marcel said I couldn't play with him and his friends," her lower lip quivered, "because I'm a girl. He hates me!" She started crying again.

Myssa picked her up and carried her to the bathroom. Byakuya followed, curious to see how she handled the situation. She sat Aurora on the large vanity, ran cold water over a wash rag, then began to dab at Aurora's face. "It's all right." She rubbed Aurora's neck and wrists with rag. "You have to calm down so we can talk about this."

Byakuya realized Myssa was cooling the girl's pressure points to calm her. It worked. Aurora's crying gave way to sniffling. Myssa washed Aurora's face then sat down on the vanity bench to face her. "Better?" Aurora nodded. "Good. Now, first of all, your brother does not hate you. He's a boy and need to do boys things with other boys."

"Like what?"

"Like catching frogs."

"Ew! Gross!"

"And seeing who can spit the farthest." Myssa wrinkled her nose. Byakuya had to hide a snicker.

"Ew! They really do that?"

"Yep, and they see who can burp the longest and the loudest."

"That's rude!"

Myssa made face, "They do it with farts too." Aurora giggled. "They like to climb trees and run around playing warriors. There's a whole bunch of stuff they like to do that most little girls don't like or think is gross." Reached over and tucked Aurora's hair behind her ear. "You have to understand that Marcel needs some time with his friends to do guy things. Just like you have girl time with your friends to play with dolls, or dress up, or have tea parties."

"Marcel doesn't play tea party right at all!" Aurora said, rolling her eyes. "I gave him the best cup and he didn't say 'thank you', or hold his pinkie right." She looked at Byakuya, "Uncle Byakuya, did you do boy things when you were little?"

"I sure did." He grinned, "I still do. But, I definitely say 'thank you' when a lady gives me tea, especially if it's her best cup."

"What's important to remember," Myssa said, "is that your brother loves you. He may not always know how to show it, but that doesn't mean it isn't there. Understand?" Aurora nodded, hugged her neck, then kissed her cheek. Myssa took her off the vanity and set her on her feet, "How about you and Tamor go to your room so you can pick out a token for Byakuya to carry in his challenges today?" Aurora nodded. She headed to her room with Tamor hovering at her side.

As he and Myssa walked back into the bedroom, Byakuya said, "Aurora looks like you."

"I know." She quirked a brow, "Like looking into the future, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is. Our children are going to be so beautiful." He cupped her cheek, "I had resigned myself to never having a child. In five years of marriage, Hisana never got pregnant. After she died I never thought I would ever fall in love again." His thumb stroked her cheek, "Then you came along." Shook his head, "I felt so guilty, like I was dishonoring Hisana's memory because," his eyes held hers, "you made me feel like I didn't know what love really was until you." He sat down on the foot her bed, guided her to sit down with him. "The night you went out with that brute, Zaraki, I overheard you and Rukia talking. What you said about there not being room in my heart for you because of Hisana…"

She put her fingers on his lips to stop him, "Forget that. I have spent the last three months believing I would never see you again. I had a lot of time to think about what I would do differently if given the chance to be in your life again."

He quirked a brow, "Was running away part of that?"

"I didn't run."

"You nearly did last night when you thought I had chosen Keiko."

"I had plans to run her off."

"Which tactic? The salt bandit, the farting herbs, feeding her to your dragon, or did you come up with something new?"

She visibly cringed, "You knew all that was me?"

He grinned, "I enjoyed every minute of it." His look shifted to one a bit sterner, "Although, I didn't enjoy watching you date all those men. I nearly attacked Lt. Hisagi when he kissed you. Seeing another man touch you stirred an anger in me I didn't think was possible."

"At first, I was trying to make you jealous. I needed to know if there was something between us worth fighting for. When it seemed you didn't care, I decided I needed to try to move on instead of doing what I should have done – tell you that I love you."

"Why didn't you?"

"I was afraid. It's a line you cross that has no way back. I wasn't willing to risk losing you completely." Her voice was soft, "It was better to have you as a friend than not at all." She lifted her eyes to his. "I'm sorry, Byakuya, I behaved like a brat."

"Hush." He pulled her closer, "You were hurt, angry, and completely misinformed by my aunt. All that matters now is that we are together." He kissed her – a kiss filled with passion, promise, and most of all, love.