Chapter 17: Restraint
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The sin is painted on your skin in full, vibrant color. I cannot erase it, nor wash it off, nor cut it away. And now, when I look at you, all I see is that stain…poisoning your flesh, invading my mind and leaving me mad with wanting to see it gone from you…
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"You look so much better," Tohma said, smiling and leaning forward to kiss Byakuya as he fed the noble bites of ripe strawberries, then gently licked the juice from his lips, "Watashi no koi, you taste heavenly…and I cannot wait for you to come home today. I know Unohana taichou is going to have to allow you to leave now that you are eating well and sleeping more comfortably."
"I will be glad to leave this place," Byakuya said, looking around, "I long to walk in the fresh air…to walk along the edge of the lake with bare feet…to watch the trees sway and the sakura blossoms flutter on the breeze."
"Then we shall do all of those things," the prince promised.
He took Byakuya's hands in his and kissed his fingers.
"Things will be much better now," he promised, "Now that we have likely conceived our child, there will be nothing to disrupt the peace and beauty of our lives. Byakuya…as soon as you are pregnant, I am going to have you recommended for service in the king's hogosha. It is the elite protection unit that guards him personally. You are more than qualified. I know they will accept you…and then we can move to the spirit dimension and have our child there before you assume your post."
But…Tohma," Byakuya said, blinking, "I am a taichou here. I am a clan leader. I had thought to…"
Tohma leaned close again and pressed his lips to the noble's ear.
"You will retain your clan leadership…and the post with the king's hogosha is far more prestigious than a taichou's position here. You need to get away from this place. I think there are too many memories that might hold you away from happiness."
Byakuya saw the look of warning in the prince's eyes and fell silent, simply nodding in assent as Tohma continued talking.
"I know you love long walks in the moonlight…and we'll walk every night in the King's Garden. You cannot get closer to the moon than that. Also, there is a set of lovely waterfalls, and the tree spirits gather there for a festival in the spring. They get drunk on sweet nectar from the flowers and engage in a very hypnotic mating ritual you would not believe. And there are many balls and parties at court. I imagine we will be busy nearly all of the daylight hours…and we will make love every night, ne? It will be beautiful, Byakuya. I promise you. We can forget all of the unpleasantness that happened here…"
"It does sound as though there is much to look forward to," Byakuya said softly as Tohma fed him another strawberry.
They looked up as Unohana taichou entered the room, smiling and carrying Byakuya's medical chart in her hands. She paused and glanced down at the chart before speaking to the couple.
"Well, Unohana taichou," said Tohma, "please do not keep us in suspense. Byakuya and I are anxious to know when we will be reunited at home. We have put a great deal of effort into his recovery…and he seems to be so much better now!"
The healer nodded.
Kuchiki taichou has certainly made good progress over the past several days. He has regained some weight and seems to be eating and sleeping more normally. The counseling sessions he attended this week have been helpful, I think…as has your commitment to following my recommendations."
"So…I am to be…released?" asked Byakuya.
"Yes," said the healer, "But it is with the understanding that you will continue the prescribed treatment at home."
"Wait," said Tohma, "This does not mean that we still cannot…"
"Sexual activity may be resumed, but reintroduced slowly and moderated. Just because he has made progress and is going home does not mean that he is fully healed. And for the present, I would like Kuchiki taichou to return weekly for checkups and counseling…just to be certain that his progress continues."
"Well," said Tohma, "I will put you in contact with the palace healers to make plans for those things as Byakuya and I will be returning there to live."
"I see," said Unohana, "Is this a recent decision?"
"Yes," said the prince, "I realized that there are pressures living here that we didn't expect to encounter…and in the spirit dimension, we will be away from those things. In addition, I have recommended Byakuya for advancement to the King's Elite Guard…The Hogosha. So as soon as I receive confirmation from my father, he will be moving up in rank."
"My," said the healer, looking calmly at Byakuya, "I imagine that congratulations are in order."
She paused for a moment, studying the chart in front of her, then looked up again.
"Prince Tohma," she said, turning, "If you will accompany me to the discharge clerk, I will give you the home care instructions for Kuchiki taichou."
Tohma nodded, then turned and kissed Byakuya.
"I will be back momentarily, my love," he said, smiling, "and then we will be out of this place."
"Arigato, Tohma," Byakuya said, his eyes following the prince as he left the room.
He sighed softly as the door closed and looked down at the remaining food on his plate, then set it aside. A moment later, the door opened and Renji stepped into the room. Byakuya gave him a silent look of welcome as he sat down in the chair Tohma had vacated.
"So, I hear they're letting you go," he said quietly.
Byakuya nodded.
"It seems that the treatment here has caused me to improve enough to complete my healing at home. Tohma is handling the discharge papers."
"I know," said Renji, looking back at the door, "and the clerk is going to keep him busy so I can talk to you before you go. I uh…I thought that I…owed you an apology for…what happened that night."
Byakuya looked down at his hands.
"You haven't been back since," he said softly, "I worried I had upset you somehow."
"No," said Renji, shaking his head firmly, "I just felt bad about…about what I did. It was wrong of me…considering. And I…I will be sure to avoid doing such a thing again when you return to work. I just wanted to make sure that…"
"Renji, please stop," Byakuya said, looking up at him, "We both gave in to our feelings that night. I don't want you to feel bad about that. I wanted you too…and I…I am…glad that we had that time together. It will be a comfort to me…"
Renji's smile faded.
"Taichou…Taichou, you're talking like you're going away or something. I mean, Tohma likes to keep you to himself, but…"
"We're moving to the spirit dimension."
Renji fell silent, staring.
"He feels that there are too many dark memories here and that the change of scenery will be good for my recovery."
"But…but I thought that the king wanted you here because you were to retain your title of clan leader…your taichou's position…"
Byakuya gave him a sad smile.
"Tohma has recommended me for advancement into the King's Elite Guard, The Hogosha. As soon as the promotion is finalized, we will return to the spirit dimension to stay."
Renji's face paled and he was quiet for several long minutes, then he looked up at Byakuya and nodded.
"It is well deserved, Taichou," he said quietly, "even though we both know that is not why he recommended you. But…I want you to be happy."
He stood and gazed at Byakuya sadly.
"I know better than to hope to see you at the division," he said softly, "So…I'll say my goodbyes now."
"Renji," Byakuya said, meeting the sad, brown eyes bracingly, "Arigato. Just so you are aware, I will tell you that you have been my closest friend here…and I will think of you often. I am sorry that things…did not work out between us. I am especially sorry that I was not able to bear our child successfully…"
"Taichou…stop," Renji said quickly, "That wasn't your fault. You know that."
They broke off as the door opened and Yoruichi stepped into the room.
"Renji-san," she said quietly, "we must go. Tohma will return momentarily.
Renji nodded as the woman turned to Byakuya.
"Greetings, Byakuya. It's been a while."
"Hai," Byakuya answered, glancing up at her, "You look well, Senpai."
"You look like hell," the purple-haired woman said matter-of-factly, "but I'd heard you were worse before, so I'm glad you've improved."
"Yoruichi-san," said Renji, "Taichou just told me that Tohma has recommended him to join the King's Elite Guard."
"The Hogosha?" asked Yoruichi, raising an eyebrow, "That's very impressive. And certainly, I can see why they would want you to join them, but…does that mean that…"
"Tohma and I will be moving back to the spirit dimension upon my confirmation," Byakuya affirmed.
Worried registered on her face, but then disappeared quickly.
"Well," she said, leaning forward and kissing the noble's cheek, "All of the best to you, then. Be sure to give my regards to your grandfather."
She bit her lip and her eyes darkened slightly as Byakuya gave her an affectionate look and nodded.
"Be well, Senpai."
Yoruichi nodded, then turned to Renji.
"Hurry up and say your goodbyes. I will hold the prince back for as long as I can."
"Thanks," Renji said, turning back to the noble.
The two looked at each other quietly for a moment.
"I didn't know you and Yoruichi had gotten so close," he commented.
"Oh…well. After we lost…well…after…she was really good to me. And she and Kisuke have been investigating the prince's activities. You should know…that they think that the prince might have had something to do with the explosion at the palace that night. They haven't got anything definite…but…"
"What makes them think he was involved?" asked Byakuya, giving Renji a curious glance.
"Well…because Torio was tied up in his room…and Kisuke found signs that someone had induced your sleep. That's why you were so groggy when you arrived in Karakura Town. He obviously was up to something…and they don't think it was coincidental that the explosion happened that night. But the prince is good at hiding things…"
He trailed off, looking sadly at Byakuya. That's why we're in the situation we're in, Taichou."
"No," said Byakuya, "That is why I am in the situation I am in. This will cease to be your problem upon my leaving."
Renji stepped forward and placed his hands on the noble's shoulders, looking into his eyes.
"You're wrong, Taichou," he said firmly, "Your well-being will always be my problem. I don't care where he takes you. He can't take you far enough to escape me. You and I have a lot of friends helping us. We're going to come through this okay. Just…the one thing I will ask is that you try to put off that move to the spirit dimension for as long as possible. We are really trying to help you…but it's taking time. Kisuke and Yoruichi are investigating the prince. Ichigo and Rukia are setting up the manor for your return. And I am here for you. No matter how many walls and barriers that guy puts up, I will find a way to reach you, Taichou. It's going to be okay."
Byakuya gave him a small smile and nodded.
"I know it will be," he said, slipping a hand into Renji's, "I trust all of you. I am sorry that my situation prohibits me from doing much in the way of my own defense…but things are…complicated when dealing with royalty…"
"Well, Prince Byakuya," said Renji, smiling warmly, "I can handle complication…because I know what's on the other end of this. I really believe we'll get through this. We'll get you away from him. And you and I can build our own little kingdom, ne?"
Byakuya breathed in deeply and closed his eyes.
"Arigato, once again, Renji," he said softly, "You make me feel hopeful…"
"And you make me feel alive," Renji answered, leaning forward to kiss him.
He realized as their lips touched, that the door had opened and hastily shifted his body to block the prince's view.
"Abarai-san," Tohma said in a low voice, "What are you doing?"
Renji turned and looked into the prince's dangerously glittering eyes.
"I was saying goodbye," he said simply, "I understand the two of you will be moving to the spirit dimension…and I figured I wouldn't be likely to see Taichou again before you left."
"You figured correctly," the prince said coldly, "Byakuya and I will be much too concerned with preparing for our move for him to return to the sixth division."
"But you will attend my taichou's exam, won't you?" Renji asked Byakuya.
"Please stop annoying my spouse," said Tohma, a bit too patiently, "We need to be on our way. Come, Byakuya."
Renji stood quietly, his eyes flaring hatefully as Byakuya took Tohma's hand and climbed out of bed. The prince set a warm cloak around his shoulders, then cast Renji a withering glance as they left the room.
"Stay strong, Taichou," Renji whispered, "We'll get you away from him…"
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Torio walked along the riverbank, carrying his happily gurgling charge in a front pack, He sat down beneath a tree to rest and held Koichi in his lap. The infant cooed and reached up to touch the youth's face.
"So then…" Torio said softly, "You want a story, little prince? Then you shall have one."
He looked out over the river, his eyes softening.
"Once upon a time, there was a beautiful, strong man named Byakuya. He lived in a huge manor with the most lovely gardens in the three worlds and many, many sakura trees. There was one in particular that he loved to sit beneath…to watch the moon on warm spring nights. And as he watched the moon pass over him time and again, he found himself wishing for something. He already had all that money could buy…and he had power, being a taichou in the Gotei 13. But Byakuya-sama was lonely. And more than anything else in the world, he wanted to find love. He had been married once, but his wife had died and he had no children. And so…as he sat under the sakura tree, he wished for love to find him. And one day, it did. It wasn't in anyplace he ever expected, nor with a person he would have expected to find it with…but he found love with his very handsome and devoted fukutaichou, Abarai Renji. Realizing that what was between them was love, he invited his fukutaichou to his home…and as they stood beneath the sakura tree, he confessed his love to his fukutaichou…and happily for both, Abarai-san returned the feeling. But even as they exchanged love's first kiss, the sky darkened…and word came from their powerful king that Byakuya-sama had been chosen to wed the king's son. Byakuya-sama knew that to defy the royal order would only get both of them killed, so he said a tearful goodbye to his love and traveled to the king's palace, where he married the prince and returned to the Seireitei with his new husband…and the title of Prince Byakuya. On the surface, Prince Byakuya seemed happy, but his husband was a wicked man, who hurt Byakuya-sama when he got angry…and even hurt the servants who had been with his family for many years. Byakuya-sama knew not to hurt the prince back, but he refused to let him hurt his faithful servants…and in protecting them, he was hurt worse. It came to be that Prince Byakuya was with child…and unknown to any, the child was not the prince's but Abarai Renji's. Knowing the prince would be angry, Prince Byakuya sought to reach his friends in the living world so that they would care for his servant. Unfortunately, on the way, he and his servant were attacked and they would have been killed except for the arrival of Abarai-san. He slayed the hollows with his zanpakutou and got everyone to safety. And he was with Prince Byakuya when their child was born. The two lovers knew that it would not be safe for Prince Byakuya to return, so they hid the baby prince and left his servant to tend the child…all the while planning for Prince Byakuya to escape his awful husband and…"
Torio trailed off and looked down into Koichi's wide, beautiful eyes, feeling tears building in his own. He thought carefully for a moment.
"I am sorry, Koichi-sama," he said softly, "I don't know how the story ends. I imagine that we must wait and see. But I think things will be all right. Abarai-san is a good friend to Prince Byakuya. Prince Tohma is a monster…and if this was a fairy tale, then Abarai-san would fight him and kill him, then bring all of us home again."
He sighed softly.
"However, this is real life…and is much more like a nightmare. I miss being with Byakuya-sama. I worry for him."
He looked out over the water again and stiffened his lower lip stubbornly.
"We will just have to be strong and remain hopeful, Koichi-sama. Sometimes, that is all we can do."