Chapter 23
"AWWWWWWWWWA!!" Two figures tumbled to the floor in a crumpled heap, the larger of the two breaking the other's fall while the other was desperately trying to scramble up but only ended up more tangled due to the fact that he was struggling with sheets at the same time.
Minutes of kicking, a few curses, yelling ow when a soft spot was hit, the two detangled, the sheet falling like a feathery curtain on top of them. Grey met brown and they stared at each other, both incased in an abnormally large sheet of cloth. Silence reigned in the room until a soft chuckled broke through the veil. Grey widened as they curled in slightly on themselves, mouth slightly parted wondering what to do. All he could do was stare as the brown eyes in front of him closed and the other figure doubled over full of laughter, causing the sheet to cave in on them both and flailing arms were seen the room as they tried to detangle themselves once
more. One unruly red head popped out, gasping for breath but still laughing as he watched in amusement while pale arms were still flailing beneath the white sheets.
"Taicho is being bested by a piece of cloth." Renji laughed, reaching down and gripping the slender arms, pulling them up and out as a sloppy brunette emerged.
"Ah!" Byakuya gasped when he realized that the white that had consumed him was now under him and he was being pulled into the warmth. Looking up, he met the brown eyes again, watching in rapture at how they were lighting up while the other was laughing.
"Ne Taicho, if next time you're pissed at me and I have to run, should I just throw a sheet on top of you?" Renji was snickering, his red locks shaking with the tremors running through his body, muscles rippling on the exposed portion of his chest from the open hamaka. Byakuya could only blink as he sat on his knees above the white sheet, arms still in the firm grip of his rescuer.
"Because apparently, the sheet has accomplished what I could never do against you."
Byakuya blinked and cocked his head to the side. What was this man talking about?
"Hey, what's that look for?"
"Eh?!" Pale arms wrenched themselves from the hands' grip as slender fingers reached for the noble face and began to feel around. Renji only laughed harder. An elegant eyebrow began twitching.
"Abarai," a hoarse voice croaked. The laughing froze as brown met the grey in an icy glare. The red head leaned forward to the point in which their faces were almost nose to nose. The smaller Adam's apple dropped in a gulp as the tattooed eyebrows narrowed and scrunched. All of a sudden, all he could see was white.
"SHEET ATTACK!!" Renji pulled the white cloth from the ground and wrapped it over their heads.
"ABARAI!!" The two bodies thumped to the floor and once more, flailing limbs were seen. One porcelain leg here, one tan arm there. The end result was Renji on the floor was Byakuya collapsed on top, both chests heaving with Renji choking out the remainder of his laugher. Grey eyes raised themselves and stared at the man beneath him, red hair spread out beneath in a fiery halo. Slowly, he raised himself on his elbows and raised his head to be over the red head's. He saw the brown eyes widen as a gasp flew from parted lips. The tattoos were rising with every second.
"Tai…cho?" Renji breathed. Byakuya could only stare in rapture as he leaned down. They were now forehead to forehead, his black hair falling around them in a shadowy curtain.
"I—…"
"OI RENJI!!" The sheet was pulled from them, throwing them back into the bright light causing Byakuya to yelp and roll off onto the floor and for Renji to jerk into a sitting position. Ichigo stood over them with a look that was "I am so totally clueless to the moment I just interrupted."
"I was looking for you and they told me that you should be in here." Ichigo blinked before asking, "Um, why are you two on the floor?"
"YOU ARE A DUMBASS!!" Renji punched the orange head in the nose, knocking the boy off his feet and into the wall. The other responded by shooting up and drawing his zanpakuto and the fierce glaring contest began, forehead grinding included.
Grey eyes watched in silence, blinking and watching as blow were beginning to be exchanged. Their gaze was focused on the orange head in particular.
"I…chi…go." The two fighting froze; turning and staring at Byakuya, who was still sitting on the floor halfway under the sheet.
"Yeah, that's me." Ichigo blinked and walked closer. "Glad to see you're back." The last statement was said with a sneer and the sarcasm could hardly be kept out of it. The statement caused Byakuya to cringe as if slapped.
"Oi Ichigo," Renji made a step forward but Ichigo merely snapped back at the redhead.
"I was there to save him too Renji," Ichigo turned a full glare onto the shaking figure on the floor. "I cannot forgive him so easily, not after what he put you, me, and everyone through. ESPECIALLY," Ichigo snarled. "RUKIA."
"Ru…kia," Byakuya stammered.
"Ichigo, that's enough."
"HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT?! AFTER EVERYTHING YOU CAN JUST THROW EVERYTHING AWAY FORGIVE HIM!"
"Ichigo," Renji drew back.
"YOU KNOW WHAT RUKIA WAS LIKE!! YOU KNOW HOW LONG IT TOOK HER TO JUST GET ABOUT AND MOVE AGAIN!! YOU KNOW HOW MUCH SHE CRIED BECAUSE OF HIM!!"
"I know," Renji's eyes were hidden underneath his red hair as he remembered the anguish in the blue eyes that he used to love.
"THEN HOW CAN YOU JUST TURN AROUND AND FORGIVE HIM?" Ichigo pointed Zangetsu at the trembling figure causing Renji to flinch and reach out, only to hesitate and pull back.
"Because, I know him and I know that there has to be a reason. There is always a reason."
Grey eyes stared into at sword point, then to the red head standing back.
"N…no," Byakuya murmured. The grey orbs widened as they stared into the orange head's brown ones, now full of anger and confusion.
"You don't need to know because soon you'll be…" a vibrating laughter echoed through his mind. His head had blossomed in pain and blood was pouring onto the ground.
"Soon, you'll be DEAD!!"
He screamed.
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A wave of reiatsu slammed into Ichigo and Renji, knocking both of them off their feet and into the wall. The sheet flew across the room and plastered itself against the bed post while the figure in the middle screamed bloody murder.
"TAICHO!!" Renji cursed out only to draw back with a yelp when his hand came back with blood streaming from multiple cuts. A pink mass had surrounded the kneeling figure, swirling menacingly, daring anyone to try and come close.
"Senbonzakura." The two of them breathed, staring at the sight in awe before blinking to their senses.
"We need to get him to calm down."
"How do you plan on doing that when we can't even get near him?" Ichigo snorted.
"WELL I'M NOT GOING TO JUST LEAVE HIM ANYMORE!!" Brown eyes gleamed before the white haori was cast off and the red haired figure dove into swirling pink masses.
"RENJI!!!" Blood rained down, splattering everything in sight with it's sticky red texture.
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It was wet. There was something horrifyingly sticky and wet. It was red. Why was the red running down his arms, running down his face, into his lips. A curious tongue darted out to taste it. It was bitter. Someone was talking above him but he couldn't hear them. The voice was too low. Too low to hear, too low to comprehend, too low to even belong to someone alive. The outside voice was louder, yelling, screaming from the sounds of it. But it was the voice inside of him, calling him away again, calling him away to relive his silent screams of horror.
"You'll be dead soon." The white shadow leered, laughter reverberating across the entire room, causing him to bring his wet hands and clamp down onto his ears. He didn't want to hear that. He didn't want to listen to that voice. That voice was cruel like all the other. That voice never did anything to save him. A second voice was combating inside him now. One of a man, a elegant man in an old samurai like outfit with a mask. This voice was comforting, soothing him, telling him that he was sorry he had left and that he was back now.
"All you have to do is call my name again."
But his name was not the one he wished to call. There was the other, the red, the red that had saved him, that had given him warmth. It was the red who had laid his head down by him, sleeping with him as he tore his way in and out of nightmares. It had been the red who offered him the hand to get away from the cruel realties of the dungeons. Where was that red now.
"Open your eyes." The snake hissed to him. No. No, he would not open his eyes.
"Open you're eyes and LOOK AT ME NOW!!" The baritone, cold voice barked at him in an order and he yelped, shooting his head up, wet hair splattering the red into the air as wide eyes blinked away the sticky substance holding them together. A dark shadow was consuming him.
"You are not to a sound," laughing echoed through his mind. No sound no sound, please lips, don't betray me and make a sound. But the darkness passed him as red strands floated into his vision and a heavy head dropped onto his shoulder.
Shredded arms wrapped themselves loosely around his waist as a soft breath whispered in his ear.
"You're…back." Brown connected with grey as more red slid down the soft, long strands. Grey eyes blinked as the figure smiled softly before collapsing in a heap next to him, the wetness staining the ground in a massive pool.
"Ah…" NO!! No sound. Don't make a sound. Grey eyes were trembling at the sight as a pale hand reached to touch the black clothed man. The slender fingers ran their way through the silken strands now sticky and clumped.
"Ah…" There was yelling in the background a orange headed figure tried to claw through the pink barrier to them. The pink barrier. The barrier, who was the barrier.
"You need only to call my name again."
"Ah…" Grey eyes shook frantically as the hands began to push and shove at the figure on the ground. Wake up, wake up, please wake up. There was no movement. No. No. No. No. NO. NO!!!
"Don't make a sound." NO!!
"RENJIIIIIIIII!!"