Author's note
To all my faithful readers who have stuck to this story. I'm sorry for the long wait. I have had my first taste of college for the last month and well, things are getting pretty crazy. I wrote this a while ago actually but just have never gotten the chance to post it.
THANK YOU TO ALL MY REVIEWERS!
Inumaru Higurashi
Chapter 26
So much had happened to him in so little time. They had entered into his mind at full force when his energy had been sealed. But it was for his red head's protection. Where was Senbonzakura now? The last time he had seen his precious zanpakuto was when…a shudder ran through him at the thought. His sister was curled into his half healed ribs, sleeping from the exhaustion of the emotional catharsis. Renji was sleeping in the room across from his. He had yet to see the overgrown strawberry since he woke up with Renji mostly dead in his arms.
"Nm, get off the couch you stupid…nm mm." Rukia muttered, snuggling a little deeper into his loose embrace. Byakuya allowed himself a small smirk knowing exactly who she was talking about. He wasn't surprised at all to find out that she had married the overgrown fruit. No one was.
Looking away from her, he looked down onto his wrists. A small insignia of the fourth division centered itself on the inside of each one, reminding him that now he was powerless. Everything was sealed inside of him.
"I will make sure all of you, inside and out belong to me."
Grey eyes snapped themselves shut as he desperately forced that voice out of his mind.
"You think you can escape me?"
No, no he didn't think that.
"I wonder who else known just how to make you feel like this."
You had no right to make me feel this way.
"You are mine."
I am? Am I? Am I?
"Say it."
Someone was shaking him now, a gentle hand shaking him out of his thoughts. The voices faded back allowing grey eyes to open once more and take in the scene in front of him. His sister has not waken but soft stands of red were dangling in front of his face. Brown eyes gazed at him, tan skin contrasting greatly with the bright white bandages.
"Hey." The baritone voice murmured to him. A small gesture to Rukia and a soft smile followed as Byakuya allowed himself another small smirk, watching Renji gingerly pick his sister up and walk to the door frame, where a worried orange head gratefully accepted her into his open arms. He watched as the two exchanged a quiet laugh before the orange head left, precious bundle in hand. The red turn back to him, walking slowly, hiding the pain behind his bangs and tight grit of his teeth. He moved over, watching in annoyance when he saw the brown eyes widen in surprise. The red head gingerly sat himself down at the edge of the bed before lying down, hair spreading out like a fiery waterfall around him. He tangled his fingers in it, marveling at the surprising soft texture of the long locks. The body next to him was tense but as time went by, it gradually relaxed, until deep, even breaths came from the bandaged chest. The wild wolf had fallen asleep next to him. This was what he had given himself for. This was what now allowed him to cling to the little life he had. This was worth everything to him. Burrowing in the other's warmth, he allowed himself to drift into a blank slumber.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
"He's been located my lord." A soft, hoarse voice echoed through an empty hall. The only reply he received was a mass of bubbles rising from a glowing blue tank where a dark shadow floated. Quickly, the one who had spoken cowered beneath the tank's feet murmuring praise as the lips kissed the floor. Another mass of bubbles rose from the tank and the figure shot up and began to leave the room at once. Donning a black shinigami's robe, the figure in the room vanished, leaving only the eerie glow of the blue tank behind. A hoarse chuckle echoed through the room as a pair of brown eyes shut themselves off once more from the world.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
The definition of peaceful could be stated as a state of less chaos when it came to the Seireitei the next morning. Upon waking, all Renji wanted to do was fall back asleep. The wounds from Senbonzakura had always been slow to heal and every breath he took was a reminder that he was an idiot. Looking down, he saw his captain, curled gently on his side, sleeping with his pale, slender fingers entangled in the red strands of his hair. Well, at least he was a successful idiot.
Byakuya stirred slightly, shifting hesitantly towards the warmth radiating next to him. Renji blinked before gingerly placing a hand onto his ex captains shoulder, pulling the smaller man into his broad chest. Byakuya's sigh of content and continued sleep was all that was needed to convince Renji that for once, he was not just being a lazy idiot for choosing to lay in bed instead of getting to work.
"He is to be tried in three days."
All airs of superiority, or high class, of nobility were stripped from the man that he was holding. And after everything they've seen, everything he's gone though, they still want to put him on trial. The marks on the slender wrists making sure the energy was sealed away. They were submerging him, drowning him in an already consuming sense of helplessness. Did he really rescue him just to put him back in a cage? Renji felt his anger boil over. A whimper from beneath him drew him out of the rage fit quickly. Byakuya was trembled, twitching, panting in short gasps causing Renji's eyes to widen and quickly reign in his reiatsu.
"Hey, sorry about that Taicho. Didn't mean it, just had some thoughts that I wasn't supposed to be thinking." Renji whispered into the trembling captain's ear. He breathed a sigh of relief when the trembling ceased and the coiled body once more relaxed into a sleeping state. God, he was walking on egg shells and breaking about everyone of them. And speaking of breaking everyone of them, Renji was going to break the man who slammed the door and caused his head a world of pain.
"RENJI!" Ichigo slammed through the room, ripping the peace from the room and causing Byakuya to jump up, eyes widening, mouth open in a silent scream as he tumble off the bed and onto the floor. Of course, with his hands still tangled in Renji's hair, the red head's neck is snapped back, pain flaring through his skull as he feels his body tumbling with the disoriented Byakuya. Dual hollers are heard through the room as Renji lands, wounds first on Byakuya who had landed back first onto the floor.
"ICHIGO YOU IDIOIT! GIVE ME ONE GOOD REASON NOT TO SPEAR YOU THROUGH WITH ZANBIMARU!"
"OH YEAH! LIKE YOU CAN EVEN REACH ME BECAUSE I'LL KILL YOU RIGHT OFF WITH ZANGETSU!"
"YEAH RIGHT SUBSTITUTE! TRY AND TOP A CAPTAIN!"
"YEAH RIGHT BRAIN ON FIRE! TRY AND TOP A GENIUS!"
"GENIUS?"
"Chire…" a soft voice came from behind. Both froze as if they have been hit by lighting, turning to look at the slight figure glowering at them from behind. Silence echoed through the room, all three blinking at each other and neither of moving a muscle.
"I forgot they sealed me." Byakuya sighed and rose gingerly to sit on the table. The other two promptly collapsed in a heap of relief.
"I thought I was going to die in about three seconds." Ichigo chuckled nervously.
"If I had not been sealed I am positive you would be a writhing lump on the ground you pitiful excuse of an existence." Byakuya snorted.
"HEY! Just because you're my brother-in-law doesn't mean you have the right to an insult pass."
Byakuya flinched causing Renji to chortle with laughter. A death glare from grey eyes unfortunately just made him laugh harder. Without warning, a white clad, thin figure stormed over and promptly punched the red head on the nose and proceeded to stop his face into the floor. Ichigo shrunk back and escaped through the door.
Three more stomps and broad hand grabbed the offending ankle and halted the assault in its tracks.
"Hey," Renji smiled. "I've gotten a lot stronger since you last saw me Taicho."
Brown eyes full of hurt stared up at the him, blood raining between them, splattering onto the other's face. A mouth opened a yell.
"WHY DID YOU BETRAY ME?" A yellow beam shot down as he collapsed. Hell was only just beginning.
"Byakuya?" Byakuya blinked out of his recollections at the call. Looking down, he saw that his former fukutaicho was still holding his ankle, brown eyes filled with concern now rather than betrayal.
"I'm fine."
"I'm stronger now Taicho." Renji smirked. In one fluid motion, he drew the other underneath him, pinning him in a curtain of his long hair.
"I want to show you that." Grey locked with brown as Renji leaned in closer, their noses touching.
"Will you allow me to show you that?" Byakuya's entire face flushed and he gave a small nod and received a wolfish grin in return.
"Then UP we GO!" Byakuya gave a small eep as he was thrown into the other's arms and proceeded to be carried through the fourth division barracks bridal style.
"HEY UNOHANA-TAICHO!" Renji banged open the door to her office earning him a small warning smile but otherwise, it was Isane that nearly had a heart attack.
"What is it Abarai-taicho?"
"It is alright to take Kuchiki-taicho outside right?"
Byakuya looked at the terrifying woman that even he cowered beneath when he was here as her eyes bore into his.
"I believe so. Though, the only question is, are you able to hold your own outside Abarai?"
"Eh?" Looking down, he realized that there was blood on the new bandages.
"YOU IDIOT!" Byakuya yelled, promptly socking his old subordinate in the nose before dropping himself to the ground. "How can you show me if you're intestines are on the floor the whole time?"
"Well I thought that I WAS FINE! I DIDN'T FEEL A THING?"
"That's because half the time you are a complete NIT-WIT!"
"Well you're the EMOTIONLESS BASTARD!"
"DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT THAT WORD MEANS?"
"YEAH, IT MEANS KUCHIKI BYAKUYA!"
The two panted and glowered at the other. Brown ones were the first to blink.
"Come to think you…you never yelled like that before."
Byakuya blinked, face flushing when he realized that their whole ordeal had created a rather large audience.
"Shut up and let's go." Grabbing the red head's arm, he broke into a run. They had said he could go outside and for once, he was going to make it.
Do you think you can get out of our world Byakuya?
Yes, yes he did and he will make it. He will. The light was there, and he was running for it. The red head behind him was laughing, shunpoing and grabbing him up and racing for the light. He was going to make it.
In one blinding motion, the run rays basked their glory upon the two and Byakuya had to blink away the sparks in his eyes. Tapping Renji's arm to let him down, he stood, wobbly at first but steadily, walking to the trees. He couldn't stop it. He felt it rise in his chest and he laughed. Laughed like the small child he once was with his family, running through the grass, up to the trees, listening to the wind. Laughed like all the times he had hidden up there while avoided Ukitake's candy messages only to take on the man to steal them anyways. Laughing like all the time he and Yoruichi had raced through the branches, despite the fact of him having lost to her every time. He just laughed. He was outside. He was free.
"Hey." Renji came up behind him and places his arms tenderly around his waist. Byakuya let him, savoring the other's warmth as his face glowed in the afternoon sun.
"Hey back." Byakuya murmured softly. He had learned a few phrases in the human world before his…he shuddered slightly…departure. When he felt Renji hesitate, he looked back, meeting clouded brown.
"I have to tell you something." Grey widened in fear. Any minute now the sad eyes will transform into glinting, cold brown. Those kind lips will turn into a harsh sneer. Everything will disappear and he will be back in his cell, screaming behind the gag while others took every piece of him and left him with nothing. Renji's voice was yelling back to him but the entire world was hazy. Was everything truly going to be an illusion.
"Please…Please don't be."
"Don't be what? Don't be what?" Renji was shaking Byakuya who was petrified where he stood and shaking like a leaf.
"Please don't be an illusion." Tears began to fall again hitting Renji in the stomach like a ton of bricks. Of course he would think that.
"Taicho, Taicho…Byakuya, look at me."
Trembling grey eyes looked at him with innocence and pleading. Tell me that you're real they screamed. Tell me that for once I can be right and you are real. The pale hand gripped his tunic tighter and drew him close.
"I'm real. I'm here and I'm here to stay." Renji whispered into his hair repeatedly.
"I know." Byakuya whispered so softly that Renji blinked, thinking he heard wrong the first time.
"Hm?"
"I know."
"How?"
Byakuya looked up and gave Renji a smile that melted his heart right though the ground.
"Because you're warm."
Standing on slight tiptoes, the shorter man leaned in and landed a kiss on the shocked red head's lips.