Chapter 2: Drowse

If last night's bedroom 'sparring' was fun, Byakuya and I are really in our element now as we face each other at the top of Sokyoku Hill. Around us stands a throng of young soul reapers, many from the soul reaper academy, and some from the new recruits from all of the squads. It's a big deal for these kids to see high-level soul reapers spar…but to see hard hitters like Byakuya and me go all out? That's the deal of a lifetime for many of them.

Byakuya has placed a negative reiatsu cage around the top of the hill, while leaving protective space for a viewing gallery. Most of these kids have never seen a negative reiatsu cage at all, let alone one sporting a viewing gallery. I have to say that I'm pretty impressed…and I know what Byakuya's abilities are…

Major events like these are carefully monitored for safety, both for the combatants and for the viewers. The stealth force monitors reiatsu levels all around to make sure there are no weaknesses in the reiatsu cage. They don't figure it will be a problem with Byakuya having raised the cage, but they do a thorough job of it anyway. In addition, only combatants may carry weapons. Great care is taken to ensure there are no accidents.

Byakuya and I have chosen to spar full strength and without power reduction, meaning that if we really wanted to kill each other, we certainly could. Only soul reapers with high clearances like us can duel this way. It is a big responsibility. It takes serious control not to hit too hard in the heat of battle, but Byakuya and I do this all of the time. We are well accustomed to the demands of it.

I finish a short Q & A with some young soul reapers and then look over to where Byakuya stands, making one last check on the reiatsu cage. That done, he carefully opens the entrance. We step inside and he carefully seals us in.

Inside, there is peace and quiet. I can almost forget the throng outside watching us. Byakuya made it that way to ensure our maximum concentration on the battle at hand. For all intents and purposes, we will act as though this is a private sparring session between just the two of us.

"That's good, Renji. Begin there with lots of space in between us," he says softly.

I nod and move into position. I slide Zabimaru free of his sheath. Byakuya paces off and takes position opposite me.

"Remember…it's just you and me…" he breathes.

It puts me into a relaxed and alert state perfect for sparring, but then, Byakuya is good at that.

"Begin," he says.

Because it is an exhibition, the first few moves are scripted. Everyone wants to see Byakuya's Senka. It is famous throughout the Sereitei…so as soon as we start, he is already flash stepping and I am already countering. Then we begin a heavy exchange of sword strikes before I pass my hand over Zabimaru, putting him in Shikai form.

"Roar Zabimaru!"

"Scatter Senbonzakura."

Our Shikai slam into each other, shaking the ground all around us and breaking against each other. We cannot see or hear the crowd in the gallery, but I know they've erupted into mad cheers of excitement. We may not receive sensations from without, but they can feel the rumbles of power from our battle and they hear our voices as well.

I don't have time to get distracted now, because as soon as the Shikai destroy each other, he treats me to a ferocious barrage of kido, sword, and petal blades that leaves tiny cuts cooling here and there on my skin. I am pleased when I notice that a few of my countering attacks have caught him as well.

We move into a dance of unscripted flash steps, strikes and kido, which ends only when I feel him raising his spirit energy for the release of his Ban Kai. We strike at each other with red and blue fire, white lightning and the six rod prison of light.

Before Byakuya can loose his Ban Kai, I begin my release.

"Ban Kai, Hihio Zabimaru!"

"Ban Kai, Scatter Senbonzakura Kageyoshi."

The skeletal snake rises around me and deflects the first nasty burst of petal blades, then follows the path of the blades to their source, forcing Byakuya to flash step away. He looses another battery and the skeletal snake curls around me protectively. Just before the petals fade, I send the skeletal snake at him, blasting him with the red flame from the serpent's mouth. Even though he is prepared for this, it yields a very impressive impact that sends both of us sliding backwards.

The fangs of the serpent strike at him, forcing him to flash step several times, then I send another blast from the serpent's mouth.

"Hikotsu Taiho!"

He counters with a withering blend of kido and Ban Kai that long ago, would have left my head spinning. It's still challenging, but I counter each move calmly and try to think a move ahead of him.

I am stunned, however, when I hear what he says next.

"Gokei, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi."

The petal blades form a huge sphere around Zabimaru and me. Once they have closed around us, I curl the skeletal snake around me for protection. The ones without don't know I have done this. They saw me separate from my Ban Kai just before the sphere closed. All at once, the sphere collapses and explodes in a brilliant flash of pink light, shaking the ground again. That has got to have scared the pants off a few of them! When the dust and blades disappear, the skeletal snake uncurls and I am none the worse for wear. We end the match there, returning our blades to sealed form and finishing things with a blinding speed relay of sword strikes that leave us as breathless as our audience. When Byakuya and I emerge from within the reiatsu cage, we are hammered with screams and applause that fall over us like a huge wave. I am all smiles and Byakuya's eyes flash with pride.

Byakuya and I flash step away to the 6th Division office to bathe and change before the banquet. The office is dark and empty, all of the division still being up at Sokyoku Hill, so no one is there to notice when we slip into the Captain's Quarters together.

When the two of us spar, we get very involved…and because we are lovers and life partners, it also tends to cause sudden bouts of intense lovemaking afterward. Usually we make it to the shower first, but sometimes we ignore the perspiration and go straight to bed. We spend a few minutes kissing and petting on the bed, before moving to the shower.

We step into the shower and let the hot water take away the sting of the small cuts on our skin. The Captain's shower has four shower heads, so we can stand almost anywhere in the large shower and still be pummeled with heated water. We take our time, washing away the dust and blood from the battle, then Byakuya turns and smiles at me.

"You did very well in our sparring, Renji. You performed quite admirably," he says, stepping in close, "In fact, you performed so well that I feel compelled to reward you in some way. How might I do that…Renji?"

He moves in close and captures my lips for a moment, then moves slowly down to my throat, tasting the water on my skin. I slide my hands down his water-slicked back and catch his hips, pulling them closer, urging them to press forward against mine. His fingers trace the tattoos on my skin and his mouth moves from my throat, down to my chest and lingers there, before he trails a line of kisses down to my navel. He sinks slowly to his knees, licking the water from my navel, then working his way downward from there. I was already aroused from the kissing and touches we gave each other before we got into the shower and this is like sweet torture. He takes his time tasting the skin on my thighs, and moving gradually lower. By the time he licks his way back upward, I am pressed back against the wall, gasping softly and trying as hard as I can to slow myself down.

I work my fingers into his hair to distract myself, then as he wraps his mouth around me, I moan and tighten my hands, encouraging him to move. He obliges me with a soft sigh and he doesn't pull away when I climax. I sink down to my knees in front of him and recapture his mouth in a slow, open-mouthed display of deep gratitude.

We finish showering and towel off. As he steps out of the bathroom, I follow, taking him into my arms from behind and bringing him down onto the bed. He turns in my arms and I kiss my way down his freshly washed skin and I give him the same loving attention he gave mine. Eventually, he pulls away, noting the time and speculating that if we delay any longer, we are going to be late. We dress quickly and head to the celebration hall, where we are surrounded by the noise and commotion of the crowd of soul reapers who have come to the exhibition day festivities.

Byakuya sits at the 6th Division table with the seated officers, while the non-seated members spread out at other tables around the room. Byakuya isn't one who enjoys a lot of noise and commotion, but he is caught up in the afterglow of sparring and lovemaking and it brings him out of his shell enough to converse briefly with many of the newer soul reapers, as well as several of the gathered captains. When the sun sinks into the horizon, we walk slowly home to Kuchiki manor and kiss the kids good night before falling into bed, ready for a good night's sleep.

Byakuya can barely keep his eyes open, but I always take longer to fall asleep, so he rests calmly against my shoulder, somehow managing to hold up his end of the conversation while I replay the day's events. Some time later, I yawn, stretch and pull him closer, then I sink into sleep, caressed by the softness of his breath on my skin.

XXXXXXXXXX

Usually, Byakuya is not a late sleeper, but this morning when I wake, he is still sound asleep, so I slip out of bed and dress, then move out into the garden for an outdoor breakfast. The children are up already. Takeshi toddles over to me and I lift him up and place a good morning kiss on his red hair. Chisaki follows Rukia around babbling incessantly. When breakfast is served, Byakuya is still not up. I poke my nose into our bedroom and he is still sleeping soundly. I figure that the exhibition and banquet were enough to wear anyone down and I go back out to play with the children.

It doesn't really start to worry me until it gets close to time for us to report for work. Byakuya might sleep in sometimes, but he always reports to work as expected. For him to still be sleeping now is a definite oddity.

I send the kids off to play with Rukia and I go back to our bedroom.

Byakuya is still lying where he was and in the same position as when I got up this morning. I start to get a little worried when I notice that his breathing seems a little off as well.

"Byakuya?" I say tentatively.

He doesn't move. That is extremely unlike him. The sound of his name usually rouses him.

"Bya," I say, touching his face.

The skin feels overly warm and his eyes open slightly, but they are tinged with redness and he seems overly drowsy.

"Renji?" he whispers.

"Yeah," I answer, pulling him up to a seated position, "You okay? It's almost time to leave for work. You going to get up today?"

"Did…you say…it's late?" he mumbles.

"Yeah, what is it? You sick or something?"

He runs his hands over his face to clear his head.

"I do feel a little…off. I probably overdid it yesterday. All of the commotion must have gotten to me."

"Yeah, I was a little out of it this morning too. But you look feverish. You should rest some more. I'll send a hell butterfly to tell Rikichi to run things this morning. That way I can make you some tea and look after you a little."

He squints up at me.

"Renji, I do not require looking after. I am simply overtired," he insists irritably.

"I know. But I like taking care of you, so I'll send that hell butterfly and I'll be back with the tea. You try to sleep a little, okay?"

He leans back and closes his eyes as I leave the room. It takes me a while to make the tea, so I'm not surprised to find him sleeping again when I come back. He is, as before, hard to rouse and noticeably sluggish. He seems to perk up a little after drinking the tea, but he opts to stay home for the rest of the day to rest.

"I'm just going to have lunch with Rikichi and a few new squad members," I tell him, "I'll be back after that.

He seems fine with it, so I flash step down to the division office to meet Rikichi and the others…then we adjourn to a nearby restaurant, where we spend some time getting to know the new squad members and introduce them to the way the division operates. As we work our way through lunch, my mind keeps drifting back to Byakuya. I have a hard time concentrating and I am relieved when lunch ends so I can return home.

When I get home, he is gone and the bed has been made. I look out in the garden and around the house before asking the housekeeper if he has been seen. She tells me that he walked out of the gate and up the trail towards the waterfall some time ago.

I flash step away and practically run out into the garden, past the gate and down the forest trail. When I reach the waterfall, I see him lying beneath the cherry trees. He is still feverish and slow to wake, but he climbs to his feet and we start back to the manor walking alongside each other.

"How was lunch?" he asks softly.

"Ah, it was good. It looks like we got a couple of promising members."

He nods his approval, but doesn't speak.

"Byakuya," I say worriedly, "maybe you should check in with squad four. I mean, it seems like you're really not yourself."

"I'm fine, Renji. I told you. I'm just overtired. I just need…"

He stops talking and sways unsteadily. I take hold of him and he seems to feel more settled. We start forward again.

"You're going to the Healing Center, Byakuya," I tell him, "You are definitely ill."

He doesn't say anything, but he nods in assent. We start forward, but a moment later, he collapses on the trail. Gasping softly, I drop down next to him, checking for his pulse and breathing,

"Byakuya!" I say urgently, "Bya! Can you hear me?"

He doesn't move. His chest is barely moving.

"Bya! Come on! Wake up!" I say louder.

I gather him into my arms and realize that his body is unresponsive. He is unconscious. Holding him close, I flash step back down the trail, through the house and across town to the Healing Center. I burst into the lobby with him held against me, still breathing, but not able to wake. Healers take him from my arms and they disappear into one of the rooms with him. My body shaking softly, I sit down in a nearby chair and resign myself to waiting.