Chapter 21: Ignite!
Tetsuya stood quietly alongside Grimmjow and Renji, waiting as their stage crew made the final checks on their equipment and wardrobe. The three looked up as Gin entered with several of his associates who pushed along the backdrop for the performance.
"Whoa!" Renji breathed, staring.
"Holy hell," Grimmjow muttered, blinking.
Tetsuya found himself speechless as he took in the large re-touched image of him lying naked on his back in Grimmjow's bed with his lovely face turned away and his white-winged body arched in apparent ecstasy. Renji's handsome, tattooed form snaked along one side, his red mouth snapping erotically at Tetsuya's exposed throat, while Grimmjow's slender body leaned over Tetsuya's, his hand gently supporting the angel's arched back and his lips seeking Tetsuya's as they tried to escape.
Tetsuya put a hand over his mouth and paled in shock.
"You like it?" Gin purred, chuckling at the deep blush that raked Tetsuya's face and throat.
"You can't be serious," Tetsuya said, swallowing hard, "Someone will...!"
"Oh, not to worry, Mitsukai," the silver-haired man said teasingly, "No one is going to know that the pretty little angel about to be deflowered there is you. I went to great lengths not to reveal too much...of your pretty face, that is."
"He certainly didn't leave much else to the imagination," mused a smirking Grimmjow.
"Not much," Renji agreed, crossing his arms.
"What you fools might not realize is that this album artwork is up for a number of prestigious awards and will be distributed all over the world as soon as this guest spot ends."
"Bet you didn't think you'd become a porn star, Tetsuya," Grimmjow laughed, shaking his head, "Damn, get that thing away from me. I'm getting horny just looking at it!"
"That's the idea," Gin said, grinning.
"If anyone ever finds out that's me, I think I'll be shot on sight," Tetsuya said numbly, "Do my parents know about this?"
"Oh, Daddy Aizen was on board as soon as he saw it, and he used his wicked charms on Byakuya-san to convince him, although, he did look like he wanted to kill someone...maybe me or maybe the two lecherous men crawling all over their virgin son."
Tetsuya sucked in a shocked breath as Grimmjow snickered and Renji coughed and blushed furiously.
"Oh," Gin said, his eyes widening, "I guess we'll have to be darkening those wings for the next album, ne?"
"Shut up, will you?" Renji complained, "You're flustering Tetsuya right before showtime. Get that damned thing out of here before he vapor locks and passes out!"
"All right, all right, tiger. Don't get your tail in a knot. We're going. Good luck out there, Tetsuya-chan. Break a leg!"
"I feel sick," Tetsuya said, seeking Renji's arms, "What if something goes wrong or someone recognizes me?"
"You're going to be fine," Renji said bracingly, "Come on, slow down your breathing and get centered. You know everything you have to do and each word you have to sing. You're not a kid anymore, not holed up and being hidden away at Kuchiki Manor. You are going to have your performance broadcast all over the damned country. By tomorrow, half the world will be busting down doors, trying to figure out who Mitsukai is. You're gonna be great. Just...pretend we're back at the studio doing it."
"Just no blow jobs at the end of it," Grimmjow said under his breath.
"Fuck off!" Renji snapped, grabbing Tetsuya's comely face and glaring down at him, "It's fine. It's all good. Tetsuya, remember why you're doing this."
"Because Daddy Aizen cornered Byakuya and teased him into it?" Tetsuya mused dizzily.
"No. Because, this is where you get to tell all those stupid assholes who put you down and held you back that you're not taking their shit anymore. This is where you go out there and show them the talent you got from Soujun and Byakuya, and the balls you got from your father!"
"I didn't know it was that kind of show," Grimmjow said, too softly for the two to hear.
"You are fucking beautiful!" Renji exclaimed, still grasping Tetsuya's face firmly, "And god knows you sing like an angel. No one's going to miss that fact. C'mon, Tetsuya, let's go. Let's go show'em!"
Tetsuya gazed up into Renji's blazing eyes, calm returning as he slowed his breathing and nodded briefly.
"Okay," he managed, nodding, "I'm ready."
Grimmjow slipped an arm around him on one side and Renji did the same on the other. The three left the prep room together and turned towards where the show's staff waited to guide them to the stage.
XXXXXXXXXX
"This is a proud moment for us, ne?" Aizen said, smiling and sliding an arm around his anxious spouse, "We have a beautiful, talented son, who is about to make his debut. We have each other. We have everything we want, ne Byakuya?"
"We do," the raven-haired man agreed, staring at the stage and watching as the countdown to the beginning of the show began, "We never would have come this far without you, Sousuke. I know that I was skeptical and mistrusting at first."
"You had every reason to be."
"But I should have known. From the very start, I should have known that you would protect us. And you do not just protect us, you are making every dream that our son ever had finally come true. I don't think you know this, Sousuke, but Tetsuya has loved music and singing for all of his life. Even though the family shunned him and forced him never to sing a note in public, he practiced endlessly on his own and with me. He did this with absolutely no assurance that anyone would ever see him perform. And now..."
He went quiet, smiling and gripping Aizen's hand and arm tightly as the lights on the stage in front of them flashed in warning and the opening music sounded. The introduction music played and the show's host strode out, smiling and waving as he made his way to the center of the stage.
"Welcome...welcome back. We have so much in store for you tonight, folks. In addition to our featured guests, musical sensation, Espada is here with us tonight, with returning band member, Abarai Renji and a new guest singer, headlining with the always feisty and always in your face, Grimmjow!"
The host paused as applause and cheers filled the room.
"All right, let's get this ball rolling!"
Byakuya held his breath as the curtain rose behind the host, revealing the band, and the lovely, sensuous backdrop featuring the album cover. Renji's guitar intro played and Grimmjow made his entrance, drawing a barrage of screams from the delighted crowd. He moved into the song's introduction, the music building the tension beneath his seething vocals and bringing them to the moment of Tetsuya's entrance.
The lighting turned suddenly, catching and reflecting off of Tetsuya's body as he seemed to fall from the rafters, then came to a gentle landing between the guitar bearing redhead and the lead singer. Renji bore down on the fallen angel, cornering him against Grimmjow as the lead singer's arms captured Tetsuya and the two began to sing together.
"Sousuke!" Byakuya exclaimed, staring, "They are...!"
The roar of the crowd rose up again and Aizen smiled in approval.
"You were right," Byakuya mused breathlessly, "Sousuke, he is...he is amazing! They are...! This is indescribable!"
Music and screams of delight crashed together as the song went on and Tetsuya played back and forth between his dueling lovers. Pyrotechnics flashed and cracked, bringing the song to its zenith and the vocals rose until the sound vibrated through everything and all of the gathered people. As they rolled into the finish, Tetsuya captured the barely visible lift cable and reattached it, then danced into Grimmjow's arms for the final chords. The stage crew lifted Tetsuya up again as lights and fog obscured the scene, leaving it with a surreal feeling. Tetsuya's hand reached back as he rose, and his fingers touched Grimmjow's longingly before he was drawn away. He rose back up into the rafters as the song ended and the audience roared and clapped furiously.
"Wow!" the stage hand helping Tetsuya managed as he detached the lift cable, "You guys were fucking awesome!"
"Th-thanks," Tetsuya said breathlessly, looking down at the happy crowd below them.
He frowned as a sharp jolt went through the landing he stood on, then the stage hand made an exclamation of surprise and dismay as part of the rigging broke away and began to fall.
"Tetsuya-san!" he cried, taking hold of Tetsuya's wrist as the rigging fell and the young man started to fall with it.
The stage hand wrapped an arm around several cables near him and held on to the dangling singer's arm, looking down into Tetsuya's frightened eyes as he held on for dear life.
If I fall...I...won't scream, Tetsuya thought, the idea sending a jolt of terror through his young body.
"It's gonna be okay, Mitsukai!" the stage hand assured him, "Hold on tight, okay?"
Tetsuya nodded and closed his eyes, trying to slow his breathing and his racing heart.
Below them, Grmmjow and Renji were being interviewed, unaware of their bandmate's predicament. The stage hand called to another, who went running for help as several audience members below them caught sight of Tetsuya's precariously dangling body and someone screamed.
"Tetsuya!" Byakuya gasped, bursting from the audience and pushing past the throng of people around the edges of the stage.
"Hey, ma'am, you can't go back there!" a security guard warned him.
Byakuya knocked the man aside and started up the steps to the rafters with Aizen a step behind. They reached the top as more stage crew worked to stabilize the broken supports and several started up the stairs after them.
"Tetusya!" Byakuya cried, reaching the unstable section where the stage hand held the younger Kuchiki inches from falling.
"Be careful, you'll bring it all down!" the stage hand called out.
Byakuya eyed the situation carefully and picked out a route to where the two waited for help.
"M-my hand is slipping!" Tetsuya gasped, making a grab at a dangling cable and missing.
"Don't move! I won't drop you!" the stage hand promised, his eyes tearing and his arm shaking with effort, "Hang on, Mitsukai!"
Byakuya removed the long scarf he wore around his neck and moved into a small section of planking that ran alongside where Tetsuya hung. He laid on his stomach and wrapped his strong legs around a support, hanging upside-down and reaching down to wrap the ends around his son's slender body. He looked into Tetsuya's panicked eyes and spoke to him soothingly.
"It's going to be all right."
He tied the scarf around Tetsuya's waist, then pulled at it, bringing Tetsuya's body closer. Hanging on tightly with his legs, he guided Tetsuya's legs to the planking and the younger man scrambled to safety. The two laid, panting, on the wood planks as stage crew flooded the area and slowly worked their way towards the two.
"Thank you," Byakuya said gratefully to the stage hand who had kept Tetsuya from falling.
He held the still silent, Tetsuya against him, shielding him from the cameras on the stage that had turned to capture what was going on.
"We need to get the two of you out of here," Aizen said, taking Byakuya's arm and quickly guiding them away.
They fled the building and ran to a waiting car, then sped away, leaving the studio behind them. Tetsuya remained, silent and burrowed into Byakuya's arms as they made their escape.
"Are you all right?" Byakuya asked, "Are you hurt anywhere, Tetsuya?"
"I...I think I'm fine," the younger Kuchiki managed, loosening his grip on Byakuya and fastening relieved eyes on his parents, "I was just scared. Thank you for saving me."
He leaned against Byakuya's shoulder again, breathing slowly and closing his eyes.
"What about Grimmjow and Renji?" he asked softly.
"There will be a car waiting for them," said Aizen, "They will be fine with it. They know we had to get you and Byakuya away from all of that quickly. What we need to concern ourselves with is that much of this was caught on camera. I will have to speak to the press about it. You two need to go back home immediately and stay completely out of this. We don't want there to be anything to connect you to what happened. You will take my private jet back ahead of the rest of us."
"We can return to Kuchiki Manor and wait for word from you," said Byakuya as the limousine rolled into the airport entrance.
They made their way swiftly to the waiting jet, where Byakuya sought Aizen's arms a final time before their leaving.
"You and Tetsuya be wary of your relatives, Byakuya. Do not allow yourselves to be alone with them until we are sure that no one picked up on who you and Tetsuya are."
"We will be careful," Byakuya promised.
He hustled Tetsuya onto the plane and Aizen watched as the craft taxied out and took off in the direction of home.
"Be careful," he said softly, "I haven't waited all of this time for your return to me, only to lose you again, Byakuya."
XXXXXXXXXX
Tetsuya slipped out of his costume and stood naked in front of a long mirror, studying the bruising that had begun to appear on his side and hip. Byakuya moved forward to examine him briefly before handing him a clean yukata and nodding briefly.
"You were a bit banged up, but you don't appear to have broken anything. I think you will, however, be rather sore tomorrow."
"I think I crashed into a few things when it first happened. It's only really starting to hurt now."
"You were probably in shock at first," Byakuya said, handing him a glass of water a two painkillers.
Tetsuya swallowed the pills and water, then gratefully accepted a cup of hot green tea. He sat down gingerly and looked out one of the windows, into the darkness.
"Aside from nearly killing myself at the end, how do you think we did?" he asked, earning a smile from Byakuya.
"You were astonishing," the elder Kuchiki said approvingly, "I knew that you would do well, but Tetsuya, you and the rest of them exceeded all of our expectations. Sousuke said that we should be ready for a firestorm of interest in Mitsukai and in Espada's new songs. I think he is right. But now that the launch with Espada is done, we also need to make your debut for Kuchiki Studios."
"I have everything memorized and the production manager has begun to take me through the performance plans. I will be ready."
"I know you will," Byakuya agreed.
He sighed and relaxed into his seat.
"Get some rest now. Things will be busy, once we get back."
Tetsuya smiled and leaned against Byakuya's shoulder, closing his eyes and his mind replaying the performance.
I never enjoyed anything so much in all of my life.
The hum of the plane lulled the two and they drifted off and slept until the plane was ready to land. They disembarked and found a car waiting that carried them back to the manor. As they entered, they were surprised to find the entry lights on and Orochi Kuchiki standing in the foyer.
"Orochi," Byakuya greeted him quietly, "What brings you to the main house?"
"I was here to pick up some information for the board meeting tomorrow. Will you be gracing us with your presence then?"
"Yes."
"Hmmm, very well. And then maybe you will want to tell us exactly where you disappeared to."
"I sent word where we were," Byakuya answered carefully.
"Yes, and we checked to verify as a matter of your safety, of course.
"Of course."
"You look a little ragged, Tetsuya. You'll want to get some rest. I am sure that you will be very busy getting ready for your opening night, ne?"
"Has everything been confirmed for that?" Byakuya asked.
"Yes," Orochi reported, "Press invitations have gone out and the stage design and costumes are mostly finished. Dress rehearsals will begin this week."
"Very well."
"Oh, I almost forgot, congratulations on the deal you wrangled on your trip. We can actually fund Tetsuya's debut without driving ourselves closer to bankruptcy. Just be sure, little cousin, that you don't choke and bring us all down."
"Oh, that is not going to happen," Byakuya said with certainty, "The audiences are going to love Tetsuya. I have no doubt."
"Ah, well I must be going."
He walked to the door, then paused and looked back at them.
"I meant to ask, Byakuya. Did you attend a wedding on your trip?"
"Why would you ask that?" Byakuya asked, frowning.
"I was just curious...as to why you took some of the ceremonial swords with you."
"One of the men I was negotiation with was an enthusiast," Byakuya said calmly.
"Hmmm, interesting. Well, see you tomorrow."
Tetsuya let out a disgusted breath as the man left the house.
"He is horrible!"
"Yes, but his behavior suggests that we had better watch our step very carefully, Tetsuya."
"You think he suspects?"
"He doesn't suspect, but he knows something is going on. We need to keep him focused on the new opera's debut. Either that, or things are going to get dangerous. Tetsuya, stay close to me or Renji at all times. I don't want anyone trifling with you, but I cannot guarantee they won't try."
"Let them try," Tetsuya said, scowling, "I have waited all of my life to be where I am. Those awful people are not going to stop me anymore! I won't take any chances, but I am not going to let them walk all over me this time!"
Byakuya smiled warmly and embraced Tetsuya.
"I see so much of your father in you, Tetsuya. Just...don't get reckless. One false step and we will both take a fall more devastating than the one you narrowly avoided tonight!"