Supernova

By Willow Athena

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or any of its characters, but Rien and this story are definitely mine

Author's note: Please allow me to extend my apologies to all my faithful readers and reviewers. I site replenishing mountains of work as my excuse for this shamefully late chapter. I will try to be faster in the future, but I just have to finish one move big thing that will allow me to breathe and create once more.

Chapter 21 –When an Irresistible Force Meets an Immoveable Object

Byakuya felt Rien's façade of nobility taunting him, inviting him to do something about it so he could have her back. The old Rien, who was honest and open about her feelings, who didn't try to be something she was not – stone. Truth be told, Rien's inclination and ability to continue this façade was waning.

Byakuya's mood swings did not help! One day he would be thoughtful and polite and the next, cold, scathing and uncaring. His good moods were not easily noticed by just anyone, but were heavily encrypted actions fobbed off as indifference. Like when he would walk Rien to her room everynight and subtly suggest that she was incapable of finding it without him, when the truth was that he had come to crave her presence. Even the silence seemed full when she was around.

He had begun to call her by her name, because she would respond to nothing else. Rien was stubborn and always wanted her way, a trait he recognized in himself.

He noticed her lounging in the uppermost branch of the sakura tree, in the garden outside her room. Yourichi had warned him to keep her safe, and of her affinity for heights. He walked until he was beneath the tree, not even bothering to look up. "Princess," he called, obviously in the mood to annoy her, to provoke any reaction out of her. "Should we not begin training now?"

It always angered her to be called that and usually resulted in him being ignored or her sulking for the rest of the day in silence. She immediately shut her book with a dull thud, and gracefully jumped down from the tree to land behind him.

"We may begin whenever you wish…my Prince," she replied with a tone of mischief.

"Refrain from making comments you do not understand," he evenly replied, concealing his true distaste for the 'nick-name'.

"I would ask the same of you," she replied more seriously as she crossed the garden to leave the book on the porch step. She picked up the katana. Byakuya did not miss her attempt to hide a spirit suppressing collar as the bookmark of the book. It intrigued him.

"I was thinking…," she began in the middle of their training session.

"How nice for you. It must be such a novel experience," he replied while completing an attack which sent her flying back.

She ignored the commonplace remarks designed to insult and anger her. "…that maybe we could be friends," she finished as she straightened and walked over to him. He promptly sheathed his zanpakuto. "Hear me out please," she implored before he could shunpo away.

"I have been respecting your wishes since the moment you left. I have kept my promise and will continue to do so." He turned away from her beautiful vulnerability, and from the way the setting sun caressed her skin and invited him to do the same.

I just thought that we could at least be friends. I will continue to respect your decision. I know we can never be anything…more." She sighed, "I feel like I'm pretending, everyday…I am not as you are – noble, and I cannot continue this way." He was silent, but made no move to leave. She stepped in front of him so he could see the sincerity of her words.

" I can infrequently pretend for the outside world, but I feel that everyday I pretend to be noble, that it stops being a lie, it becomes the truth and slowly erases who I am" His expression was unreadable, but not cold, perhaps just thoughtful. Her anticipation of his answer was suffocating, making it hard to release the breath she had unconsciously been holding in. She felt suspended in time, a momentary reprieve from her inevitable disappointment – how could she have been so foolish!

He caught her shoulder as she turned away from him – defeated. Her body stiffened. "Friends then," he agreed, letting his lips brush her ear as he spoke, and then he sunpo'ed away. She fell to the ground, the strings of tension holding her up in his presence, no longer able to sustain her.

"Please don't let me forget to wear that reiatsu suppressing collar tonight," she whispered and half-smiled to herself.

"Taichou, briefing of the new sixth squad members has been completed. They were all excited to meet you." Renji noticed Byakuya's good mood for the past few days. That he had assigned less paperwork and even agreed to meet the members of his squad. Though his address to them could be summed up by, "I expect nothing but the best from the members of my squad," and was delivered in his usual stoic manner.

Renji felt a gust of wind and his hair fall to his shoulders and knew it could be no other. "Rien!" he pleaded, but knew it could not be helped.

"Hey Renji, you can play me for it if you like," she smirked from Byakuya's couch. Byakuya was amused by Renji's fruitless chase of Rien around the room. It reminded him of a similar time with Yoruichi.

"Rien," he cautioned as he had to catch some of his paperwork before it flew off of his desk'

"Sorry," she replied, with a hidden smile over her shoulder. Her familiarity with him still made him uneasy.

"Byakuya, you ready for lunch?" Renji's jaw almost hit the floor when he heard his taichou's name escape Rien's lips. He almost dove in front of her to shield her from Byakuya's wrath. But there was none, which made Renji even more suspicious.

"I would have been home in a few moments," Byakuya replied, inwardly content to once again hear his name sung in her melody.

"I know, but I thought it would be fun to have lunch here, with Renji." She whipped her head around, "Yes, that means I brought enough for you," she beamed at Renji. Renji could see she was a lot happier than before and wondered what could have incited the change.

"Yes, fun," Byakuya dryly replied.

Rien cleared Byakuya's coffee table and laid everything out. Renji's mouth watered just looking at everything. It was going to be a long, enjoyable lunch – completely forgetting about the mountain of neglected paperwork he would have to finish that night.

After a month away with her captain, Rukia came home, to Rein's enthusiastic relief. She was surprised to see her brother at dinner, but Rien did not look phased. They sat and ate, with barely a word spoken between Byakuya and Rien. The only real conversation was Rien's insistence that Rukia fill her in on all the adventures she had had with Jyuushiro.

Nothing like that first training session had occurred again. Byakuya seemed satisfied with theoretical instruction rather than the conventional sparing method of instruction usually employed during this type of training. He would occasionally indulge Rien by practicing with her, but they never really trained.

Even through their maintained silence, Rukia noticed their ease in eachother's presence. It was not an uncomfortable silence, but rather that their desires need not be spoken aloud anymore. Byakuya cut a thin sliver of cake for Rien, knowing from experience that she would never finish anything more, due to her distaste of sweetness. Rien in the meantime made his excessively honey infused tea for him and handed it silently over as she spoke to the stunned Rukia. Byakuya silently accepted the tea, made exactly as he would have himself, accidentally brushing his hand against Rien's as he accepted the cup. Neither acknowledged the ritualistic nature of this – they were just mindless movements that spoke volumes of their understandings of eachother.

"H-how is your training?" Rukia spluttered, not knowing how to approach the subject of their ease with eachother. Byakuya looked almost…content.

"As well as can be expected, considering my lack of ability and talent," she laughed lightly. Byakuya did not correct her. In truth, little progress had been made in calling out her zanpakuto, but she had improved greatly in strategy and shunpo. He assessed her to be fully recovered, but could not bring himself to truly begin training her, unsure if he could handle her close proximity without hurting her or giving in to her and the diabolical voice in the back of his mind.

Rukia excused herself soon after desert, saying she was tired, but really wanting to interrogate Renji about this strange behaviour from her brother and Rien.

"Nothin's happened between them, if that's what yer askin'," Renji laughed. His tall muscular body gleamed in the moonlight and through his open floral robe. Rukia had given him the robe, as a joke, but he had seemed to like it all the same.

"Your hair…" Rukia couldn't really form the words for the appropriate response to this sight. Renji had soon given up on tying his hair up with Rien around, and it now flowed freely, like a river of molten lava over the tan, muscular form of his torso.

"Rien says it makes me look sexy," he laughed, not really believing his little sister's comment. "Won't let me tie it up. You know it's a waste of energy to fight with her," Renji smiled, turning in Rukia's direction.

Sexy, she said he looked…sexy.

Rukia started to wonder if Rien had come to want Renji instead of her unattainable brother. "Been spendin' a lot of time with her since she's been training with Taichou."

Are they dating?

Renji could not understand Rukia's expression, it bordered between pain and panic. "You okay?" He said, putting a reassuring hand on Rukia's shoulder. His hand was warm, like it always used to be, and she hated the way it disarmed her.

"I'm fine, you fool. Just worried about Nii-sama – he seemed different."

"Know what ya mean. Been more of a bastard than normal, if you ask me. Made me do all the fuckin' paperwork since he spends most of his time with Rien. Never stays late at the office anymore – which means I'm always at the fucking office." As Renji rambled his problems to Rukia, she was lost in thought. He had mindlessly put his arm around her shoulder, like he used to when they were friends, and absently began to massage as he spoke. His large hands gently moved on her small shoulder, and without further thought, she leaned comfortably into his side. "Hey, you tired?" he challengingly smirked.

She pushed him away. "Don't worry about me, and don't talk about Nii-sama like that," she warned.

"All I was saying is that the guy seriously needs to relax, and pull that pole out of his…" Renji stopped short at Rukia's warning glare. So much like her Nii-sama's, he thought.

"What's going on with you and Rien?" She decided to be blunt. Surely that was the most efficient course of action.

"What do you mean?"

"Uh…." How much more direct could she be?

"We just fuck around behind his back – you know…"

"You what?"

"Fool around. Have fun." Renji could not understand Rukia's expression. But, Rien knew exactly what she was thinking. Rien had initially hoped that the moment would turn intimate between her two friends, but when she saw it taking an ugly turn, she decided to step in and perhaps stoke the fire a little.

Rien coughed to announce her presence, which they both could obviously not sense. "Hey sexy," she winked in Renji's direction, as she sauntered over to lean on Renji who put his arm around her out of reflex – having had to fend off almost all of Seireitei, who had wanted a piece of Rien. "I missed you so much, Rukia. How is Jyuu? Is he really ok?" she giggled, snuggling into Renji and absently playing with his long vibrant locks.

"Um…Ukitake taichou is fine. He's looking forward to seeing you tomorrow." Rukia was…annoyed, okay maybe annoyed wasn't the right word…frustrated, mad, angry…still not right. Rien knew exactly what emotion Rukia was feeling…jealousy – and it was about time! Rukia had taken Renji's silent, enduring love for granted for far too long. Rien loved both Renji and Ichigo, but it seemed Ichigo needed no help, whereas Renji needed to be pushed over every obstacle. She did not know who Rukia should choose, and had sympathy for her predicament, but she had to at least acknowledge that she had feelings for Renji too.

"How did you dodge him this time?" Renji laughed as he helped her twirl like she always did against his taller frame.

"Just absconded after he walked me to my bedroom. He must think I'm an imbecile. I've been living there for a month now – I think I can find my bedroom," Rien laughed, an equally happy sound. It seemed as though she really had adjusted to life in Seireitei.

Rukia began to feel that jealous pang as she watched their happiness. Renji looked so happy, so at ease. She immediately knew she wanted to be the reason for that happiness – she wanted to be the one twirling in his arms…not that she really had any desire to twirl, just an undeniable desire to be in his arms at that moment. She could almost hate Rien for stealing him away from her, but hate was useless. She vowed to reclaim Renji…unaware that nothing romantic or physical was transpiring between the two, just a misunderstanding and a poor choice of words.

Rukia abruptly excused herself, feigning tiredness. She needed a good plan to oust Rien, but she was sure years of knowing Renji would give her the upper hand in the battle.

"So, what's going on between you two? I thought he hated you but now..." Renji was definitely nosey. "Can you really just be his friend? I mean, with the way you feel about him?"

"I have to try," she sighed. "Anyway, it's not like we're really friends, we've just decided to stop being enemies."

"You should really be the last one talking," she accused. Renji looked at her blankly, as though he had no idea what she could be referring to. "Don't make me say it out loud. It's obvious that you care about her." He did not dispute her words, just stared into the star filled sky. "It's awful isn't it?" she smiled.

"What?" he asked.

"Being in love with such beautiful and unattainable creatures."

"How do you know you really love him?" Renji questioned his own feelings for Rukia-they made him feel weak and vulnerable to attack. Renji wanted to be strong, powerful-like Byakuya. Not like Rukia's smallest smile could defeat him.

"Loving Byakuya is like assailing the highest tower in Seireitei and jumping off of it everyday. When you hit the ground, bloodied and broken, you just know. . ."

"Know what?"

"Gravity exists."

She smiled in Renji's direction. "An inevitable pull, and an undeniable attraction. An ever constant reminder that no matter what I do, every breath that I take is always for him."

"Gravity, huh?" Renji smiled back.

"Yup. Ever constant, unyielding gravity. How else would you describe it? "

Cool silver eyes danced in the shadows. He was just curious about where Rien could be going so late at night. He had not intended to eavesdrop, but he had been unable to tear himself away once he heard the content of her conversation.

She truly loved him. His body and mind reacted to the thought before he could dismiss it. It comforted him, made him feel complete, wanted, and whole in a way he had never felt whole before. But how could he trust it? The emotions felt unfamiliar to him. He had loved before, but this felt nothing like what he felt for Hisana. This felt dangerous, powerful and impossible. She was right, this felt all-consuming, like it would destroy him if he did not give in. But she was wrong about one thing, it was not undeniable- even if it killed him, he would never, ever succumb to these feelings. Too many people could get hurt, or perhaps he was just afraid hewould get hurt, again.

Author's note

Thanks for reading and for waiting so long for an up update. I'm getting back into it now, so updates should be faster, but I make no promises about a specific date.

~ Willow~