Chapter 16: In the Gardens
(LOL, I actually finished this request for Ren Renji last night, and fell asleep while editing. Enjoy! Love, Spunky)
Renji woke in the late morning to find himself alone in bed. He turned onto his stomach, rolling over onto Byakuya's pillow and lazily enjoying the scents of sakura and Byakuya. It was almost enough to keep him in bed, but he decided that Byakuya's company was a much more immediate desire.
He climbed out of bed and left the bedroom, passing by the bathroom that was still warm and steamy from Byakuya showering, then he walked into the kitchen, half expecting the noble to be there eating his breakfast. But the kitchen was empty and he sensed that Byakuya was in the garden. He left the kitchen and walked back to the sliding glass door, and spotted Byakuya kneeling in front of an empty flowerbed with his palms on the ground in front of him.
Renji moved closer, watching curiously as calm reiatsu flared softly around his hands, and in the flowerbed in front of him, the soil began to tremble softly. Slowly, tender green stems emerged, then green leaves gently unfurled and opened to the sunlight. Blossoms formed on the plants and opened themselves to the sun, their color rising out of the sea of green and transforming it.
"Beautiful…" he breathed, not meaning to speak aloud.
Byakuya didn't turn his head, but Renji could feel that he face wore a warm, happy smile. He moved closer and dropped down next to the noble, turning his head to look at him.
"Where did you learn to do that?" he asked, looking at the newly grown flowerbed.
Byakuya's hand slipped into his and squeezed gently.
"All shinigamis have the ability to make things grow," he explained, "Our reiatsu is highly charged with creative forces. All we have to do is to shape and direct it."
"But," said Renji, "Who taught you to do that?"
The noble lowered his head and placed his palms on the soil again.
"My father," he said, almost tonelessly.
Renji watched as more flowers grew up around his hands.
"Your father?" he repeated, trying to remember if Byakuya had ever spoken about his father before.
"Yes."
There was an odd tremor in Byakuya's voice that spoke volumes to Renji about the depth of feeling that the noble must have had for this man that he now never seemed to speak of.
"What was he like?" he asked softly, "I don't think you've ever told me about him."
"That's because there isn't much to say," Byakuya sighed.
Renji furrowed his brow questioningly.
"How can you say that, Byakuya? He was your dad, right? What's wrong? He wasn't like the elders, was he?"
"My father was nothing like those people," Byakuya said, his voice low and angry, "If he had been more like them, then maybe he would still be here."
He stopped himself, guilt rising in his eyes.
"I'm sorry," he said, in a way that suggested that the apology wasn't so much to Renji as the man they were discussing, "I shouldn't make it sound as though I blame him for dying. I did, at first, but it was only because I was just a child, and didn't realize…"
"Realize what?" Renji asked, slipping a warm hand into one that was slightly chilled and decorated with dark earth.
Byakuya bit his lips softly, as though it was painful to contemplate saying the words.
"It wasn't his fault," Byakuya said, his voice sounding tired and lost, "If he had had his choice, he wouldn't have served in the military. He only did because it was expected of him. And he loved my grandfather too much too dishonor him by opting for a different path."
"You mean…he didn't want to be heir?"
Byakuya nodded.
"He never said it out loud and I only realized it after much soul searching, but when I thought about it, I realized that I should have known it all along. My father was a gentle, loving person. He loved history, astronomy, mythology and the arts. He could sing beautifully and was a wonderful storyteller. He said that one of the most beautiful things that my mother ever said to him was that she could sit and listen to his stories forever. I have to agree. He did have a gift for storytelling."
He went quiet for a moment, letting his fingers play over the petals of one of the flowers he had grown.
"We used to slip outside after bedtime and lie under the stars, and he would tell me about the constellations and the myths that went with them. Sometimes, I would fall asleep listening to him, and he would carry me back to my room. Now and then, I would wake when he lifted me, but I would lie quietly in his arms, because it was so pleasant to be held that way."
"That sounds…great, Byakuya," Renji said, smiling at the mental image.
"I hated it when he left, and I was alone with the servants and attendants…people telling me to mind my responsibilities and my behavior. He always took his leave of me in the same way. He would touch my face and tell me, 'Take care of things here for me, segare. I will return to you soon.' He did that, even that last day."
The pale fingers of the noble's free hand trailed downward, and he began to sift through the soil absently.
"He never should have served in the military," he said softly, "His heart wasn't in it. But he did it for his father…as an expression of love and respect. And even though he never reached ban kai, he performed respectably and died honorably in battle."
"He sounds like he was a really great father. He made you feel loved and cared about."
"Everyone loved and respected him…except perhaps the elders. He never indicated anything in his behavior, but having endured years of their nonsense, I imagine they made him feel…as though he fell short of expectations. But considering he was not blessed with sturdiness of body or very strong reiatsu, he went well beyond expectation in earning fukutaichou rank."
"You are…proud of him."
Byakuya's eyes misted gently and his voice shook slightly when he spoke again.
"I am…and I am proud to be his son. And…I am so…honored…to be able to carry on his legacy. If there is a gift in all that has happened to us, it is that. I can finally give him the honored gift of continuance. His life, his memory, that he entrusted to me, will be passed on to this one inside me. And I will pass on the gifts I was given. So, I cannot be sorry, despite the difficulty of what we have endured."
"Well," said Renji, brushing his face gently against the noble's, "Just so you know…I don't regret it anymore either. Really."
"You don't?" Byakuya asked, meeting his eyes warily.
"No," said Renji, shaking his head, "I don't. Because as much as my life was all right…as much as it was 'fine,' something was always missing. I had all of the things I thought I wanted…freedom to do what I wanted, lots of friends and work I felt good about. But being with you…the way we're together now? It makes me think that you were what was missing from my life. Everything changed when we were soul bonded."
"But it made you so unhappy…so angry…" Byakuya said, looking confused.
"Yeah," Renji agreed, "But…I was really just angry because I didn't believe you would honestly try to make this into a real love relationship. All of this time, I was furious with you, because I thought you couldn't possibly love me…and that I would never have another real lover again. The thing is…I was wrong about that. You did make an honest effort…and you did open your heart to me. I was the one who held back…and didn't try as hard. I gave up a long time before I should have. And you and I both suffered for that."
"Renji…" Byakuya whispered, bringing his lips to the redhead's.
"I'm sorry," Renji whispered, kissing the noble's lips gently and sliding his arms around him, "I'm really sorry."
"I'm sorry too," said Byakuya, "Because I didn't trust you and confide in you. I left you in the dark about what was happening, and you were hurt because of that."
"So…we both made some big mistakes," said Renji, smiling and kissing him again, "but the good news is that we are both here…that we're together…and that we're both committed to making this work."
He paused for a moment as a look of discomfort crossed the noble's face.
"You okay?" he asked, rubbing the noble's abdomen lightly, "Something hurt?"
"I…I feel a bit dizzy…a little…"
Renji helped the noble to his feet, keeping his hands on him to steady him. Byakuya stood for a moment, breathing slowly and rubbing his belly, then took a step before making a sound of distress and collapsing into Renji's arms.
"Byakuya? Byakuya…come on, are you okay? Byakuya!"
"Something is wrong," Byakuya said, panting softly and holding a hand to his midsection, "It hurts more than it should. Renji…"
The redhead swept him off his feet and flash stepped out of the house. As they moved through the darkness, Byakuya's hands tightened on him, and the noble's voice issued softly in his ear.
"You…masked our reiatsu? I tried…but I can't…"
"It's all right," said Renji, "I took care of it. Hang on. We'll be at Kisuke's shop really soon."
Byakuya nodded and rested his head on the redhead's shoulder, closing his eyes against the awful dizziness and feeling of illness as Renji flash stepped along. They crossed a park and ran down several streets, then ran up another street and into the shop. Renji slid to a stop in front of Tessai, his eyes wide with concern.
"Am I ever glad to see you!" exclaimed Renji, "Is Kisuke here?"
"Yes, he is," Tessai answered, nodding and gesturing for Renji to carry the noble into one of the bedrooms, "Why don't you make Captain Kuchiki comfortable and I'll go and bring him."
Renji followed him into the bedroom and set Byakuya back on his feet. Byakuya leaned heavily against him, panting softly, as though he had been exerting himself heavily. Renji helped him sit down on the bed, then went to the closet and brought him a spare yukata. Byakuya slipped out of the kimono he was wearing and donned the yukata and laid down in the bed on his side. A moment later, Kisuke entered the room.
"I heard there was some trouble in here," he said quickly.
"Yeah," said Renji, You know our situation, right?"
"Right," said the shopkeeper, "The two attendants from Kuchiki Manor filled me in on everything. And don't worry. As soon as I knew it was you, I made sure the place was shielded. No one's going to sense you here. We just have to hope no one saw or sensed you on the way in."
"I don't think anyone did," said Renji, "At least, I didn't see or sense anyone, although my focus was really on him."
"Kisuke," Byakuya said, sounding concerned, "Are Michio and Torio all right?"
"Yeah, they're fine," Kisuke assured him, "And as soon as you are feeling better, they can go with you. I was just concealing their presence here until we had a chance to talk."
Renji sat down on the edge of the bed, watching as the shopkeeper bared Byakuya's abdomen and examined the area, first visually, then by using his reiatsu to scan the noble's body.
"Nothing to worry about, Captain Kuchiki," Kisuke said calmly, "Your reiatsu is a little unbalanced. It's easy enough to fix. It'll just take a few minutes."
"It sure was a flashy collapse for such a minor thing," Renji complained, smirking.
"Actually," said Kisuke, "It's minor now because he's in the early stages, but as he progresses, you will have to help him keep his reiatsu stable. It's okay for it to be out of balance for short periods of time, but the longer it remains that way, the more chance there is of damage to the growing reiatsu."
Renji sighed resignedly.
"You just seem to really be good at causing trouble!" he said with mock exaggeration.
"That's all right," said Byakuya, smirking, "My vice captain has proven on a number of occasions his ability to give trouble a taste of its own medicine."
"Oh…so you two have patched things up, ne?" asked Kisuke, "Poor Torio and Michio practically went manic depressive trying to explain what was going on…the way you two keep going through swells of love and hatred."
"Well," said Byakuya, looking up at Renji, "We have just decided that we have enough other people attempting to make us miserable, so if we want to avoid misery, we really must combine our efforts against them."
"Well, whatever works, I guess," Kisuke chuckled, removing his hands from the noble's abdomen.
Renji looked down at Byakuya's still exposed belly and frowned questioningly.
"What is it?" Byakuya asked, following the path of his gaze.
He caught his breath softly at the sight of the small rounded bump that had grown on his abdomen.
"Well, that wasn't there this morning!" Renji said, touching the bump experimentally with a fingertip.
"No," agreed Kisuke, "You see, unlike human pregnancies, ours are reiatsu based rather than physical. Each time we stabilize the reiatsu, it will grow a little."
"How big will it get?" asked Byakuya, "Will I need to have new clothing made?"
"Naw," Kisuke said, shaking his head, "But you might have to confine yourself to your looser clothing."
"And what will happen when he has the baby?" asked Renji nervously, "I mean, will it be really painful? Will it be like…well…"
"You guys are lucky," Kisuke said, smiling, "The reiatsu flares will be somewhat painful, and they will have to be carefully managed so that they don't go out of control. I've already been training Michio and Torio to help you, just in case, for some reason, you are without a healer to help with the birth."
"Erm…one more question," said Renji, flushing slightly, "How does the baby…get out of him?"
Kisuke laughed.
"Don't worry, Renji," he assured the redhead, "Again, it's not like a human birth. The reiatsu will simply swell and emerge from his body."
"Huh, like the king just emerged out of me?" Renji mused, "Well, it may sound less painful, but I felt like my body was coming apart! You need to make sure you give him something to take so he doesn't hurt like that!"
"Renji," said Byakuya tolerantly, "I am touched by your concern for me, of course, but I am not birthing the spirit king. This will be a normal shinigami child."
"A normal shinigami child?" laughed Kisuke, "Coming from the two of you? Captain Kuchiki, it must be the hormones, because I never knew you to be so funny! Two ban kai wielding parents having a normal shinigami child! That's hilarious!"
"I am so pleased to have entertained you," said Byakuya, dryly, "But one never knows what will happen. Neither of my parents had a ban kai, and yet I do. I am sure that the reverse happens as well."
"Well, ban kai or no ban kai, our kid's going to kick hollow ass with the best of them!" chuckled Renji, "The Gotei 13 had better watch out!"
"I think we should hope he or she is born with red hair, so as to warn everyone of the danger," commented Byakuya, almost smiling.
"Oh my kami," said Kisuke, "Two jokes out of you in two minutes! If you weren't knocked up, I'd be afraid the world was ending."
"Hey," said Renji, "Stop annoying my husband. He's supposed to be avoiding stress!"
"I am married to you, Abarai," Byakuya said, narrowing his eyes, "That in and of itself dictates a certain amount of stress."
"Holy crow, three jokes now!" mused Kisuke, "Take it easy, Captain. I don't think we can take much more."
"Get outta here, will you?" Renji laughed, giving the shopkeeper a friendly shove, "I want to be alone with Byakuya."
"Ah…" said Kisuke, "I see how it is. You're nice enough when you want something, but then as soon as you're out of the woods…"
"We are certainly grateful for your assistance," Byakuya assured him, "But I think my life partner's territorial instincts were piqued by your examination of my bared belly and he needs to reassert his dominance."
"Sure," Kisuke said, raising an eyebrow.
He winked at Renji.
"He's all yours now…whips and chains are in the closet…"
"I don't think that's what he meant by dominance," Renji laughed, "Although…"
"I'm willing if you are," Byakuya said blithely.
"Oh shit, that's four jokes…" mused Kisuke, starting towards the door.
"Who was joking?" Byakuya asked, freezing Renji with a decidedly hungry expression.