Chapter 3: Shadows

"Tetsuya."

He tried to open his eyes, but was still held down too firmly by the medication that had been placed in his tea. He moaned softly, edges of panic making his heart race beneath his pale breast. He shivered as he felt the light caress of a hand on his face.

"It's been so long. Tetsuya, why won't you look at me?"

"N-Naoki..." he moaned softly.

"Do you remember me, Tetsuya? Do you remember what you promised me?"

Tears came to Tetsuya's eyes as he recalled...

Naoki took Tetsuya's hand and pulled him along to a small footbridge that crossed a creek that ran through the edge of the exercise yard.

"We have to do this quick," he said, taking the rosebud and placing it in Tetsuya's hair, behind one ear, "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to marry me, Yukihana Naoki and you, Kuchiki Tetsuya. I swear that I enter this marriage of my own free will."

He nudged Tetsuya.

"Now, you have to say that."

"What?"

"About it being your own free will!"

"Oh," said the younger boy, "Okay...I swear I enter this marriage of my own free will."

"Okay. I, Yukihana Naoki, take you, Kuchiki Tetsuya, as my lawfully wedded husband, and I promise to love, honor and cherish you forever."

He looked up and saw the other inmates beginning to file back inside.

"Hurry," he urged the other youth.

"I, Kuchiki Tetsuya, take you, Yukihana Naoki, to be my lawfully wedded husband, and I promise to love, honor and cherish you forever."

"Oh!" exclaimed Naoki, "Rings!"

"Rings?"

"We need rings."

He hastily picked two long clover blossoms and fashioned them into rings. He slipped one onto Tetsuya's finger, then smiled as Tetsuya slipped the other onto his finger.

"Okay," said Tetsuya, "What now?"

Naoki smiled brightly and leaned forward, bringing his lips to Tetsuya's ear.

"We have to go back to our cell and have sex. That's something you have to do to make it official."

"Really?" asked Tetsuya, wide-eyed.

"Mmhmm," said the older boy, nodding, "But first, we have to kiss."

He leaned forward and fastened his mouth on the younger boy's.

"Hey! You two," called a guard, "Time to go in."

"We're coming," answered Naoki, quickly snatching the rose out of Tetsuya's hair and hiding it in his yukata.

He grabbed Tetsuya's hand and the two walked back to the doors, then stepped back into the prison building.

"Naoki!" Tetsuya cried softly, feeling a jolt of surprise move through his still incapacitated form as warm, loving hands opened his yukata.

"I know that it makes you afraid when you are touched, because that bastard Orochi enjoys hurting you, but I am your lover. I will never hurt you, Tetsuya."

"I know that," Tetsuya answered, trying to keep himself still, trying to stop the shudder of fear that came with being touched intimately, "I am not afraid of you, Naoki."

Naoki's kind, brown eyes looked down into his as the youth settled his body on top of Tetsuya's.

"I can feel you are shaking," he whispered, shaking his head, "I can stop if this is too painful for you."

"No," Tetsuya whispered back, "Because...if we let him stop us from being together, then he wins, Naoki. He would destroy our love if he could. He hates us. I do not know why he hates us even more than the others here, but I feel it in his hands when he uses them to hurt me. And when he puts it inside me, it burns like poison. I wonder if he poisons us just by touching us, Naoki."

"Shh," the older boy whispered, "It will be all right. Let him fill us with all of his worst poison. And when he is gone, we will fill each other with love again. That love will cure the worst of his poison."

Naoki's lips caressed Tetsuya's as the older youth entered the younger in slow, gentle thrusts. And Tetsuya found that his body calmed under Naoki's as the unhurried motions of their lovemaking commenced.

"I love you, Kuchiki Tetsuya," Naoki whispered, repeating the words until the last of the anxiety drained out of his lover's too thin body, "My lover...my secret husband."

Tetsuya smiled.

"I love you too, Naoki, my lover…my secret husband.

He reached up and traced the lines of Naoki's face as the older boy's motions intensified and his breath shortened. Sweat broke out on his forehead, and he fastened his mouth on Tetsuya's so that his soft, muted moans wouldn't be heard. He barely managed to keep from crying out as he climaxed, then was shocked again as Tetsuya's body quivered beneath his, and warm, wet seed pulsed out onto their skin.

Naoki laughed shakily.

"Tetsuya...you came for me?" he whispered, reaching down to capture some of the wetness on his fingertips, "For a long time, you couldn't."

"I was afraid," Tetsuya admitted, "after Orochi-san punished you so badly when he caught us together. But...I don't care anymore. We are married now, and there is nothing he can do. I will give everything to you, Naoki, and I will not let him stop me anymore! When you are with me, I promise I will do this for you...only for you."

Tetsuya shuddered as he felt a warm, aroused male body settle on top of his. Gentle, but insistent hands parted his thighs, and a hungry mouth came down on his.

"Wh-what is happening?" he managed between kisses, struggling to close his legs again.

"Don't be afraid," Naoki's voice told him, "Remember what you promised me."

"This...c-can't be real!" Tetsuya said, softly out of fear of being overheard.

They would think I had lost my mind completely.

But...I know Naoki's touch!

And this feels like...

Tetsuya breathed in the scent of the other man, and tears leaked onto his face. The man on top of him brushed them away and smiled down at him.

"It's all right. It's all right. It's just me. Don't cry, Tetsuya. I am with you."

"But you can't be! Naoki, you left me a long time ago! Please stop! Whoever you are, you can't be him! You can't be!"

But he knew the touch of his lover, even after years of separation, and even as the sedative he had been given began to wear off, he couldn't move, for fear of shattering the beautiful delusion he had fallen into.

Naoki's handsome, smiling face looked down into his, and his lover's member penetrated him deeply. Tetsuya moved easily with the body on top of his, unable to hold back as the pleasure of being possessed by Naoki returned to him as though the days of their separation had never happened. Naoki fed him panting kisses, pushing in and shuddering as he climaxed. Tetsuya's stunned body was rocked as it was taken with the heavy throbs of orgasm.

"What?" he panted, shivering, "But I..."

"Shh," whispered Naoki, his eyes seeming to dive down into Tetsuya's.

Everything melted into a confusing haze and Tetsuya's mind went silent and still for a time. He woke to find that it was morning, and Akio had already laid out tea and breakfast for him. Relieved, he started to sit up, but felt something odd.

He climbed out of bed and walked into the small bathroom in his room, letting out a gasp of surprise as warm fluid dribbled onto his inner thigh.

"Oh! Oh, kami!" he exclaimed, a sick feeling rising inside him.

He stepped into the private shower and turned on the water, then stood underneath it for a moment, breathing slowly to calm his racing heart.

"It must be some kind of mistake..."

Searching fingers trailed down his slender body, slipping carefully between his thighs and sliding back to his entrance. Shock and fear flooded his body at the slick feel of the area.

"It can't be," he whispered, closing his eyes and sliding down the wall of the shower, "It can't be real! It is just my imagination."

He heard Akio's step in the bathroom.

"Oh..."

"Tetsuya-san, are you all right, sir?" the boy asked, "Are you feeling ill? I can bring Byakuya-sama."

"I am fine," he managed, surprised at how well he was able to hide the terror he was feeling, "I was just trying to relax."

"Ah, I am sorry to bother you. I will go."

"No, it's all right," Tetsuya said, climbing back to his feet, turning off the water and stepping out of the shower.

Akio picked up a towel and began to dry him, then stopped, looking down at Tetsuya's hand.

"Tetsuya-san, what is this?"

An icy shaft of fear thrust into him as he spotted the small ring made of clover wrapped around his ring finger.

"N-nothing," Tetsuya said, removing it and dropping it in the trash bin.

He stood quietly as Akio finished drying and dressing him, then left his room hurriedly.

I have to stop this.

I begin to come undone!

XXXXXXXXXX

Renji wasn't one to wake early, and couldn't have imagined that much of anything would make him glad at doing so, but the small stirring of the bed that brought him awake, treated him to one of the most beautiful sights he had ever seen.

Byakuya was a beautiful man to begin with, and there was, Renji thought, not much that enchanted him more than seeing his lovely taichou in his perfectly tailored shihakushou, his newer and more stylish haori, the expensive hair decorations that had replaced his kenseiken and the white, fingerless gloves that always encased his pale, slender hands. Add to that, the sheer, mind numbing beauty of seeing the man with zanpakutou in hand and fighting, always left the redhead feeling oddly lightheaded. But, he found suddenly, there was something that left those other things behind.

Byakuya was a man possessed of great pride and formality, and although he had begun to let down and relax somewhat in his red haired fukutaichou's presence, there was always that bit of himself held back...an unwillingness to let the last barrier crumble and to let himself be seen, naked of any adornments. And that made sense to Renji, because the man was the head of the greatest of the noble clans, and Renji's superior, so it was necessary for him to maintain just that slight distance at all times, and though being polite and showing subtle signs of affection, never going so far as making himself vulnerable. But whatever slight distance he had kept between them had fallen away and the result left Renji speechless.

Byakuya...beautiful, proud, carefully distant Byakuya, laid, completely at ease in Renji's arms, sprawled carelessly across his chest and sleeping deeply. And without his adornments, he might as well have been naked, although his yukata covered him. His expression, that was always so carefully composed had become delightfully serene, and although still not smiling, it betrayed a deep, profound contentedness that Renji felt flattered to witness. And to know that he was the one who had made that expression display itself there, gave Renji a pleasant jolt inside. He held himself still, so as not to wake his lovely companion, not wanting to miss a moment while the noble rested there, with his guard completely let down, clothes rumpled from sleep, hair tumbled and trickling onto his much younger looking sleeping face. One hand rested beneath Renji's yukata, the graceful fingers spread out, suggesting to the redhead that, as he had slept, those searching fingers had engaged in some manner of gentle exploration. Renji could have cried out in protest as the beautiful vision before his eyes finally shattered, and Byakuya's dark grey eyes flickered open, but he was shocked out of his disappointment by a sudden revelation that was as earthshaking as it was fleeting. For just one brief moment, those wide, deep eyes displayed surprise and confusion, abandoning entirely the calm and detached demeanor that usually possessed them. And Renji decided, once again, that even if Byakuya killed him for having invaded the man's bed, he would never be sorry, having died witnessing something so devilishly enchanting.

Still, even that moment was instantly eclipsed as Byakuya's eyes opened and met his, and the man shifted slightly, suddenly registering that both of them were more than a little erect...something not completely surprising, considering it was early morning and it was not unnatural to wake in that state. What was surprising was waking and finding themselves in the position to be forced to notice the situation, and then to notice it together, while gazing into each other's eyes.

And that moment too, was rent asunder by the next, in which a very pretty blush rose up to decorate the noble's cheeks and throat. Renji couldn't make himself stop smiling, and was jolted again when Byakuya smiled too.

"Good morning, Renji," the noble said, his voice still dreamy and his lips unbearably soft and warm as they touched themselves to the redhead's throat, beneath his chin.

"Good morning, Taichou," Renji whispered, brushing a few errant strands of raven black hair away from his face and kissing him gently on one elegant, and slightly arched eyebrow, "You look like you slept well."

"I did," aid the noble, "Arigatou."

"Sorry for invading your bed uninvited, but I realized after you drifted off, you had sent the attendants away, and there wasn't anyone to show me to my room," Renji explained.

"Ah...how careless of me," Byakuya said, remorselessly, "I should be ashamed of myself, both for my rudeness and my scandalous behavior. But oddly, I do not feel a bit regretful at the lapse in my judgment. Waking up in your arms is a sinful pleasure."

"I know a few more sinful things," Renji said, grinning, "And if we don't get up and put some more clothes on, I may be too tempted to resist."

"Nonsense," said the noble, "You have said that you respect me, and by allowing myself to fall asleep in your arms, I have given you my complete trust. You would never violate that, I am sure."

"Okay, no, I wouldn't," Renji chuckled, letting his fingers play with the noble's fine, silken hair, "but don't you think it's a little cruel to tease me like this, Taichou?"

"Perhaps it is," Byakuya admitted, "but I did tell you that I needed time to adjust to something new like this. So, if you want me to grow relaxed enough to eventually allow you to make love to me, some patience is necessary, and will pay off, in the long run."

"Kind of like bankai training?" Renji said, smirking.

"Yes, much like that. Still," the noble said, biting his lip gently and feeling the heat and pressure of the redhead's thick erection touching his thigh, through their clothes, "I think that I cannot, in good conscience, leave you suffering. So, I think we should find some sort of 'middle ground,' ne Renji?"

A sudden blush roared across Renji's face.

"Wh-what did you have in mind?" he asked, his heart throbbing fitfully as lovely, forbidden images flashed in his stunned mind.

Oh gods...

Byakuya left the redhead breathless again as he shifted, placing himself more directly on top of Renji with his legs spread. Renji's yukata crawled upward as the noble moved, making his heart do flip-flops in his chest as the wickedly soft skin of Byakuya's inner thighs made contact with his rougher skin, and their swollen members rested against each other.

"This...is compensation?" Renji asked, a little dizzily, "If I didn't know you better, I'd say you were being a pretty sadistic tease, Taichou."

Renji wasn't sure what he had expected in response, but his eyes widened and a sound shock went through him as Byakuya's eyes broke away from the his, and he pulled away, sitting up hastily and blushing furiously. He tried to think of something to say, but was stopped as Byakuya spoke first.

"Please forgive me," he said in a perfectly serious tone, "I told you. I have only ever been with my wife, and our joinings were fewer because of her fragile health. I'm afraid that some of the intricacies of sexual connection are simply out of the realm of my experience. I didn't mean to tease you, only to offer you relief."

Renji gave the noble a helpless smile and dragged Byakuya into his arms, surprising the man with a warm torrent of amorous, open-mouthed kisses. Then, he captured a slender hand and brought the fingers to his lips.

"Don't worry about it. I can take care of it myself if it's a problem."

"But..."

"And I'm sure you can too, ne?" the redhead went on, teasing a deeper blush onto Byakuya's unusually unsettled face.

"Abarai...how dare you!"

Renji laughed.

"Sorry, I couldn't help it."

"Well, do try," the noble said, looking somewhat offended, "I do not mock you when we are discussing your training in proper use of your sword, so I would appreciate it if you didn't mock me whilst I come to terms with...What are you...Renji, why are you laughing?"

"S-sorry, but did you just compare me practicing swordplay to you learning about proper etiquette for lovemaking?"

Byakuya's reiatsu rose suddenly, and he left the bed in a flash step, disappearing out of the room and leaving Renji staring at the place where he had been.

"Oh...shit. Well, that was great, Abarai," he berated himself.

He climbed out of the bed and tied his yukata shut, then left the bedroom and tried to sense the noble's direction. He groaned upon realizing that the noble was upset enough to be masking his reiatsu. But he knew better than to just do nothing about the situation.

He left the bedroom and walked out into the gardens, where he came across Tetsuya, dressed in the dark blue house security uniform the other house guards wore and sitting underneath a plum tree, beside a tall, handsome black stallion. The noble sat with his back against the tree, an open book in his hands and his eyes fixed on the page he was reading. The stallion lifted his head and stared at Renji through large, sapphire eyes that looked strangely like Tetsuya's own, then lowered his head again to nudge the book-absorbed noble gently. Tetsuya looked up at Renji and smiled.

"Good morning, Abarai-san," he greeted Renji.

"Hey, Tetsuya-san," Renji answered, nodding, "You're looking better this morning."

"Yes, thankfully," said the noble, "Are you looking for my cousin?"

"Y-yeah," Renji answered, scratching the back of his neck and looking around, "Did you see which way he went?"

"Out the back gate," Tetsuya directed him, "He was likely headed for the waterfall. He likes to go there sometimes to think."

"Ah...thanks," Renji said, starting across the gardens.

"Abarai-san," Tetsuya said, stopping him again.

"Huh?"

Tetsuya rose and walked to a growth of roses and selected an exotic yellow one with red tips and a lovely, sweet aroma. He cut the stem long, then handed the rose to Renji and nodded towards the back gate.

"The yellow rose is a symbol of apology," the noble explained, "while the yellow rose with red tips is a symbol of friendship giving way to love."

Renji managed a soft chuckle.

"I really pissed him off, ne?" he asked.

Tetsuya smiled and touched one of the red tips of the rose lightly.

"Love is a precarious thing, Abarai-san. And Byakuya-sama, although experienced in other ways is naive when it comes to love. Be patient with him. You can be sure that if he has made overtures to you that his heart must be deeply involved. Tread carefully, but...do keep moving forward."

Renji smirked.

"I thought that nobles weren't supposed to encourage the mixing of noble and commoner..." he mused.

"Well," said Tetsuya, "to ascribe to that notion would be to despise myself for existing. As much as there are those in the family who think I should, I prefer to be grateful for love reaching across boundaries."

"Right," said Renji, "Well, thanks. I'll just...go and start groveling."

"Oh, no, do not grovel," Tetsuya corrected him gently, "Byakuya-sama respects a man who stands tall while admitting he had erred."

"Okay," laughed the redhead, "I'll remember that."

Renji left the gardens and walked down the forest path and out to the waterfall, where he and Byakuya had first kissed, the evening before. He spotted Byakuya sitting quietly beneath the tree, looking out over the cliff and down to the long, swaying grasses in the meadow below him. The redhead stole up behind him and extended the rose, letting it brush lightly against Byakuya's cheek. The noble's head turned, and he breathed in the sweet scent of the flower, then looked up at Renji silently.

"I'm sorry," Renji said, dropping down beside him, "I wasn't trying to be insulting or anything. I guess I'm just not used to there being anything that you don't already excel in...so I handled that kinda clumsily. Like I said, sorry, Taichou."

Byakuya hesitated for a moment, then quietly accepted the rose from Renji's extended hand.

"Apology accepted," the noble said solemnly.

"Ah, I'm glad," Renji sighed, pulling Byakuya into his arms and kissing him hungrily, "The man of my dreams is falling in love with me...finally, and I really don't want to fuck this up. Thanks for being so...forgiving."

Byakuya let out a soft breath.

"We had a disagreement, Abarai," he mused, "We aren't a couple of teenagers. We can resolve things without an excess of drama."

"Yeah," agreed the redhead, "and now that we've resolved things, why don't you let me introduce you to the wonderful experience of 'making up,' okay?"

Byakuya went breathless as Renji turned and brought him down onto his back, then stifled his hot protests in a storm of delectable kisses that made his melancholy disappear and left him floating contentedly in a pleasing crimson haze.