Building From The Ashes
folder
Bleach › Yaoi - Male/Male
Rating:
Adult
Chapters:
11
Views:
1,948
Reviews:
16
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
Bleach › Yaoi - Male/Male
Rating:
Adult
Chapters:
11
Views:
1,948
Reviews:
16
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
Do not own Bleach and will not make a profit out of this fic. All characters © Kubo Tite
Sleeping Arrangements
ByaRen AU, where the war with Aizen has just finished. How to deal with the rebuilt of Soul Society and life after such a devastating war. (mpreg in the future)
You might notice this isn't the promised 'Kuchiki Dealings' chapter; again Byakuya wasn't too inclined to talks with the elders, that and the explanation Unohana gives about Renji's condition turned out to became rather complicated (had to rework it twice) and serving as a mean for me to breed some plotbunnies. So please tell me if it sounds plausible or not.
Something else that made this take much longer, I discovered I'd been making a mistake with some terms from canon, reiatsu and reiryoku.
According to Bleach wiki, "Reiryoku is the amount of energy a being has stored within their body or soul, whereas Reiatsu is the pressure that a person’s Reiryoku exerts." Which means what I have been calling reiatsu is in fact reiryoku. So I had to make all the adequate alterations to the whole story.^^'
-------------------------------
X. Sleeping Arrangements
When Unohana-taichou came to find him, Byakuya was brushing out the wrinkles of the standard issued Shinigami uniform he had just dressed and trying to block out his near break down.
“Kuchiki-taichou,” she greeted quietly, barely disturbing the silence. “I see you are finally awake.”
Byakuya turned to look at her, acknowledging her presence and, curious by her ‘finally’, asked, “how long was I asleep?”
“For three days.”
He raised an eyebrow, surprised. Three days! It hadn’t seemed that long.
“You should be recovered by know.” Professional as always, she moved closer to Byakuya, placing a hand on his chest and thoroughly examining his condition.
When finished, she told him, “as I thought, you are nearly fully recovered. Hanatarou-kun did an excellent job on you in the battlefield.” Her eyes shone with pride for the small Shinigami as she continued, “and these three days of sleep have left you as good as new. I do recommend more rest, in a calm environment, for the next few days for complete recovery. So please try to avoid any stressful situations.”
Byakuya thought of the stressful moments of despair he had just experienced and wondered how much that had set back his recovery. In any case it was all over now. It had served its purpose and he could always rest and recover later. The main point was Renji, so he asked, “What of Abarai?”
He eagerly kept watch as Unohana kneeled by Renji’s futon and examined him, though taking much longer than she had with Byakuya; prodding here and there; measuring reactions and finally changing the bandages on Renji’s torso.
Byakuya was not vain; he strived to always look composed and presentable out of need, another method of demanding respect and deference from the much older and condescending members of his clan. But Renji took pride in his appearance, in the clothes and headwear he wore and especially in the tattoos on his skin, the marks of all his achievements in life. To discover that the surgery had left them as perfectly aligned as before and with little signs of scarring was an immense relief to Byakuya; it was one less thing to trouble Renji when he woke up.
As Unohana-taichou was finishing the bandaging, he dared to take her attention from the task and asked, “any change?”
“Physically, Abarai-kun is healing remarkably well; a week or so more and he will be able to have full use of his body and with considerable few after-effects, given the extent of his injuries.”
“But his Spiritual Energy...” Byakuya could hear in her voice.
“But his Spiritual Energy,” she repeated, acknowledging his concern. “His Spiritual Energy, that I believe we were successful in separating fully from that of Zabimaru, has not evolved since the surgery. Which can be a good sign; it means he isn’t getting any worse.”
Byakuya gave her a sceptical look but tried to explain what it felt like to him, “his reiryoku, although now it feels distinctively like Renji’s, has a strange quality to it. It is not the amalgam it was before, I can easily discern the different parts within but... it still does not feel like the real thing. It feels...” he searched for the right word to describe the awkward sensation. “...dampened.” Was all he could come up with. “Could this be because he remains unconscious?”
Unohana-taichou pondered the question, her eyes closing as if assessing the feeling Byakuya had just described. “I confess I cannot relate to the dampened description you’ve made, I merely sense no development since the surgery. But I am not familiar with Abarai-kun’s reiryoku and have no readings prior to the surgery,” she said and shaking her head in disapproval, added, “there really should be a database of the Shinigami’s energy for occasions just like this one. It would make things so much simpler. To answer your question, Kuchiki-taichou, it isn’t unheard of a comatose state to tone down one’s reiryoku, although normally isn’t something blatantly discernable. However it is perfectly conceivable that you being his...” She paused ever so slightly. “...his Taichou, you are more in tune with what Abarai-kun’s reiryoku feels like and so more susceptible of noticing the slighter changes. Can you please try to describe this sensation further?”
“It feels like, like he isn’t right here, next to me; like he is miles away from me. It is rather closely similar to the feeling when he leaves Soul Society through a Senkaimon .”
Unohana-taichou, who had been observing Renji, looked back up at Byakuya, her face with an unusual display of surprise. “You can still feel his Spiritual Energy when he passes through the Senkaimon?”
“Yes. I feel his Spiritual Energy right until he reaches the Human World. The other way
around as well, the minute he crosses the gate to return home, I can sense him.” Byakuya didn’t understand what her surprise was about; he was a powerful Shinigami – and so was Renji – and furthermore, they had been working together for several years, it was only natural for him to be able to feel his fukutaichou’s reiryoku over great distances. And even more so, Renji was not the only one he could sense across the gate. He thought he should add, “I can sense Rukia as well.”
It occurred to Byakuya that he also could sense Ukitake, although it had been a while since the white-haired Taichou had left Soul Society, but before he could provide that information, Unohana asked:
“Were you also able to sense your wife?”
This stopped his random thoughts. “My wife did not have Shinigami powers,” he replied dryly.
“I see.”
It was odd! Was she implying that he could sense Renji that far away because they had been together? If so, what about Rukia and Ukitake? He had never had that kind of relationship with either of them. True, Byakuya had had a boyish crush on Ukitake, but it had been more like blind admiration than carnal desire; he had been but a boy.
“In any case, I should have a few of Abarai-kun’s friends and other Shinigami, who have close contact with him, come around to ascertain this sensation you describe. Do you have any suggestions of who I might ask?”
She deflected the conversation expertly, Byakuya noticed but – for the moment – decided to let it go, choosing to focus on the more import matters at hand. Who could offer close Intel on Renji’s reiryoku? Rukia was the obvious option, as was Kurosaki Ichigo if not for the fact that, as far as Byakuya was aware, they were both still in the Human World with Kurosaki most likely still unconscious – another issue to address at a more appropriate time. So, who else was that close to Renji to be able to discern his Spiritual Energy well enough? Byakuya should’ve paid more attention to Renji’s acquaintances.
“Hisagi Shuuhei.” He remembered the Fukutaichou’s concern for Renji the day of the surgery. “And Kira-fukutaichou and Hinamori-fukutaichou.” If Byakuya was recalling it correctly they had all attended Shinigami Academy at the same time, if not the same class.
“Hinamori Momo died in the fight against Aizen.”
Byakuya hadn’t known that.
“But I can work with Hisagi-fukutaichou and Kira-fukutaichou. Is there someone else you can remember? I’d like to have as many as possible for an accurate analysis.”
“Perhaps some members of my Division.” His mind provided an image of Rikichi, but he too had died in the war with Aizen. He searched his mind for more. “And Madarame Ikkaku and Yumichika-san.”
“I don’t think Madarame-kun will be able to assist; he still does not remember much. But I believe the others should suffice, thank you.” She looked at him for a moment before continuing. “And there’s nothing else you can do here, Kuchiki-taichou. Go home! Tend to your clan and your Division,” she said without censure in her words.
Byakuya mused, his dedication to Renji had shifted his priorities and made him disregard his duties in a way that, at any other point in his life, Kuchiki Byakuya would’ve felt terribly ashamed of his conduct. Right now, he just wondered when he would have all his duties completed and when could he be by Renji’s side again.
In a demanding tone, he said, “You will tell me immediately of any change to his condition. Either good or bad!”
“Yes, of course, Kuchiki-taichou.” Unohana studied him for a while then said, “in fact I was wondering if it’s possible for you to take Abarai-kun home with you?”
For the first time in years, Byakuya felt the inability to keep surprise out of his face. He just stared at the other Taichou, blinking stupidly he was certain, before composing himself adequately and asking the first practical thing that came to his mind, “can he be moved?”
She smiled, probably at his effort, and replied, “there is no impediment to Abarai-kun being moved.”
“What will he require? As treatment, I mean?”
“I’ll have a treatment guide written up. As I recall the Kuchiki clan have a private physician, am I right?”
“Yes, you are correct. But I was in fact thinking of sending him here, to help you.”
“That is most generous of you, thank you, Kuchiki-taichou. But I don’t think it will be necessary. My Division members are enough, what I’m lacking is space. I’ve been trying to move all noncritical patients to their homes or Divisions. If you can take Abarai-kun, and perhaps a few others later, it will be help enough.”
“Very well, then. You will give me some time to address the Elders? I cannot make a decision like this without their consent.” Well, he could, but he would never hear the end of it. He had plans for the future that would enrage the Elders; it was good politics to keep them content for a while longer.
“Certainly, Kuchiki-taichou, while you tend to your affairs I shall have the people we discussed come here to feel Abarai-kun’s reiryoku,” Unohana said.
He inclined his head to her. Getting home, assembling the Elders, convoking the physician, arranging the suitable quarters. “I will return later,” Byakuya said after a few calculations, “In the evening.”
“It will all be arranged by then and Abarai-kun ready to be moved. If you’ll excuse me now.”
He nodded a silent dismissal and then turned to Renji, taking a deep sigh. This unexpected development had made him feel lighter, less pressured and definitely reassured. The weighing anguish that had consumed him earlier, clearly abated and a sense of relief and hope was starting to flood his chest, making it easier to breath.
He knelt by Renji’s head, carding fingers through the red mane and pressing a soft kiss to the still lips; the hand caressing the marked forehead. “I’ll return later, Renji, to take you home with me.”
Byakuya rose and headed for the door, sparing a last glance at the red-haired Shinigami lying so still.
[1]The gates used to travel between the Human World and the Soul Society.
September2009©MarinLiliz
-------------------------------
Next: XI. Kuchiki Dealings (really, it is next!)
You might notice this isn't the promised 'Kuchiki Dealings' chapter; again Byakuya wasn't too inclined to talks with the elders, that and the explanation Unohana gives about Renji's condition turned out to became rather complicated (had to rework it twice) and serving as a mean for me to breed some plotbunnies. So please tell me if it sounds plausible or not.
Something else that made this take much longer, I discovered I'd been making a mistake with some terms from canon, reiatsu and reiryoku.
According to Bleach wiki, "Reiryoku is the amount of energy a being has stored within their body or soul, whereas Reiatsu is the pressure that a person’s Reiryoku exerts." Which means what I have been calling reiatsu is in fact reiryoku. So I had to make all the adequate alterations to the whole story.^^'
-------------------------------
X. Sleeping Arrangements
When Unohana-taichou came to find him, Byakuya was brushing out the wrinkles of the standard issued Shinigami uniform he had just dressed and trying to block out his near break down.
“Kuchiki-taichou,” she greeted quietly, barely disturbing the silence. “I see you are finally awake.”
Byakuya turned to look at her, acknowledging her presence and, curious by her ‘finally’, asked, “how long was I asleep?”
“For three days.”
He raised an eyebrow, surprised. Three days! It hadn’t seemed that long.
“You should be recovered by know.” Professional as always, she moved closer to Byakuya, placing a hand on his chest and thoroughly examining his condition.
When finished, she told him, “as I thought, you are nearly fully recovered. Hanatarou-kun did an excellent job on you in the battlefield.” Her eyes shone with pride for the small Shinigami as she continued, “and these three days of sleep have left you as good as new. I do recommend more rest, in a calm environment, for the next few days for complete recovery. So please try to avoid any stressful situations.”
Byakuya thought of the stressful moments of despair he had just experienced and wondered how much that had set back his recovery. In any case it was all over now. It had served its purpose and he could always rest and recover later. The main point was Renji, so he asked, “What of Abarai?”
He eagerly kept watch as Unohana kneeled by Renji’s futon and examined him, though taking much longer than she had with Byakuya; prodding here and there; measuring reactions and finally changing the bandages on Renji’s torso.
Byakuya was not vain; he strived to always look composed and presentable out of need, another method of demanding respect and deference from the much older and condescending members of his clan. But Renji took pride in his appearance, in the clothes and headwear he wore and especially in the tattoos on his skin, the marks of all his achievements in life. To discover that the surgery had left them as perfectly aligned as before and with little signs of scarring was an immense relief to Byakuya; it was one less thing to trouble Renji when he woke up.
As Unohana-taichou was finishing the bandaging, he dared to take her attention from the task and asked, “any change?”
“Physically, Abarai-kun is healing remarkably well; a week or so more and he will be able to have full use of his body and with considerable few after-effects, given the extent of his injuries.”
“But his Spiritual Energy...” Byakuya could hear in her voice.
“But his Spiritual Energy,” she repeated, acknowledging his concern. “His Spiritual Energy, that I believe we were successful in separating fully from that of Zabimaru, has not evolved since the surgery. Which can be a good sign; it means he isn’t getting any worse.”
Byakuya gave her a sceptical look but tried to explain what it felt like to him, “his reiryoku, although now it feels distinctively like Renji’s, has a strange quality to it. It is not the amalgam it was before, I can easily discern the different parts within but... it still does not feel like the real thing. It feels...” he searched for the right word to describe the awkward sensation. “...dampened.” Was all he could come up with. “Could this be because he remains unconscious?”
Unohana-taichou pondered the question, her eyes closing as if assessing the feeling Byakuya had just described. “I confess I cannot relate to the dampened description you’ve made, I merely sense no development since the surgery. But I am not familiar with Abarai-kun’s reiryoku and have no readings prior to the surgery,” she said and shaking her head in disapproval, added, “there really should be a database of the Shinigami’s energy for occasions just like this one. It would make things so much simpler. To answer your question, Kuchiki-taichou, it isn’t unheard of a comatose state to tone down one’s reiryoku, although normally isn’t something blatantly discernable. However it is perfectly conceivable that you being his...” She paused ever so slightly. “...his Taichou, you are more in tune with what Abarai-kun’s reiryoku feels like and so more susceptible of noticing the slighter changes. Can you please try to describe this sensation further?”
“It feels like, like he isn’t right here, next to me; like he is miles away from me. It is rather closely similar to the feeling when he leaves Soul Society through a Senkaimon .”
Unohana-taichou, who had been observing Renji, looked back up at Byakuya, her face with an unusual display of surprise. “You can still feel his Spiritual Energy when he passes through the Senkaimon?”
“Yes. I feel his Spiritual Energy right until he reaches the Human World. The other way
around as well, the minute he crosses the gate to return home, I can sense him.” Byakuya didn’t understand what her surprise was about; he was a powerful Shinigami – and so was Renji – and furthermore, they had been working together for several years, it was only natural for him to be able to feel his fukutaichou’s reiryoku over great distances. And even more so, Renji was not the only one he could sense across the gate. He thought he should add, “I can sense Rukia as well.”
It occurred to Byakuya that he also could sense Ukitake, although it had been a while since the white-haired Taichou had left Soul Society, but before he could provide that information, Unohana asked:
“Were you also able to sense your wife?”
This stopped his random thoughts. “My wife did not have Shinigami powers,” he replied dryly.
“I see.”
It was odd! Was she implying that he could sense Renji that far away because they had been together? If so, what about Rukia and Ukitake? He had never had that kind of relationship with either of them. True, Byakuya had had a boyish crush on Ukitake, but it had been more like blind admiration than carnal desire; he had been but a boy.
“In any case, I should have a few of Abarai-kun’s friends and other Shinigami, who have close contact with him, come around to ascertain this sensation you describe. Do you have any suggestions of who I might ask?”
She deflected the conversation expertly, Byakuya noticed but – for the moment – decided to let it go, choosing to focus on the more import matters at hand. Who could offer close Intel on Renji’s reiryoku? Rukia was the obvious option, as was Kurosaki Ichigo if not for the fact that, as far as Byakuya was aware, they were both still in the Human World with Kurosaki most likely still unconscious – another issue to address at a more appropriate time. So, who else was that close to Renji to be able to discern his Spiritual Energy well enough? Byakuya should’ve paid more attention to Renji’s acquaintances.
“Hisagi Shuuhei.” He remembered the Fukutaichou’s concern for Renji the day of the surgery. “And Kira-fukutaichou and Hinamori-fukutaichou.” If Byakuya was recalling it correctly they had all attended Shinigami Academy at the same time, if not the same class.
“Hinamori Momo died in the fight against Aizen.”
Byakuya hadn’t known that.
“But I can work with Hisagi-fukutaichou and Kira-fukutaichou. Is there someone else you can remember? I’d like to have as many as possible for an accurate analysis.”
“Perhaps some members of my Division.” His mind provided an image of Rikichi, but he too had died in the war with Aizen. He searched his mind for more. “And Madarame Ikkaku and Yumichika-san.”
“I don’t think Madarame-kun will be able to assist; he still does not remember much. But I believe the others should suffice, thank you.” She looked at him for a moment before continuing. “And there’s nothing else you can do here, Kuchiki-taichou. Go home! Tend to your clan and your Division,” she said without censure in her words.
Byakuya mused, his dedication to Renji had shifted his priorities and made him disregard his duties in a way that, at any other point in his life, Kuchiki Byakuya would’ve felt terribly ashamed of his conduct. Right now, he just wondered when he would have all his duties completed and when could he be by Renji’s side again.
In a demanding tone, he said, “You will tell me immediately of any change to his condition. Either good or bad!”
“Yes, of course, Kuchiki-taichou.” Unohana studied him for a while then said, “in fact I was wondering if it’s possible for you to take Abarai-kun home with you?”
For the first time in years, Byakuya felt the inability to keep surprise out of his face. He just stared at the other Taichou, blinking stupidly he was certain, before composing himself adequately and asking the first practical thing that came to his mind, “can he be moved?”
She smiled, probably at his effort, and replied, “there is no impediment to Abarai-kun being moved.”
“What will he require? As treatment, I mean?”
“I’ll have a treatment guide written up. As I recall the Kuchiki clan have a private physician, am I right?”
“Yes, you are correct. But I was in fact thinking of sending him here, to help you.”
“That is most generous of you, thank you, Kuchiki-taichou. But I don’t think it will be necessary. My Division members are enough, what I’m lacking is space. I’ve been trying to move all noncritical patients to their homes or Divisions. If you can take Abarai-kun, and perhaps a few others later, it will be help enough.”
“Very well, then. You will give me some time to address the Elders? I cannot make a decision like this without their consent.” Well, he could, but he would never hear the end of it. He had plans for the future that would enrage the Elders; it was good politics to keep them content for a while longer.
“Certainly, Kuchiki-taichou, while you tend to your affairs I shall have the people we discussed come here to feel Abarai-kun’s reiryoku,” Unohana said.
He inclined his head to her. Getting home, assembling the Elders, convoking the physician, arranging the suitable quarters. “I will return later,” Byakuya said after a few calculations, “In the evening.”
“It will all be arranged by then and Abarai-kun ready to be moved. If you’ll excuse me now.”
He nodded a silent dismissal and then turned to Renji, taking a deep sigh. This unexpected development had made him feel lighter, less pressured and definitely reassured. The weighing anguish that had consumed him earlier, clearly abated and a sense of relief and hope was starting to flood his chest, making it easier to breath.
He knelt by Renji’s head, carding fingers through the red mane and pressing a soft kiss to the still lips; the hand caressing the marked forehead. “I’ll return later, Renji, to take you home with me.”
Byakuya rose and headed for the door, sparing a last glance at the red-haired Shinigami lying so still.
[1]The gates used to travel between the Human World and the Soul Society.
September2009©MarinLiliz
-------------------------------
Next: XI. Kuchiki Dealings (really, it is next!)