Black-and-Red Conflict

thanks for all the reviews! *smiles happily*

X-D.seme: PLEASE don't hesitate to tell me where the mistakes are! really.. i really wanna know, i don't wanna have typos all over my stuff...

~~~Twelve~~~
Invitation

Kuchiki Byakuya, 28th head of one of the most powerful clans of Soul Society did another thing he was not used to. He paced.

He was in the writing room of his mansion, but was thinking about moving to the private tea room where he would be able to open the sliding doors towards the gardens and get some more fresh air. Not that, with all the windows wide open here, there would have really been any need for that. But what he really craved was of course not air but simply movement. It was beginning to annoy him that he had been walking the same steps – between his low table in a wide recess in the wall on one side of the room towards the aforementioned wide open window opposite it – two hundred and forty eight times since he had come home. He tried to push the number from his mind but it remained there, always stubbornly adding one more count every time he was back at the table.

Two hundred and forty nine. He sighed. Obsessive counting of unimportant things was neurotic, he told himself, and it was something unnecessary, one more thing on the “what-I've-never-done-before”-list. There was no sense to it. He should not care about how often he had walked this small distance. He should rather think about the problem at hand for he had to solve it before the clan meeting. Just that somehow thinking had been impossible as long as he had attempted to sit still. The walking was helping a little, he had to admit that.

Two hundred and fifty. He forced his feet to stop, as well as his right hand to finally cease from fingering the smaller piece of his Kenseikan. He had raised and lowered his hand fifty six times since he had started pacing.
He was losing it again. He knew it because he would never forget all the signs that had announced it when it had happened the first time. He remembered all of his reactions for even if he started to question his sanity, at least his memory seemed as precise as ever.

Byakuya hardly looked up as he heard the quiet sound of one of the sliding doors being opened.
“Kuchiki-sama, Kuchiki Rukia arrived and requests to see you.”
The addressed man nodded but stayed in front of the window until he heard the servant approach again, this time followed by the sound of another pair of feet.

Rukia entered the room and the door was closed behind her.
“Nii-sama.”
Byakuya turned and braced himself but could not suppress a small flinch as he saw the young woman that was the spitting image of Hisana. He almost shook his head to drive that thought away. This was ridiculous. Rukia had lived in this very mansion for years, he had talked to her countless times, had seen her many more. She'd always looked like Hisana and always would and it had never been a problem for him before. Why did it affect him so much now?
Because he had brought it all back up. Yes, of course. Because Renji had brought it back up.

“Nii-sama?” Rukia now asked, a slight frown on her face.
“Yes.”
He finally snapped out of his thoughts and stepped back to his table, motioning for Rukia to sit down in front of it as he himself took seat opposite her.
“You came to tell me who you invited on your behalf?”

She knelt down and nodded, looking at him in a strange way that he could not quite read.
“Yes. It's Renji, as you probably expected. But, I actually don't think he will come.”
She looked disappointed and also slightly hurt.
Byakuya stayed silent at first, wondering for a moment if Renji would have told her anything that could hint at why the redhead would not want to come. However, the way she regarded him was suspicious but still calm. She would not behave that way if Abarai had told her anything specific.
Eventually he nodded at his adopted sister.
“Has he officially declined and if so, is there anybody else in his stead?”

“No and no.”
She hesitated and her look was almost pleading now.
“There's something wrong, isn't there? With... you two?”
So she suspected that Renji's behavior did have to do with him, her brother. This would be tricky. Even though he did not generally admit it, she had indeed become like a sister to him and over the years he had found it increasingly hard to be cold or indifferent towards her. The fact that she had been able to talk him into a personal guest for her was another proof of that. And now that her resemblance of Hisana was again strikingly apparent, it was even more difficult.

“I suppose I might speak with him tomorrow,” he avoided her question, “Maybe he will be more inclined to come if I invite him myself.”
Byakuya did indeed plan to talk to Renji, and he did plan to get the other to attend that dinner come what may. Just that a simple invitation from his mouth would probably rather contribute to having the interior of his office smashed to pieces by Zabimaru.

Rukia's eyebrows first narrowed in suspicion then rose in surprise. She did not remember he had ever lied, so instead he had chosen to ignore her question, and like that, answered it. He had also said he himself would invite Renji.

“You would do that?” She thought her brother would have been rather pleased to see her attempts at bringing her friend into a Kuchiki-clan meeting turn out unsuccessfully, but now he would actually try himself to get the other to attend? But she she wasn't able to question Byakuya about it, because he rose, a sign that he would like to get on with whatever it was he had been doing before. She stood reluctantly but did not shift her gaze away from him.

“Yes I would,” he finally said and then turned to the window, which meant she would get nothing more out of him and should rather leave and hope for the best.

At the door she turned once more for a small bow, then opened it and stepped out but paused for another moment before closing it.
“Thank you,” she said quietly and left, the picture of her brother standing with the back towards her at the open window strangely present in her head for the rest of the day.

Byakuya though did have too much on his mind to really register those last two words. His thoughts were already back to where they had been for most of the afternoon. Renji... The rage and underlying hurt in the other's eyes and how he had tossed the kimono towards Byakuya, who in the afterthought was completely speechless of how he really could have been so stupid. He knew he had done exactly the wrong thing, once more. And he also knew that there was only one way to make it up. Still the little hairs on his neck rose just at the thought of apologizing. And the fact that he did not even completely understand why just made it worse. Of course he had never been one who thought he needed to apologize, but it had never been this hard and he had done it to others before. To Rukia, in a way even to Kurosaki Ichigo. Just never to Renji.

Because Renji was different. Because Renji seemed to be able to see through his captain and Byakuya was more than ever afraid of showing what his pride interpreted as weakness. To overcome that pride was the problem, but it was hard to fight against one's own mind.
His right hand rose once again to the Kenseikan, but this time to loosen it and free his dark hair from its constraint. He looked down onto that strange object in his hand, onto one more piece of his mask, and sighed. There was no other way, as much as he despised the fact and it was again impossible for him to find proper sleep this night.

The next day he did not appear in the office earlier than the regular time. With many of the squad being out on missions there was only little paperwork to do, which he assumed he would have done around midday. After that, his as well as Abarai's presence in the headquarters would not be necessary anymore for the afternoon or the following day. The day after tomorrow the dinner took place, so he needed to convince Renji this morning, or it was highly unlikely he would have another chance. He almost started to worry as his Fukutaichou didn't show up until one and a half hours after the defined time.

The redhead passed his Taichou's office without any sign of slowing his steps and shortly thereafter, Byakuya heard a door being slammed a little way down the hall. So Renji was already worked up even before they had seen each other. But there was no way around this, as much as the noble wished there to be one. The fact that he had to go to Renji this time made it even worse and he stood only reluctantly. Glancing once more at the kimono that still lay on his desk, neatly folded by now, he decided he would not make that mistake a second time and left it where it was.

In the hallway Byakuya already had his hand raised and was about to knock against his Fukutaichou's office door, when he remembered that Renji generally did not announce himself either. But he decided he was not like the other and gave one sharp knock against the wood before entering without waiting for a reply. There was too much on his mind as that he could have noticed how he'd just contradicted himself.

Renji half sat on his desk, half only leaned against it, arms crossed over his chest. He had obviously been sitting on top of the table again like many times before and just slipped forward when he felt his captain approach. He glared.

The noble met those red eyes and forced himself not to back away, closing the door silently behind him without averting his gaze. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed a dark red heap to his right that he recognized as the silken kimono that had been brought to Renji's office the day before, together with the white-and-pink one a servant had to run through half Rukongai to find. The noble's fingers itched to pick up the garment and fold it together, simply to do something instead of just standing here, or doing what he came here for, but he did not allow himself to move. He did not clear his throat either, or even blink. If he just knew how to start...

Renji's gaze grew darker with the second. He did not know what he expected, but nothing positive in any case. This situation should have been funny. Both were staring at each other, Renji as if he wanted to kill, Byakuya almost as if he was bored, none saying a word, none moving a millimeter. It should have been, if the first hadn't been so mad at the other, and the other not tried so hard to fight his own self.
Finally the redhead's patience came to an end.

“Whaddaya want?”
Byakuya's eyes widened a fraction but he didn't look away. The muscles in his jaw were working intensely and he did not seem to notice, though Renji did. Then the dark haired man lifted his chin a bit higher before finally opening his mouth.

“I want you to attend the dinner.”
It was not exactly how he had planned to start, but this would probably buy him some more time. That small voice in the back of his head mocked him. Now Kuchiki Byakuya already needed to buy time for himself? Absurd.

Renji lifted a single tattooed eyebrow and his lips pulled into a half-snarl.
“Not coming.”

Byakuya breathed deeply, his gaze flickering before he steadied it once more on his opposite.
“Please.”

Renji's brows rose in surprise and he blinked. That hadn't been expected. And he was not sure yet if it was positive or not. Was it just another game? But when had Kuchiki Byakuya ever played games, especially ones in which he used a word like that?

He pushed himself forward and away from his desk, lifting his chin and making a short motion towards Byakuya.
“Why?”

Another pause, then, “As an apology.”

Now Renji's mouth actually fell open. He needed a few moments to simply process that and then he felt first angry, then amused, then almost something like satisfaction before he had closed the circle and was back to angry, even if it was still held down by his surprise.

“Do I get this? You make me come to a place I don't even wanna be at and tell me it's'n apology coz you raped me?”

This time Byakuya could not suppress the flinch. But he tried to keep his eyes steady. He had known this would be terrible.
Then he half lifted his head as if to nod, but Renji spoke again, just back at the amused phase.
“Feeding me after fucking me.”

Byakuya's eyes widened in shock and tried to clear his throat. Still, the rather loud “No!” that followed made quite a croaky sound.
He could hardly keep himself in one place anymore, and his jaw had started to hurt as well, and he lifted a hand to his forehead.
“Look...,” he tried to keep his voice steady, but could not look into Renji's eyes anymore.
“I am aware I have not the right to expect you to do this, not after...”
His voice trailed off, but finally he looked up again, now only a few steps from the other man, noticing for the first time that Renji was indeed almost ten centimeters taller than the noble.
“Rukia would be relieved if you came.”
“As if you care 'bout that.”
The glare that followed was again much more like the Byakuya Renji knew.
“I do.”
A minatory hiss.

Renji did not respond, but leaned back, arms still crossed, eyes narrowed just like before. Byakuya could see the turmoil that was going on behind those eyes and just hoped that Renji would not drive him further in this. He was not sure how much longer he would be able to hold the reigns on his pride which was kicking and bucking like a wild horse.

The redhead was not sure what to do. He was still angry because he'd been forbidden to leave on a mission and that Byakuya obviously thought he could make up what he'd done by inviting his lieutenant. Hell, Renji did not even want to go there. And he would for sure not stop hating the noble for raping him after having his stomach filled with expensive food. But... he was curious. He was damn curious. At the moment, just as curious as he was angry and he started to waver. Byakuya had asked him for something. Almost nicely even. And he looked as if he actually really could be sorry. Maybe. And Renji would get the chance to mess up the Kuchiki-clan meeting. And then Byakuya would be responsible for it. If that wouldn't be a good payback. And he'd get good food. And alcohol. For free.

His face did not show the mischief he was actually feeling at that moment when he said, “Fine,” and rolled his eyes in the perfect imitation of annoyance.

“Very well. 6pm.”

Byakuya was hardly able to hide his relief and as he turned and walked out, Renji made a sound that could have been a laugh. Finally the redhead saw himself in the position he wanted to be in, he felt he had the right to be in. He smirked. As the captain was already almost back out the door his lieutenant raised his voice once more.
“Shouldn't ya be thankin' me?”

Byakuya did not stop in his tracks and did not turn around. He could not help the fact, though, that the door fell into its lock with a rather loud noise.


~~~