Falling Leaves

Title: Little Fish
Author: chibi-zoe
Series: Bleach
Pairing: Byakuya x Hitsugaya
Rating: NC17
Summary: It’s the festival of Shichi-Go-San, the making of little adults, and Byakuya has taken his male lover to the ceremony.
AN: this is not a true continuation of Falling Leaves, it's more of a related one-shot, but you could take it as a sequel if you wished.

Shichi-Go-San Festival (The Celebration of 753 – the making of little adults)
15 November
Nationwide
Three, five and seven year-old children in their finest kimono are taken by their parents to shrines to pray for the children's future health and good fortune.


Looking down at his lover, Byakuya swallowed an inappropriate grin. Clearly finding formal wear in such a small size was exceptionally difficult for men as well. He clearly remembered both Hisana and Rukia complaining about finding suitable festival wear for their own small frames, but for some reason he hadn’t quite translated that into Toshiro having the same difficulty. The young man was clearly embarrassed about appearing in public actually looking his age, rather than his rank, but Byakuya thought that he looked adorable.

“Thank you for coming today Toshiro" he murmured softly. They didn’t often get the chance to appear together in public. He had a sneaking suspicion that certain members of the Kuchiki clan had been meeting with Yamamoto in private, trying to ensure that he and his lover had as little time as possible to be together.

A warm softness brushed casually against his hand and he glanced down to see bright turquoise eyes smiling up at him. An urge to hug the smaller man against him and to lose himself in the others’ kiss, washed slowly through Byakuya’s body.

Soft whispers drew his attention away from the hypnotising gaze of his lover, and he glanced casually around to see the crowd carefully not looking at them. Swallowing a grunt of irritation, he turned his gaze back to the crowd of immaculately children gathering before the shrine. Many of the children were from the Kuchiki clan or from their associated houses. The clan elders had clearly not expected him to invite his male lover to a festival to celebrate important childhood milestones.

He could feel the tenseness radiating off Toshiro’s slight frame and turned his body slightly to face the smaller man. He opened his mouth to offer soft reassurances, when he heard an all too familiar disturbance at the back of the crowd. Sure enough, as the people slowly moved aside, his sister, his lieutenant and the substitute shinigami, all looking very frazzled, along with three small dark-haired children were revealed.

“Finally” he heard Toshiro mutter from beside him, and frankly, he had to agree. Nothing drew the Kuchiki clan’s disapproval quite like Rukia and her family. Offering up a polite smile of greeting to the adults, he reached into his pockets to produce a variety of sweets for his nephews. Rowdy thanks and greedy hands greeted his gifts, before the rambunctious boys drifted towards the crowd of other children.

“Toshiro fancy meeting you here.” He was never quite sure if Ichigo really was as dense as he acted, or if he just enjoyed teasing the Tenth Division captain. The way that Toshiro always arced up, and again Byakuya wasn’t sure if he was being serious or not, led the Sixth Division captain to believe that the living boy simply enjoyed the reactions that he drew out.

Listening to his lover and Rukia’s ‘companions’ launch into a heated discussion, he turned to face his sister. She looked radiant as she watched her children play quietly with the other well-dressed kids before the shire. He wondered suddenly, if Hisana would have looked like this if she had lived long enough to start the family that they had often talked about. He felt a warm smile take over his face as he looked at the contented expression on hers, and reached into his sleeve to withdraw the small gift that he had brought for her.

“Rukia,” she turned that wondrous expression on him, and he felt his heart pound in his chest with fraternal feeling, “here.” For once words failed him as he handed her the small, clumsily wrapped, present. He had thought long and hard about what to say at this moment, but now that it was here, he found that he had completely forgotten everything.

The cessation of voices beside him drew his attention back to the three men, and he turned to face them. Their attention was focused on the shrine, and the children gathered before it. It seemed that the ceremony was about to begin. Casting a quick look down at his sister, he was astonished to see her eyes glistening with unshed tears. She had clearly recognised the intricate kanzashi, from the few simple pictures around the Kuchiki manor, as having belonged to Hisana. He had gifted them to his wife to wear at their first festival together, and she had treasured them, but it seemed a shame to just leave them lying around now that Hisana was gone and he highly doubted that Toshiro would appreciate them.

“Thank you Byakuya,” she murmured surprisingly softly, “I know how much these mean to you.” He watched as she raised her arms to carefully pin the delicate decorations in her hair. He had initially been a little worried that she would resemble her sister far too much and that he would become captivated, but he had been worrying needlessly. Though their visages were extraordinarily similar, they were still very clearly different women, even when wearing the same type of kimono and the same hair style.

Breathing out a soft sigh of relief, he shifted subtly so that he could feel the heat from Toshiro’s body. For a man who wielded the strongest Ice-type zanpaktou he radiated a surprising amount of body heat. He longed to gather the smaller man in his arms and escape to somewhere where their responsibilities wouldn’t find them, where they could lose themselves in each other’s arms and forget about the rest of the world.

The ceremony was over relatively quickly, as was to be expected when children were the focus. Byakuya watched as Rukia gathered up her children, fussing over the wrinkles in their formal wear and slipping them sweets to keep them quiet. He knew from listening to Renji and Ichigo that Rukia had organised to have proper family portraits taken later in the afternoon, and all members of the odd family were required to stay neat, tidy and blood-free.

“No.” He looked down at Toshiro in confusion, wondering what the smaller man was objecting to.

“Whatever it is that you’re contemplating, the answer is no.” Contemplating? He wasn’t contemplating anything. Even if the idea of some pictures of himself and Toshiro together did sound rather enticing.

“I was only thinking about getting some extra paperwork completed this afternoon.” He lied, hoping that his lover would believe him. Judging by the sceptical expression though, he had failed miserably. Oh well.

“Come on Toshiro, if we hurry we can escape before the elders realise that I’ve gone.” He tried for a winning smile, but it felt strange on his face.

“This ‘paperwork’ wouldn’t happen to be in your private quarters would it Captain Kuchiki.” The teasing tone in Toshiro’s voice sent shivers down Byakuya’s spine, and being called Captain like that sent lust shooting like lightening through his body.

“Perhaps” he countered, licking his lips in anticipation. The eager look on his lovers’ face spoke volumes to Byakuya and he glanced around to see where the elders where, before brushing his arm against Toshiro’s and making his way towards the exit.

Breaking free of the festival had turned out to be more trouble than expected, every second person had wanted to speak to the Clan Head, and Byakuya had been unable to politely reject them without causing a scene. On the upside though, no one had been deliberately rude to Toshiro, and several had even included him in their conversations. It had been heartening to listen to, even if it had clearly confused his younger companion.

Talking quietly with Toshiro as they strode towards the Kuchiki manor, Byakuya felt strangely content. Reaching out, he grasped his lovers’ hand and gazed down into raised turquoise eyes. Soft lips parted as he lowered his head to steal a fleeting kiss, enraptured as always by the sweet/minty/cool taste that was uniquely Toshiro.

Finally reaching his own suite, Byakuya was tempted to simply throw his lover down on the futon and have his wicked way with the younger man, but the mischievous twinkle in Toshiro’s eye stilled his movements. He turned and stared as his fellow captain moved gracefully into the garden, casting a come-hither look over his shoulder as he did so. Wondering exactly what the pale genius had in mind, Byakuya crossed the room and stepped outside.

“Ahh, Toshiro” he gasped as the small body pressed firmly back against him, “don’t stop.” He had been enticed over to the koi pond, where he had been directed to sit on a convenient rock with his back to the water, and then Toshiro had climbed into his lap and begun grinding against him. He groaned and arched up against his lover, he was so achingly hard that the rub of fabric on flesh was almost painful, before raising his arms to crush the smaller man against his chest.

“Byakuya,” Toshiro’s voice was deep and rough with his excitement, “lean back a bit.” As he leant back on his elbows, small, sneaky, hands began fumbling with the ties to his formal robes. Half lost in a haze of lust, it took Byakuya several long moments to realise that Toshiro intended for them to continue their activities right where they were, out in the open beneath the gloriously blue sky where a servant or fellow clan member could stumble across them at any moment. The thought of being caught in the act was both humiliating and exciting.

“Ah!” He couldn’t help the exclamation that escaped his throat when small hands grasped his erection firmly. His eyes rolled back in his head as warm breath was exhaled across his tip and he slumped back against the rock without a care for his expensive robes, as a hot, moist, tongue licked him teasingly. Letting out a shuddery breath, Byakuya raised his hands to tangle his fingers in his partners’ soft white hair. A throaty chuckle at his actions nearly caused him to lose control and spend himself too soon, but he managed to hold on just in time.

“Don’t stop.” He groaned when Toshiro released him with a damp sounding popping noise. Byakuya opened eyes that he wasn’t aware he’d shut, to see his lover licking his lips and looking exceptionally pleased with himself. He watched with mounting anticipation as Toshiro fumbled with his robes’ fastenings and wriggled around until his bare ass was position over Byakuya’s leaking erection. The younger man was precariously balanced, but he still managed to reach behind himself and slowly insert an exploratory finger.

Watching as his lover prepared himself, Byakuya wished that he had a better view, not that the sight of Toshiro’s ecstatic face was at all boring, but there was nothing quite like the sight of something long and slender slowly disappearing between pale cheeks. Straining upwards, he nudged his length against Toshiro’s thrusting fingers, making the younger man gasp and moan. Then Byakuya felt damp fingers grasp him firmly by his base.

The feeling of tight heat slowly enveloping him was wondrous, and Byakuya let heartfelt endearments slips from his lips as he raised his arms to steady to his lover. When Toshiro was fully seated, he leant forwards to capture Byakuya’s lips and the noble moaned appreciatively; there was no kiss quite like the first one after their bodies joined. Running his hands over Toshiro’s hips, Byakuya slowly arched his back until he could run his fingers over the place where they joined.

A stream of unintelligible mixed moans and mumbles fell from Toshiro’s lips at his actions, and Byakuya clenched his abdominals as hard as he could and attempted to thrust his hips up at the same time that he stroked down with splayed fingers. The result was a sharp piece of rock digging painfully into his kidney and the most amazing sounds of pure ecstasy from his nearly boneless lover. Trying to ignore the rock, Byakuya repeated the motion and smirked at the way that Toshiro’s fingers scrabbled at his robes, not so much trying to grip as unconsciously encouraging him to continue.

He was hot, sweaty, terribly uncomfortable and having the most erotic sex of his life. Byakuya glanced quickly around the garden to ensure that they were still alone, and then strained his neck to whisper the three most important words of his life directly into the ear of the man who was the current centre of his universe.

“I love you.”

He said it as clearly as he could, even if he was breathless and gasping for much needed oxygen. In his arms Toshiro stiffened, and then cried out his release, burying his face in Byakuya’s robes to muffle the noise. The combination of the convulsing heat of Toshiro’s body and the young man’s beatific expression, tipped Byakuya into his own orgasm, and he bit down on his lovers’ shoulder to prevent his own cries from escaping and possibly alerting someone as to their activities.

The quiet sound of the koi pond was soothing and Byakuya could’ve quite happily drifted off for a quick nap if Toshiro hadn’t stirred restlessly on his lap. Slowly sitting up, he frowned at the sticky mess on his formal robes and wondered just how much it would cost to bribe his laundry servant into silence. Silently, he helped Toshiro to his feet, manfully ignoring the sudden dribble of warm liquid onto his balls as he did so. Standing, he absently straightened his soiled robes and ran a careful hand over his headpiece.

With everything in order, he quietly suggested to his lover that they retire to the bath to clean up, and then perhaps they could have a quiet meal together, alone. When Toshiro readily agreed and immediately started heading towards Byakuya’s private bath, grumping at him to hurry up, Byakuya felt a soppy smile take over his face, his lover was so incredibly cute sometimes. Hurrying to catch up, he rubbed absently at his back where the rock had dug in.

The next morning, after casually parting company with Toshiro at the gates to the Sixth Division headquarters, Byakuya made his way to his office. His back was killing him, the rock had badly bruised the sensitive flesh of his lower back and the whole area was aching and tense. Rubbing soothing circles around the afflicted area, he was startled to hear an astonished yelp from his lieutenant.

Turning to look the man in the eye, he was surprised to see that Renji was blushing and backing slowly out of the room, clearly smothering giggles as he did so. Wondering what could possibly have brought on such a strange reaction from his excitable Second, he stepped forwards hurriedly, wincing as the movement jostled his bruise. There was a suspicious silence and lack of movement from his lieutenant, and then the man was gone in a flash of shunpo.

Deciding to ignore the man and his strange actions, Byakuya settled down to his paperwork, smiling softly to himself as he thought again of the way that Toshiro had teased him the previous day. Still, even the wonderful memories were not enough to hide the fact that everyone who came to see him was acting strangely. They all eyed him carefully and left smothering smiles and giggles. Looking at the twinkle in Matsumoto’s eyes, Byakuya decided that perhaps he really didn’t want to know what everyone else found so entertaining.