The wisdom of a stray dog

Author’s Note: Sixth chapter, the last one. The subtitle is a paraphrase of the title of a beautiful, though infinitely sad, Chinese film starring Gong Li. Written in British English as usual.
Main Characters/Pairings: Byakuya x Renji, Ichigo x Rukia
Summary: And they lived happily ever after... Well, ye ken – all that lovey-dovey rubbish, ehehehe... (I hate that frozen, stoic Byakuya’s side) So cliché! *blushes, dreadfully ashamed*
Rating: R
Genre: Romance/General/Dramatics (jus’ a wee little bittie)
Music: “Inside Out” preformed by Phil Collins
Disclaimer: BLEACH does not belong to me. At all.
Dedication: to Naltariel and Maki-chan.
Word count: 1857
Motto: “Sakura sakura-to/ Hitobito ga/ Ukaretamau wa/ Itsu-no koto?” (Kouta – a traditional, Japanese lyrical song – translation published in explanatory notes)


SANSAN KUDO
(Light the red lanterns up)

On Saturday morning someone knocked on Kurosaki house door. Ichigo was feeding their younger child, little Masaki and accomplishing that task seemed somewhat difficult for a while: smart little lady refused to swallow the gruel and kept her lips sealed. Rukia, wiping the flour off her hands, opened the door quickly. She froze at the sight of the incomers.
“Who is it, dear?” Ichigo asked.
Rukia swallowed, shook her head and finally managed to answer her husband’s question “It’s nii-sama and... Renji!”
For indeed there they were, standing before her, holding hands, blushing fiercely and smiling shyly.

“I’m so glad you’ve found Renji, nii-sama”, said Rukia, watching her dignified brother and her childhood friend sitting close to each other on the couch.
“I am glad as well” Byakuya sipped his tea and took Renji’s palm in his.
“Aye, taichou found me and gave Zabimaru back tae me” the redhead smiled “But before that... me life wuz a shambles, not even worth mentioning”
“Let me remind you, Renji, that you are not supposed to call me ‘taichou’. Call me ‘Byakuya’, if you please” the Kuchiki heir reprimanded him softly.
“More importantly, Renji, why didn’t you ring us, even once??? We were fretting for you, not knowing where you were living or what were you doing! Why have you disappeared all of the sudden? Why, Renji?!? We are your friends, you should have trusted us!” cried Rukia, her fists clenched.
“I wuz livin’ a life withoot tomorrow, ye ken” Renji said guiltily, his eyes dull “I wuz sellin’ me body and me soul by the pound to everyun who could afford sich a high price for a one-night stand...”
“Hush, Renji, that’s past. Let’s concentrate on the present” Byakuya encircled Abarai’s waist with his arm.
“Yes, Renji, I think that you should listen to my brother, just once” Rukia nodded, smiling reassuringly.
“I agree with Rukia, if anyone is interested in my opinion” Ichigo added, putting sleeping Masaki to her bed “Just don’t you dare disappear again for such a long time, Renji. And one more thing, Byakuya: if I’ll ever hear that you’ve hurt him again, I’ll kick your aristocratic arse and there’ll be no place in the world where you’d be able to hide from me and my bankai”
-------

“So, whut do we do noo, Byakuya?” Renji asked, sealing the last carton box, containing his clothes and other belongings, with adhesive tape. They have spent the whole morning packing Renji’s suits, books and other things he decided either to give away or to take with him wherever he was to go. Surprisingly, the Kuchiki heir seemed to know a lot about packing: in fact, it occurred to Renji that his former taichou was extremely pedantic.
“I suppose we shall return to Seireitei, Renji” Byakuya said simply and seriously, taking a seat on Renji’s bed, straitening the invisible wrinkles on his black woollen trousers.
“Aye, aye, Kuchiki-taichou!” Renji’s soldier mannerism was back in its prime.
“RENJI!!! How many times do I have to tell you... You are not my subordinate any more. From this moment on, we are officially engaged” the nobleman frowned, his beautiful, steel-grey eyes looking at his red-haired companion with a silent reproach.
“But Byakuya! This cannae be! That’s nae by the book!” Renji protested vigorously.
“Well, Renji, perhaps it is time to rewrite a few books, don’t you think?” Byakuya smiled a teasing smile, so uncharacteristic of his usual self. “To be honest, I do not care for anyone’s heart but yours, Renji. Moreover, to see it broken again would break my own as well. I shan’t repeat myself. That is all”
Renji was startled at first. But, after a few seconds, he roared with deep, warm, genuine laughter of someone who had finally found happiness.

"Now everybody keeps on telling me how to be
And everybody tells me do what they say
Oh I'll help myself it's up to me and no one else
But till I'm ready just keep out of my way"

--------
Three nights later, two shadowy figures carrying some heavy baggage, slipped into Kuchiki manor through the kitchen door. Earlier that night, they have opened the Senkai gate, and, suppressing their reiatsu, switched to shunpo. The smaller one, conjuring the ghost light from his hand, wordlessly commanded the other to follow. They walked through the corridors and crept through the dining room carefully, cautious not to make a sound. Getting into bedroom with no trouble at all, they’ve placed two large backpacks and four medium-sized carton boxes on the floor, deciding to put them inside the closet in the morning.
“But Byakuya” Renji whispered under his breath “Whut if one of the servants will come ‘ere at dawn and see us sleeping together?”
“Renji, I suppose the only thing we have to do to prevent it is to lock the door” Byakuya replied, taking his geta and tabi off. Then he opened the closet and got two indigo, bamboo-patterned yukata out of it. One he gave to Renji, the other he put on. Enjoying the delicate touch of a silken cloth, feeling comfortable in his own skin, Byakuya sat on the futon and pulled Renji into his lap. Still shaking in his nervousness, the redhead sighed, inhaling deeply the familiar scent of spice and sandalwood. So familiar yet different, he thought, touching Byakuya’s porcelain skin, so silky and warm under his fingertips, realising that he was being literally wrapped in the cocoon of his lover’s – no, his fiancé’s reiatsu.
“Byakuya, me luv, do ye ken why I left ye, back then?” he asked, fingers drawing the invisible patterns on the nobleman’s torso.
The Kuchiki heir shook his head gently. “Because of my foolishness, I presume”, he said, voice calm and almost as silent as a whisper.
“Nae, Byakuya” Renji kissed his beloved’s palm and continued “Yer reiatsu stopped talking tae me, ye ken. Jus’ as if ye told it tae belt up. I couldnae hear it speak anymore, nae single word”
“I am sorry, Renji, for being such an obnoxious coward” gentle lips brushed the top of Renji’s head, Byakuya’s embrace tightened.
“Dinnae ever say that agin, me luv – let bygones be bygones, like Rukia said” Renji stated, wrapping a black, silky strand around his finger “There’re more important thingies for us to talk aboot”
“Indeed? And what are these?”
“You say that you want us to get married, right?” Renji looked at Byakuya questioningly.
“Yes. Are you having any doubts?” the nobleman replied, trying to hide the anxiety awakening within his heart.
“Oh nae, but whut do ye expect from our marriage? Whut do ye want it tae be like? How do ye expect me tae behave? Whut if ye would wake up one day and felt that ye wantae have children? I cannae give ye any – I’m a lad, after all, nae woman!” Renji’s voice was filled with concern.
“Do you think that I would have betrayed you or left you just because I might want to have children?!? Or that I would be ashamed of you, of the one I love?!? Never. If I were to have children, I would rather go and ask Urahara Kisuke for help than leave you. I suppose he would come up with some idea to make it possible for us to have children, OUR children – do you understand me, Renji? OUR children. I want to have children by you, not by some noblewoman my clan would choose for me to marry”
“Aye, forgot aboot that barmy miracle-worker... Had he flapped his wings and I’m sure he would have flown!” Renji smiled broadly, relieved “How I admire ye, me luv.. Never would have thought of that”
“Someone has to get you out of the unnecessary trouble you persist in getting yourself into, my dearest Renji” Byakuya replied and added “Let us retire to bed. It has been a long, tiring day”
Soon they fell asleep, clinging onto one another, hearts at peace, beating in the same rhythm.

Soon everyone in Seireitei learnt about their comeback and future plans. Renji’s friends were surprised, but congratulated them any road. The clan members, on the other hand, were strongly against such, as they described it, unthinkable arrangements.
There had been whispers behind their backs, the vicious, angry words spoken with hate...

‘And Abarai had the audacity to come back to Seireitei!’
‘What a disgrace to the family! If only the old master was alive...!’
‘Yes, he would not allow such farce! Let alone he’s a man, but his origin!’
‘A dog howling to the moon, one might say’
‘We are witnessing the angel’s fall...’
‘Someone has to stop Byakuya-sama! We’ve got to do something, gentlemen!’
‘But who dares? That despicable mongrel had poisoned Byakuya-sama’s reason with his lies and constant adulating!’
‘Licks his feet and begs for scraps! No dignity at all’
‘I cannot believe Byakuya-sama have let himself being conned into this!’
‘Neither can I... This is utterly unacceptable! First that Hisana woman, now this dirty gutter rat!’

Byakuya decided to do something about that. When he entered the room where the council of elders held its meeting, everyone turned. Byakuya answered their unspoken question, carefully choosing words.

“I have caused him immense pain, I have betrayed him when he needed me. Had I not the courage to mend what I broke, it wouldn’t have been nobility, not honour, but plain hubris! And now you come here, demanding that I resigned, abandoned him once again. For clan’s welfare, you want to shape me like an animal, to rob me and my beloved one of our destiny... Sad as it is, it’s a disgrace as well. In the past, when most of you tried to stop me from marrying Hisana, I have not said a single word. But now I am not going to remain silent any longer” He watched their faces change, expressions of mixed disgust and surprise, sunk ocean-deep in despair.
“You speak highly of law and rules” Byakuya continued, unembarrassed and seemingly more self-confident than ever “and the reputation of our clan you place before the eyes of my conscience... However, what are the rules and law which allow killing the innocent and breaking the hearts of the ones who love us? I take no pride in shattering someone else’s life” Byakuya said, strong and invincible leader again, as bold and proud as ever.
No one dared look him in the eyes.

"Now everybody's got me running round, up and down
And here I am going out of my mind
But I won't lose sight of all the things I'm looking for
They're coming to me and I'm taking what's mine"
-------
Within the Kuchiki heir’s private chambers, a ceremony was being conducted, witnessed only by Ichigo and Rukia.
Three bowls of sake on the small table. Byakuya and Renji, wearing plain black kimono with five kamon each, were sitting face to face. The Kuchiki heir took three sips of sake from the first bowl, then gave it to Renji, who repeated his actions. After the third bowl had been put back on the table, Byakuya, looking Renji straight in the eyes, said the following words:
“You have given me everything: your love, your trust and freedom. I gave you nothing in return. Therefore, this is my humble gift to us both... With my heart, my soul and with this ring I thee wed, Abarai Renji, for richer, for poorer, for better, for worse, in sickness and in health. I shall stand by thy side and never make thee loose thy faith in us... Till death doth us part.

"All of my life I've been searching and hanging on
Turning a corner, never know what I'd find
But now I'm back again like I never went away
Ooh let me in I'm through with wasting my time"

EXPLANATORY NOTES

Sansan kudo – literally: three times three, nine times; it is a ritual during which the bond between two people is being created – between two geishas for example (one of them becomes onç-san of the other), but it’s also a part of the wedding ceremony
Geta – a type of Japanese sandals, the most traditional version of which is made of wood. Wooden geta have a slightly tapered front heal, making the person lean forward with each step. Urahara Kisuke wears them.
Tabi – traditional Japanese socks (usually white) worn with geta sandals
Bamboo – in Japan it symbolises good luck and prosperity
Barmy – mad, crazy
Any road – anyway
shambles - chaos, mess
ring you - call you
Kamon – an equivalent of European crest
“Sakura sakura-to/ Hitobito ga/ Ukaretamau wa/ Itsu-no koto?” – “Oh sakura, sakura, when people may enjoy the beauty of your blooming flowers?” *(aye, lame translation)*