Black-and-Red Conflict
folder
Bleach › Yaoi - Male/Male
Rating:
Adult
Chapters:
32
Views:
19,839
Reviews:
93
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
Bleach › Yaoi - Male/Male
Rating:
Adult
Chapters:
32
Views:
19,839
Reviews:
93
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own Bleach, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
Bait
so here number 7 now, and sorry again guys, i know i was mean ending 6 like i did :P
but thank you all as always for the reviews that make me blush and go to bed with that warm fuzzy feeling in my stomach
tennak: you were the only one who said they liked the cliffhanger.... thank you!!! :D
Necr0mantic: thank you! yes, the many opposites and few but important same things are what makes this couple so irresistible to me
unfortunately i'm not too happy with this chapter.. somehow it made itself damn hard to write... but please bear with me, it is not long and the following will be better....really, look forward to number 8, something nice will happen :P !! ^^
~~~Seven~~~
Bait
The spell's six rods of light slammed into Renji's midsection, over-crossing themselves and completely sealing his movement. A cry of pain caught in his throat as his nerve endings were for a moment awash with terrible heat until they went numb. He could still feel his heart beating heavily against his chest, but it seemed not to be beating of its own account now, its pace slowed drastically as was that of his breathing, his body under control of that spell once more. His eyes grew wide as the déjà vu hit his mind a moment later and he would have trembled, had he not been sealed, remembering the cold expression of Byakuya when he had restrained Renji like this once before and had told the tale of monkey and moon, and how one would never reach the other.
Kuchiki-Taichou had been arrogant and cold then, had mocked Renji and soon after almost skinned him by the thousand tiny blades of his Bankai. But now, here in this office, stood another Kuchiki, one that seemed maybe even scarier, even more dangerous.
The dark-haired man was still behind his desk, head down, the hand that had emitted the spell still thrust out before him, but he had no eyes for his Fukutaichou whom he had just put at his very mercy.
Byakuya's whole body trembled visibly as his self-control was battered to pieces. He didn't move, but desperately tried not to falter right there, as all strength seemed to leave his body. He lowered his hand to grip his desk and lifted the other to cover his face.
Byakuya
He recognized the voice and winced, his breath too caught up in his throat to make a sound. He had imagined this voice for the last fifty years whenever he had talked to Senbonzakura in his dreams, but of course he knew it was not actually the sword's but Hisana's. Beautiful, gentle, kind Hisana, the memory painfully bright in his mind, that voice clear.
Byakuya, don't hide again behind your mask after I'm gone
Had she really said that, or did he just imagine it? Memories his exhausted mind conjured, now that the dam had broken and he was helplessly lost in the swirl of emotions. Had she really said it? Oh god, he could not remember. Pictures flashed before his mind, too fast for him to recognize what events they belonged to and some of them seemed completely new, as if they had never happened. But accompanied by the deep black shadow of guilt came the knowledge that they had indeed happened. Only had he himself pushed them away, farther and farther, buried them under rules, obligations, reputation and pride until he had indeed successfully forgotten them.
They were images of moments of joy, of himself smiling while sitting in summer gardens and under blooming cherry trees, the person in his arms he'd loved more than anything then. He remembered how it had felt to laugh and to not think about anything else but the very moment. He remembered the exaltation he'd felt when he'd told the elders of the clan that he would in fact not heed their concern of whom he should and should not marry and he even remembered the almost childish mischievousness that had then threatened to make him grin as he saw their wrinkled faces in shock. He remembered a warm, slightly giddy feeling in his stomach and chest.
He remembered it because he had started to feel it again.
Finally his throat gave way to a pained groan and for a moment it seemed to Renji as if his captain would stumble and fall. But once again the noble caught himself in the last moment and then finally looked up. He breathed in and out in long shivering draughts, his lips were parted and his eyes wide open. And they were like rain. Like heavy clouds that hid thousands of tears that should have been shed but never had. He had grieved for her of course, but the clan had made sure to keep him occupied then, to overload him with work and responsibility until one day Byakuya himself had been converted to the belief that he, the head of the Kuchiki-clan should not waste his precious time with something like mourning.
Byakuya slammed his eyes shut as the pressure on his mind started to turn into physical pain, clenching his insides into a tight ball. Then he forced his back to straighten again and pushed forward. His skin had a sickly grayish-white color as he stood before Renji, his lips thin and bloodless, his eyes awash with too many feelings at once as that the shocked Fukutaichou could have discerned any of them for certain.
In the next moment, Byakuya was gone.
Renji cursed in his mind. He was literally raging inside while his body stood bound and stock still. The spell would wear off the farther its caster moved away, since to keep its victim bound it needed to be constantly fueled with more energy. Unfortunately, with somebody as powerful as Byakuya, it might as well last a long while until it would finally weaken enough to allow Renji to free himself.
Damn that bastard to bind him like this. The great Kuchiki was fleeing from him once more and the redhead could not even savor that feeling because he knew that he might not see his captain again any time soon. Kuchiki-Taichou would go into hiding, Renji was sure. He would stay in some secure, damn comfortable hole, or rather mansion and would be brooding. Then some day when his highness felt like it, he would come out again and once more act towards Renji as arrogant as he always did. Or he would deny everything, again, again and again
There was a cracking noise from his midsection that made the redhead pause in his swearing. One of the spell's rods of light showed a thin fissure and Renji was able to force the muscles of his face into a strained grin. Maybe not so powerful right now, eh?
He concentrated and slowly started to fight the Kidou by removing bit by bit all the small mental barriers that kept his Reiatsu controlled and its flow low. If he succeeded, he would eventually burst the spell and anybody near would be alarmed immediately, but now was not the time to worry about what other's might think about a sudden, fierce surge of spiritual energy from the 6th squad's administrative building.
With a great load of energy build up the rods started to crackle dangerously and sent warning lashes like electrical shocks down Renji's spine, but there was no time to care about the pain either. A deep growl rose from his throat as the muscles there were set free as well and finally, with a roar of rage, he burst the cross and dispelled the Bakudou, falling to his knees as the muscles of his legs were back under his control faster than his mind could react.
He swore again, but pushed himself upwards the next second, stumbling to the door just to realize that there was no trace of Byakuya's Reiatsu anymore. Either the other had gained back enough control to hide the flickering impulses he had sent off when he'd lost it, or he had used his flash step and was too far away for Renji to still track him. As the 6th squad's vice punched his fist into the door frame, strength multiplied by his flaring Reiatsu, the skin on his knuckles broke and wood splintered.
Seeing drops of blood on his hand he forced himself to calm down, leaning his head forward and closing his eyes, slowly building back up the barriers to reign in the power that leaked from his body and must by now have called at least a dozen Shinigami to attention even at this time in the morning. And he was right. As he lifted his head again, a pale Ukitake-Taichou stared at him, mouth open and eyes wide in shock. On the shoulder of the white-haired man was the hand of a more composed but still quite surprised looking Kyouraku-Taichou. Renji paused for a moment. He had expected someone from his own squad, or at least someone from the close buildings of 5th or 7th, but those two? But he pushed the thought away almost immediately. He really didn't have the patience to be puzzled about something like that now.
And he definitely did not want to talk about what had just happened. He averted his face with an annoyed look and stepped back into the room. For a second the thought crossed his mind that he hadn't even greeted them, even though they were captains, but he just hoped they would keep their mouths shut. Superiors or not, what interested him much more was to know how to get a hold of that damn Kuchiki to resolve this whole fucked up situation once and for all.
His eyes traveled over the walls aimlessly as he was sunken in thought, staying for only a moment on his own, deserted desk, before they were caught by the plain, wooden sword stand against the wall. Still and beautiful, its hilt bound in light-blue, its sheath and square guard caressed by soft morning light, Senbonzakura rested there, left behind by its wielder.
A grim smile pulled at the corners of Renji's mouth as he stepped up towards it, his hand reaching forward and stopping just before touching it. Did he just imagine it or was the air around the sword humming? Were the tiny particles of dust being shook off by a soft vibration so they floated just above it, or was that just a slight breeze in the room?
The sound of someone clearing their throat made Renji pull back and look back towards the door.
“I would rather not do that, if I was you,” said a worried looking Ukitake. Kyouraku was leaning against the far wall now, his eyes gleaming at Renji from just under the rim of his hat with a strange curiosity. Like somebody watching a dog chasing a bee and waiting for what would come out of it.
Renji snorted and frowned, cocking his head, then shook it. He really had no time for this.
“If ya'd been through the same as me by now, I think ya would.”
With that he grabbed Senbonzakura and lifted it up from the stand, just to hold it in front of him and turn around to the two captains. Kyouraku was grinning widely his eyes bright as if in anticipation, and Ukitake had one hand lifted to his face in a resigning gesture. Renji looked at them questioning.
“What?” he asked and looked from one to the other. “Nuthin' wrong with.... Fuck!”
A sudden surge of power seared through his hand and he let go of the sword, just to catch it with his other hand and being shocked again. This time he gritted his teeth though, and held onto it. More shocks followed, bad enough to make him cringe, but a strange respect towards the blade made it impossible for him to just toss it to the ground. Finally, after throwing it from one hand to another under loud chuckling from Kyouraku and Ukitake shaking his head at the scene, but smiling as well, Renji juggled the sword until the shocks finally lost strength and eventually stopped.
“Damn...”
His hands trembled, his fingers tingled and still the sword hummed dangerously, but he held onto it firmly. Blessing in disguise had finally given him one ace against Byakuya, and he would not let go of it that easily.
He was startled by the sound of clapping and Kyouraku still chuckled, now in time with his applause.
“Well, well,” he said and turned to Ukitake, “Doesn't seem like we have to worry about anything. Things are going just fine.”
With that he tapped his hat with two fingers as a greeting to Renji, then turned and walked off down the hallway, his flower coat swaying dramatically. Ukitake looked after him, then back into the room.
He opened his mouth but then seemed unsure of what to say.
“Kuchiki-Taichou will not be very happy if you take this, I think,” he finally said, but Renji met his concerned expression with an rebellious snort, looking up from under his tattooed brows with a provocative gleam in his eyes.
“Yeah, know that. This time, he'll come to me,” Renji growled before leaving the room, his steps powerful and content, his grip tight around Senbonzakura.
Yes, this time, Byakuya would come to him.
~~~
but thank you all as always for the reviews that make me blush and go to bed with that warm fuzzy feeling in my stomach
tennak: you were the only one who said they liked the cliffhanger.... thank you!!! :D
Necr0mantic: thank you! yes, the many opposites and few but important same things are what makes this couple so irresistible to me
unfortunately i'm not too happy with this chapter.. somehow it made itself damn hard to write... but please bear with me, it is not long and the following will be better....really, look forward to number 8, something nice will happen :P !! ^^
Bait
The spell's six rods of light slammed into Renji's midsection, over-crossing themselves and completely sealing his movement. A cry of pain caught in his throat as his nerve endings were for a moment awash with terrible heat until they went numb. He could still feel his heart beating heavily against his chest, but it seemed not to be beating of its own account now, its pace slowed drastically as was that of his breathing, his body under control of that spell once more. His eyes grew wide as the déjà vu hit his mind a moment later and he would have trembled, had he not been sealed, remembering the cold expression of Byakuya when he had restrained Renji like this once before and had told the tale of monkey and moon, and how one would never reach the other.
Kuchiki-Taichou had been arrogant and cold then, had mocked Renji and soon after almost skinned him by the thousand tiny blades of his Bankai. But now, here in this office, stood another Kuchiki, one that seemed maybe even scarier, even more dangerous.
The dark-haired man was still behind his desk, head down, the hand that had emitted the spell still thrust out before him, but he had no eyes for his Fukutaichou whom he had just put at his very mercy.
Byakuya's whole body trembled visibly as his self-control was battered to pieces. He didn't move, but desperately tried not to falter right there, as all strength seemed to leave his body. He lowered his hand to grip his desk and lifted the other to cover his face.
Byakuya
He recognized the voice and winced, his breath too caught up in his throat to make a sound. He had imagined this voice for the last fifty years whenever he had talked to Senbonzakura in his dreams, but of course he knew it was not actually the sword's but Hisana's. Beautiful, gentle, kind Hisana, the memory painfully bright in his mind, that voice clear.
Byakuya, don't hide again behind your mask after I'm gone
Had she really said that, or did he just imagine it? Memories his exhausted mind conjured, now that the dam had broken and he was helplessly lost in the swirl of emotions. Had she really said it? Oh god, he could not remember. Pictures flashed before his mind, too fast for him to recognize what events they belonged to and some of them seemed completely new, as if they had never happened. But accompanied by the deep black shadow of guilt came the knowledge that they had indeed happened. Only had he himself pushed them away, farther and farther, buried them under rules, obligations, reputation and pride until he had indeed successfully forgotten them.
They were images of moments of joy, of himself smiling while sitting in summer gardens and under blooming cherry trees, the person in his arms he'd loved more than anything then. He remembered how it had felt to laugh and to not think about anything else but the very moment. He remembered the exaltation he'd felt when he'd told the elders of the clan that he would in fact not heed their concern of whom he should and should not marry and he even remembered the almost childish mischievousness that had then threatened to make him grin as he saw their wrinkled faces in shock. He remembered a warm, slightly giddy feeling in his stomach and chest.
He remembered it because he had started to feel it again.
Finally his throat gave way to a pained groan and for a moment it seemed to Renji as if his captain would stumble and fall. But once again the noble caught himself in the last moment and then finally looked up. He breathed in and out in long shivering draughts, his lips were parted and his eyes wide open. And they were like rain. Like heavy clouds that hid thousands of tears that should have been shed but never had. He had grieved for her of course, but the clan had made sure to keep him occupied then, to overload him with work and responsibility until one day Byakuya himself had been converted to the belief that he, the head of the Kuchiki-clan should not waste his precious time with something like mourning.
Byakuya slammed his eyes shut as the pressure on his mind started to turn into physical pain, clenching his insides into a tight ball. Then he forced his back to straighten again and pushed forward. His skin had a sickly grayish-white color as he stood before Renji, his lips thin and bloodless, his eyes awash with too many feelings at once as that the shocked Fukutaichou could have discerned any of them for certain.
In the next moment, Byakuya was gone.
Renji cursed in his mind. He was literally raging inside while his body stood bound and stock still. The spell would wear off the farther its caster moved away, since to keep its victim bound it needed to be constantly fueled with more energy. Unfortunately, with somebody as powerful as Byakuya, it might as well last a long while until it would finally weaken enough to allow Renji to free himself.
Damn that bastard to bind him like this. The great Kuchiki was fleeing from him once more and the redhead could not even savor that feeling because he knew that he might not see his captain again any time soon. Kuchiki-Taichou would go into hiding, Renji was sure. He would stay in some secure, damn comfortable hole, or rather mansion and would be brooding. Then some day when his highness felt like it, he would come out again and once more act towards Renji as arrogant as he always did. Or he would deny everything, again, again and again
There was a cracking noise from his midsection that made the redhead pause in his swearing. One of the spell's rods of light showed a thin fissure and Renji was able to force the muscles of his face into a strained grin. Maybe not so powerful right now, eh?
He concentrated and slowly started to fight the Kidou by removing bit by bit all the small mental barriers that kept his Reiatsu controlled and its flow low. If he succeeded, he would eventually burst the spell and anybody near would be alarmed immediately, but now was not the time to worry about what other's might think about a sudden, fierce surge of spiritual energy from the 6th squad's administrative building.
With a great load of energy build up the rods started to crackle dangerously and sent warning lashes like electrical shocks down Renji's spine, but there was no time to care about the pain either. A deep growl rose from his throat as the muscles there were set free as well and finally, with a roar of rage, he burst the cross and dispelled the Bakudou, falling to his knees as the muscles of his legs were back under his control faster than his mind could react.
He swore again, but pushed himself upwards the next second, stumbling to the door just to realize that there was no trace of Byakuya's Reiatsu anymore. Either the other had gained back enough control to hide the flickering impulses he had sent off when he'd lost it, or he had used his flash step and was too far away for Renji to still track him. As the 6th squad's vice punched his fist into the door frame, strength multiplied by his flaring Reiatsu, the skin on his knuckles broke and wood splintered.
Seeing drops of blood on his hand he forced himself to calm down, leaning his head forward and closing his eyes, slowly building back up the barriers to reign in the power that leaked from his body and must by now have called at least a dozen Shinigami to attention even at this time in the morning. And he was right. As he lifted his head again, a pale Ukitake-Taichou stared at him, mouth open and eyes wide in shock. On the shoulder of the white-haired man was the hand of a more composed but still quite surprised looking Kyouraku-Taichou. Renji paused for a moment. He had expected someone from his own squad, or at least someone from the close buildings of 5th or 7th, but those two? But he pushed the thought away almost immediately. He really didn't have the patience to be puzzled about something like that now.
And he definitely did not want to talk about what had just happened. He averted his face with an annoyed look and stepped back into the room. For a second the thought crossed his mind that he hadn't even greeted them, even though they were captains, but he just hoped they would keep their mouths shut. Superiors or not, what interested him much more was to know how to get a hold of that damn Kuchiki to resolve this whole fucked up situation once and for all.
His eyes traveled over the walls aimlessly as he was sunken in thought, staying for only a moment on his own, deserted desk, before they were caught by the plain, wooden sword stand against the wall. Still and beautiful, its hilt bound in light-blue, its sheath and square guard caressed by soft morning light, Senbonzakura rested there, left behind by its wielder.
A grim smile pulled at the corners of Renji's mouth as he stepped up towards it, his hand reaching forward and stopping just before touching it. Did he just imagine it or was the air around the sword humming? Were the tiny particles of dust being shook off by a soft vibration so they floated just above it, or was that just a slight breeze in the room?
The sound of someone clearing their throat made Renji pull back and look back towards the door.
“I would rather not do that, if I was you,” said a worried looking Ukitake. Kyouraku was leaning against the far wall now, his eyes gleaming at Renji from just under the rim of his hat with a strange curiosity. Like somebody watching a dog chasing a bee and waiting for what would come out of it.
Renji snorted and frowned, cocking his head, then shook it. He really had no time for this.
“If ya'd been through the same as me by now, I think ya would.”
With that he grabbed Senbonzakura and lifted it up from the stand, just to hold it in front of him and turn around to the two captains. Kyouraku was grinning widely his eyes bright as if in anticipation, and Ukitake had one hand lifted to his face in a resigning gesture. Renji looked at them questioning.
“What?” he asked and looked from one to the other. “Nuthin' wrong with.... Fuck!”
A sudden surge of power seared through his hand and he let go of the sword, just to catch it with his other hand and being shocked again. This time he gritted his teeth though, and held onto it. More shocks followed, bad enough to make him cringe, but a strange respect towards the blade made it impossible for him to just toss it to the ground. Finally, after throwing it from one hand to another under loud chuckling from Kyouraku and Ukitake shaking his head at the scene, but smiling as well, Renji juggled the sword until the shocks finally lost strength and eventually stopped.
“Damn...”
His hands trembled, his fingers tingled and still the sword hummed dangerously, but he held onto it firmly. Blessing in disguise had finally given him one ace against Byakuya, and he would not let go of it that easily.
He was startled by the sound of clapping and Kyouraku still chuckled, now in time with his applause.
“Well, well,” he said and turned to Ukitake, “Doesn't seem like we have to worry about anything. Things are going just fine.”
With that he tapped his hat with two fingers as a greeting to Renji, then turned and walked off down the hallway, his flower coat swaying dramatically. Ukitake looked after him, then back into the room.
He opened his mouth but then seemed unsure of what to say.
“Kuchiki-Taichou will not be very happy if you take this, I think,” he finally said, but Renji met his concerned expression with an rebellious snort, looking up from under his tattooed brows with a provocative gleam in his eyes.
“Yeah, know that. This time, he'll come to me,” Renji growled before leaving the room, his steps powerful and content, his grip tight around Senbonzakura.
Yes, this time, Byakuya would come to him.