Undisclosed Desires, chapter 5 (Ori/Bya)
Undisclosed Desires
by hardlyfatal
Chapter 5
Byakuya spent the rest of the week not even bothering to hide the fact that he was avoiding Orihime; he started taking dinner in his bedroom in addition to breakfast and flash-stepped from there to his study when he needed to perform any work as head of the clan. It wasn't optimal, but it was at least effective, and he began to feel a return of his prized equilibrium where Orihime was concerned.
At least during his waking hours.
While he was asleep, however, all bets were off. His libido was off and running like a half-broken horse just freed from its bridle. He replayed the scene on the veranda a hundred times, with a hundred different endings, all of which managed to end with him sunk eight inches deep in Orihime's wet little quim. He'd wake each morning drenched in sweat, with a fierce headache and an erection that could pound nails.
Tragically, cold showers had begun to have no effect whatsoever; as soon as 'the situation' began to subside, he'd recall how Orihime's yoga pants showed the clear delineation of her labia, or hear her telling Rukia she was in love with him, and up it would spring once more. His only alternative was bringing himself off, during which he'd replay that night's dream and bite his forearm to keep from shouting as he climaxed.
He had to get her out of his house.
Rukia had mentioned, during one of the times she'd persisted in knocking on his bedroom door until he relented and opened it, that Orihime's lessons were almost complete and she would soon be ready to become an official member of Fourth Division. Byakuya had sent her off with compliments and congratulations on his behalf for Orihime; it wouldn't be long, now. Soon, she would have her own quarters at the Fourth, and he'd have his home (and his sanity) back.
"Hey, Taichou, I'm off to the Eleventh," said Renji one morning. "Orihime's going to spar with Ikkaku. Should be interesting."
Or deadly. Byakuya lifted his head from where he was perusing a report, and frowned. "That sounds..."
"Yeah," Renji agreed. "That's why I'm going. Kotetsu-fukutaichou from the Fourth will be there, too, just in case."
After he left, Byakuya allowed himself to get lost in thought, idly tapping the end of his brush against his chin. It was good that a high-level healer would be present, but that was only effective after Orihime got wounded, an idea which he found himself detesting more and more as he contemplated it. In fact, he mused, the idea was stirring up a perplexing combination of horror and rage. And it hadn't even happened yet.
Sighing, he resigned himself to the inevitable, and began to make his way to the Eleventh Division's practice yard. He had just arrived when he heard the crowd shout in alarm. Byakuya flash-stepped to the roof of one of the buildings to see what was happening.
Ikkaku was there, his sword in shikai, but it was Kenpachi that Orihime was battling.
"Stop me," Kenpachi shouted, whacking her shields into pieces over and over. "Stop me. Stop me. Stop me!"
Orihime's shield didn't hold. His sword flew through it like it wasn't there, and continued on its trajectory toward her. She'd only been dead a few weeks; she had no shunpou training, and no avenue of escape.
Byakuya didn't think; he scarcely dared to breathe. He simply acted, flash-stepping forward, snatching Orihime up in arms that trembled shamefully and taking her away.
He wasn't the only one trembling; Orihime was shuddering like an aspen in a gale. "Byakuya," she gasped, shakily reaching to encircle his neck like a vice. He'd have minded, except his own arms were wound around her in a similar grip.
"Why were you fighting him?" he demanded, not slowing in the least. He sounded like he had gravel in his throat; that was probably due to how his heart felt like it had climbed there in the last thirty seconds. He had no idea where he was taking them. 'Away' seemed to be the only thought in his head, with 'somewhere safe' hovering around in there as well. He thought the memory of Kenpachi's sword a half-inch from Orihime's face would haunt the rest of his years.
"I was fighting Ikkaku-kun," she whispered. "Zaraki-taichou got bored and said I wouldn't last two minutes in a real fight and came at me."
They had to be in Second District of East Rukongai by now; Byakuya spotted a small woodsy area and took them there. He sat at the base of the first tree he came to, hauled her into his lap and pressed her face to his neck, his fingers sunk deep into her hair, waiting to regain his composure. "Never again," he told her. "If you want to practice and improve, you'll fight me or Renji or Rukia. Never those maniacs, never again."
"Renji used to be one of those maniacs," Orihime said. "But okay."
"And you'll stop dating all those men," he bit out. "They don't deserve to be in the same room as you, let alone touch you or kiss you." He was becoming quite angry again at the thought of it.
"And you do deserve it?" She tilted her head back to peer at his face, sounding amused.
He was not amused. "Yes," he told her shortly, and shoved her back against his neck. "Agreed?"
"Sure," she said easily. She was trembling again, but he wasn't sure this time she wasn't laughing.
Encouraged by her amenability, Byakuya thought now might be a good time to establish general ground rules. "No more wearing those pants when you do yoga. Unless it is in private. And I can watch."
"Sounds good," said Orihime. "Anything else?"
He couldn't think of anything else at the moment. "Why are you laughing?"
Orihime pulled free of his stifling embrace, wriggling until she straddled his lap. Then she combed his hair from his face before framing it in her hands, touching him like he was something infinitely precious.
"Because you're wonderful," she told him, her voice soft, "and I love you, and love you, and love you."
Byakuya wound his arms around her waist and tugged until she was flush against his chest. "If I don't kiss you this very moment," he informed her seriously, uncaring if she realized he'd been eavesdropping on her conversations with Rukia, "I am going to die."
She gave a little gasp of delight, and then she touched her mouth to his, the lightest press of lips possible, almost just a mingling of breath. Her eyes remained open, staring into his, and there was something in them that had Byakuya shaking again, from the force of something that had him feeling humble and fortunate beyond compare.
"Ah," she said, smiling. "There it is. That's what was missing."
"What is it?" he asked. He felt dazzled, dazed. "What was missing?"
Orihime slid her cheek along his until her lips touched the shell of his ear. "You."