I went horseback riding today, and I now know the exact definition of 'Saddle Sore'. I swear, my horse hated me! He kept trying to buck me off, and bite my leg, and he almost ran away with me on him a couple of times... And added to that my saddle was crooked so I was constantly falling off and... Well. We all know that I'm never going to be a knight now... maybe I'll settle for an archer XD

Anyways, if I owned Bleach there would be more cuddly moments. I like cuddles!

Renji had sat down, pulling Byakuya onto his lap. The other man was completely still, barely breathing, his face hidden. Running his fingers through Byakuya's silky hair, Renji smiled softly. If he had known that Byakuya had needed a hug that bad, he would have done it earlier.

"Captain," Renji began, but Byakuya cut him off.

"Call me Byakuya."

Renji's smile turned into a grin. "Only if you call me Renji, Byakuya," he stopped, loving the way the name rolled off of his tongue. "Byakuya," he repeated. "Bya-ku-ya."

"Are you going to get to the point?" Byakuya asked, nestling his face against Renji's neck. His nose was cold against Renji's warm skin.

"Give me a moment," Renji replied, adding, "Byakuya."

"Hm." The soft laugh made Renji's day.

"Right, anyways…"

"…?"

"I forget."

This time Byakuya actually chuckled. He chuckled. Renji's grin widened. They sat in silence for a while, but it wasn't anything like the dense heavy silence that coated the air in their office. It was a comfortable silence.

"Renji," Byakuya's voice was soft. "When you were drunk, after the party…"

"With the secrets?" Renji asked, wincing.

"That one," Byakuya agreed. "You told me one more secret."

"If it had anything to do with Spiderman or Harry Potter, I can totally explain it."

"… What? No. It had nothing to do with Spiderman or Harry Potter."

"Or Fullmetal Alchemist?" Renji asked.

"No."

"Okay good. Anyways, this secret."

"You told me you loved me," suddenly Byakuya's face was very close to his. "Is that true?"

Renji stared at him for a moment, and then decided the moment was too perfect to let pass. He leaned forwards a bit, and kissed him, one hand gently cupping his cheek, the other tight around Byakuya's wrist, in case he decided to go for Senbonzakura. He didn't. After a shocked moment, Byakuya relaxed against him and kissed him back. Renji pulled back.

"Course it was true," he replied. "I'd never lie to you… Well, I did about being Batman, but other than that..."

It was Byakuya's turn to stare for a moment, before a small, relieved smile danced on his lips.

"I love you too," he murmured, and Renji kissed him again, pulling him closer.

For the first time in… well, forever, the atmosphere in the office wasn't tense. Although Byakuya had his back to Renji, he could basically see the grin on the redhead's face. Kaili seemed to feel the change, and she seemed quite happy about it. Had this been her intention all along? Byakuya wondered, fingering the pen that he was holding. If so, than Kaili was probably the smartest kid in existence. Although, he admitted, a small smile playing with the corners of his lips, even if it weren't her intention, she still was the smartest kid in existence, or at least, she was to him.

A stack of papers landed on his desk, and Byakuya found himself looking into wide, innocent emerald eyes. Kaili clambered onto his lap, and leaned back against him, her head resting on his shoulder.

"Can I get some ice cream please?" she asked, tilting her head back so that she could look into his face. "Pretty please?" Byakuya looked down at her, and then lifted her off of his lap and stood. Kaili grabbed a hold of his hand instantly.

"Come on Renji," Byakuya said. His voice was quiet, like always, but it carried through the small office just fine. "We're going for ice cream." Renji grinned at him, and took Kaili's other hand.

"Wonderful." He replied. "I never want to see a piece of paper ever again."

"Too bad," Byakuya told him, a teasing note to his voice. "Because we're coming straight back here."

******* One Year Later *******

Byakuya's eyes fluttered open, and he found himself looking at Renji's sleeping face. He smiled a bit, and wriggled out from under Renji's arm, being careful not to wake the other man. Silently, he crept out of the bedroom, and down the hall, to a large window in the living room. There he stared out at the stars, thinking.

In the year after Byakuya and Renji had finally, as some would crudely put it, 'hooked up', he hadn't had one nightmare. Kaili and Renji had moved in with him, and suddenly the mansion didn't seem quite as lonely, when filled with Kaili's giggles, and Renji's rough laughter. Byakuya liked to sit in the chair in the corner of the room with a cup of tea and watch silently as the two ran around the room, playing all sorts of different games. Sometimes he would join them, but mostly he just watched with a small smile on his face.

The two of them were his whole life, and he loved them both. Quietly Byakuya stood up, and stood on his tiptoes to find his box, which was hidden at the top of a tall cupboard. He had never shown Renji or Kaili what was inside of it, and neither of them had asked. Now, new pictures had joined the old ones in the box. Ones of Kaili, of Renji, of Kaili and Renji, and one of all three of them, although he had been forced into that one. He liked photographs, but he didn't like being the one in them.

He sifted through the items in the box until he found the one that he was looking for, the smooth, round stone. He stared down at it for a moment, before shutting the box and walking barefoot into his garden until he reached the river. There he hesitated for a moment, before throwing the stone as hard as he could. There was a soft thud as it hit the riverbank on the far side of the river, and he smiled with satisfaction.

"Whoa…" Kaili commented from behind him, and Byakuya started a little. He hadn't known that she was there. "You really didn't like that, did you?" Byakuya turned to face her, and his heart melted a little. Her hair was out of its usual pigtails, and hung in messy curls around her thin face. She was clutching a blanket around her like a cloak, and watching him with curiosity in her grass green eyes.

"No," he agreed, scooping her up. "Why aren't you asleep?"

"I couldn't," she replied, wrapping her arms around his neck, while still keeping the blanket firmly in her grip. "I think there's a monster under my bed."

"Is there?" Byakuya asked. "Well we'll just have to get rid of it, won't we?"

"Uh huh." Kaili let her had rest on his shoulder. "Will you tell me another story?" Byakuya smiled down at her.

"Of course I will."

Good news and bad news. Bad news, the story's over. Yep, this is the last chapter. The good news however, is that I'm thinking of writing a sequel. Thoughts?

Anyways, thankee to all reviewers! And just because this is the last chapter does not mean that you can't review. Please do, and make me happy.

Thanks for sticking with me, and I'm so glad this didn't crash and burn like I was expecting.

-Stormy