Disclaimer: Characters belong to Tite Kubo.

Twice in a Lifetime

It was time. Time to get out. Time to have some fun.

Although his friends had been saying that for some time now, he really never had the desire to have fun. Yes, he wore the mask they all expected to see, and they dragged him places—parties, out to eat, the gym. He was beginning to enjoy himself at the outings; in spite of the longing, the ache, the emptiness in his chest.

"Is this all I am to expect from life? Will I ever find love again?"

His brunette, spitfire of a sister-in-law had said he needed to get out and get some action. He always had an excuse; he wasn't ready yet. She would sigh and tell him that he would never be ready if he didn't start experiencing life. The first step, she said, was putting himself out there.

He defended himself; he went to work and was a productive member of society.

She would roll her eyes and say that there is far more to life than just work. And, when he would begin to protest, she would point out that she remembered when work was less important to him, when he had a reason to rush home, when his smile was genuine. She missed that. She was quick to point out that his dead spouse would have had a fit if they knew he was languishing.

So this is how he found himself in the company of his friends - his good friends. It was their idea of a night out. For once, he had listened to her words. He would try.

The night wore on, and he tried not to nurse his drink. They talked, laughed, told stories. He smiled, and tried to take his sister-in-law's advice to relax and enjoy himself. He did for a while, but longing tugged at his heart. Restless, he got up from the table. The place had become noisier; music began to play. He needed to go out onto the terrace and get a breath of fresh air, to clear his head. But just as he was about to turn, he found himself captivated by a figure across the room. Their gazes locked. A smile crept over his face.

They met on the terrace—the pull for each to be near the other was strong.

With one touch, he shivered. His body seemed to be acting of its own accord, as if this was something familiar, known, predestined. He leaned in, and their lips met. The kiss was comforting, yet passionate. After several moments, the kiss broke, eyes slowly opened. He could see eternity once again in those eyes. They belonged to a soul he knew long, long ago, in a different time, a different place. He knew this was what he had sought, what his soul had longed for these last few years.

He murmured that he lived close by, and laughed as he heard the same from the other. They parted to let their friends know they were leaving. His friends seemed surprised to see the changed man before them. He told them he met an old friend, and that they had some catching up to do, so they let him go.

His sister-in-law smiled knowingly. "Have fun" she mouthed, winking at him. He smiled, shook his head, surprising the rest of the group, and left.

Byakuya got up from the unfamiliar bed, and walked across the room to the large screen that opened onto a small balcony overlooking the rooftops of the city houses. The moon's silvery-white light cast a peaceful, ethereal glow over the trees and beautiful rooftop gardens. He could see the skyline in the near distance, light against the clear black sky. Byakuya had not been this relaxed and content in years. He looked over at the man still lying on the bed, his large frame draped over the mattress like a sheet with a beautiful black, tan, and red striped design. Byakuya smiled, then remembered that, although this man was a soul mate, he knew nothing about him. He turned his gaze back to the moonlit landscape, and lost himself in thought.

Renji lay on his stomach, rousing only when he noticed the other side of the bed was empty. He lifted his head, turned to his side, and looked around the room. He spotted the brunette on the balcony; his hair floating gracefully in the soft summer breeze; seemingly lost in thought. He felt a strong, soul-soothing pull; got up from the bed and walked up behind the beautiful man with hair the color of night.

He wrapped his arms around the man, and pulled him gently closer. He knew the questions in Byakuya's mind - they were easy to guess.

"I am the world wide Director of Graphic arts for DDB North America," he began, softly. "My partner of ten years, Ichigo, died three years ago after a short battle with cancer. He was my first and only. I loved him very much. The day he died, I died too. I have existed day to day since then, until this night."

Byakuya, stunned, found they had very similar stories. He smiled and began his tale. "I am the Curator of Modern Art at the Art Institute. My wife of ten years, Hisana, died three years ago of ovarian cancer. She was my first love. We dated in college. I miss her every day. On her deathbed, she told me to continue to live my life to the fullest. Until this night, I was unable to honor her dying request."

A companionable silence fell over the couple; each man content just to feel each other's presence and warmth.

Byakuya leaned his head on Renji's shoulder. "Until I saw you," he said, "the world was covered in muted tones, a world in sepia, so to speak."

"My senses exploded—sight—sound—touch—smell—all became clearer, sharper when I saw you." Renji added, softly, his voice a caress in Byakuya's ear.

After a few moments, Renji laughed softly. Byakuya fell warm tingling down his spine as he felt Renji's body vibrate and the warm puffs of air brush against his skin.

"What is it?" he asked softly.

"I was just thinking of my sister-in-law, Karin. She winked at me before I left and told me to have fun."

"Brunette, petite, spitfire?" asked Byakuya.

"Yeah, that's the one. Why?" Renji felt the rumblings of mirth emanate from Byakuya's chest.

"My sister-in-law, Rukia, did the same to me before I left."

The two men laughed for a moment, amused that they had more in common than they had realized. Finally, Byakuya turned to Renji and wrapped his arms around the taller man. He looked up, and their lips met once more in a deep, soulful kiss. The kiss ended, and they laid their heads on each other's shoulders.

Together they stood on the balcony, content in the breeze and the silence, bathed in silver and shadow, embraced once again by love.

AN: Early b-day gift for Renji.

Many thanks to my beta, Rukilex, for her guidance. Good to have you back post CTS!