In that one moment when Captain Kuchiki steps through the gates, Renji hates him. It's as if all the past months have been nothing. It's as if they never worked together, as if they never trained together, as if they never tried to kill each other.
Well, it's not like he's really being made to go back because it's Captain Kuchiki.
No, it is, actually.
Captain Zaraki hasn't been his captain for long enough, and it's not like Zaraki would really care enough to try hard enough to drag him back to Seireitei. It's pretty clear to everyone that Zaraki's only here because it would piss Captain Kuchiki off big time, and judging from the way that Captain Kuchiki is not looking at anyone even as he sweeps out of the gate, it's working, in any case. Besides, Ikkaku and Yumichika wouldn't go running off against a Captain's orders to go look for Orihime. Him and Rukia would, but if there is one Captain that they cannot defy, if there is one Captain that Rukia cannot defy, it's that damned brother of hers.
He will not defy Captain Kuchiki. No matter how much he hates him in this moment, no matter how much he wants to. He can, but she cannot, and so he will not. He cannot.
In this moment, Renji is no longer his Lieutenant. He is that red-haired kid in the Academy robes that is hating, hating, hating, watching happiness slip away from Rukia again. In this moment, Renji hates him, hates the way Rukia freezes up, hates the way that he knows that she is just going to follow him back to Soul Society, hates the way that he will follow her.
They follow, like well-trained dogs.
Renji spends the afternoon hating Captain Kuchiki even more. At least Ikkaku and Yumichika have the afternoon off. Even Rukia has the afternoon off. Probably. Ukitake isn't an evil bitch. The brush clacks down onto the wooden tabletop, the ink drips off it onto the ancient surface, Kuchiki and antique and older than Renji himself, but he does not care at this point.
Captain Kuchiki isn't even in the damn office. He stopped at the Senkaimon, passed Rukia over to Ukitake, who at least looked appropriately sad and apologetic, before a curt, "I have clan business to attend to, Abarai. You will be in the office this afternoon," and sweeping off like the giant fucking asshole that he is.
To make it worse, it's abso-fucking-lutely miserable at the office. Nothing is happening. There's absolutely nothing interesting to do. He's already gone through three weeks of training reports, planned out two of the next training schedules, and all that's really left is the budget, and Captain Kuchiki never approves any budgets that he submits anyway, so there's no point to even bother.
He rises from his seat, hand closing over the handle of Zabimaru. Maybe he can go beat something up on the training grounds. That still sort of counts as the office.
Why are you even listening to that asshole, Zabimaru whispers.
Renji scowls, but stalks off in the direction of the training grounds. There are a set of dummies with Zabimaru's name on them.
It is just before the end of the workday when a Hell Butterfly flutters onto his finger, and Rukia's voice, thin, tentative and quiet as hell whispers into his ear. A smile spreads over his face. He's sort of missed this Rukia. To be fair, she is this way around Ichigo and the others, but not really in Soul Society. Damn Ichigo. Gets all the good things.
He suddenly does not feel like whacking dummies anymore, and a quick peek into the office shows that Captain Kuchiki has not stepped into it. The stack of papers from the Eighth Division that came in just as he left are still there, and his inkwell is dry. It is also four, which is just about when he makes excuses to leave early, but seeing as the Captain is not in, he can just leave. The other seated officers pass him sympathetic glances as he stalks through their office on the way out - everyone has heard by now, and besides, everyone has always liked him better than Captain Kuchiki anyway.
Asshole.
"This is your plan?" He hisses, as they both stand outside the Kuchiki Clan Senkaimon. It is neither open, nor glowing, nor is there even any sign that it can be turned on. It is an old, ornate gate, and as old ornate gates usually are, has a ridiculously contrived lock, or set of locks that make sure it stays closed. It is obvious that Rukia has dropped the ball on something here.
"It's the clan Senkaimon," she hisses back, anger, frustration and annoyance tinting her voice, "I thought I might be able to open it somehow."
She paces back and forth agitatedly, and Renji cools down almost immediately. They both want to save Orihime, and him being angry at her isn't going to help. Besides, it's not like he has any other brilliant ideas.
Or, actually.
He turns, "We can try the main Senkaimon."
Rukia's eyes pop wide open, and Renji raises an eyebrow, "Well, it's not like we're not defying them anyway." She smirks a little at that. He smiles.
"Will that open for us?" The smirk fades a little. Rukia jerks her head at the clan Senkaimon, "It would be really bad if we went over there but can't get it open like this one."
"Dunno. I'm a Lieutenant. We could give that a try. Besides, it's not like it's any worse than being caught outside this one by Captain Kuchiki."
"Aptly put," a voice floats out across the courtyard from the darkened corridor, and Renji thinks he has never hated this man any more than he does right now, but that is a lie, because he once hated him enough to want to kill him. Now, Renji just wants to strangle him. There is a very nuanced difference.
"An admirable effort, Rukia," Kuchiki Byakuya steps into courtyard and into the moonlight, inclining his head towards his sister. Renji feels like kicking him in the gut, at the way Rukia's face has paled, at the way she looks like she wants to hide behind him, "but the clan Senkaimon is for the exclusive use of the Head of the Clan. It will not yield to any other reiatsu signature."
Renji can almost see the tears in Rukia's eyes, and moves to step protectively in front of her. Damn you, he wants to say, damn you and all your rules to hell.
Byakuya stops, and looks up at the moon. Renji is this close to punching him in the face, but that's even assuming that would work on Captain Kuchiki. It probably would not, not after he's learnt that Byakuya was once trained by that Shihouin Yoruichi.
"The main Senkaimon is also keyed to the reiatsu signatures of the thirteen Captains, Renji," Renji hates the way Captain Kuchiki is using his name, as if the Captain is that much more superior than he is, "it was an interesting idea, but it will not work."
Rukia is going to burst into tears any minute now, he knows, although whether it's from trying to hold her anger in, or from how upset she, or from a combination of the two, he's not exactly clear, and he hates Captain Kuchiki even more for it. He hates Captain Kuchiki for the way that he can make Rukia feel so worthless so quickly.
Renji glares at Captain Kuchiki now, and watches in disbelief as one eyebrow arches ever so slightly. He recognizes this expression. This is Captain Kuchiki being amused. How dare he be amused, how dare he be amused at this situation? Not for the first time, Renji feels like wresting Rukia away from the Kuchiki clan. Maybe he could give her to the Kurosakis or something. At least there's a parental figure there (Isshin) that actually appreciates her.
Then suddenly Captain Kuchiki looks like he's been punched in the stomach. The look passes incredibly quickly - if Renji had not been scrutinizing him, he would not have noticed. He quickly follows the gaze, and sees that Captain Kuchiki has realized how upset Rukia is.
It gives him sadistic pleasure to see that sort of expression flit over Kuchiki Byakuya's face. No matter how much you're not supposed to derive pleasure out of someone else's pain, Renji is too deep in hating that man to really care. Fine, he cares a little, because it is Rukia's pain that is causing this pain, and he hates that, but he is kind of too angry to care, so really, he doesn't care.
Captain Kuchiki blinks, looks away suddenly, and then does what Renji assumes is the Kuchiki equivalent of an awkward shuffle, rifling through his robes as if he were looking for something. Captain Kuchiki always knows where everything is, especially if they are things on his person, so what he is doing, Renji has absolutely no idea.
A tan bundle emerges, and suddenly, Captain Kuchiki is beside Rukia. Renji watches them with a growing sense of horror - nothing good can come out of them interacting right now, surely - when the words come drifting over to him.
"That brat should not be left to traipse all over Hueco Mundo unchecked."
Rukia blinks at him, and Captain Kuchiki takes the opportunity to quickly fasten half of the tan bundle around her, leaning over her at a distance that they last shared when he had saved her life.
"The sands in Hueco Mundo are harsh."
Hang on a fucking minute. What the fuck is he saying? Did he just…?
Zabimaru smirks. I think so, bro.
"Brother," is about all that Rukia manages to say, and her eyes are goddamn twinkling in gratitude. No fucking way. That asshole. That gigantic asshole.
"I was given orders to ensure that you returned to Soul Society, I was given none on what you should do while you are here."
Again, there's that quick flick of his gaze that is his equivalent of an awkward shuffle. In that flick, Captain Kuchiki's eyes pass over Renji, and almost immediately, any semblance of bashfulness is gone if it had even actually been there.
Asshole, Renji thinks as the Senkaimon bursts to life in a brilliant spiral of white, blue and red.
"You said it will not yield to anyone else but the Head," he mutters almost under his breath, but it's clear that the two of them can hear him, "we cannot pass through."
That almost smirk is back. That lift in his eyebrow is back. "It yields to me, and it will yield to whoever I choose to allow through."
That glance says what he does not.
Unlike some people, I can actually plan things, Renji.
The remnants of the tan bundle in Captain Kuchiki's hand comes flying towards him. Renji blinks and unfolds a cloak in his size. By now, the eyebrow is not even subtle anymore.
Fucking asshole, he thinks as he wraps it around himself. It is warm and soft and probably costs more than he makes in five years. Fucking rich asshole. He glares at Captain Kuchiki, who is almost smirking at him at this point. Almost.
Even Rukia is amused at how annoyed Renji is, and he gives up on being truly annoyed when he sees the small smile creep over her face. Instead, he reaches over and ruffles her hair, "Shut up, Rukia."
She glares back at him and swipes angrily at his hand, and it is with no small triumph that he sees Captain Kuchiki clam right up before them. There is the tiniest nagging feeling inside him that says that he really didn't have to go that far, but it's Byakuya's fault that he's been annoyed all day. Doesn't mean you have to show him exactly how he's lacking at every point in time, Zabimaru shrugs, he might be an asshole, but he probably has feelings too.
Whatever, Renji tries to shrug it away, but it nags at him a bit. Just the teeniest bit.
Asshole, he thinks, quickly banishing all previous thoughts of guilt away as he steps through the Senkaimon, but he turns back to see Captain Kuchiki standing there looking all calm and controlled, except for that firm, unyielding gaze.
Take care of her, Renji, it says, keep her safe until I get there.
Renji smirks and fires off a half-assed salute.
As the Senkaimon closes behind them, he swears he sees the corners of Captain Kuchiki's lips turn upward.
Asshole.