Again, trying to write as much as I possibly can.

So this is a series of one-shots about what characters were doing in the seventeen month time skip. Hopefully we will be able to learn more about what everyone was doing.

Own nothing, never will.

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The bright blue sky continued to shine on even though in reality it was long past midnight.

But time did not matter here, not with the sunlight pouring down onto the dirt below. The steep cliffs were covered in battle scars, the ground saturated by the sweat and blood of those who entered this area with a single purpose in mind.

Renji fell to his knees, his energy nearly drained from three days' worth of straight training.

But it still wasn't enough.

He willed himself to stand, Zabimaru's hilt shaking in his hand, long crimson locks spilled from his ponytail, black robes sticking to his skin.

It had only been a few months since Aizen's imprisonment. During that time the Gotei 13 had seemingly returned to normal. But that was just a façade. The lower members might have bought into the notion that everything was the same as before but Renji knew that wasn't the truth. Everyone who had either been in Hueco Mundo or fought in the battle for Karakura Town had been changed in an irreversible way. They may have won the Winter War, miraculously without causalities, but that did not mean there were not consequences.

And for some the price of victory might have been too high…

"Renji."

The red head's shoulders stiffened as his ears heard that calm but cold voice that always got his attention. Turning, the lieutenant's brown eyes locked onto the slate gaze of his captain.

It seemed as if Kuchiki-taichou's new haori was finally done. After losing his "cheap" one in the deserts of Hueco Mundo, the noble had simply ordered a new one made from the finest material and with a high collar with tassels. It was fitting.

"Taichou," he simply said but was unsure how to continue.

"So this is where you've been hiding for the past three days."

Renji wasn't completely sure how his captain managed to find him. Urahara Kisuke was a genius at hiding things. The only reason he knew of its existence was because he had once chased a certain uncontrollable reiatsu here.

"Yes sir. I apologize if you think I've been away from the division for too long. It was not my intent."

"You've been taking a lot of time off and your work is becoming lax. It is unacceptable."

Renji lowered his head in shame but did not have a chance to explain when the aristocrat began speaking again.

"Why would you allow this?"

The vice-captain was slightly taken aback. The disappointment and lecture he was expecting but it sounded like Kuchiki-taichou was almost concerned. Looking up again, his captain's eyes were as unreadable as ever but Renji found himself speaking before he knew it.

"In Hueco Mundo… I was so weak. Those Espada threw me around like I was nothing! Months' worth of training and it meant nothing! And Ichigo… Ichigo…"

"There was never a challenge he couldn't overcome. Never an opponent he couldn't defeat… no matter what it took. What he did… the sacrifice he made. To willing give up the strength he worked so hard for, to knowingly separate from a part of his soul and to have to live with the silence now. I can only imagine how hard this must be for him. When he watches Inoue, or Ishida, or Sado run past him and he knows he can't follow. To have to walk by the places where he once battled. Just to live with that memory… that might be worse than the actual lose."

"I wonder if I could have been that strong, if I could have done what he did. Ichigo is one of a kind. His will, his determination, his stamina are out of this world. I can't become that. The only thing I can do is train and get as strong as I possibly can. Otherwise I'll never be able to look his in the eye again."

The exhausted man took a deep breath and looked the other way so he would not have to see his captain's reaction.

Strangely enough, he felt better. He had been holding in these feelings for so long and had not been able to talk to anyone about them. Kira and Hinimori were still recovering from their own ordeals, the other members of the Sixth Division knew the details of the battles but had not experienced them, his friends from the Eleventh Division, well it was the Eleventh Division, and Rukia…

She was going through an even harder time even though she tried not to show the strain. Renji would never burden her with his own thoughts.

Kuchiki Byakuya wasn't the first person to come to mind when you wanted to confide in someone but he had at least been involved in the battles and the fact that Renji did not expect an answer made it slightly easier.

He continued to look at the rocks remembering a time when he had first been here. It seemed like an eternity ago. This is where he had first achieved bankai in order to save Rukia. But he hadn't been alone. Renji remembered glancing at Ichigo as he trained with Zangetsu's clones. Even through his battered body and the countless broken swords, the human's resolve never wavered for an instant, his eyes containing a kind of focus that could only belong to Kurosaki Ichigo.

It sounded silly to say but Renji half expected to see that ridiculous orange mop of a head strolling down with an oversized cleaver in his hands, ready for another battle. But though his mind knew that was impossible, it did not stop his heart from imagining it.

"Scatter, Senbonzakura."

Those formidable words broke through his thoughts as instinct took over and his exhausted legs immediately fled from the swarm of glowing petals heading his way.

Renji's eyes widened in shock as his captain geared for another attack. A flashback of their last battle played in his minds, his own weakness coming back to him. But he would not be weak anymore. He needed to get strong, not only for himself but for his fallen friend as well.

A battle grin appeared on his face as his remaining reiastu flared in anticipation.

"Howl, Zabimaru!"

The two opponents clashed, leaving another scar in the ground. But this soil was tough. It would endure through all the abuse.

Just like him.

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Now this was not intended to be IchigoXRenji but if you want to take it that way its fine by me. It was more about showing the strong bonds of friendship they had.

Also I tried to show the bond between Renji and Byakuya. Hopefully it wasn't too bad.

Anyway, let me know what you think!

Love from EvanSol0191!