I don't own Bleach.
A/N: This is the birthday present for the girl who holds me as Sensei, and whom I refer to as Dono. Love ya tons, Etti happy b-day.
Rabbit Foot-Prints down Memory Lane
It was January the 13th. The winter had long since settled in, and a thick layer of snow covered the world outside.
"So…"
The two high ranked Shinigami were in their office, lazily going about their paperwork which only seemed to pile up. The fire was burning brightly nearby, providing the only breaking to the silence that filled the room save for the scratching of pen against paper.
"So." Came the dry reply as another document was placed on the 'done' pile.
He graced the other with a sneeze before continuing.
"Tomorrow's… that day again…" He began wearily, not looking his captain in the eye.
He hardly paid attention to the paper he was supposed to have been reading.
"Ah." The other replied after a long moment of simply staring outside.
"So…" The lieutenant began again, tapping the edge of his pen against the table.
"So."
They locked eyes for a long moment before the vice-captain finally managed to voice his question –
"Kuchiki-taichou… what… did you get for her?"
The question turned the silence uncomfortable as neither would look the other in the eye.
Present-giving for two such as they was one of the most awkward procedures.
And it –was- January the 13th…
–
With a sigh the 6th Squad's Vice Captain slid the door to his captain's office shut behind him. Leaning against it, he watched the snow fall lightly outside for a moment before heading back towards his room.
It wasn't that he hated the date to follow, nor resented it in any way. It simply had a special, personal meaning to it… and while he felt obliged to do so, he couldn't share it with his captain yet…
His captain – her older brother.
Her… the one person who knew him the longest – before he reached the rank of lieutenant, before he even became a Shinigami – before he even decided to put on the black robes and fight Hollows – all for the sake of a better life.
Whether she – Kuchiki Rukia – knew him best, however – Abarai Renji knew not.
However, that hardly seemed important as the following day was the day the woman considered her birthday – and he had the hardest time deciding on a present that year.
He wasn't in such a predicament for a long time… given, he also wasn't in touch with her in quite a long time…
"Birthday present, eh?" He uttered as he walked through the hallways, unable to get it out of his head – the present he got here… the first present he gave her… and the reason the date January the 14th was even used…
–
"Happy birthday!" The small group of children cheered as they threw torn colored-paper at their friend. The boy laughed as he tried to keep from swallowing any as he knew the effort the others put into making them… lot alone find the paper.
"You guys didn't have to go that far!" Hiro half complained, though it was obvious he was overjoyed.
Renji, back then still a child, lightly punched the other's shoulder.
"Don't be ridiculous. Of course we had to, na?"
The rest of the group – two boys and a girl – nodded in agreement.
"We have so few reasons and chances to celebrate, you want us to give even those up!"
The boy seemed mildly apologetic, though it was all said at least half jokingly.
"That's right and after we went to all the effort of getting you the present!" Tohru continued, riding on Renji's momentum.
The girl – then, a young Rukia – crossed her arms and humped.
"What do you mean, 'we'? Don't take away any credit from Renji and me."
The boy seemed ashamed, though Renji laughed good-heartedly.
"Now now, don't be like that, it's a party, we should all get along and have fun, right?"
Rather reluctantly the others nodded, and so, Renji took out the vase filled with fresh water and the bag filled with candy they stole, and they sat down to celebrate.
–
"When's your birthday, Rukia?" Was the innocent question that sent the evening downhill.
They were sitting by the riverbank, around the small campfire, when Fuji blurted out the query and all felt the air go thick and heavy.
"I don't know." She began her reply, tone indifferent yet her eyes were overly masked – a fact which put all her friends on edge.
"Never celebrated it, so I didn't even have a need to know when it was."
"Really? …you don't even have a date?"
It hit them as badly as a brick wall would have. They weren't ones to remember birthdays, what with having trouble keeping up with the calendar, but whenever they noticed, they did celebrate.
Even so, it never before occurred to them – they have never once celebrated the girl's birthday.
She shrugged carelessly, tough it was obvious it was fake.
"Never needed one."
And though she shrugged again and changed the subject and they all laughed again, Renji couldn't help but think about it long after they retreated to the shack they called home and went to sleep.
–
"Eeeeh!" All three of his friends exclaimed the next day when Renji came up with an excuse to drag them away, and once Rukia was out of earshot, announced his declaration.
"'Eeeeh' ja ne yo! I'm serious about this!" He half shouted back, stomping his foot down angrily.
"But… she said she didn't care about that…" Fuji began, but that only managed to get Renji in his face.
"Like anyone'd really believe that!" He yelled, feeling the frustration from last night build ten-folds.
"Listen! Everyone here has a birthday to celebrate! Why should she be an exception!"
"But, Renji, she said she didn't mind…"
"Like hell she doesn't!" He roared, making all three of his friends take a step back, which in turn forced him to calm down somewhat. He pinched the bridge of his nose for a long moment before letting that hand fall to his side, the other resting on his hip. A sigh left his lips before he turned to look away, a shadow over his eyes.
"Not having a birthday date… well, sure, we're spirits, that means we died, considering we're here and not nobles… but… but we're still here, aren't we? Still existing, still being with everyone else… isn't that more than enough to celebrate?"
His friends exchanged glances at that.
Worried, dark glances.
"Renji… what if…" Tohru gulped before continuing.
"What if… she doesn't want to celebrate with us?"
A moment of silence passed before he felt the need to explain himself.
"What if… what if she doesn't –have-… anything to celebrate?"
"Idiot!" The redhead roared, a vein popping in his forehead.
"Whatever gave you such a stupid idea!"
Tohru whimpered and moved to hide behind Fuji's massive body. Fuji, in turn, cowered himself under Renji's glare.
"But, Ren-chan…" Hiro tried, fighting to keep his tone from falling to panic.
"We live in a dump. We can hardly get any water. What's there to celebrate?"
"What was there to celebrate yesterday, huh, Hiro?" Renji shot back, making his friend look down shamefully with an apologetic smile.
"Guess… you have a point there."
"Up hers if she has nothing to celebrate with us." The group's leader concluded, turning his back to the others.
"Everybody has a birthday date. Not because he remembers it, but because others do. She can be the most miserable being in Soul Society for all I care – which she is most definitely not. As long as she's here, I'm happy about it. All she has to do is shut up and accept the stuff we're gonna give her."
"Renji…" All three stared at his back for a long moment, cheeks tainted with red.
"You… really lo –"
Renji's own cheeks flared at the comment almost thrown at him and he quickly turned around to face them. He was about to defend himself, yet found his tongue failing him.
"I don't! That's not… I mean… that is…"
"Heh heh heeeh… he's all flushed!"
"How embarrassing."
"Ren-chan teba…"
His friends laughed, though good heartedly and with warm smiles in their eyes.
"Relax, Renji! We all know what you mean!" Tohru announced, being agreed with by Hiro and Fuji.
"Yeah… we're all glad Rukia joined us." Hiro added. Fuji nodded enthusiastically.
"We all wanna celebrate with her too!"
A grin rose to Renji's lips in response.
"Then what are we still standing here for! We've got a birthday to plan!"
"But, Ren-chan…" Hiro began softly, looking a bit worried. Renji blinked at him questioningly.
"When will we celebrate it?"
At that, all fell speechless. The redhead scratched his chin thoughtfully.
"We can't have it too close… but if we let it go we might forget…"
"Then… how about when we're all done preparing?" Fuji offered, pulling away when the others all turned to look at him.
"Well, I, I mean… when we get all the stuff done and ready… we can at least… talk about it again?"
He was this close to wetting himself at the serious looks sent his way before Renji snapped his fingers and nodded.
"That could work."
Never before had the boy felt such relief.
–
He sighed as he left his room, the gift now in his hands as he began his way from the 6th squad quarters to the 13th squad's barracks. His fingers itched at the memory from years ago, of the pain and tiredness and determination of that time seeming so close and real…
He sighed as he left himself drift towards Memory Lane again as he made his way to her room quietly.
"I… could use that…" Young Renji thought to himself as he dug a piece of light pink fabric from a pile of trash in an alley. He awed at how relatively clean the cloth was, standing in contrast to even the air, it seemed.
"Girls… like pink…" He muttered to himself, silencing both the part that said she wasn't a girl and the part that said she was almost a woman with a definitive nod.
"But… just pink… won't do… will it?" He looked around, trying to find something – anything – that would inspire him.
He came there on a hunch, a whim of sorts – the old sewing shop that had long since closed.
No costumers, no business, no money… And a son that made it as a Shinigami.
One didn't need much more than that to say goodbye to some run-down shop in a run-down place with run-down people and a run-down life…
He sighed as he concentrated some of his Reiatsu in the palm of his hand. There it was… his ticket out of there.
But they promised… the both of them…
His fist clenched over the fabric.
"Has nothing to celebrate my ass…"
His attention, however, was drawn to a glowing dot nearby on the floor, reflecting the light his spiritual energy gave off.
"Ara?"
Blinking, he cautiously approached the item lying on the ground and picked it up. His face lit up instantly.
"A sewing needle…"
A grin came to his lips as he noticed the dark pink thread hanging off the small petal piece. It dangled down to the floor where he spotted a roll of the string gathered into a small ball.
"Sweet!" He declared victoriously as he gathered it up and wrapped it in the piece of cloth he found.
"Now… for a filling…"
As expected from the sewing shop, he found more than enough fluffy cotton filling lying around, having been deemed useless by previous pillagers of the old shop.
The buttons for eyes and belly button were found shortly afterwards, and he only mildly-frowned at their dirty condition; he'll wash them later.
"Yosh… got it all… let's do this! It's just sewing, how hard could it get!"
–
Oh, did he ever live to regret that!
–
"Ouch!" Renji cried out in pain and shoved his finger into his mouth. He winced at the coppery taste, yet now – two weeks into the act – he was close to finishing, finally finishing the unholy abomination he was so set on creating.
Sewing could really get hard…
"Ren-chan?"
He jumped at Hiro's voice and quickly hid his handiwork behind his back – ending up sticking the needle into one of his already bandaged fingers.
"See, told you he'd be here." Fuji announced proudly as the three boys entered the abandoned sewing shop, Renji's working place for the past two weeks.
"What, it's just you guys…" The redhead sighed in relief as he sat back down comfortably, once again putting his almost finished work before him.
"Wow, check it out!" Tohru chirped and all three moved to observe.
"You're blocking the light" Renji berated them, shoving Fuji out of the way between him and the door and checked the items again.
A round belly buttoned body; two arms, one leg and a yet-to-be-touched piece of cloth and filling. In his hands rested what appeared to be a head with two eyes, to long ears and an x shaped mouth.
He was putting the last stitches on the chin.
"Woohoo! Renji's really going at it!"
They all awed, yet he simply returned to sewing the head.
"Ne ne, Ren-chan, how long before you'll be done?" Hiro asked with childish impatience, kneeling next to his friend.
"I donno… a day or two, maybe three…"
"Hee! Two weeks and you've only gotten this good!" Tohru mocked, making a vein pop in Renji's forehead and his wounded, abused fingers itch.
"Shut up! I don't wanna hear it! You people have no idea how hard sewing can really be!"
"That we don't" Fuji nodded to himself at the blank statement and Hiro took off from there.
"It's just that it's been two weeks since we decided to have Rukia's birthday… and pretty much everything's ready. Everything…"
"Except your present." Tohru concluded, giving Renji a mildly apologetic yet stern look.
"Everything? You guys got all we need?" Renji asked in awe looking from one friend to another. Each nodded in turn as he looked at them.
"Well, we did have two weeks…" Hiro trailed off, scratching the back of his neck.
"And we got everything while you were cooped up in here." Fuji's tone was neutral, but the clear accusation in his eyes mad Renji look down at his hands.
"Sorry…"
"Mah, ii. No hard feelings. A day or two you said?" Hiro asked, picking up one of the arms and looking it over.
"Yeah, I guess… why?"
"Well, since everything's ready… we were hoping…"
"To celebrate today." Tohru announced, hands on his waists. Fuji nodded enthusiastically. Renji paled.
"Well, it doesn't have to be today…" Hiro tried after a long silence.
"I mean, if it's gonna take a day to finish we could have it tomorrow." He smiled at Renji before looking at Tohru and Fuji over his shoulder. "Right?"
The both of them exchanged glances, but ended up shrugging.
"I guess it wouldn't be right, having a party without Renji…" Tohru finally said, grinning. Fuji nodded. Again.
"Yep. Besides, I stole a lot of treats, so it'll be a waste not to eat it together with everyone!"
At the smile Hiro sent his way as well, Renji couldn't help but sigh in relief mixed with growing concern.
"You guys really are unbelievable…"
"Aren't we!" All three grinned evilly at him, squeezing a small laughter out of him.
"So tomorrow… then, it's settled, Ren-chan?"
The redhead stared down at the yet unfinished product and then at his wounded hands with a sigh.
"Tomorrow, huh… eh?"
Blinking, he found himself all alone again, with their laughter echoing further and further away. Had Hiro just yelled… sorry at him? He must've, as Renji found the completed rabbit arm unsown and on the verge of tearing.
"Hiro, you bastard! I'll kill you!" He shouted after him, making it as far as the street when he was blinded by the sunlight. It dawned on him how long he was cooped up in the small dark store. His stomach's light growling also made him realize how neglectful of himself he was, especially in light of his recent discovery of spiritual power – and therefore, the ability to grow hungry.
" I stole a lot of treats" He heard Fuji's proud exclamation and
had to fight the urge to drool.
However, he couldn't help but remember the real reason for the planned festivity as another wave of pain surged through his hands.
I don't know…
Never needed one…
Didn't even have a need to know…
His hands clenched into fists, ignoring the pain.
"Well, we do, dammit!" He barked at no one as he went back inside, intent on finishing the damned thing before tomorrow ever came, not noticing the girl in the pink robes watching everything from down the street.
–
It wasn't the light of a new day coming in through the cracks in the roof that woke him up, nor was it the noises coming out of the street. More than even the gentle though strong presence in the room, it was the scent of flowers and candy, and the ever subtle noises of a needle and thread passing through fabric. His eyes fluttered open slowly and he squeezed them, trying to bring the sight before him into focus.
He was still there, in the shop… his hands still hurt… but there was someone else there, too… someone… familiar… someone…
"Are you awake now?"
His eyes snapped open at that voice he knew so well and he pushed himself up…
Or at least tried to as the pain from his hands brought him back down again.
"Careful with your hands, you'll reopen your wounds."
He blinked as he realized his hands have been re-bandaged and tended to.
"It's amazing you've managed this far with those hands, really." She said and he turned to look at her in silence.
There she sat, in the biggest ray of sunlight in the room, her fingers skillfully passing the needle in and out of the pink, now stuffed fabric.
His eyes widened as he realized just what she was working on, a second before she tore the string with her teeth and held up the completed product.
"Done!" She chirped as he pushed himself up to a sitting position. He had to blink – she was smiling so brightly…
"Rukia…"
"You surprised me, Renji!" The girl announced, instinctively hugging the now completed plushy. He half smiled at that.
"Your sewing isn't half bad! Well, naturally, it's not as good as mine, and I did a few corrections but here!" Beaming, she held the plushy up to him, holding it gently.
"It's done!"
Renji stared at it longley, intently.
This was what he slaved over for so long. This was what he injured himself repeatedly for.
This was what he created himself…
For her.
This…
This pink rabbit plushy.
He looked it over; Yes, it certainly was pink. Not that dirty, either. The stuffing was fluffy and gentle, and the strings held it all nicely together. The eyes and belly button were practically shining after all the scratching and washing he put them through.
The ears held on nicely, one ear standing tall, the other bent over lightly.
He reached a hand to take it before suddenly freezing, making her blink.
"Renji?"
Settling for poking the bunny's nose, he stood up and brushed his clothes.
"Come on, we're making the others wait."
He made it to the doorstep when he turned around to find her still sitting down.
"What's wrong?"
She blinked several times while staring at the pink plushy.
"You… don't want this?" She asked with wide eyes, as though unable to believe anyone'd turn down such an adorable creation. He blinked, shrugging back.
"Nope. Why should I?"
"But… you worked so hard on this!" She protested, and he chuckled back.
"I did."
"Then – "
He cut her off with a wave of his hand and a shake of his head.
"Then I'm really happy you like it so much."
Her cheeks painted pink as pink as the plushy she was holding as her eyes widened as much as they could in the limits of her face.
"What? But I… Renji…"
Sighing, he walked up to her and knelt next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and pulling her close so their cheeks met.
"We decided it's today and that you get no objection rights. Happy Birthday, U-Sa-Gi-Chan."
He poked her nose before drawing away, showing her his back as his own cheeks gained the hue of his hair.
"My… birthday?" Rukia repeated in disbelief.
"Yep."
"Today?"
"Yep."
A short silence fell while both considered what to say.
"Renji…"
"Hm?"
"What date is it today?"
He sighed at her defensive tone.
"January the 14th."
He replied without hesitation, not turning back to see her shocked expression. However, the relief that washed over her less than a moment later was more than tangible for him. Therefore, he crossed his arms and humphed.
"And don't you dare think we'll forget! All of us decided this date together, and nothing you say will make us budge it!"
He heard her hiss at him.
"What… what kind of a tyrannical way is this to decide a person's birthday date!"
A vein popped in his forehead as he turned to her, anger in his eyes.
"You said you didn't even care about it! Well, we do! Every one of us has a birthday date, name one reason for you to be an exception! Whether or not you'll have fun is irrelevant! We're celebrating for us, not you, dammit!"
A shadow fell over her eyes as she looked away, clutching the plushy tightly. Panic washed over Renji, making the anger disappear.
"Oh, oy… I didn't…"
"I didn't care… about the date." She said quietly before biting her lip. He blinked.
"Huh?"
It took her a long moment of stumbling with her words before she answered.
"I never… had a birthday before… so… so now… I have one?" She turned to him, tears welling in the corners of her angry, storming eyes, her teeth almost drawing blood from her lower lip. "So why should I care about what date it's on, idiot!"
He stared back at her silently for a long moment before looking away, giving her the illusion of privacy she needed to wipe her eyes and nose on the sleeve of her robe.
"The others… are waiting." He began absently, keeping his tone neutral, steady and quiet.
"Fuji got a lot of candies for us. From the smell of it, though, you already had some."
He wrinkled his nose, making her blush guiltily, an almost painful contrast to her expression only seconds ago.
"I…"
"Well, no harm done, it's your birthday he got that for in the first place, no point in being mad at you for it."
She turned to look at him yet he kept looking away.
"Those three… I wonder what they've gotten you…"
He glanced at her briefly before sticking up his nose in the most stuck-up way possible.
"But I bet none of them could match up to –this-!" He proudly announced, presenting ten injured and bandaged fingers. She giggled honestly and he couldn't help but walk right over to her and ruffle her hair briefly, making her look up in surprise.
"Let's go."
Wiping whatever tears still remained in her eyes, Rukia nodded and stood up, still hugging the rabbit plushy. He smiled at that as he turned to leave, yet found a hand holding the edge of his shirt.
"Ara?"
"Your rabbit…" She began softly, looking down at the doll they both made before looking up at him with a pout.
"… really sucks! Do you know how hard I had to work to fix it!"
The shock quickly gave way to amused annoyance as he wiggled his injured fingers at her.
"Ah, I sure do!"
And in the amused, mock-argument that followed they left the small store to be abandoned once more, his arm wrapped around her shoulder and her head ever so lightly resting against hi, for a moment forgetting that they were supposed to be fighting, or that they should've felt remotely embarrassed.
All they seemed capable of doing before joining with the rest of their friends was laugh and poke the helpless little bunny plushy.
–
"Na, Renji?"
"Hm?"
"… Arigatou…"
"Ah"
–
The softly whispered words, barely hearable then, a fond memory now, echoed in the now 6th Squad's Vice Captain's ears.
It had been decades since that memory came to be, yet he still cherished it among the other bright memories of his childhood – a childhood which was filled with laughter and warmth despite the hardships.
She felt that way too, hew knew, and felt no shame or regret in the somewhat petty feeling that swept over him – that was something they alone shared. No one could ever take that away from him, he knew as he silently slid open the door to her room and stopped less than a step inside.
She – was away on a mission, expected to return shortly.
And he – laughed lightly as he spotted a certain worn out old pink bunny plushy resting on the small night stand next to her folded futons.
Bunny Number 1.
He couldn't help but laugh outwardly as he discovered Bunny Number 2 – or rather "bunny".
Next to the plushy he sacrificed his hands over rested a glowingly yellow doll and he needn't read the attached note to know who gave her that present – the mocking bunny ears pasted to the rubber-duckey's head were no doubt the work of the then her replacement now representative Shinigami still residing in the world of the living.
"Humph, giving her ducks…"
While he was aware that some private joke concerning the bird existed between the two, he felt no need to question nor jealous over it.
He had his own with her, after all, and as proof he extracted his gift from the wrapping and placed a snow white bunny plushy next to the pink one, carefully aligning its ears to form a sort of mirror image to the other.
Taking a step back, he adored his handiwork and again chuckled at the duck.
He only had a short moment of amusement, though, as he felt her Reiatsu approaching, and so he quickly placed the note he prepared for her next to the doll and took his leave, grateful that night's paperwork gave him a comfortable excuse for his once again bandaged fingers –
While he had gotten better at sewing the damned things, he was obviously still not good enough. On the other hand…
Everyone got paper-cuts…
-To Rukia
Don't go dropping dead somewhere, nor throw it away for the likes of us.
The bunnies will be lonely.
And he simply had to sign using his official Vice Captain sign.
Nodding to himself in satisfaction as he felt her Reiatsu gain a surprised and then happy feel to it, he crossed his arms behind his head and began making his way to his room, ready to call it a night.
He allowed himself a single humorous yet somewhat venomous thought, though, before falling asleep –
"At least he didn't get her strawberries…"