This is my second attempt at RenHime. Hopefully I didn't butcher Renji too much XD. He seemed slightly OOC. Or maybe that's me XD. Anyway, please leave a review so I can get better . :)

Orihime hummed to herself as she cleaned her apartment. Spring was here and she felt like she needed a change. She went through every room, throwing away things she didn't want or need anymore. The window was open, letting a nice cool breeze come into her living room, encircling her.

She began dusting her shelves, being careful of all the picture frames she had on her wall and shelves. Normally, she wouldn't be in such a happy mood, but something in her snapped when she was brought back from Hueco Mundo.

She wasn't sure what it was just yet, but she could feel herself getting stronger. Not just physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. Everyone was shocked to see her back to her normal self so quickly after being held prisoner in a hell like Hueco Mundo. They thought she would've been traumatized from seeing so much happen, but she had used the experience of being a prisoner as a way to enjoy her life, and not take anything for granted.

Sensing a familiar reiatsu outside her apartment, she quickly ran to the door, opening it to see Abarai Renji standing there, his hair in its usual ponytail. He was her personal guard for the next year, as said by the Captain General Yamamoto. They weren't sure if she was going to be betraying them again and so he sent him over to watch over her as punishment.

She wasn't sure if it would even be considered punishment to be able to do what she wants, despite having someone supervising her.

But she didn't complain. Each day, he arrived at the same time, in his gigai as he wasn't to raise suspicion to Ichigo and the others. They didn't know she was being punished and so it was part of his job to make sure no one knew about it. Yamamoto explained to Renji that if Ichigo found out, he would freak out and start a fight with them, and though Renji was still a bit confused, he didn't disagree to it.

In fact, he used this time to get close to the girl.

They were only comrades, but even then, they weren't that close. He had only spent time with Orihime when Rukia was around, for she was much closer to her than he was. When he first appeared at her door, he was nervous and looking at anything else but her. As the weeks went by, he realized that there was nothing to be nervous about and he began opening up to her.

He also realized they were quite alike, in more ways than one.

Like her, he didn't like to dwell on matters that weren't important. Like him, she had lost someone very precious to her at a young age and grew up on her own. Her aunt would occasionally visit but she mostly supported her. She didn't live very close to Orihime so she only came during the holidays. Tatsuki was her best friend since middle school and her favourite food was Sweet Potatoes with Butter. She had a weird obsession with Red Bean Paste and Wasabi, even keeping several containers of each in her cupboard. She didn't know her parents at all, except what Sora told her about them, which were never good things to begin with. She was practically an outsider her entire life.

But what shocked him the most was how she was able to keep smiling despite having gone through so much.

When he asked her, she just smiled and answered, in her usual fashion.

"It's better to be grateful for what you do have. Constantly getting upset won't fix anything and it eventually makes everything worse. I prefer to think of the positives in life because those are the reasons I keep on living. If I only lived, thinking about the past, it won't do me any good. So, just being able to learn from those mistakes is the way I'll get better in life and become the person I want to be."

Watching her with brown orbs, she continued to clean her apartment, oblivious to his inner struggle. Seeing her cheerful and happy made him remember that conversation, and a weird feeling fluttered in his stomach. A frown formed on his face as he remembered that today was his last day watching over her.

He had grown fond of her, and the thought of not being able to see her made his insides churn. Lifting his head, he realized she had stopped cleaning and stared at him, her duster on the table.

He cursed as he saw her face form a frown, her eyebrows creased in worry.

"Are you okay, Renji-kun?"

Clutching his fists, he sighed before looking into her gray orbs. "Today's the last day."

Her head tilted to the side, in a cute manner. Knowing she didn't understand what he was talking about, he elaborated.

"After today, I won't be watching you anymore. Your sentence is up."

Blinking, a small smile appeared on her face as she looked out the window. "Ah, I see."

Her tone was soft, though it held a lot of meaning to it. Some of it he couldn't understand. Perhaps it was more out of relief that she said it in such a tone. Sure, she was never bothered by him staying at her place, but just having someone constantly watch you because they don't trust you can be overwhelming.

Walking up to her in long strides, he placed his hand on her shoulder, noting it was small in his hand.

"Orihime…"

Shaking her head, she turned to look at him. "I'll be fine, Renji-kun. I just got so used to having someone else here; I forgot how lonely it is to be by myself."

Knowing what he meant, he could only nod in agreement. But it still didn't take away the pain he felt when he saw the loneliness in her eyes. He didn't want to leave as much as she didn't want him going. They had somehow grown closer since his duty to watch her, and it scared him to feel this way towards her.

He didn't know what to label them as. Sure, they were nakama, but just hearing that word made his heart ache. There was another word that perfectly described how he felt. He knew it was much too soon to say it though. It would hurt both of them because they were both from different worlds. And yet, even though he knew this perfectly well, he still couldn't come up with any logical reason as to why he was kissing her at this very moment.

Lightly, he pressed them on hers, giving her time to think about it. He didn't want to make her uncomfortable or make her feel she had to return his feelings. But he was shocked to feel her respond to his kiss, her hand comfortably grasping his shirt.

He pulled away, regretting it a few seconds later, but keeping her within his arms. He didn't want to let her go, and it seemed like she felt the same.

Blushing, she looked into his eyes, making her heart skip a beat. His gaze was warm, comforting, and held a hidden emotion she couldn't decipher. Not wanting to be out of his arms, she wrapped hers around his waist in a hug. She rested her head on his chest, hearing his heart beat underneath her touch, not even minding his head resting on hers. His hand rested on the side of her face as the other was on her lower back. A small smile graced his lips before he let her go, looking into her bright eyes.

"I'm going to miss you."

A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips as he looked down at her happy face. "Yeah, I'm gonna miss you too, Orihime."

Letting go of his hand, she looked up at him. "Promise you'll come visit me?"

Grinning like the idiot monkey he was, he laughed. "Promise."