Title: In Which Renji Abhours Flowers
Claim: 6th Division
Prompt: Toy
Rating: PG (Look ma, no angst!)
Characters: Renji, Rikichi, Hanataro, Byakuya
A/N: This one is dedicated to frouella, who also thought that Renji with a racket would be amusing.

Renji stood in the courtyard of the 6th Division compound pointedly not watching Rikichi and that Hanataro kid from the 4th Division as they ran about in the grass. Kuchiki Taichou was going to have a fit. They should have been doing -- whatever it was that they were doing -- in the practice yard. At least there they wouldn't have trampled hours of gardening work that Renji would have to oversee the reconstruction of later. That was, if Kuchicki Taichou was in a good mood. If he wasn't... Renji sighed and remembered a long night spent with gardenias. He frowned.

"Rikichi!" The young shinigami stopped in mid jog and teetered on the ball of his left foot, waving his arms a bit to catch his balance.

"Yes, Abarai Fukutaichou?"

"Rikichi, what in the name of all things sacred, are you doing to Taichou's courtyard?"

"Umm..." said Rikichi, still trying to balance.

"I am so sorry Abarai Fukutaichou, sir," squeaked Hanataro. He dropped the thing in his hand into the grass and then fell down next to it, bowing and apologizing. Rikichi regarded Hanataro in wonder. Renji studied the object he had dropped. It was too short and too wide at the end to be a sword.

"What is that?"

Hanataro looked up at him from between some smaller bamboo reeds. "It's, it's a racket, Abarai Fukutaichou."

Renji thought about all of the objects he'd ever seen between the living world and this one and he couldn't associate the 'racket' with any of them. "Er, if you say so, what does it do?"

"This!" called Rikichi. He threw a small bit of feathered ball into the air and then swatted at it. It flew in Renji's direction and then landed lightly at his feet on the sidewalk. It bounced. Renji reflexively brought his hand to where his zanpakutou would have been if he'd been carrying it. Nothing happened.

"Does it...blow up?" It looked like just the kind of thing that Mayuri would have produced. Innocent, until it severed your sword fighting arm. And Renji was firmly attached to his fighting arm, for several reasons.

"No," said Rikichi.

"Does it absorb spirit energy?"

Hanatoro shook his head vigorously.

Renji bent over and picked it up. He held it out in front of his nose by the tip of the feather and sniffed it. He screwed up his mouth and made a face. Rikichi tried not to giggle into his sleeve. "Can you eat it?"

"No?" said Rikichi. "I don't think so anyway, and Rukia would have mentioned that."

Renji looked at him. "You got this from Rukia?" Why hadn't she ever mentioned anything like this to him? For that matter, why didn't she ever mention anything to him?

Hanataro stood up and beamed, which still made him look like he was going to be blown away by the next stiff breeze. He nodded vigorously. "Rukia gave it to me when I was in the living world. She said she played it with Ichigo's sisters, and that it was fun!"

"And it is," insisted Rikichi. He stared hard at Renji. "Now give it back!"

Renji looked over his upheld hand at Rikichi and knitted his eyebrows together. Rikichi swallowed hard. "Er, I mean, please return it, Abarai Fukutaichou."

Renji sighed and tossed it back in Rikichi's direction. Rikichi lunged forward and caught it with the lip of the 'racket'and sent it back to Hanatoro who ran after it. He watched them for a bit, back and forth and back and forth, until he became dizzy. If it didn't kill things, and you couldn't eat it, what was the point anyway? Renji started to walk away. He figured he couldn't fault the boys their fun, even if it was questionable.

"Oh!" Rikichi shouted and Renji spun on his heel. He turned just in time to see Hanataro miss the ball thing with his racket. It sailed past Hanataro and right towards Kuchiki Taichou, who had just rounded the corner.

One shunpo and Renji stood next to Byakuya and caught the little ball thing in the palm of his hand, right at shoulder level. Byakuya looked at Renji, and then he looked out at Rikichi and Hanataro in the garden. Then he looked back at Renji. Renji held his breath.

"Abarai Fukutaichou," he said calmly. Renji could start to feel sweat forming at he base of his neck. That look, that open, calm, ineffable look, was never good.

"Um...yes Kuchiki Taichou?"

"Can you tell me, why my garden is being trampled on by one of your division mates and someone from the 4th division?"

Renji looked at the ball thing in his hand. "Er, I-I'm not quite sure sir. Just a bit of fun, really."

Byakuya quirked an eyebrow. "Admirable of you, Fukutaichou, to let the fun of your subordinates be something that you deem important and appropriate for a working division of the Gotei 13."

"Yes, Kuchicki Taichou?" he said cautiously.

Byakuya looked at Rikichi again and smiled. Renji's fingers started to tremble. "You know, Abarai Fukutaichou, I think I'd like some lilies in the garden."

"Er, those are the white ones, right sir?"

Byakuya smirked. "Yes, I'm glad you've been paying attention. Well then, I'll see you back out here when your duties for today are over." He said it casually, but it wasn't a question.

"Y-yes, Kuchiki Taichou," he stammered.

"Good, carry on then." Renji watched as Byakuya rounded the corner. The hand that held the ball thing was still at shoulder height. Rikichi ran up and gripped at his wrist and tugged on it.

"C'mon, he said we could play!" Renji looked at Rikichi and tried to decide whether or not to kill him. He needed to kill something, if only to balance out the coming night of horticulture. He settled for hurling the ball thing at Hanatoro's head. It flew so lightly that it left him feeling unfulfilled.

"Rikichi," he said through clenched teeth.

Rikichi backed away slowly. "Yes?"

"Next time Rukia gives you a present, burn it."