Last time I tried to write a RenRuki fic, it sucked...a lot. So I hope this on satisfies your quench for this couple.

SWEET SUNRISE

'Where the hell are you, Renji?' Rukia thought, standing alone on a hill that over looked the soul society.

Leaning against the lone cherry tree that topped the hill, Rukia thought deeply about the red haired man. How he annoyed her, how he was her friend, but mostly, how late he was.

Rukia had been on this hill since five in the morning, and it was now reaching six.

She sighed, pushing herself off the tree to walk back home, her heart full of sorrow of missing out on seeing an old friend. He was the one to arrange this meeting, to talk to her face to face. Only them. Nobody else around, nobody to interrupt, and he wasn't here.

Just thinking about this made her heart feel a bit heavier, and just as she was about to take her first step home, she heard his voice.

"Rukia!"

"Renji?" She whispered, questioning his name.

"Rukia!" He repeated, panting her name as he came to a stop in front of her feet, bending over to put his hands on his knees, hanging his head from exhaustion. "I'm here...so sorry...so late."

"Damn right you should be! What took you so long?!" She now yelled at him, making the tattooed man look her in the eyes.

"I...I don't have a reason." Seeing her mouth open again to yell, he stopped her. "Wait! Can we just talk? Please? That's why we arranged this right? To talk?"

Rukia's eyes softened. He was right. At least he came, and he seemed apologetic enough. So she sat down and patted the ground by her. Renji took this as his cue to sit next to her and crossed his legs to lean back on his arms. Rukia on the other hand pulled her knees to her chest, wrapped her arms around them, and looked at Renji, only to have him look at her with a smirk that could be called a grin.

"So, what have you been up to?"

"Not much." She replied. "Just hallows and paperwork."

"Ah, but isn't that all we seem to do anymore?"

Rukia held in a snicker. "I suppose so."

The conversation fell dead, as awkwardness replaced the empty feeling. Renji sat up and scratched the back of his head, Rukia on the meanwhile picking at some grass.

Clearing her throat, Rukia look towards Renji again.

"How's working for my brother?"

"It's good..." He said, leaving it at that.

A pause.

"I've...missed you, Renji."

Amber eyes looked into violet ones.

"I've missed you too, Rukia."

The petite girl gently rested her head on Renji's shoulder and sighed. "It just seems like we were so close...and then...what happened?"

Renji so carefully rested his head upon her's, casually slinging an arm around her waist, trying to ignore the pounding in his chest.

He sighed. "I don't know. I was busy with my new lieutenant stuff, and you were then with that Ichigo bastard." His voice faded, thinking about his 'rival' for Rukia.

Rukia chuckled lightly, shifting her position. "Yeah, that he was."

Renji felt a warm feeling spread in him, quickly fading with his up coming question.

"Were...you ever with him?"

Rukia pulled her head out from underneath Renji's to look him in the face.

"Yes." She answered, leaving him hanging until she continued. "But not for long. It was just weird." She surprised him by laughing. "That sounds so stupid!"

"No, it doesn't." Renji said, a bit confused.

Rukia now looked at him seriously. "I guess...people just expected us to be together. After all we'd been through together and him saving me...it was supposed to be obvious...obvious to everyone but us."

She reached her hand slowly to his face, hesitating before pushing away one of his locks of long, red hair that the wind of an early morning had blown into his face.

"I guess we just had our hearts set on other people."

If Renji's heart hadn't been beating faster when she had touched his face, it was pounding in his rib cage now.

He sighed. "Rukia, I did have a reason of why I was late." He stood up, and Rukia followed, being very confused of his actions.

"Why? Did something bad happen?" Her voice held a tint of concern now.

"No...nothing like that." He looked up to the sky, asking anyone of greater power to help him. "Rukia, I've loved you since we were young, and I still love you now...Rukia..." He bent down to one knee, pulling out a very small, but beautiful diamond on a silver band. "Rukia...I want you to marry me."

Her expression was unreadable, but his was.

It held his worry of her answer.

If she said no, it could damage their friendship for good, how would they even look at each other? If not that, then her brother would kill him for even thinking about it. But what if she said yes? What if they could spend the rest of...eternity...together?

"Yes."

"I know that...wait, what?"

"Do I have to say it again, or will you just put the ring on my finger?" She smiled down on him, as he smiled back at her, carefully sliding the ring onto her finger.

He now stood up to hug her, a tight embrace that almost crushed her, as he spun her around once, enjoying how it made her squeal and laugh in surprise. Releasing her, he carefully bent down to her lips and placed a kiss upon them.

Hugging her again, he whispered to her.

"I love you, Rukia."

"I love you too, Renji."