Title: Finding Solace
Pairing: RenjixByakuya and light IchigoxRenji rather one-sided... maybe
Warning: Violence, words, Shounen-ai, slightly AU, some OOC in Renji's part, and a pissed Byakuya.
Summary: A weird symptom occurred to Renji after a rather brutal attack from a Hollow. He seemed to lose his memories except those that are about Ichigo, and grew so attached to the boy. Unohana then asked Ichigo to live with Renji while the cure was in making. But how will Byakuya reacted to this?

Chapter One

Cries of battle soared from his throat as he raised Zangetsu high and forcefully swung it down right into the fifth Hollow. Another cry; this time from the Hollow, ripped through the air as its mask cracked and the body quickly dissipated into cold night air. As the Hollow disappeared, Ichigo once again raised Zangetsu and put on a fighting stance, his light panting gave signs to his tiredness and yet his reiatsu still flared and raged, adrenaline rushed through his body, and he once again made a leapt through the air.

With another heavy slash, the Hollow that flew around his head was dead. Kurosaki exhaled rather gruffly when he landed on the ground.

"Hoero, Zabimaru!"

The Shinigami substitute turned and saw his comrade, slashing through the rapidly decreasing numbers of Hollows. Abarai Renji shouted and extended Zabimaru, maneuvering it in deadly quick circular motion, diminishing a massive amount of Hollows around him.

"You okay?" Ichigo asked loudly from his place, still not entering Renji's battle zone as not to piss the redhead and his pride.

"Concern 'bout yourself!" Renji retorted back and finished yet another Hollow. The redhead's brown eyes shot a look at the carrot top as he snarled, both at the Hollow and at his friend.

"Che, snappy today, huh..." Ichigo snorted back and half-pouted at the Fukutaichou, though no ill-intention in his gesture.

"ICHIGO!"

Kurosaki's brown eyes widened at Renji's sudden shout. His body reacted on his own and turned around, only to find a huge green fury Hollow looking down at him, sharp claws already swung rapidly right into its target; Ichigo's heart.

"Dammit!" the unsuspecting Ichigo tried to leap out of range.

"Too late!"

The next thing he registered in his brain after an ear-wrenching cry and a painful sound of something being stabbed into a flesh was Renji, in front of him, bleeding... whereas it was him who should be in that condition. The redhead had stolen his place in taking the full damage. Brown eyes widened and skin paled as Ichigo saw the claws that still ripped through his friend's body twisted wickedly into a painful angle, emitting another pain-filled shout from the redhead and sputter of crimson blood burst forth from the hole on his stomach.

"RENJI!"

"F-fool!" Renji coughed out blood, staining his robe and hakama. "F-finish it... q-quick... while... I-I still... hold it...down..."

Ichigo wanted to argue about how stupid it was to sacrifice your own body and still spoke through a fatal wound (and for calling him a fool) but decided against it, as he could always pound some healthy sense into Renji's stubborn head later... if the redhead managed to survive.

And in order to make sure of that, Ichigo has to kill this Hollow.

Zangetsu raised, and the plausible amount of reiatsu blasted out from the sword after a brutal swing from its master; rushing to the Hollow in breakneck pace.

"Getsuga Tenshou!!!!!"

---------------

Byakuya read and re-read through the report Renji had finished before the brash man left for another mission in the human world. The noble often moved his own brush to correct a few mistakes Renji made, making a note to himself that he had to make his fukutaichou rectify this as soon as he got back.

Six years after all the Aizen and Arrancar fiasco, Byakuya took a few notes that Renji had improved a great deal in many aspects, including some sort of discipline the redhead now possessed (in which Byakuya hasn't able to stuff some into his fukutaichou in the past), not to mention the improvement in fighting skills. He also realized and accepted that the noble himself had come to a point where he put a huge deal of respect for the rough man.

But the most twisted turn-out of event had to be their established relationship that had started three years ago.

Byakuya's eyes unconsciously darted to his left hand, where a band of gleaming silver encircled his finger and memory of few months ago came flowing in his mind. Renji had brought one from the living world and rather shyly showed it to him. The noble's eyes had widened at Renji's so called proposal, he didn't even think Renji would do something as far as that. The Rokubantai Taichou remembered the unmistakably crimson blush dusted his cheeks as he wordlessly nodded. And how Renji's own colored his cheeks as the easy-going man rather hesitantly placed the ring on his finger and marveled about how it suited the noble in muffled words. Byakuya had let himself smiled a bit at that as he raised his hand to his eye-level, and let Renji's familiar lips placed a tender kiss to his forehead as two tattooed arms snaked around his waist.

His thought was interrupted by a rather harsh knock on the door.

"Urgent message, Kuchiki-Taichou!"

---------------

Ichigo sat outside the room where Renji's healing process took place. His hand fisted on his hakama and a deep scowl plastered on his face.

---------------

"Idiot! You idiot!" Ichigo rushed to the now unconscious, but still bleeding Renji, quickly kneeling down and checked his breathing.

Faint, but still there.

The redhead's reiatsu also felt abysmally low.

"Shit! Calm down! I have to bring him to Inoue! Inoue!" the girl's name ranted through his mind and he immediately realized that the girl's apartment was very far from their current location. Even with shunpo, Ichigo didn't sure he would make it on time. Not to mention he was afraid of moving Renji's body around as it was possible to deepen the wound.

"Ichigo-san!!!"

Ichigo's head snapped up at the mention of his name and he realized a portal to Soul Society has opened and a rather wide-eyed Hanatarou and Kira stood there.

"Abarai-kun!!!!" Kira rushed to Ichigo's aid, Hanatarou followed closely behind.

"Hanatarou! Thank goodness!! Ichigo felt a wash of relief as he saw Hanatarou started meddling with his healing equipment. Ichigo quickly stepped aside and let the timid shinigami took care the situation.

"We were sent as aid for Abarai-kun since the Hollows' signals increased abnormally... but it looked like you already beat us into it," Izuru briefed Ichigo about the reason why both of them were there in the first place.

Ichigo nodded at the blonde as his thanks, brown eyes still fixed at Renji's still form, now glowing green from the treatment Hanatarou was giving.

Kira too, adverted his gaze from the subtitute shinigami and looked at his friend, concern painted all over the blonde's pale face; pretty much like Ichigo's.

After what seemed like an hour, Hanatarou looked up at both shinigami waiting anxiously behind him, the look on the Fourth Division member's face didn't give the lightest second wave of relief Ichigo was hoping for.

"I've stabilized him... but this wound is weird... we need to head back to Unohana-taichou!"

---------------

Ichigo didn't know how long he sat there drowning in his own mind until another surge of familiar calm reiatsu filled the room. And when he looked up from his lap, he saw exactly who he thought was the owner of that strong energy.

Kuchiki Byakuya stared down at him; behind him was a timid-looking Kira, who looked like he accomplished his task of alerting Byakuya about the condition of his fukutaichou. The Captain inclined his head lightly as a greeting for the orange haired man, other than that, he remained calm and stoic like he always did.

Ichigo wanted to ask, or rather, snap at why Byakuya looked so calm when his fukutaichou was struggling to keep his life on the line, but was stopped at the sound of the door gently pushed opened and Unohana Retsu stepped out.

"Unohana-taichou!" Izuru and Ichigo quickly searched the woman's face, and at the serious expression the normally calm woman put on, Kurosaki and Kira gulped.

"It's okay, he's awake and he only needs to rest now..." two exhales of breath followed the statement. Unohana's eyes darted from Kira, to Ichigo, and finally, to Byakuya. She seemed to be running through a few options on her mind, as seen from her slightly furrowed brows before speaking again.

"However, there's this effect of the poison from the Hollow..."

"POISON!?" Ichigo practically shouted, and consciously clamped own his mouth when he saw Kira silenced him with a finger on the lips.

Byakuya's brows furrowed.

"You better see for yourself... but I must remind you, please don't disturb Abarai-kun... and Kurosaki-san... if you may go first," Unohana turned around, once again opened the door and motioned Ichigo to enter first, in which Ichigo obeyed even though his mind was quite in a ruckus and confusion. His light steps were soon followed by the other three shinigami and the door was closed.

When they entered the room, they could clearly hear an argument going from behind the closed curtain of Renji's ward. Confusion and curiosity won over Ichigo's mind as he looked over to Unohana, asking permission, and at the woman's gentle smile and encouraging nod, he slid the curtain aside. Kira with an anxious expression peered over his shoulder and Byakuya remained impassive.

"I don't want to—ah! Ichigo!"

Renji was sitting on a bed wrapped in white yukata, his unbound hair framing his face and obscuring a quarter of his view. A rather scared mixed with angry and confused expression plastered on his face, around his bed was an equally confused Hanatarou and another Fourth Division Ichigo couldn't recall if he had become acquaintance with. But that didn't matter since at the exact time Renji and Ichigo made an eye-contact, the redhead practically jumped out from the bed and ran to Ichigo, wrapping his arms tightly around the shorter body.

"Huh????" to say Ichigo was confused was an understatement. Brown eyes widened instantly when the bandaged body pressed itself flush against his own. And a face buried on his shoulder. He didn't remember Renji ever been this... clingy.

Kira and Byakuya also shared a similar reaction, only Kira's was more extreme as his jaw hung open with blue eyes wide while Byakuya only raised a brow.

"Wait... wait! What—" Ichigo managed to said as he struggled down to see the redhead's expression and managed to stay standing from the larger weight suddenly put on him.

"Ichigo! These damn guys kept asking things I don't understand!" Renji said, muffled judging from his position on Ichigo's shoulder. Stance and how auburn eyes glared clearly said that Renji was referring to Hanatarou and his friend.

Ichigo wanted to retort back with a comment along the line: "It's you that I don't understand!" as Renji buried his face on Ichigo's neck and turned deaf ears to all of them, but Unohana cut off any further comment queuing in Ichigo's brain.

"See, it seems that it affected Abarai-kun's brain and memory... he didn't seem to remember anything aside of his own name and you, Kurosaki-san..." Unohana explained.

"EEEHHH!!!???" Ichigo's jaw dropped as the arms around him tightened.

"This kind of effect is entirely new, so we must conduct experiments and investigate first before we can have Abarai-fukutaichou completely healed. I'm afraid we can't have him in this state here as it was clear he's currently uncomfortable with us, and that could affect his mental state. And at the same time we can't have you here to accompany him since you have your own life, Kurosaki-san... so..."

"So..." Ichigo felt he could already guess what Unohana's next words would be.

"Can you have him living with you while we make the antidote?" Unohana asked gently, completely understood that it would be a burden for the Kurosaki. But it looked like she didn't have another choice. "We'll make sure we keep an eye on him and his conditions, too... so one of us will visit you once in a while."

"..." Ichigo hesitated for a moment, now he was a college student and has his own apartment, so the problem of having your family suspicion upon you was taken care of. But that didn't help the main problem that a powerless Renji would surely be a burden.

But it was his fault after all; it was him who caused Renji's condition to be like this. And it was only fair for him to take care of his friend, since it was the entire thing he could do to repay the life debt he owed.

"Ichigo?" Renji called and drew back to his full height, staring down at Ichigo, but his arms remained secure around Ichigo's back, though it was more to calm himself than Ichigo, Renji's tattooed brows furrowed upon seeing Ichigo's expression. "Ichigo? Did they hurt you?" one hand came to hold Ichigo's chin gently.

Byakuya couldn't help a twitch at his brow and took a breath to calm himself. It wasn't his nature to react in such a way and it was all natural judging from his fukutaichou's current condition, everyone would also do that if the surrounding was completely foreign and you only found trust on one person in the whole world, but seeing his Renji all around the human Kurosaki... that undoubtedly pissed him off.

"I'll do it..." Ichigo reassured both Unohana and Renji. He gave a grin at his redhead friend and lightly patted his shoulder.

Unohana smiled warmly.

"I'm counting on you, Kurosaki-san."

-Tsuzuku-

A/N: A fic in which the plot and idea popped suddenly on my brain, and on a spare time I managed to write it. This would turn out into a mini-series (hope so). By the way, it's RenBya though it has light IchiRen on it... (in the first few chapters I guess didn't think that would be much of 'light'... at least, if I'm still holding to the current plot on my mind)

This is my first BLEACH fanfic, so constructive critics are welcomed!!!!