Dedicated to my brother Inu no Taisho - who inadvertently activated my competitive streak when he began writing so many awesome stories. -RedMiko-
Disclaimer: Of course I don't own Bleach. If I did, I wouldn't be writing fanfiction...
Motorcycle Daze
Renji had never seen anything so beautiful before.
The curves – such sleek curves. Sweeping down and back into delicate roundness, the soft glow begged to be touched and stroked – the way a gentle lover caressed his woman. The low hum, more a purr, really, was music to his ears. An occasional sparking cough marred the even tone, but it was a minor flaw. And perhaps the color was a little too pink. But Renji was generous – he could forgive the occasional imperfection. These quirks added character and this little machine had it in spades.
The rider on the machine almost tripped as he came to a halt in front of the red-haired Shinigami. Fumbling with the catches on his oversized helmet, he pulled it off to reveal tossled hair and a sweaty face with wide, faintly surprised eyes. Behind him sat a girl, her strawberry-blond hair mussed by the wind and her face wreathed in a smile. Attached to the machine was a small cart, filled with brown bags of groceries.
"Hanatarou?" Renji exclaimed. "Inoue-san?"
"Ah, Abarai-fukutaichou," Hanatarou half-gasped, clutching his helmet. His expression flickered from glee to trepidation.
"What the hell is that?" Renji held out an accusing finger.
"Ah, gomen!" Hanatarou scrambled off the bike and held out a hand to Orihime. "This is a scooter. I bought it to help me make deliveries."
"Deliveries?" Renji asked, dazed. He couldn't take his eyes off this bike – the chrome trim was intoxicating, in a way. He couldn't quite explain the itching in his fingers – nor the sudden urge to rip the keys from Hanatarou's hand and take off at top speed on this…this scooter.
"Isn't it cute?!" Orihime chimed, hopping off and gathering up her groceries. "Thank you for the ride, Hanatarou-kun!" She planted a kiss on the boy's cheek and made her way down the sidewalk.
Hanatarou grinned and blushed and resettled the remaining groceries safely in their basket before turning back to Renji.
"You … bought it?"
"Hai!" Hanatarou's mild face beamed as he rubbed at a spot with his jacket. He was dressed in some kind of uniform, Renji realized, one covered in spots and grease stains. "I work at a grocery store not far from here – I'm the delivery boy."
"In gigai?" Renji's voice was faint – he still couldn't look away from the bike…
"Hai…" Hanatarou replied slowly. "I asked if I could take a vacation in the human world and gather more information about it at the same time." He peered at Renji. "Are you alright, Abarai fukutaichou?"
"You bought a scooter?" Renji's hand crept forward and gingerly touched one handlebar.
"Do you like it?" Hanatarou's eyes were even more anxious than usual. "Would you like to ride it?"
A/N: Renji entranced by a scooter... Mental picture is just awesome.
Translations:
fukutaichou: Lieutenant
gomen: sorry
hai: yes
gigai: artificial body to house a Shinigami when they want to be seen or heard in the real world