Spoilers/Warnings/Disclaimers/What-Have-Yous
I, TXJ, do not own Bleach, any of its characters, locations or cool accessories. There is no exchange in currency (in my favor or anyone else) relating to this piece of work.
Said story is designed as a AU-ish side arc that takes place post Hueco Mundo arc. All facts and times may not be correct but this is writen for simple enjoyment.
Last of all, this is not the only place I post my work (this is how ever the first work I've posted here), so please before you cry "stolen work" look at my SN and the name of the SN where you have seen this or said similar works before.
Enjoy!
"Still not a trace! DAMN IT! Renji where the hell are you!"
Ichigo cursed, for about the hundredth time that day. He slammed his fist on the windowsill hard enough that the glass trembled and cracked. Out of sure masochism he put his hand through the cracked glass. Rukia turned around with a slight gasp to look at him. She hadn't uttered a word yet when a black 'Hell' moth floated into the room and landed softly on her finger, which she had extended out of pure reflex.
"What is it? Have they found him? Did they learn some thing!?"
Ichigo flexed his hand which surprisingly didn't hold a single scratch. He soon knew that none of his questions hit the mark as tears slid down Rukia's cheeks while she choked to say a word.
"Wha… he's not dead… Renji.. No he couldn't…" Ichigo trailed off and Rukia shook her head no.
"No, but they, they…. In five days they will declare him "Killed in Action", in five days they will hold a service, and in six they will select a replacement for Sixth Squad Lieutenant." Rukia let out a hard sob.
"How… how could they, can't Byakuya do something, get them to extend it?"
"He sent the notice."
Ichigo wrapped his arms around Rukia and pulled her close to him as she started sobbing harder.
"That bastard, how could he turn his back on Renji like that. When I get hold of him, abandoning his lieutenant and sister's best friend… spineless, he hasn't once gone out to search himself."
Ichigo growled all of this softly into the top of Rukia's head. His list of threats and curses was interrupted as the rest of the search party returned.
"We've had no luck." Ishida said stopping what was sure to have been a long winded dialog upon seeing Rukia sobbing in Ichigo's arms.
"Did you guys find something out?" Sado responded placing sad eyes on Rukia.
"Soul Society is giving up. In five days time they will declare Renji dead and leave him as such."
"He'll have been missing twenty-one days then." Ishida responded as if it was only logical to give up all hope at this point.
"I don't care if it has been a million days, I am not giving up. Renji wouldn't have backed out on any of us. I'll find him, I don't care if I have to go back into Hueco Mundo and fight every last hallow there, I will bring Renji home."
"Renji disobeyed orders with Rukia and came to find me, I'll go there too if I must to find him." Orihime pledged with the over zealous vigor she always supported her friends with.
"We're all with you on this Ichigo. Renji is your cousin after all." Chad said in a very serious tone.
"No, he isn't a phony cousin, he is…" he took a deep breath, pain vivid in his eyes. "He is my brother, maybe not by blood, but we've been through so much together. When I said bring him home, I didn't mean to Soul Society, I mean here, where he belongs, with all of us."
Rukia looked up into Ichigo's eyes and smiled, Renji had always felt like an outsider in life, even in the ranks of the protection squads he had felt out of place. Renji had confided in her the week before his kidnapping that for the first time since they were kids he felt like he belonged. Not to his squad, but with the mixed matched bunch of humans and one 'wanna be' shinigami plus his life long friend.
"Feel's good to be home huh?" she'd said upon a recent return to the soul society
"I don't really think of it as home. Home is where your friends are isn't it? Well, most my friends are in the real world right now."
A long silence held, Rukia took hold of his wrist and turned him to face her.
"I've felt like a stray dog for so long now; wandering from one spot to another, one squad to another. Sixth squad respects me, and yeah I've got friends here, but." He let out a deep breath
"Many still look down on me, others think I have an unhealthy lust for power"
Rukia laughed "and Sake"
"Hey, I'm being serious here! Ok.. and that. Still, there, even though Ichigo seems to invite one crisis after another, we all fit together. We may fight and bicker, but we laugh and at the end of the day I don't feel that I have to justify who I am. I don't feel in the way, looked down on or simply unwanted. I think I kind of like not having to answer to everyone also."
The conversation had been cut short by Captain Jūshirō, who was very excited to see Rukia after so long and being her captain naturally wanted to take the report first hand and catch up with his squad member. They parted ways and the conversation never got expanded on.
"Hey Rukia, you coming?" Ichigo stood in the door way now.
"Huh?"
"Yuzu has dinner ready, it's light as we've got so many people. Can't expect Urahara to feed all of us every night."
"Yeah, I was just thinking about what you said. Renji really was at home here."
"Yeah, I know. Just never tell him that I said all of that stuff."
Rukia forced a laugh, in the back of her mind she couldn't help but wonder "If we ever find him."
