Disclaimer: Bleach belongs to the one and only Tite Kubo.
It had always irked him.
Renji walked along the wide stream he used to fish in for food as a child. The pristine waters sparkled against the evening sun, little peals of bright light that twinkled like the stars. A small dark figure sat hunched up by the bank, facing the calm waters and looking silently into the distance.
Renji walked towards the figure, taking a seat by Rukia's side, and stretched his long legs out in front of him.
Rukia was seated, knees drawn to her chest, arms wrapped around her legs as she rested her chin on her knees. She turned towards Renji, nodding her head once to acknowledge his presence, before staring back absentmindedly into the orange-golden setting sun before her.
The pair sat for a while in companionable silence, before Rukia finally spoke, her voice soft in an attempt to hide her emotions.
"How is he doing?"
Renji did not require any prompting to know who Rukia was referring to in her question. He stole a glance towards his childhood friend. Her demeanor had changed drastically. From the expressionless mask she usually wore, or was trained to wear, she now held a look of loneliness on her face. The slight downward curve of her lips and the way her brows creased was only emphasized by the golden rays of setting sun shining full onto her face. Her dark violet eyes held a look of sadness and longing as she stared ahead of her into an unknown distance. But what had amazed Renji the most was how she still managed to give off an aura of grace and beauty even when feeling down.
Renji shook himself out of his thoughts, attempting to recall his visit to the Human World. He had been sent there by his Captain for a mission on Rukia's behalf to "check up" on Ichigo, and also to report on any strange activity there. For days, he had seen Ichigo mechanically going about his everyday life- attending school, working part-time jobs for extra cash, getting into fights, sometimes placing flowers on the spot where a death had recently occurred.
"He's moved on, and is doing fine now; just living a normal life." Renji stated, turning his attention back into the setting sun in front of him, but not before catching a glimpse of Rukia's eyes widening slightly, and the relief that ran through them at the moment.
There was a moment of silence as Renji let Rukia sort out her thoughts. It was the first time in seventeen months since he had seen her showing so many expressions. In order to prevent anyone from worrying and to maintain an image, Rukia had hidden her emotions deep inside her, and though he never said it, it had always irritated Renji to no end because he knew her well enough to see that she wasn't truly happy ever since her separation with a certain orange-haired substitute shinigami. At the same time, he felt comforted that in this place known only to the both of them, Rukia had decided to drop all pretense and be herself, letting her emotions reflect on her face freely instead of keeping them bubbled up inside.
Now Renji was irked for another reason. Rukia's sorrow was much deeper than he thought, now that Rukia had opened up to him. And it was all that damn Ichigo's fault.
"Was he… happy?" Rukia's next question had interrupted Renji's thoughts as he jerked slightly from shock, surprised by the sudden question. Rukia was now looking downwards, her face shadowed by her hair as she toyed with her Vice-Captain badge within her slender gloved fingers.
"His grades have dropped, he skips school to work, and he has degraded to almost the same level as trash." Ishida looked up at Renji, visibly irritated that he had disrupted his sewing session.
"But do tell Kuchiki-san not to worry." His expression suddenly softened, and he gave a small smile. "I will be looking out for him whenever I can, and I am sure Chad and Inoue-san does the same."
"Don't you miss Rukia-chan?" Keigo lay curled-up on the floor of the school rooftop, shooting a quick glance towards Renji's direction before turning his attention back to the orange-haired teenager behind him. Ichigo's eyes had widened for a moment at the mention of Rukia's name, before he settled for gazing distractedly past Renji into the school's water tank in front of him.
"There's no reason to." He muttered rather coldly, his eyes expressionless. Renji would have believed him, had he not seen the pain that flickered through Ichigo's eyes upon hearing this rather innocuous question.
Renji shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He was now caught in a dilemma of whether to tell Rukia the truth or not. His behavior did not go unnoticed by Rukia, who immediately understood from his body language that the answer was probably a negative.
"Thank you, Renji." She smiled up at him as a signal to conclude the meeting, not wanting to take up his time any longer. Rukia knew from first-hand experience that three days off from daily lieutenant duties have left Renji with much to catch up on, and it would be selfish for her to keep him up for such a trivial matter.
Renji couldn't help but gawk at Rukia's sudden actions. Her words were gentle and her voice did not have the gruffness it always had when talking to him. The sweet and sincere smile on her face was a perfect match to her now sparkling eyes as she held such a rare tender expression towards him. He caught himself after realizing that he had been staring at Rukia for a little too long.
With an embarrassed grunt, Renji stood up, picking his zanpakutou with him, and Rukia watched as he turned to leave. She did the same in one graceful and fluid movement, and when Renji turned his head behind him to look at her again, the stony expression embodying that of a Kuchiki was back on Rukia's face once again, any leftover emotions tucked deep in a crevice of her heart. It had always irked Renji to see her like that.
It was getting late, as the final rays of the sun disappeared into the horizon, leaving behind a gentle orange glow reflected by the darkening clouds.
"Let's go back." He said gruffly, averting his eyes from Rukia as he turned his head back to determinedly look straight in front of him. "To Seireitei."
Soon. Renji thought as the two walked back to the Shinigami headquarters in silence. Soon, Rukia would not need to hide her pain anymore, because all of it would be replaced with happiness, and he would not feel so irritated anymore. Because he -not him, but Urahara and Kurosaki Isshin- had a plan, and soon, the clouds in his inner world will clear to reveal the star, shining brighter and lovelier than ever in this eternally dark night sky.
A/N: I thought up of this story while reading certain good fanfictions depicting that Rukia had visited the living world, though unknown to Ichigo. Hence, I wondered: what if Ichigo's thoughts rang true and Rukia hadn't actually visited? (It was also proven true by Keigo in the manga…)
Anyways, this fic is actually an "experimental" fic (most of my oneshot fics are btw) because I would not like the main series I am working on to be so plainly described, hence I am working on character portrayals and scenery descriptions in this fic, the areas I am really weak on. So please review! Anything from a negative comment (maybe the characters are OOC?) to constructive criticisms are welcome here, so that I would know how acceptable my writing style is. Lastly, a big THANK YOU to ALL of you who have taken the time to read this story (and the really long author's note at the end).
P.S. I absolutely looooove Rukia/ Renji friendship fics! Hope to see more of them on fanfiction!