All around me are familiar faces
Worn out places, worn out faces
Bright and early for the daily races
Going nowhere, going nowhere
And I find it kind of funny
I find it kind of sad
The dreams in which I'm dying
Are the best I've ever had
I find it hard to tell you
I find it hard to take
When people run in circles
It's a very, very mad world
--Mad World, Gary Jules
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The first thing you noticed about Hanging Dog was the smell.
No matter where you went, or how far into the forest you ran, it was always in the air, lingering like a bad omen: that scent of sweat, dirt, and blood. The smell of filth-caked limbs in the sun.
He had spent years wandering around the bright and dusty streets, living as a scavenger for as long as he could remember. As soon as he had been old enough to walk, he was forced to run, to scrounge a life out of the dank and grimy alleys of the 78th District of South Rukon. All around him the pain and suffering of thousands of people was so prevalent it made him sick to his stomach. Left and right were scrawny children, dressed in dirt-stained rags as they ran about the roads, swiping bags of rock candy from sweaty merchants and water jugs from street vendors. He observed it all, and learned. And when the time came, he became one of them. He stole to survive. He fought for his right to live.
Those were the rules. Those were the laws of Hanging Dog: those who find, keep. Those who hesitate, lose. Trust no one. Show no fear, show no mercy.
It wasn't the most righteous way to live, far from it. But in a down and dirty village where death or beatings were just a stone's throw away, it wasn't the time to become caught up in the shame of the illegal ventures. People had to survive, and he planned on being one of them.
He wasn't sure how old he had been when he first met Soji and Jiro – the years tended to melt into one long, sordid blur. He doubted any of the other children knew their age. Soji was one of the rare ones who kept track of the time, despite everything else. He had been living on the streets for three years before Renji had met him. Jiro had been around for two.
Renji had been attacked one rainy day by a group of older kids, bullies who preyed on the weak and the different. He wasn't weak, but he was scrawny and thin, and there were three of them. And he was certainly different. His fiery crimson hair had always attracted negative attention, and that day was no exception.
Soji and Jiro had scared the bullies away with their slingshots. From there on out, they were a team. They went everywhere together, making their own way. They lived together, ate together, stole together, fought together. They found a hideout on the riverfront and made it their own. Eventually, other kids began to frequent the riverside shack – smaller kids, some older ones. All had one thing in common: they were lost, or weak, or in pain. Aito was one of them, and he became the fourth member of the group. Slightly fatter than most of the other children, he had been chased away from the vendors after stealing an abundance of rice cakes.
The trio became four, and they had continued their lives, and another year passed. Then he met Rukia.
Together, they became the unofficial leaders of the small group of misfits. They continued to use the old, dirty building as a place to stay, offering the space for many of the other kids in the district. It was always cramped and sweaty, but it was homey enough. And it was a place to sleep that wasn't a street gutter or a trash heap in a forgotten alleyway.
Life was a struggle, and they fought on without hope of ever escaping. But then he felt the stirring in his bones, the faintest pangs of hunger that had never been there before. Before he had stolen food for the taste, for the joy of it, and for the other kids. And now he found himself starving constantly, stealing to avoid death. He raided the vendors for their goods, ravenous and demanding. Rukia was the same. She stole along with him, and fished with him at dusk, when the twilight had come and the stars were beginning to come out. Together they learned of their power, and at noon some days they would run to the alleys and concentrate hard, until they formed bright balls of spirit energy in their hands. That would always exhaust them, and they slept harder every time.
Then one night, he couldn't sleep.
After tossing and turning for an hour, he broke one of the principal rules of Rukon: you don't go out after dark, unless you have no choice.
But Renji was impatient and headstrong, and he had never cared for the rules in the first place. And he had grown stronger since discovering his latent spirit energy. He could take care of himself.
So he sneaked out the back of the hut, tiptoeing past the sleeping forms of the other children. Rukia was lying just outside the doorway, her soft black hair being blown across her face by a gentle breeze. Her lips were parted slightly, her small chest rising and falling as she breathed.
He hesitated then, but his restlessness won out. He knew he wasn't going to sleep that night; the insomnia came and went with him. And on those nights he had to walk the streets of Rukon, searching for something he didn't even know. Something was calling to him from those dark streets, and he wanted to find it.
He went down the river, its surface smoother than glass in the dark night, and took a winding path through the woods over to the west end of Hanging Dog. The woods were quiet except for the wind brushing the leaves, and the soft chirping of the cicadas in the grass. He padded onward, towards the village, a small wrapped package of rice cakes and a bit of taiyaki nestled in his right hand.
The streets of Hanging Dog were a different story at night. Although empty, you could always see moving shadows at the corner of your eye every time you turned onto a different street. The vendors and merchants had all closed up their booths, hanging awnings over the now empty tables. But the alleyways were alive with vermin, both souls and other creatures of the dark. Your life could go in a flash.
It was that night he heard a loud scream from one of the darkest alleys, in the worst part of town.
He knew right away that it was a girl. The pitch of her voice was high, and even though she only screamed for a split second before someone silenced her, he could hear the desperation in her tone.
He took off down the street, his bare feet pounding against the dirt path. Small stones dug into the soles, but he ignored them, feeling that ever-familiar rage at the injustices of Rukon welling up in his bones. He felt his spirit energy flare, and was immediately hit by a pang of hunger. He shook it off angrily. That could wait. The girl couldn't.
Another panicked cry cut through the air and he increased his pace, bursting into the mouth of a long alleyway. He could see four dark shapes up ahead, barely illuminated by the moonlight. Two of them were grappling while the others looked on.
He knew at once who they were: a trio of lawless bullies who preyed on those weaker than them, taking whatever they could from others. He and many other kids had fallen victim to them before. It wasn't uncommon for some of the youngest kids to come back to the riverside hut sobbing, their faces red and bruised and missing their rock candy or water bottles. Renji always took it upon himself to help the smaller ones. He and Rukia would go searching in Rukon for the thugs, but would rarely find them. They had to steal extra to give back to the kids.
Right now, one of the three older boys had his right hand wrapped around the throat of a writhing, struggling form, which was pressed up against the wall of a nearby building. The girl's legs were kicking frantically and she was gasping hoarsely, trying vainly to choke air into her lungs as the boy held her up against the wall.
"Had enough yet, squirt?" the boy jeered. "Ready to give up your food?"
"Go...to...hell," the girl ground out, both her hands wrapped around the boy's, struggling to loosen the hold.
"Language, you filthy brat," he laughed, before driving his other fist into her stomach. The girl doubled over, coughing; Renji heard a faint splatter as a splotch of blood left her lips and hit the dusty ground. He felt his anger grow fast and hot.
"Look, we already told you, just give us your food and we'll let you go," one of the other boys said mockingly. He was tapping a large, thick stick against one arm as he watched the girl struggle, his silhouette menacing in the dim light. "You're makin' this a lot harder than it's gotta be."
"This is getting on my nerves," the one holding her said, his tone bored. "Mako, just take it already."
The boy with the stick moved forward and reached out towards the girl's chest, where her tunic was bulging slightly at her left breast. Renji realized that she must have stored her package of food inside her shirt, much like Rukia did when she was running from vendors.
"Don't touch me, you bastard!" the girl spat, and she brought her foot upwards in a dizzying kick, hitting the boy directly in the face. He cursed and stumbled back, hands over his face, where a bright trickle of blood was seeping out between his fingers. The girl took advantage of the distraction by whipping her head forward and butting the boy holding her in the nose. He grunted and let go, tripping backwards; the girl dropped to the ground, scrambling to escape past the third boy. However, he grabbed her roughly around the waist and hurled her against the stone wall. The girl let out a pained cry.
"Fucking bitch!" the boy called Mako snarled, moving forward and swinging his stick. "How dare you!"
The blow caught the girl on the right temple, and she flew backwards, head cracking against the wall. The boys closed in on her again as she slid motionless to the ground.
That was it. Renji had had enough.
"Hey!" he shouted.
The boys whirled to face him, eyes registering surprise in the dark night. "Huh?" one of them said. "Who's this kid?"
"Get the fuck away from her, you bastards," Renji snarled, taking a step forward. "Who the hell do you think you are? Picking on a defenseless girl?"
"Shut your mouth," the leader growled back. "No one asked you, firefly."
Renji was incensed. "You think that just because you're older, that gives you the right to hurt others around you? She's just a kid! You have to team up and attack girls to make yourselves feel big?" His heart was pounding acid through his veins as he stalked towards the boys. His hands trembled with rage.
"You're going to pay for that," the leader said flatly. Renji tossed his food package aside and held up his hands. "Bring it on, idiot."
"Get him!" the leader snapped, and the boys surged forward, yelling. Renji grinned savagely and ran forward to meet them.
The first boy who reached him swung his stick wildly, aiming for Renji's face. He ducked to avoid the blow, and the stick whistled over his head. The boy stumbled, off balance. Taking advantage of his loss of footing, Renji took two quick steps forward and punched the boy directly in the stomach. He doubled over, gasping; Renji grabbed the front of his tunic, planted his foot next to the boy's, and used all his strength to toss the boy away, over his shoulder towards the mouth of the alley. He slammed into the dirt with a groan.
"You brat!" the leader howled, taking a wild swing at his face; Renji stepped back to avoid the closed fist. "Get him!" The other boy moved closer, swinging his fists in a blur. Renji smirked as he ducked low to the ground, sweeping his foot out in a wide arc and tripping the boy. He fell flat on his face. Renji then leaped onto his head, slamming the heel of his foot down directly on the boy's crown. He grunted once and lay still.
"I'll kill you!" the lead bully cried, lurching forward with his hands outstretched, as though to strangle him. Renji leaped backwards, pointing one palm towards the boy, the other gripping his wrist. He focused all his anger and rage at the boy into the tips of his fingers, letting his spiritual pressure rise. The boy coughed and staggered. Sharp hunger bit through his stomach, and Renji almost faltered. But then he looked at the girl, lying on her side and propping herself up on her arms, looking towards him with a frightened expression on her face.
He felt new strength flood his limbs and he let out a shout, feeling elated as a bright ball of red flame burst to life above his hand, floating in the dark like a lantern. He grinned and pointed it directly at the boy, who stopped in his tracks.
"I'm warning you," Renji said. "Back off, or I'll blast you in half."
"You wouldn't," the boy sneered, although he looked discomfited. "You wouldn't dare."
"Try me," Renji snapped, taking a step closer; the boy took two steps back, tripping in his haste to get away. "I'm not going to say it again. Get lost."
The boy muttered something under his breath. Then, he glared at Renji. "Fine." He moved sullenly away from the girl. "You win this round, firefly."
Renji stepped aside to let the boy pass, but as soon as he walked past, the boy turned and aimed a punch at his head. "Screw you!" he cried. Renji snarled under his breath and aimed at the kid. "Wrong choice, you bastard!"
With a colossal burst of red light, the fireball launched from his fingertips. However, he couldn't control it well enough. The blazing red ball spiralled to the boy's left, exploding against the wall of a building in a shower of sparks and fire.
However, despite his miss, the fireball had the desired effect. The boy let out a high-pitched shriek, running away from Renji as fast as he could. "He's a monster! Run!"
"Izo, wait!" one of the other boys cried, scrambling to his feet. "Wait for us!"
The boys burst out of the alleyway and ran screaming into the night, vanishing around the corner. Slowly, their cries faded away and quiet returned.
Renji turned and walked towards the girl, stopping to pick up his food package on the way. The girl shrank back against the wall as he drew nearer. Her ratty blue dress was torn and patched, with small tears near the hem above her knees.
"Hey, are you all right?" Renji asked, reaching a hand out to her. To his infinite surprise, she knocked his hand away with surprising strength for one so small. She scrambled to her feet, glaring at him with a defiant look in her eyes. "I suppose you'll try to steal it now, too?" she challenged. Her body was hunched and coiled, ready to spring. Renji was completely taken aback. The girl was definitely brave, that much was clear. She reminded him of Rukia.
"No," he said dumbly. "I'm sorry. I'm not trying to threaten you."
"I'm not scared of your sorcery," she said harshly. "And I'm not scared of you. Try anything and I'll let you have it."
"Is that how you say thanks to someone who just saved your life?" Renji snapped, angered at the girl's ingratitude.
"Why should I trust you?" the girl bit back. "You could be just as bad as them, or worse."
He lost his patience. "Fine. I don't have time to try to convince you of anything. See you later."
He turned to leave when the girl reached out and wrapped her hand around his wrist. "Wait." her voice was slightly warmer. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to be rude. It's just been a while since I've seen anyone do something nice for no reason."
"That's fine," he replied, crouching down next to her. She watched him closely with wide eyes. "What's your name?"
"Renji Abarai."
"That's a strange name."
"Thanks a lot." He motioned to the mouth of the alley, where a slice of moonlight illuminated the street. "Here, let me get a better look at you. I want to make sure you're not injured."
"I'm fine," the girl said, but she accepted his hand and let him pull her to her feet. Her hand was small and warm in his own. He led her to the lighted area, with an arm around her shoulder to support her as she limped slightly towards the street.
She was beautiful, he realized as she stepped into the light. Her skin was pale and creamy, and looked strangely soft for a Rukon orphan. Her mouth was not particularly large or small, with light pink lips that were presently arranged in a strangely endearing pout. Her jaw was set strongly, much like his own. Her neck was small, and wrapped around it was a soft red cloth like a scarf, knotted once and trailing down to her chest. However, her most striking feature was her hair. Long, dark green locks swirled around her head, barely brushing her collar. The strands looked more perfect than silk, and the moonlight seemed to dance across them. Bright violet eyes that held a misting of pale blue looked into his face.
Renji was suddenly very glad for the darkness that hid the redness in his cheeks.
"Are you sure you're all right?" Renji asked awkwardly, to cover his sudden silence. "Those guys really knocked you around." She had a large reddish bruise at the edge of her right eye, which had inflamed her temple. A thin trickle of dried blood trailed from the corner of her mouth.
"I'm fine," she said quietly, rubbing the blood away with the back of her hand. Then, her eyelashes fluttered and she stumbled sideways, knocking into a darkened empty stall. "Oooh..."
"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked, concerned. The girl's breathing was low and shallow. "I'm... sorry. I'm just so hungry, I haven't eaten in two days..."
"What about that food those kids were trying to take?" Renji asked. "Why don't you just eat that?"
"It's not mine to take," the girl replied softly. "It's for the young ones. I steal for them because they can't make their way on their own."
"So you've been watching out for them?"
"Yeah. A lot of them are too weak to make it out in Hanging Dog." She gave him a cynical smile. "I'm the oldest. I have to take care of them." She sighed. "It wasn't a problem until about a month ago. Then all of a sudden I started feeling hungry. I've felt the same ever since."
"The hunger, you mean?"
She nodded. "I'm not sure why it's there. It never was before. But it hasn't gone away."
"That's because you have spirit energy," Renji piped up, eager to share his newfound knowledge. "Nobody in Soul Society gets hungry unless they have spiritual powers."
She looked at him searchingly. "What do you mean?"
"Here, watch." He held out his hand and concentrated briefly. After a moment, a small blue ball manifested over his open palm and floated in the air.
The girl's eyes widened. "Wow!"
Renji let the ball fade away as he leaned into the wall, breathing hard. He was exhausted and his stomach was really starting to gnaw away at him. "Yeah," he said tiredly. "That was a manifestation of my spirit powers. You have the same gift. Soon, you'll learn to bring it out yourself. And you'll become stronger."
"Really?" the girl said excitedly, her earlier attitude forgotten. "That's so cool!"
Renji smiled at her enthusiasm. "It's pretty hard at first, but it will become easier over time."
The girl nodded. Then she swayed on her feet again and Renji straightened up to grab her. "You're going to faint at this rate. Here, sit down." He took her over to another stall, where there were several empty wooden barrels stacked next to the awning. He sat the girl down on one, and then dropped down next to her. "I don't have much, but this should return some of your energy." He nudged her fingers with the small package of food he had brought from the river hut. "Take it."
She shook her head, though her eyes were trained directly on the food. "I can't accept that. It belongs to you—"
"You need it more than I do," Renji interrupted, opening her fingers with his own and pressing the food into it. "Just shut up and eat. I don't want to sit here arguing all night."
The girl opened her mouth to retort, but seemed to think better of it. After a long pause, she sighed and took the wrapped package from him. Tearing the paper off, she began ravenously stuffing the rice cakes into her mouth, sighing in relief as she did so. Renji watched her eat, amused.
She consumed the contents of the package in less than a minute. "Thank you," she whispered, touching his hand. He immediately felt his face flame and coughed lightly. "It's no big deal."
The girl stood up, brushing dirt from the hem of her dress. Renji stood up as well, shuffling his feet awkwardly. "Where are you going?" he asked.
"I need to get this food back to the little ones," the girl replied tiredly. "I can't get away with stealing much during the day so I do it at night." She ran a hand through her dark green hair. "The merchants sometimes forget to lock their cellars."
Watching her, Renji felt a sudden impulse. "Come with me," he urged. "Bring the children you look after. We have a house on the river – it's not very big and it's full of people, but we look out for each other. You'll be safe there, and so will the rest of the kids. We all protect each other."
She smiled sadly at him. "I can't. I can't move all the young ones myself, and even if I could, we're being watched by one of the merchants. He lets us sleep in his hut in exchange for stealing goods for him. He'd hunt us down if we left."
"But this isn't right!" Renji burst out. "I can protect you. Just come with me."
"I don't need you to protect me," the girl said flatly, shaking her head. "Thanks for the offer, but I need to go my own way."
His shoulders dropped. He wasn't sure why he felt such a strong urge to look after this girl, but she was young and pretty and she looked so sad. To leave her would be a terrible thing; he knew it in his bones.
"If you ever change your mind," Renji said, "we'll all be there. Just follow the river and you'll find us."
She nodded once. "I can't. But I appreciate the offer." She stepped closer to him, looking up into his eyes. He felt his face heat up. "W-what are you doing?"
She took hold of his hands in her own and furtively tucked her head up into the crook of his neck, placing a quick kiss on the corner of his mouth. "Thank you," she whispered, her voice soft and breathy in his ear, like falling rose petals. Her hair smelled sweet and elegant. "For saving me."
She turned and vanished into the dark, her soft footsteps fading away into the night. Renji stood there, dumbstruck, his heart thundering in his chest as he slowly reached up and touched the edge of his jaw, where he could still feel the tingling sensation of her small lips. The scent of her hair was still in his nose.
As he touched his face, logic clicked in.
He wouldn't be able to sleep for another reason now.
