Enjoy and review if you wish ^^
78th District of south-Rukongai. Inuzuri. Rukia was roaming the streets, with no specific destination. Just walking, as if that could remove all the pain she felt in her chest.
Early on the morning, they had found the dead corpse of their last friend. He couldn't survive, either. That epidemy had finished them all, along other kids and teens from the slums. Poverty and disease had plagued the streets like never before.
Renji had carried him to the place where the rest of their friends were resting in peace. They had buried him there, with no ceremonies, no last words, no prays for his soul... nothing. What could they said?
'Let's become Shinigamis, Renji' she had said, sighing at the view of the Seireitei, which was being bathed by the first morning rays. It had dawned. It was a beautiful sight. 'It is the only way to get a better life'.
Renji was hesitating, she could feel it. But at the end he agreed. After that, he left, running, getting lost of her sight when he crossed the first streets of Inuzuri.
Rukia sighed, cleaning her left cheek with the back of her hand. Tears. She couldn't hold them anymore.
She started to imagine their life as Shinigamis, to cheer up herself, but no positive thoughts came through her mind.
She was disgusted by the idea of leave the Rukongai and start a new life in an unknown place, full of nobles and luxury, where they probably wouldn't fit. Most probably they'll be rejected. The Seireitei wasn't a place for kids from Inuzuri...
'Ah, Rukia, stop bashing yourself!' she mentally ordered to herself, drying her face again, so pissed of her awful thoughts and her burning tears slipping over her face.
She forced herself to stop thinking, and raised her head, regaining her alertness and noticing she was quite far from their refuge.
'I must go back, surely Renji is there already' she thought, changing her direction to head straight to the refuge.
'Oi, little girl! You leave so sudden? Why don't ya stay and play with us, ne?' she heard from somewhere in the buildings.
Rukia turned back and saw a bunch of teens, coming out from the ruins before her. They were seven boys, probably they were roughly eighteen, all covered by dirt and barely dressed with rags.
Just poor brats, like her. But those didn't seem to have very good intentions towards her...
'You have a nice kimono, ne?' said one of them, staring at her flowered kimono with envy, while grabbing his torn clothes.
'No time to play' she said, ignoring the guy. 'I'm in a hurry'.
She was about to leave, but one of the teens blocked her way, leaning against the wall with an unpleasent cocky attitude.
'Move, please. I'm in a hurry' she repeated, trying to keep her calm.
'What if I don't wanna move, lil' girl?' he replied, and the rest of the teens laughed.
'Then I will force you to move' she said, unthoughtful.
The boys stopped their laughs, and directly stared at her.
'You serious?' said one of them, pointing at her, dismissively. 'Have you noticed that we are seven and you just one? Considering your height, we should count you as a half, midget' he teased, making the rest to burst into laughter.
Rukia's gaze narrowed, her eyes twitching in anger.
She jumped quickly, and kicked his jaw without notice, knocking him unconscious, the rest of the guys holding gasps of surprise, impressed with the scene they were witnessing.
'Who's the midget now, fool? Don't mess up with me, stupid assholes, or you will end in the hospital!' she warned them before run away, heading to her refuge.
After a couple of minutes, while she was still sprinting, she visualized a red head at her right. She stopped and looked back, yelling: 'Ren-chaaaan'
Renji turned and saw her, waving at him from the other side of the street. He growled, apparently offended, and walked towards her saying: 'I've told you before, don't address me like that, now I'm a man, Rukia!'
As he said that, his chest grew with pride, and Rukia couldn't stop her peals of laughter.
'Why you laughing so much? Are you having fun of me?' he shouted, deadly offended, while she was holding her aching stomach, still guffawing.
'Oooh, Ren-chan, Ren-chan, Ren-chan! Hahahahahahahaha!' Rukia was about to fall to the floor laughing.
'Stop it now! Argh, you are so... so childish, Rukia!' he said, but he couldn't keep his grumpy mood anymore. Her laugh was so contagious... For a while, they had forgotten all their misery: their lost friends, the poverty, the danger, the hunger... Her smile was like a medicine inyected straight on the veins. It make him feel relieved and peaceful.
Rukia was slowly stopping her laughs, seated on the floor, her back leaning on a wooden post.
She glanced up at him, her eyes brightening, that beautiful smile still gracing her pale face.
'Anyway, why were you running in such a hurry? Don't tell me you were scared of being alone up there... ' he said wickedly, pointing at the distance, refering to the place their friends were buried.
'What? I'm not that sissy, you idiot!' she replied, punching his shoulder. 'I got lost and those guys...' she shuddered. She was a lucky one after all, getting rid of them without a single scratch... .'I'm hungry, let's go to eat something' she announced, getting up from the ground.
'Baka, we have no food, remember?' said Renji, posing his hands on hips, swinging forward and backward, glancing around to see if there was something eatable nearby.
'Ta-daaa' said Rukia, and a pair of cookies appeared on her hands.
'Whoa, how did you get them that fast?' he asked in surprise, his stomach grunting at the sight of those cookies.
'Easy. She stole them from us' The answer came so unexpected that Rukia jumped startled, almost dropping the food.
She turned her head slowly to finally meet the unwanted guests. They were the dirty boys that teased her before. And it was true, she had stolen that cookies from the guy she knocked out. That guy was now approaching her, his face all bruised. He was handling a metal bar, grinning at her, so confident of himself now. That bitch was going to learn some lessons. He was going to teach her what happen with those stupid enough to mess with him.
'What the hell you've done Rukia? I told you a million times to stay away from troubles...' muttered Renji, grabbing Rukia's arm and pulling her to keep her out of sight, behind him.
'It wasn't my fault! They were eager to start a fight with me!' she complained, trying to release her arm.
'Be quiet, you stubborn brat!' he demanded, without relaxing his grip.
They were too busy arguing to notice it. The metal bar hit directly on his nape.
Renji went numb and started to fall in slow-motion. When he reached the floor, he was already unconscious. His hand was still holding Rukia's tiny arm, and she had fallen over his body, her eyes widened in horror.
Her loud scream of terror echoed the nearby empty streets. But it was useless. No one there was going to help them.
Should I continue on? :P