The Lives of Souls

I

Title: Start
Characters/Pairings: Ichigo/Rukia, Renji's POV
Summary: Renji does some deep thinking.
Warnings: Alcohol? Some spoilers for SS Arc
Word Count: 238 (sigh)
Rating: K+
Dedication: Gabby =)

It all started with him. In retrospect, he should have known. Everything always started with him. Kurosaki Ichigo. The orange-haired teen human, turned Shinigami, turned Vizard.

The whole mess with Soul Society, and Rukia's execution, and Aizen's and Ichimaru's and Tousen's betrayal...all began with him. The whole 'rescuing Orihime'... that started with him too. The entire Arrancar War, fighting against Aizen, getting the Vizards' help... once again started with him.

So it only made sense that Rukia's leaving started with him, right? If he was the one that started the whole mess on a grander scale with Aizen and the Espadas and the Vizards, then wouldn't he also wreck havoc on a much personal, smaller scale?

So what if Rukia technically started to back away from him in the Academy? He was the one that cut away that last thread and retied it to his life. She was the one that shook his world... and in return he shook hers.

What was he in comparison? A childhood friend, a confidant, a comrade-in-arms? A too late lover, a bitter soul. And he? He was her sun through the rain, the flash of light when all else is dark. A friend, a lover, a protector. In the end, he lost, everything was worthless. That damn brat Kurosaki won and Rukia is lost to him, forever.

'Time for another bottle...,' thought Renji as he quaffed his drink in one shot.

END

A/N: I've always thought Renji got the bad end of the deal, with the whole Ichigo likes Rukia, Rukia likes Ichigo, Renji likes Rukia, Rukia liked Renji thing. So I figured I'd give Renji a ranting shot. :) Hope you enjoy. RxR.

P.S.- I will take requests. Just PM me the prompt, characters/pairings, a brief summary and rating. I'll try my best for any mature content, yaoi, yuri, and/or het lemons. Only thing I outright don't accept is gender changes that differ from the canon. (i.e.: fem!Ichigo)