Hello again :) A few things I forgot to add earlier...

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, if I did Tousen would be chopped to pieces the moment he had crossed blades with Kenpachi... :)

Spoilers are for SS and HM arcs and everything in Bleach manga... and I'm trying to stay IC, honest! :D

Also I'm not a native speaker and even though I'm doing my best to correct each thing before it's released, there are bound to be a few mistakes hiding somewhere... so please bear with me! :)

Reviews are much appreciated, thank you.

Enjoy!

"Bring them here, quickly!"

"We need more bandages!"

"What we need is more everything and that's not gonna get itself!"

"Then what are you standing around for?"

"I'm not..."

"Stop arguing and do your job or get the hell outta here!"

Renji stirred, his mind only very reluctantly taking in the quarrel of voices around him. He wanted to open his eyes but signals from his brain only kept getting lost somewhere along the way. He was uncomfortably aware of searing pain paralysing his body which felt like it was suddenly made out of led and he couldn't understand where it had come from. What the hell was going on? Where was he? What happened? He needed to know.

Move.

His limbs refused to comply.

Move!

Another failed attempt followed by a surge of panic gripping his insides with its ice-cold fist.

MOVE!

Tips of his fingers twitched. Relief spread through Abarai Renji's beaten body, the small victory encouraging him to try again. And this time he felt his whole hands move slightly and eyelids cracked open.

A dark blurr of a figure was towering over him. He tried to focus on it, it seemed somewhat familiar. With a few quick blinks his vision cleared a little more so that he could see a flash of silver in painful contrast with raven hair and a long snow-white scarf falling over a Captain's haori. Very slowly, mindful of the numerous wounds he had quite suddenly realized he must have suffered -otherwise he wouldn't be in so much pain right now- Renji dared to turn his head and his eyes fell on firmly clenched fist resting along slim hips but a few inches from his nose.

He tried to speak, but his throat was dry and sore. Taste of blood filled his mouth and for a moment he thought it was going to suffocate him.

"T... tai... chou..." it was but a whimper that scraped its way through his parched lips, but enough to draw attention.

"Hurry, he's still alive!" someone called urgently. „We need somewhere to prepare for surgery!"

Yet another voice Renji recognized as one of those that woke him up answered with an unmistakable hint of exhaustion and distress. "But there is nowhere to-"

"Most of the 6th Divison is either dead or here. You are free to use the barracks if you wish." the sound of those words chilled to the bone, but Renji could see deep obsidian eyes burning with anger as they focused on him if only for a split second.

"T-thank you, Kuchiki-taichou!" was the last thing his sences processed before he was yet again pulled back into the loving embrace of unconsciousness.

o*O*o

He felt warm. Wrapped in a blanket, craddled and cared for. Kept alive. It was a wonderful sensation and he only wished he could stay like that forever. But there it was - something calling to him. Not a voice. Not even a sound as such, only some kind of presence close to him, wishing him to open his eyes. Renji drew a deep breath and suddenly he became aware he had a body. Chest heaved as lungs filled with air redolent of spring flowers and honey even though it was already September. He inhaled again and another sensation assaulted his senses – the twittering of birds resonating in his ears.

A soothing touch on his hand forced his eyelids apart. At first everything seemed blurry and surreal, however after a while his eyes got used to their surroundings and fell onto a pair of great pools of indigo.

"Renji..." a voice whispered, colored with emotion, friendly and familiar and hot salty drops started falling onto his cheek.

It took a while before Abarai realized they were tears. His fingers enclosed around the small hand resting in his. He didn't want her to cry anymore. There was no reason to.

"Rukia." he murmured reassuringly, still unable to use his vocal cords properly. He was glad for her presence, it made him feel tranquil. Up to a point when there was a slap adding a fresh type of pain into his already aching body.

"You idiot!" Rukia clutched his hand and her yell brought Renji back from the stupor caused by her slapping his face when he had least expected it.

He blinked again, frown forming on his tattoed forehead. "What the hell was that for?" he demanded, but it only made Kuchiki Rukia's already red and puffy eyes fill with more tears.

Her little fingers entwined with his as she looked at him, relieved but with an unmistakable reproach. "Why do you always have to get yourself beaten up like that?"

Renji's anger faded instantly at the sight. "O-oi, Rukia! I'm not dead or anything..." he managed feebly.

„You were! Stupid Renji! Idiot Renji!" her voice broke in a renewed wave of tears and sobs.

What? What was she talking about? How could he be dead? If he were, he wouldn't be here right now. Or would he?

"W-what do you mean 'were'?" was a simple question, first thing to come to his still-slumbering mind.

Rukia's eyes were wet and glassy as they met with his and then turned away. "When they brought you to Unohana-taichou, many of the 6th Division were already dead. Everyone thought you were among them untill you regained consciousness for a moment. She said you were dead for a couple of minutes."

Renji stared at her, gears in his brain spinning madly. His men... dead? He remembered darkness and cold and then something shot through his body and he was falling, life gushing out of him. And just when he thought it was all over something came to him, pulled him back. And then he heard voices and someone was moving and shouting. He saw Kuchiki Byakuya standing over him, fists clenched. Renji shivered as he remembered the fire that burned in his captain's eyes.

"What's going on, Renji? Nii-sama wouldn't tell me a thing. He left immediately after you were taken care of." she frowned. "I've never seen him like that before."

"I have." a small voice came from behind, it made Rukia spun around and as she did so Renji could get a peek at the newcomer. "When we found you in Hueco Mundo, near death after your battle with that Espada."

He was short, shinigami robes hanging on slim body, dark eyes -making him permanently look like he was about to cry- hidded beneath a courtain of sleek black hair.

"Hanatarou!" Rukia said in surprise.

Yamada Hanatarou, 7th Seat of the 4th Division bowed and entered the room, though only reluctantly as if he was afraid of something. And Renji just realized why that was – these quarters were no 6th Divison barracks. He recognized the gardens behind Hanatarou's back and the soft fragrance of sakura blossoms that he always associated with Byakuya, now somehow dominated over the scent of other flowers. They were at the Kuchiki manor.

"Rukia-san." Hanatarou bowed again with a smile and knelt down next to her. "Abarai-fukutaichou."

"What are you doing here?" she asked, scrutinizing him from head to foot with obvious suspicion.

"Kuchiki-taichou sent me to check on Abarai-fukutaichou." he replied nervously, like it was something he was going to be punished for.

Her eyes went wide. "Nii-sama did...?"

Hanatarou noded, his hands reached for Renji, examining the bandaged wounds. Their eyes met for a moment and Renji saw fear and respect. He realized that despite Yamada's appearance, he was far from being the idiot everyone was taking him for. He had a gift of seeing many things others would not even if they were standing right infront of them.

Abarai hissed as a sharp pain shot through his midsection and ran up to the right shoulder. He had moved a bit too much. The healer immediately jumped and pushed Renji gently back onto the futton. "Please, you need to take it easy for a few days, Abarai-fukutaichou!" he let out a high-pitched squeak "Your injuries were severe. Unohana-taichou did her best to save you, but healing needs time."

Renji did not bother with protesting. He really did feel somewhat weak. He took a deep breath instead as the pain slowly died away.

"Hanatarou," Rukia regarded the 7th Seat intently. "Where did nii-sama go? What's going on here?"

Yamada shifted uncomfortably, his face the battlefield of duty and compassion. "I'm afraid I'm not allowed to tell you, Kuchiki-san. Not that I know much myself, really..." his voice trailed off, eyes focused on Renji's wounds with suspicious determination.

Brows knitted together, Rukia shot a quick glance at Abarai who also did everything he could to keep his eyes off her. That settled it. There was something fishy going on and she will find out what it is.

"Yoshi!" Hanatarou stated after a few moments of more than uncomfortable silence that fell between the three of them. "Everything seems to be healing properly. I should get back to my duties." he jumped to his feet and bowed for the third time. "Ittekimasu." and he left, his words hanging over them like a heavy blanket.

"Renji-" Rukia started, stubbornly refusing to let the matter go. Not like this.

"Rukia. 'S fine, really. I'm fine." the Vice-Captain put on an unconvincing smile and raised his arms to prove to her the veracity of his words. It cost him another shot of searing pain which he somehow managed to mask, though he was unsure whether or not it had fooled her at all. He knew she wasn't going to ask about his health but this was the least he could do not to seem rude. "You go now, get some fresh air or somethin'. Stretch your legs."

His smile was forced and Rukia felt her temper rising, however she knew better than to argue with her childhood friend; not when he was beaten up like this. She will find out what's this about soon enough and if he won't tell her, somebody else surely will.

She stood up. "I have orders to return to the Material World as soon as possible." she said blankly. "I'm leaving tomorrow." and she left as well.

Abarai let out a drawn sigh. Rukia was pissed and he couldn't do a thing about it. He couldn't remember exactly what had happened for the life of him, but he knew he took almost the whole 6th Division with him. To think that only few of them survived... Image of Rikichi suddenly popped up in his head. Renji sincerely thanked all the gods there were for being able to convince the ever-eager boy to stay with Kuchiki Byakuya.

He raised his hand, looking at his fingers clenching and unclenching for a moment as if making sure he has regained full control over the whole of his body, then let it gently fall on tattooed forhead and run through loose crimson strands of hair spread over the pillow under his head like a pool of blood. The movement resulted in renewed wave of pain.

Things keep getting better and better. He thought, wincing.

/Oh, you have no idea, Pineapple!/

Renji sat up so fast at the sound of a voice he had never heard before, he almost passed out from piercing jolts of pain searing through his slowly healing, heavily bandaged wounds. Looking around, however, he could see noting but an empty room. What was that just now? Was he going mad? Hearing voices?

A jubilant laughter resonated in his mind, answering all the questions coming to the red-head's mind by raising many more.

Note: Future dialogues between characters and their 'inner companions' are to be put behind slashes, just so you know :) Just like the one above. I was planning on giving each of them his own font, however the website doesn't agree with me... :)