Disclaimer: I still don't own Bleach...
Warnings: Sort of character death... only this is Bleach so of course he's not really DEAD dead... and some swearing.
A/N: Ok, so I had most of the next chapter written out in my usual style... but then I decided that it was looking a little too much like 'After the Storm', and I wanted to branch out. So I came up with the following...
Renji watched from the side lines as realisation spread over Ichigo's expressive face and felt his heart crack a little. He was careful not to let any of the emotion show on his face – he was standing next to Kuchiki Byakuya after all. Wouldn't want to stand out more than necessary.
When Isshin stepped in and started to explain he breathed a sigh of relief and began to relax – until he caught the hint that something was not quite right.
Renji knew Ichigo. He knew Ichigo's reiatsu, and Ichigo's expressions, and Ichigo's moods and even the teenager's favourite foods. He knew what he looked like when sad, angry or excited, or all three at the same time. And he knew that he had never seen Ichigo looking like that.
There was something wrong.
Why couldn't anyone else see it?
Renji watched carefully, trying to figure out exactly what it was that had his Ichigo-radar bleeping. The hair was as ridiculously orange as ever. The robes were a little unconventional, but looked pretty cool to him. There was no hint of anything wrong in those knowing brown eyes, other than the obvious. It was when he looked at Zangetsu that the picture suddenly snapped together with horrifying clarity.
The Zanpakuto was shrinking, and not in a good way. Once he had noticed that, he started to notice other things – like the fact that he could see the shape of Rukia's hand through Ichigo's sleeve and the line of the rooftop through his hair.
Isshin had noticed now too, the man was standing with his mouth open, gaping like an idiot. Renji didn't think, couldn't think. He lunged forward desperately, arms outstretched.
"Ichigo!"
It felt like his heart had split in two when his reaching hands just fell through the black fabric of Ichigo's haori. People were screaming and shouting around him, but all that he could do was stand there. Stand, and let the rage build up inside him.
Rukia was screaming denial, Isshin hollering about his son, Urahara loudly proclaiming that he didn't know what was going on. Kenpatchi was confused, Ikkaku concerned but not wanting to show it, and Byakuya was trying to calm Rukia down – unsuccessfully.
Renji bit his lip and glared at the space that Ichigo had inhabited ten seconds before. "He's gone to Soul Society, you bunch of fucking morons!" He shouted, as loudly as he could. "We KILLED him. What did you think was going to happen?"
He pretended not to notice as realisation spread across all of their faces, the guilt in Rukia's eyes was too much for him. He hadn't wanted her to hold the sword, he had argued with Urahara about it when she was out of earshot – but she had insisted. Urahara's expression when he looked at Renji was almost as guilty as Rukia's, but then the Shopkeeper had never quite understood the relationship between himself and Rukia, and he wasn't about to enlighten him now.
"So... what the fuck do we do now?" Ikkaku asked.
Hitsugaya snorted. "I don't know about you, but I'm going back to Soul Society. The situation in Hueco Mundo hasn't changed just because..." his voice tailed off and he swallowed. Renji knew that his glare was a challenge to the young Captain to complete his sentence, and took a sadistic pleasure in not looking away.
"Because what, Hitsugaya-taicho?" he asked with mocking respect.
Hitsugaya's eyes narrowed. "Because we killed Ichigo," he hissed, before turning on his heel and leaving.
Renji allowed himself a brief flash of triumph – before the look in Isshin's eyes made him regret it. The Ex-Captain turned to look at him, and Renji could barely suppress a flinch.
"What am I going to tell Yuzu and Karin?"
The last thing in the world that Renji expected to happen right then was for Kuchiki Byakuya to step up.
"Do not worry, Kurosaki-san," the Noble said quietly. "My household became accustomed to searching the Rukongai before we found Rukia. I will instruct them to begin the search again, for your son."
"Thank you, Kuchiki-taicho," Isshin muttered. "The help is most appreciated."
Renji swallowed, knowing that he didn't have the right to speak up now that his Captain had taken over didn't make holding back his comments any easier. Images of the endless streets of Rukongai filled his head as cold dread settled into his stomach. Rukongai was massive. They didn't have a hope in hell of finding Ichigo, their best hope would be for him to end up in one of the nicer districts and drift towards the Seireitei on his own.
Of course, seeing as he probably wouldn't remember anything, that could take a while.
A/N: Ok, so there's my stab at anxt. How did I do? It's actually shorter than the draft of the other version, but I'm telling myself that that is because I am writing out of my comfort zone. I've always loved fics like this, so I hope I do the genre justice!
