CHAPTER FOUR

He gurgled as if this were The Best Game Ever.

"Not the hair," I said as Renji pulled my hair with his hands.

"Daddy," Renji said; his grubby hands full with black strands. "Where is my lion?" He lay back in his crib/bed with his arms crossed, pouting.

I reached down to his toy box, grabbing Kon and Rin. I put them on Renji's lap, making his stuffed animals bounce around and face each other. "Hi. I'm Kon. What's your name?" I said, bringing my voice to a higher pitch. "My name is Rin. I'm a bird with an attitude. Let's play!" Kon and Rin tackled each other while I mewed. Renji clapped his hands, laughing harder. "Now, Renji, it is passed your bedtime," I said in the Kon voice.

Renji slapped my hands away and said, "No, Kitty is there." His voice shaking as his hands turned into fists. I hated this part, the time when I had to put my own thirty-five year old brother, my own flesh in blood, in restraints for his sake and mine. The scars on his body attested to what he could do with mere household items when stressed.

"No," he said, trying to bite me and squirm away as I put his hands in the cushioned restraints. It was futile. His legs were stumps and he was paralyzed from the waistline down caused by a horrific accident. An accident Renji dreamed every night. Grimmjow's death—or Kitty as Renji now called him—haunted him as well as the guilt Renji must have felt for seeing his best friend die and be helpless, unable to save Grimmjow.

Renji growled, "I want out."

"I know," I said, placing his final hand in the restraint. "Have a good night."

I turned on my heel as Renji started to scream, bashing his hands against his steel enforced crib/bed. "Good night," I said, closing the door softly and heading to my study. It wasn't truly a study. It was a pile of medical papers and bills strewn over my glass coffee table in the T.V. room.

I sat on the torn moldy couch and ran my hand through my hair, huffing as I realized it was more matted than the day before. I couldn't remember when I had last showered. A week ago sounded right. I reached into my pocket for my comb and attempted to brush it. The comb dangled in my knots.

The phone rang. "Hello," I answered quickly, worried it would disturb Renji.

"You called, Bya," said Rukia. It wasn't a statement, more of an accusation.

"I need money," I said, hating the words. How many times had I asked her this?

Rukia said, "We settled this in the divorce."

"He's your brother in the law," I replied, my stuck comb hitting my face.

"Ex-brother in the law," she said.

I scratched my eyebrows. "He's my brother."

"Half-brother," Rukia said. I could hear her smiling. Why did I marry a lawyer? Everyone knew they were heartless bitches whom lived in the devil's armpit…

"Rukia, he's a human being and needs help, dammit!" I said, my voice rising. "Dr. Tousen said he's regressing more. I can't pay the bills."

Rukia giggled. "Losing your temper?"

"This isn't a fucking game. Not all of us can afford to leave in fucking Mission Hill and get fucking foot facials every fucking day!" I said.

The phone buzzed with a static and then went silent. "Rukia, I'm sorry and I didn't mean it. You there?"

Rukia's breath flooded the phone speaker. "Bya, maybe it's time to pull the plug." She hung up.

The phone rang again a few minutes later. "Hello," I mumbled.

"Dad, I'm sorry about before," said Yumichika. "Ikkaku came over to pick up his stuff."

I scratched my stumble. "I'm sorry, son. Do you think you and Orihime could come over sometime this week? Renji's hitting a rough patch."

"Yeah but I don't think Toshiro will be with us," Yumichika said.

"Renji will be sad," I said.

Yumichika yawned. "I gotta go. It's a quarter til midnight."

I said, "Good night, son."

"Take care, Dad," Yumichika said. "Get some sleep, okay?" He hung up.

"Yeah," I said, my eyelids growing heavy but I didn't close them.

Renji's screaming increased. Judging by the banging, he'd already broken a restraint. Rubbing my bleary eyes, I rouse from my couch. My eyes searched for his bandages. I only had a half roll left, good for one night of bloody knuckles. I picked the bandages off the counter and went over to Renji's room.

"Daddy," Renji said, smiling. His eyes lit up as if I were Santa Claus.

The smile made everything worth it.

Fuck the power bills.

Author's Note: Renji's character is based of "Cowboy Bebop"'s Mad Pierrot. My nickname for Grimmjow is Grimmkittyhotness hence why Renjii calls him Kitty. It has nothing to do with Grimmjow's panther released state. *looks innocents but fails* See ya next chapter! :)