Chapter 4

Renji left the medical wing and decided that the needed a drink and Headed towards the rukon district. Finding his favourite bar he went in and sat down, it was quite late and the bar was pretty full but he managed to find a table to himself, after ordering a bottle of sake he thought about all the things that had happened in the last couple of days.

Two days ago captain Ukitake had come to him explaining about Byakuya's mysterious disappearance, apparently one of his house hold servants had made the discovering when he had gone in to give the noble man his breakfast, at first he hadn't worried to much as this wasn't a unnatural occurrence, but when by the time evening had come and there had still been no sign of lord Byakuya the man had started to get worried. It had been purely chance that Ukitake had come to visit Byakuya, to give him the information that he had requested. As soon is Byakuya's servant had spotted the captain of the 13th squad he had instantly confessed his worry and concern, and after conducting a thorough search Ukitake had come to Renji with Shunsui in tow.

Together they had decided that Rukia must be informed and brought back to the soul society, with Byakuya missing, there needed to be someone to keep order of the Kuchiki mansion. And well much to his protests it seemed that he had drawn the short straw when it came to who would go and collect her.

For forty years Rukia had been life in the world of the living, and he knew that the last person that she wanted to see after all this time was him. He remembered the last time that he had seen her before she had left. After successfully leading her first squad as captain in to battle and returning unharmed she had run to renji's apartment to tell him of her happiness. However Renji had not been alone, after years of chasing after her and then finally making her realise just how much she loved him, a simple misunderstanding had obliterated any chance that they would ever be happy together.

She had refused to listen to what he had had to say and decided that it would be easier for the both of them if she went to live permanently in the world of the living; she had given up her title of captain and gotten a very disgruntled Byakuya to agree to this arrangement. Renji had been lucky to barely escape Byakuya's wrath at first, hurting his sister, and second forcing her to live away from the Kuchiki mansion.

He had gone to see her in one last attempt to convince her of the truth, as she had been about to step through the gate, he had grabbed her arm and turned her around. And in front of both Ukitake and Byakuya he had professed his love for her and his guilt at hurting her, she had finally listened to his explanation of what had happened, but she still hadn't believed him and the last thing she had said as she wrenched her arm from his grasp and stepped through the gate was "I hate you Renji Abarai, and I hope to never have to see your cheating face ever again!"

For year those words had haunted his every waking hour, he had wanted permission from Byakuya to go into the world of the living and talk to her again, but he had made it perfectly clear that although he would tolerate him being his lieutenant had would not hesitate in killing Renji himself if her went after her. Finally he had had no other choice but to accept that Rukia was lost to him forever, he would now have to put all his energy into achieving captaincy.

Looking down he realised that his bottle of sake was empty, deciding that he hadn't drunk enough to even come close to drowning his sorrows he ordered another bottle. As the waitress went to get him his order he noticed a couple of friendly faces enter the bar. Standing at the door was Ikkaku and Rangiku spotting him they both smiled and made their way over towards his table.

"We thought we might find you here." Sang Rangiku

"Yeah we were just informed of where you've been the last couple of days" said Ikkaku "by the look on your face and the empty bottle of sake in your hand it didn't go to well."

Renji looked at his two friends, when he had first made captain he had thought that his friends would not want to hang out with him, but it seemed that none of them had any aspirations to go any further than where they were, and they had continued to treat him just as they normally would have, and it was just the way he liked it.

"I managed to bring her back" he said gruffly, wondering where that damn waitress was with his sake.

"Really, how is she? Does she look good?" Rangiku asked unthinking

"She looks fucking terrific thanks for asking Rangiku" he snapped at her

"Geez sorry, I see this is still a touchy subject with you" she sulked

"Yeah man don't you think it time you got over this?" Ikkaku asked

"Look if you two came here to give me a lecture you can just forget about it I have enough shit going on without you guys pissing me off as well!"

"Ok ok were sorry" they said together

"So what happened anyway" Ikkaku asked "did you to fight it out or what?"

"Not really, she fought kumo and this traitors snake zabimaru" he said motioning to his zanpakto "decided to help!"

"Really, we wondered if that would still happen after all this time." Ikkaku replied shocked

"Wait a minute hold up a second!" Rangiku interrupted "are you telling me that you took kumo with you to get Rukia"

"Yeah why?" he asked

"You really are a brainless idiot aren't you?" she insulted him "I mean you have a chance to see the love of your life again and the one person you choose to take with you is a woman you a sleeping with!"

"What! I'm not sleeping with kumo, that's ridiculous" he said outraged

"Well that not what I heard" Rangiku said not believing him

"Well it's not true, no matter how told you." He said trying to get his temper under control

"It doesn't matter anyway, I've seen the way she is with you Renji, even if it is one sided it would still look like you were involved with her to Rukia. No wonder she attacked kumo." Rangiku replied

"I suppose you've got a point" he said "perhaps taking kumo wasn't the smartest idea, anyway we got her to agree to come back, after all Byakuya is her brother."

"Speaking of captain Kuchiki we heard he's returned and is being looked after by squad 4?" asked Ikkaku

Finally the waitress returned with the bottle of sake, bringing two extra cups with her. After offering his friends a drink he answered Ikkaku's question "he's in a serious but stable condition, Rukia and some of the other court guard captains are with him at the moment. It looks like he was attacked by some form of hollow but where when and how are still a mystery; he wasn't exactly forthcoming while I was there."

"That's very strange" Ikkaku said looking at Rangiku who also looked worried

"Yeah, for a powerful man such as captain Kuchiki to be taken down is very concerning." She responded as she downed her cup of sake

"Where was he found?" Ikkaku asked as he reached for the bottle to refill his and Rangiku's cups

"Rukia and I found him" he said quickly, downing his own drink

"Really, that plot thickens?" Ikkaku said looking at him slyly "and what where you and Miss Kuchiki doing together"

"None of your god damned business!" he snapped trying not to remember what had happened.

Ever since this afternoon he hadn't been able to forget how nice it had been holding Rukia in his arms once more. For forty years he had dreamed of nothing else, the feel of her skin, her soft small petite body pressed against his own, to feel her nipples harden when he ran his tongue over them. When he had literally ran into her this afternoon his body had reacted instantaneously as soon as he had felt her against him. With her breasts pressed against his chest and those lips only inches away, he had been unable to stop himself. He had kissed her with all the longing and wanting of forty years. He had been unprepared for her response as soon as she had started kissing him back his mind had raced to the quickest possible way to get her undressed and naked, to feel that beautiful creamy skin under his fingers once more. His body began to stir just thinking about it again.

Wrenching his mind away he tried to focus on what Ikkaku and Rangiku were saying, it seemed they were arguing about who could drink the most sake in under a minute. Looking up he focused on the people who were just about to enter the bar, even with his acute senses dulled by the alcohol he would still know that spiritual pressure anywhere, it wasn't as if he was capable of hiding it, for someone so powerful he was still such a twit. Standing up he waited till they entered the bar before heading over to them, as he approached them he couldn't believe what he was seeing, jealousy began to creep into his stomach, and they were kissing and cuddling as if they had been together for years.

"Hello Ichigo, Rukia" he said stopping in front of them "what's going on here?" He asked trying to fight the urge to punch Ichigo in the face

"Renji..." Ichigo said looking at him

"I asked him to come here Renji" Rukia informed him defiantly

"Why? He has duties in the world of the living" he said confused

"Because he is my husband Renji, he has been for the past forty years!" she told him

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