Waking Up Chapter 6 – "Somebody That I Used To Know"
As Renji was just about to reach the door of his office he heard voices inside. They were those of Captain Byakuka Kuchiki, to whom he was lieutenant, and his sister Rukia. Renji paused not sure if he should enter because the tone of his captain's fearsome but quiet voice was one of reproach. Renji wondered if this was the result of Rukia's behavior last night having come to the ears of her ultra conservative and prejudice brother. Normally Renji would have just barged right in (it was the main office door after all) to save Rukia from the lecture being prolonged. However, he was feeling what could only be described as childish. He knew it and it made him rage at himself but he found himself unwilling to rescue Rukia yet again. Besides, this could be about something completely different and he was not going to incur the wrath of his captain for interrupting them.
So Renji stepped back and around the corner to wait until her heard Rukia leave. He could tell that Byakuka was more upset that usual because though the words were muffled Renji could hear the inflections of his tone. Rukia was mainly silent, either nodding her head, making small quiet responses that he couldn't hear or simply standing in silence while her brother carried on. Finally, when about 5 minutes had passed since he had stepped away from the door, he heard it slide open. Casting his head just around the corner he saw Rukia come out. She hadn't seen him nor sensed his presence (he was shielding his reiatsu) and turned to shut the door. Once it was closed she heaved a heavy sigh and put her head in her hands. She wasn't exactly crying but Renji could tell it was taking a lot of effort for her not to. A small part of him cried out to go over and comfort her but it would not be welcomed. She would merely make an excuse and push him away like she did so many times before. Standing there as he watched her he reflected just how many times she had snubbed him or even just flat out ignored him. He had really thought that after his efforts to rescue her alongside Ichigo she would have dropped some of the cold disposition she held against him. And she had at first, but as the months went on and the missions grew bigger, longer and more trying the distance between them had widened yet again.
Once she seemed to be in control of herself she turned in the opposite direction of where he was standing and started heading towards the training grounds. Letting out a breath he had not realized he was holding Renji waited until she was a good distance away before coming back around the corner and entering the office. Byakuya barely looked up upon his entrance, concentrating on whatever report was before him. "Good morning Taichou," said Renji evenly and was met with a small grunt in response. Renji was surprised that as he made his way past his captain's desk he could feel his reiatsu humming. Normally one of the most cold and controlled members of the Gotei 13 he never let his emotions show if he could help it. Today was different; today his irritation was rolling off of him in waves. Renji decided it would be wisest to get his paperwork done as soon as possible before heading out for the morning's errands so he sat down his desk and started working.
A couple hours later he had completed the reports left over from the previous day and began looking at the task list for the current day. He had many places he had to go to in the seireiti and took the time to map out the most efficient route. That done he rose from his desk and stood next to it before asking Byakuya, "Taichou, I am going to be heading out to complete these tasks, are there are more which you would like to add before I leave?"
His captain looked up to meet his eyes, thinking to himself, "Renji must be aware of what happened at that foolish revelry last night, no wonder he's been so quiet."
Normally his lieutenant had no hesitations in complaining about what he considered mundane and asinine tasks but this morning he had been practically silent save for the sound of his pen and the rustle of paper as he went over his reports. Byakuya was silent, considering if he wanted to ask the question that was in his mind. Then shaking his head he said, "No, you may proceed with what you already have," before going back to his own reports. Renji bowed slightly and took his leave, wondering momentarily what that flicker had been in his captain's eyes before he had responded. He was of the opinion that what Byakuya had said was not what he had at the forefront of his mind, but he would of course never press it.
Making his way to his various stops he encountered a few friends along the way and chatted idly with them if they were headed the same direction. He was feeling less pent up than this morning and wondered why. Suddenly it dawned on his that he was feeling better because he knew Rukia had gotten reprimanded for what happened at the party. Despite his not wanting to jump to that conclusion that was the only one which made sense, especially given his captain's spirit pressure fluctuations. This thought shocked him. Normally he was grieved for ANY pain, discomfort, or negativity to touch Rukia. However, today he felt different and it disturbed him in a way because while he knew he still loved her he marveled at how he could be glad of any pain for her.
Still thinking of these things and not really watching where he was going as he stepped around another corner he felt himself bump into someone. Looking down he saw that it was Rukia. Thankfully he had not been walking fast enough to outright knock her over but she definitely stumbled backwards. As she looked up to meet his gaze he saw fury in her eyes. However, a moment later it vanished when she recognized who it was she was looking at. This was very out of character for her. Usually she did one of two things when dealing with Renji. Either she would glare at him in silence or would explode, it just depended on what he'd done. It seemed there were a lot of things that were different today because now when she saw him her eyes softened and she threw herself against him in a hug.
Renji let out a sound of surprise as her tiny arms tried to wrap around his waist. He, however, did not put his hands on her, did not hug back, just stood there for a moment looking down at her waiting for her to release him. When almost a minute passed and she had not released her grasp he slowly took his hands and placed them on her arms. Just as she was going to relax into the hug he gently but strongly removed her arms before letting them go and she hitched in her breath looking up at him, her arms now at her sides. Her eyes were moist but no tears had fallen yet. He stared into her eyes, both wanting to pull her back into himself and tell her off. He was not sure why an incident that really was so very small could cause this rift in his heart grow for her.
Although only about 2 minutes had gone by it felt like hours and they still had not said anything to each other. Renji was thankful this exchange had happened in a small alley away from most of the people milling about the seireiti. He could only imagine what would happen if Byakuya had heard about this second indiscretion. Then, in a move that surprised himself to no end, he broke his gaze from hers and walked past her to continue his duties. He never looked back because he was certain he would not have been strong enough to keep going.