"Nailed her? As in human lingo for. . . S-E-X?"

"You don't need to spell it out, Taichou. Yes, there was intercourse."

"A day before you informed my sister that you did not view your. . . ahem. . .partner. . . as female?"

"I told Rukia I didn't consider Arisawa a girl. Of course she's female, Yumichika is the only one who would have done her otherwise." The redhead pauses. "And maybe Kira."

Captain Kuchiki is not impressed by Renji's semantic loophole. "Elaborate," he says.

That night, Renji asked Arisawa if she wanted to go out in lieu of sparring. It wasn't that he was bored with the almost nightly smackdown, far from it. But the nagging thought in the back of his mind was that despite the twisted road in getting to her goal, she had done it. He was no longer pining for Rukia. He owed her. So why not give her something in return? He'd never have to thank her in so many words, and on top of that he'd get to see her in action—an added bonus for him.

She tried and failed not to explode in excitement at the offer. "I'll take that as a yes," he said. He popped a piece of soul candy. Her eyes did not even widen at the sight of him in his hakama, but her smile widened. "Do I look good?" he wanted to ask, but didn't.

"So what now?" she asked, looking at the gigai he'd left behind.

The gigai crossed his arms. "I presume, my dear lady, we wait."

"She wasn't asking you, shithead," Renji growled before punching it. It collapsed onto the floor with a thud.

"Did you just break your nose?" Tatsuki asked.

"Nah, just tapped it." He pulled out his phone and looked at it. "Karakura is a pretty busy town. One'll turn up in no time. You don't mind riding on my back do you?"

"Why would I do that?"

"It might be too far from here for us to run."

"You fly?"

"No, but I can move faster than you like this."

"Oh." Something like disappointment was creeping into her voice. He started to ask her what her deal was when the phone began to beep.

The hollow was across town. It took hardly no time to get there, but he was acutely aware of Arisawa's weight on his back the whole way. She was light and he knew that already. But the way she gripped his shoulders and his waist—unintentionally of course, there was no way she was afraid of heights—was she?

This was not the right time to ask. He was on the ground, practically dumping her in the grass, already calling Zabimaru into action. The soul the hollow had intended to make its meal was scampering off. Renji was about to launch himself at the hollow—a weird, four-legged mix between bear and raccoon with a long, cat-like tail—when Arisawa got in his way. He had a split second to comprehend and appreciate her zeal when she landed a hit with her foot and the hollow reacted, swiping at her with a huge claw and sending her flying against a tree. She hit it hard and slid to the ground.

At which point Renji literally saw red.

"What exactly did you expect? This is a human girl with no particular ability except vision. You put her in terrible danger to satisfy your pride," Byakuya interrupts.

"But she had been patrolling all this time—"

"With Sado. I'm sure he never allowed her to charge a live hollow, and Rukia certainly never did." Byakuya shifts in his chair. "You were letting her win most of the time when you sparred. You knew she was weaker than you, but she apparently did not."

"No, I think she knew," Renji murmurs. "I don't think she knew I knew."

They had been playing a massive game of chicken. He wanted to see her in action—real action. Even if it meant seeing her harmed. And she, with no intention of betraying any weakness to him, followed right along. He had no idea who was the bigger idiot. He cut the hollow neatly in two and moved with speed he didn't know he had to her side. She was awake, wind knocked out of her. He gazed down at her, speechless. "Did I get it?" she rasped. Her eyes were hazy and the side of her face was a bloody mess of scratches.

"Yeah, you did."

The smile she gave him shredded his heart. He fumbled for the amulet all good shinigami carried when they made trips to the living word, activated it with his weak kidou and proceeded to heal her. "Arisawa," he said, swallowing, "this was a bad idea."

"Maybe," she said. "But I'm glad you had it. I feel pretty good, actually."

"Kurosaki's gonna kill me if he finds out."

She grimaced. "I doubt it, but I won't tell if you don't."

"Don't be such a dumbass. Just because your friends are all pairing off it doesn't mean they stopped giving a shit about you." That came out all wrong, but it was exactly what he meant. The light on his amulet flickered and died. "Can you stand?"

"I'm fine, Abarai." She rose slowly, carefully, then stretched like a cat. "That was odd. Thanks."

"I'm not taking you out again."

"That's fine." She walked ahead of him, rolling her shoulders.

"And I don't want you going out, even if Chad's with you."

She shook her head. "I do what I want." As he caught up to her, she turned. "But you don't trust me not to do anything stupid, do you."

He slung an arm around her shoulder. She winced. "Sorry," he said. "I just hate the idea of not having you to smack around."

"Ha," she said, looking him in the face. His eyes focused on her lips. They were turned upward in half a smirk. So she really did have a good time. That alone was worth the price of admission. The next words out of his mouth surprised them both.

"I kinda want to. . . you know. With you."

She stared at him, blinking once, slowly. "What brought that on?"

"I dunno." And he really didn't know. He'd never had to so much as ask before. Girls were lined up to get a chance with him, and his eleventh division habits died hard. He couldn't have what he wanted, but he could certainly sample what was offered. But Arisawa was not one of those girls. He was aware of the warmth of her back, the scent of her hair. The idea of her life being ended by a hollow—never seeing her again, never being thrown by her again—hit him hard in the stomach. He wanted her to know it. And he was never good with words. "You said I have a nice body."

"You never said I have a nice body."

"Why would I tell you something everyone already knows?"

"Oh jeez. You don't have a romantic bone in your body, do you?" Despite it all, her tone was playful.

"Never pretended to," he grinned back, marveling at the return of that tingly feeling.

It was a tingly feeling that only spread once they got back to her apartment.

The living room was now sparse, almost empty of everything save the most basic of furniture. It made it so much easier to slam her against the wall and kiss her until they were both gasping. He didn't ask, didn't need to be told. If Inoue were still living there, this would never have happened. He understood and accepted it all at once, while trailing his way with his tongue down her neck and lower. Arisawa was alone. But it was not the kind of alone he usually sensed in the women he was with. They all needed something. Even Rukia had, pulling at him like a blanket. And he was more than willing at the time to be that for her, to be anything for her. How else could he keep up the illusion of being anything to her?

But Arisawa didn't need him. Not like that. She was content with her hands in his hair and her legs around his waist—they fit together so well it was unnerving—and her response to his heavy breath on her skin was a raspy moan of her own. What was it about her that she could take a simple thing like this and keep it simple? That was another thing he understood. She knew loss in the same way that he did. She could not have what it was she wanted, so she merely changed the desired thing. But now that Inoue no longer needed protecting, she was grasping at straws too, trying to connect all the things in her life so they made some semblance of sense and still included her. And sensed immediately he had the same dilemma. Whether it was by chance or design that they were thrown together at this time, in this place, they could both shake off their hurt and simply breathe. They didn't need to be anything and they didn't need to make sense. They could just be their messy selves. Together.

Which is why, he supposed, that tingly feeling stayed even after they collapsed sweaty and exhausted on the living room floor—and was still with him when he woke with her head on his chest the next morning.

"That was quick."

"Hey! We went for at least two hours, and then another hour after that."

"Not the copulation, Abarai." Byakuya shakes his head. "You do not merely lust after this woman. You're in love with her."

Renji grimaces. "I was afraid of that."

"You have no idea how she feels about you, do you."

The red head is in his hands again. "Not a clue."

A/N: Sorry for the delay, folks. I'm not too good with the mushy stuff.

Next up: If you ask Ikkaku, the way to a girl's heart is through her sternum.