What The Dog Knows; What The Sword Knows

…He was tired. Every single one of his fucking muscles—muscles he seemed to only remember he had when he pushed them to the absolute limit—throbbed and ached. His legs felt like lead; the air that filled his lungs felt like it wasn't enough…even his skin, as bruised as it was, hurt. But still, he forced himself to continue running through this fake Dangai.

This was the last stand against Yhwach…but what he was doing right now, running, wasn't because thought he could've waited to see through, but felt like he couldn't anymore.

His Zanpakuto bounced against his leg, but he could feel The Baboon and The Snake with him during this run to the end of the path. It was usually in their nature to make themselves known in the time between the second-to-last fight and the actual fight, so that was nothing surprising. He expected both to go on about their opinions…and yet, for once, both deigned to voice one. Not that he didn't know what they would've said if there was time:

The snake would make a bunch of noise about how Otoko and the boy were again gallivanting off to battle to show off…

And the baboon would speak his piece about…things he himself never really said out loud anymore, but still felt deep down…or maybe not so deep down.

And he, despite their belly-achin' and questions, would continue to have them trail behind him as he himself followed behind Ichigo…and ignored the reasons why he did so…

They, Ichigo and Rukia, had once again found time to be alone. They stood at a distance that made them easy to see among the plants and shrubbery the Royal Guard captain maintained, and there weren't any birds around to drown out their voices. As usual, neither of them seemed concerned about anyone else overhearing their conversation—they hadn't even really ever noticed the open palace windows.

Maybe because their conversation was harmless. There wasn't any harm in talking about the next steps they'd be making to regroup with the others…and it wasn't like there was more to what they were saying:

"Do you really need the hat, the scarf, and the goggles for the trip?" Ichigo.

A scoff. " Of course. We're not leaving The Soul Palace by traditional means, and it's cold on the way back down to Seriteri. I need everything Shutara-taicho gave me if I'm not going to freeze on the way down. And the goggles are for me to see. I don't want to do something foolish like fall through a building." Rukia.

Ichigo gave her a look. "Dummy. You won't go through a building."

"You're right: I won't because I have goggles to see…" A cocky, teasing smirk spread across her face. "Are you jealous because they look so cool on me?"

His face scrunched at her words. "Not even."

But still: there was more to the way they were standing and moving, like their were both revolving around one another and had done so for their entire lives. There was more to Rukia's grin, the way it naturally appeared on her face like…like the time after winter when the ice melts away and everyone feels happy again.

The Baboon snorted at the sentimentality.

Renji kept his eyes on the path ahead. He didn't know if it was helping him to think of Rukia's smile from that time. It made him play the numbers game…the number of times Rukia smiled around Ichigo versus him; the number of times he felt like Rukia moved around him the way she did around Ichigo, like they were doing this strange dance that wasn't really a dance but felt like a dance—

The Baboon snorted again.

"Rukia." Ichigo was standing at his closest to her, his expression all business. "…Do you think you'll see the guy that hurt you?"

"Maybe…" But she didn't say much else, just…stared off. Her smile was gone and what was left was a far off expression, like she was already in the middle of her rematch with Mask de Masculine.

"…Well, if you do and you fight them…just," Ichigo swallowed, "be careful."

Her face—eyes, lips—softened into surprise. "Are you worried about me fighting?"

He glanced at her, mouth set in a straight line, but didn't speak.

"Since when have you been worried about me fighting?!" Her cheeks turned pink at his silence. "Ichigo, I'll be able to handle Sode no—"

"No…" he shook his head, "I'm not worried about you fighting with your bankai. I know you'll be okay. It's just…" He sighed. "Do you remember when we saw each other on that bridge in Seriteri? That one that led to where you were being kept?" She nodded slowly, remembering. "Okay, well do you remember why you told me to go back?"

She looked him right in the eye and Renji saw that she hadn't forgotten that time when he saved her at all. "…I didn't want you getting hurt."

"Okay. So…" He made a jerky movement with his arm as he reached to scratch the back of his head. "I don't want you to get hurt. Not like you were before."

"…I'm not the only reason why you looked so sad after the attack?"

His eyes met hers. "No…"

Renji realized that he waiting to hear if Ichigo would talk about the other reason—the gap of time between his leaving and returning to Nimaiya's shack—but he didn't. And Rukia wasn't going to force him to…that was another thing they seemed to do with on another.

"I'll be careful." She said finally. "But, you be careful too. Don't fight all the Quincy at once. Don't even fight Yhwach by yourself…you don't have to do it alone, you know."

Ichigo smiled that fighter's smile he liked so much. "I'll hold back until you find me."

He watched another smile spread across Rukia's face. The most beautiful smile she had, the one she wore for days after her life had been saved by Ichigo…the one she wore when they had all gone back to The Living World, as if there was something to look forward to in the wake of Aizen's betrayl…the one she had given to Ichigo the last time they had fought as one, the one that had crossed her face for a split second before she had ran down the hallway of Las Noches in Hueco Mundo.

Maybe when the two of them, Renji and Ichigo, had the same feelings when that smile appeared. But it was only Ichigo who acted on the way he felt after seeing it.

He cupped her face and kissed her.

And she held his wrists and closed her eyes and kissed him back. Her grip was tight, like she was scared Ichigo would pull away—as if he would actually want to pull away.

And Renji saw the pretty blush had spread across her face as they parted.

He had finally reached the end.

Ichigo stood before the portal's opening where Seriteri lay in broken pieces. He was bruised to the point it was a miracle he could even fuckin' stand, and his robes were tattered. It was like the day Renji couldn't forget, that day he saw Ichigo standing in Seriteri's sky unbothered by the heat of Sokyoku at his back. Like that day, his reiatsu radiated from him in flames, and a certain gleam caught along the edge of his Zanpakuto, which had again changed from what he had known it to be before—

The snake hissed, warning him to change the course of his thoughts.

Renji neared Ichigo and stared at him. Hesitancy was written all over him: in the way his arms and legs moved; the clench of his jaw and flare of his nostrils; and the nervous gripping and re-gripping of his sword's hilt.

Ichigo stared at him, looking every bit of 17.

Renji frowned. "What's wrong?"

"…Nothing."

He smacked his teeth, as annoyed with the antics and Zabimaru was annoyed with him. "Bullshit. Yer hesitatin'."

Nothing.

"You're strong enough to do this, right?"

Silence.

" 'Course you are. So, what are you waiting for? Go and fight, Ichigo!"

Nada..

"Are you gonna say something?" Renji cupped his ear. "Or just keep standing there shaking?"

Ichigo didn't speak, but glared as if to ask, Why are you here? or better yet, Why isn't Rukia here?

Which was a good question: Why was he here, trailing behind Ichigo for Rukia's sake, and standing in for her? Why, after all the other times she had disobeyed orders and protocol, was he here for her this time?

And better yet: Why was he here for Ichigo, too? Why Ichigo?

What exactly was it that had made him again follow behind them as they ran after each other?

"You know why," The Baboon's voice resounded in his head. His sword spoke of Rukia's face as she had watched Ichigo enter through this portal after Yhwach. How conflicted and worried she looked; how she looked at the hand she passed over Orihime-chan's body to heal her, as if to will it to go faster so that she could be here by his side. "You have dragged us to be beside the boy for the sake of the girl." The Snake said now. "So, will you not speak? Will you not do what you made peace with that time? And the time before? And the time before that?!"

Renji headbutted Ichigo mid-sentence.

"Owww! Renji, what the—"

And then he balled up his fist and connected it to Ichigo's jaw, making him stumble.

The third strike meant for his chest was blocked. "All right! I get it! There's no need to keep smackin' me around!"

He didn't smack him around. He grabbed the front of his robes, straightened him up, and looked him right in the eye. "Listen: it's because of Rukia that I'm here. She's taking care of Inoue, so I'm speaking for her."

He sighed as he felt Ichigo and Zabimaru wait for him to speak.

"I'm gonna share something with you…

"For decades…it felt like an eternity… Rukia and I…had grown so distant from one another. So far apart that we avoided not only eye contact, but crossing each other's path.

"But the person that finally closed that distance and got us back to how we were…and the one who fixed Rukia from what she had become was you." He paused for a moment staring as Ichigo stared back at him, surprised. "It's because of Rukia and you saving her from Aizen and whatever that I told myself I would owe you one for life. I said if you were unable to push forward and it was up to me to help you do it, I'd place you on my back and carry you the entire way if I had to.

"So stop being nervous and shit…and let's go face Yhwach. Rukia'll be waiting for you with Inoue when we win and go back."

He watched Ichigo's face go into a metamorphosis from unsure to that bravado he seemed to have, and nod in understanding. He turned away from Renji, Zangetsu in hand, and again he was the fighter and Rukia's protector again. "Okay."

"Yeah…" Renji nodded, Zabimaru in hand a well. "Okay."

A/N: I didn't hate RenRuki as much as I've abhored IchiHime with every fiber of my very nerdy girl being, but this whole novel thing makes me so upset. I hate that a one-sided thing is being forced to be mutual. It was one of the best parts about Renji's character: that despite him having feelings for Rukia, he's made peace with the fact she doesn't feel the same and even becomes friends with the guy she likes.

(And listen: When you beg the guy you tried your damnedest to kill two, three weeks prior to save the girl you're in love with, and he not only does that, but tells you to keep her safe for him and you do it while that he fights everybody else who wants her dead…you lost.)

(sigh) I just really thought Renji ran after Ichigo in the portal for Rukia's sake. And I still really hate that Chapter 686 happened…and now there's a novel's that *someone* is now trying to force down our throats.

Anyway…in re-reading the HM arc in Bleach, I really liked seeing Renji's relationship with Zabimaru. I like that Zabimaru just shows up and hates Zangetsu getting all the glory and spurs Renji to fight.