Chap 7
Renji watched in shock as Tsukiko fell to the ground. It took him a moment to react before he truly realized what was happening. He rushed forward to try and catch her before she hit the ground, but was too late.
"Tsukiko!" Renji shouted trying to wake her. He grabbed her shoulders and shook her lightly. "Tsukiko! Open your eyes!"
Renji looked around for help, then he remembered that he was in his soul reaper form and that no one could see him. He couldn't just carry her home and into the house for her grandma might become suspicious. He had to think quick.
He didn't know what had happened to Tsukiko to cause her to blackout, maybe it was shock. But he couldn't be certain. He decided to take her as close to her grandma's house as he could and then figure things out from there.
He picked her up and left the bag of groceries. He ran as fast as he could without jolting or upsetting Tsukiko's sleeping body. Renji felt this over powering sense that he needed to hurry. As if it was almost too late.
'That's crazy, there's no reason for it to be too late! She only fainted. That's all. I need to calm down.' Renji thought to himself as he ran. No matter what he thought he couldn't convince himself that it wasn't too late.
He was nearing Tsukiko's grandma's house. He found a spot where no creeps would find Tsukiko and put her there. He hated having to do it, but he knew that it would be for the best. He quickly went to the room where his body was and got in it. He bolted up out of the bed to be met at the door by Tsukiko's grandma.
"Renji!" she said surprised to see him out of bed. "I'm glad you're awake. I need you to do something for me." she said with worry. "You see, I asked Tsukiko to go out to the store for me when I couldn't wake you, but she's been gone so long. Please, I'm asking you to go look for her."
Renji could see the fear that ran through the old woman's bones. The fear that wouldn't be there if he hadn't left to go after the hollow. The fear that might not be there if Tsukiko hadn't seen him, or felt him, or what ever it was that caused her to faint after she said his name. He was quite sure now that it was his fault that she was unconscious right now.
"Uh, yeah. I'll go look for her. Sorry." Renji said and then ran out the door. He ran right were he left her, and let out a sigh of relief when he found she was still there. He knelt down next to her and placed his hand on her forehead to feel her temperature. She felt normal. He then wiped the hair out of her face. He noticed how exceptionally beautiful she was, more than he had thought at first.
"I'm sorry." he whispered into her ear. He picked her up and carried her back to her grandma's.
"Ma'am!" Renji called out once he got through the door. Tsukiko's grandma came hurrying out of the living room. The relief that settled over the old lady was visible through her whole face. "I think she's fainted." Renji told her.
"Oh dear. Well let's hurry and get her into bed." She replied.
They took Tsukiko to her bedroom and put her in bed. Tsukiko's grandma got a wet washcloth and placed it on Tsukiko's forehead. Renji sat on the chair from the desk which he had pulled up beside the bed. Tsukiko's grandma sat on the side of the bed patting Tsukiko's hand.
After a little bit Tsukiko's grandma began to doze off. Renji noticed this and tapped her lightly on the shoulder. She jolted up and looked around till she remembered what had happened.
"I'm sorry to have drifted off on you." she said.
"Why don't you get some sleep, I'll let you know when Tsukiko wakes up. I've already had some sleep." Renji offered to her.
She hesitated not sure if she should accept his offer, but decided that he was a pretty good fellow, and she didn't need to worry about him. "Alright, thank you. When she wakes up have her drink some of the juice in the fridge. It should help her feel better." And with that she hobbled off to her room to sleep.
"What am I to do with you?" Renji asked Tsukiko who didn't respond. "First you almost get yourself killed, then you can somehow see me or something, then you write to me. Now we're in the same house, the same room, and you somehow knew that I was watching you and then you go and faint. What made you faint? Was it me? Do I frighten you? Tsukiko..."
Renji was so lost in his thoughts and questions to Tsukiko that he didn't realize Rukia standing behind him listening to him. She didn't say anything, only cocked her head to the side. What was going on between these two? She asked herself.
She decided not to interrupt him, and left. As she left a gust of blew into the room through the window that was cracked open a bit. Renji turned around to look at what caused the wind, but saw nothing. He turned back to Tsukiko who was beginning to open her eyes a bit.
Tsukiko started to come out of the darkness to see a blurry shape of Renji, actually everything was blurry. She focused on Renji until he came into full view.
"Renji?" She mumbled out meekly.
"Tsukiko? Tsukiko can you hear me?" Renji asked making sure to not be too loud.
Tsukiko couldn't find her voice to answer him so she nodded slightly. She wondered where she was, till she realized that she was in her room. Then she wondered how she had gotten there, and why did relief seem to sweep over Renji when she woke up.
"What– " She tried to ask but that was as far as she got.
"You fainted. Remember?" Renji said. Then he remembered what her grandma told him to do when she woke up. "I'll be right back, I need to get you some juice." Renji said then hurried off to get the juice.
Tsukiko tried to remember fainting. She remembered her grandma asking her to get some things from the store, going to the store, and coming home. But there was something else that had happened, she knew it, but she couldn't remember what it was. She looked towards her bed stand table and remembered the picture of her angel. The angel whose name was Renji. The angel who was living in her grandma's house right now.
Renji walked back into the room and handed Tsukiko a juice box that he found in the fridge. He helped her sit up so she could drink it better. He then sat in the chair next to her bed.
"Oh, I told your grandma I'd wake her when you got up." Renji said getting up. He turned to go out the door when he heard Tsukiko speak.
"Renji? Can I ask you something before you wake her?"
"Huh, um, yeah. Is it about your fainting?" He asked turning around to face her. He was getting a feeling that he didn't want to hear her question.
"What are you?" She asked him.
"Um, what do you mean?" Renji asked, his heart beating inside his chest. He felt almost as if he were a little kid who had been caught doing something that they shouldn't.
"Are you my angel?" Tsukiko asked staring at him intensely. "Are you the one who's been there since that bombing at the hospital?"
Renji didn't say anything. He looked at her. She had figured it out. But what did she think of him? He didn't know how to answer. She continued to stare at him. She almost looked as if she needed him to say yes. For some reason she reminded him of someone who was trying to find something solid to hold onto. And for her, he was her lifeline in a way.
"Yes." Renji said in a low voice that almost seemed inaudible. He didn't know why, but he just answered without thinking, with out trying to find another way to answer. He just simply answered.
Tsukiko didn't reply, she just continued to look at him. Renji also didn't say anything else. The wind blew through the window again, going between the two, daring them to look away. But neither one did.
