a/n: I've started putting a timeline on my chapters to help keep things straight. So this chapter is 8 months from the first chapter...where Aizen and company fought everyone in Fake Karakura Town and approximately 10 months since Rukia was saved from execution. Sorry for the long time in updating, it's been busy. Also, thanks for the quality reviews/new reviewers. Finally, I haven't been able to keep up with alot of the stories I've had on alert (Chasing Shadows namely) and I hope to get to them soon!
Disclaimer: I own nothing that is Bleach nor do I profit from my admiration
Warnings: Unpleasantness in captivity in Byakuya's section (the first section), some mild suggestiveness at the end of Rukia's section and in the Flashback.
Chapter 9 Choices and Consequences
8 months: Hueco Mundo
He had long ago lost count of the days of his confinement. He was no longer chained to the ceiling but was allowed some movement from his new tethers against the wall. One foot to his right was a small trough of water that never seemed to decrease and beside that was a small trough of dried food kibble that flowed endlessly from an opening in the wall. His ankle restraints didn't allow him to move more than to stretch his legs in front of him and his waist restraint didn't allow him to actually stand. Surprisingly, the cell was bathed in a constant greenish clinical light that skewed any sense of color. His shredded uniform was dirty with dried blood and worse; his futile attempts to wash the garments only serving to contaminate his drinking water. A shallow, narrow trough of running water disappeared into an opening at the far wall. This served to take away any bodily fluids that were passed and Byakuya was extremely grateful for that one courtesy.
In the beginning of his isolated confinement Byakuya meditated with Senbonzakura, trying to strengthen his focus and concentration. Conversations with his zanpakuto eventually led to useless speculation of what was happening to Rukia and the other captives. After awhile, Byakuya began to plot Aizen and Ichimaru's demise, a noble killing at first that eventually gave way to more creative and brutal ways to dispose of the two traitors as his mind began to crack.
Then came the sudden realization that his body was atrophying. The calluses on his sword hand were gone and his arms and legs had lost their lean definition. For hours he obsessively did pushups, sit ups, leg raises, crunches, and anything else the restraints allowed until his body gave out in exhaustion. After that he began counting the dried kibble until it covered the floor and his enraged mind had reached one million seven hundred and sixty two thousand, two hundred and thirty eight with no end in sight. Angrily he swept most of the discarded kibble that was within reach into the sewage trough before he realized that he was clogging the drain. The smooth stone walls didn't offer any scars to count nor could he scratch anything onto its colorless surface though he tried until his fingernails broke. Chewing on the stubbed ends, his once graceful fingers turned grubby and ragged. At one point he began to finger and braid his hair, pulling on the matted strands until they eventually started to fall out from the constant tugging. After that he found imaginary scabs and blemishes to pick at until his body was covered in sores.
Finally, Byakuya stopped moving around altogether, laying on his back and staring absently into nothing. Senbonzakura had disappeared long ago and his physical body was in ruins. Old kibble lay around him and he no longer bothered to use the sewage trough. Occasionally his hand would grope for some food lying within reach and he would eat it slowly. Other than that, the Kuchiki noble laid motionless save for the shallow rise and fall of his chest and an involuntary blink. It had taken only two immeasurable months to shatter Kuchiki Byakuya's mind without laying a single finger on him.
"Isane, Orihime, you are needed in the labs immediately." Momo's voice held a note of distaste as she roughly pushed the two women out of their room. They had been called upon often to heal Mayuri's test subjects so that he could use them again and again. It had started with Zaraki but when Ikkaku and Yumichka had been captured, Mayuri had temporarily abandoned the captain. There had been a few times Mayuri was allowed to work on Rukia and Rangiku, but they had never needed both healers to undo the mad scientist's damage.
As Momo guided the two frightened women to the lab, she found herself second guessing her actions. Increasingly Momo had begun to have reservations about the orders she was given, particularly when it had involved Rangiku. The vivacious woman always hounded her to disobey Aizen whenever she had to escort her somewhere and Momo couldn't help but wonder if Taichou was testing her loyalty. She had seen Kuchiki's deterioration in his cell and she never would have thought the body in there had once been the powerful captain and noble.
Coming to the labs, Momo stiffened as she saw Mayuri, Nemu and Grimmjow waiting. Grimmjow had a deep gash in his shoulder and Orihime went to him immediately and set about reversing the damage.
"Kotetsu-san, please follow me." Nemu stepped forward and held her hand out. Isane cautiously walked toward Nemu, her large frightened eyes darting between Momo and a motionless Mayuri. The two women went through a doorway and Mayuri turned his creepy eyes to Momo.
"Take the human back when she's done with the animal." The scientist waved his hand dismissively at Orihime and Grimmjow who was bristling with barely controlled anger.
"One day I'll kill you myself you damn shinigami." Grimmjow snarled as an unruffled Mayuri walked away and into the room Nemu and Isane had disappeared into.
"Grimmjow-san, how did you get injured?" Orihime asked quietly, furrowing her brow as she focused on stopping the blood flow.
"Let my guard down on the big guy. Finally told 'em we had his two lackeys and he was extra feisty." Grimmjow smiled wolfishly down at Orihime as she began to seal the flesh back together.
"Enough talking. Hurry up Orihime, I have to get you back." Momo said brusquely. She felt uneasy around the blue haired espada and he seemed to be getting far too friendly with the captives. Orihime finished up and looked around the lab, her eyes wide and confused.
"Are we waiting for Isane-san?"
Momo shook her head curtly and dragged the girl out of the lab, escorting her quickly to her room. Once she locked the girl inside she rushed away, not wanting to see the stupidly naïve eyes. Her blind faith in Kurosaki was irritating and her endless optimism and cheer grated on Momo's nerves. Letting her mind wander, Momo found herself walking to Rukia's cell, suddenly wanting someone to talk to who wouldn't ask questions or order her around.
Stopping in front of the cell, Momo quickly unlocked the kido spell and stepped inside the darkness, waiting for her eyes to adjust in the gloom. The cell had a chair and a side table, along with a solitary window and a thin mattress in the corner. Restraints hung from the ceiling and walls, abandoned at the moment but a constant reminder to the inhabitant of the consequences for displeasing her captors.
"Rukia?" Momo cautiously moved towards the thin mattress, straining to see any movement. Carefully she toed at the still form that was curled up in a ball. "Rukia! Wake up. It's Momo."
The thin form stirred slowly, a soft whimper escaping when she saw a figure standing over her. Momo pulled Rukia up to a sitting position, making sure the smaller shinigami wouldn't fall over as she moved away to drag the chair next to the mattress.
"Momo?" Rukia asked hoarsely, her eyes clearing with recognition. "Did Aizen summon me again?" Rukia couldn't quite suppress the shudder that came from saying his name out loud and she was instantly wary of the flare of anger in Momo's eyes.
"No. Aizen Taichou didn't call for you. I wanted to come see you on my own, Rukia. We used to talk." Momo smiled and for an instant Rukia saw the gentle young woman she remembered. Carefully Rukia shifted on the mattress so she could lean against the wall while still facing Momo. The girl spooked easily and Rukia was never sure what exactly would send her former "friend" into a rage.
"Rukia, have you seen Rangiku-san lately?" Momo asked cheerfully. Rukia stared at her in disbelief. The last time she saw Ran was when Momo had dragged her screaming to Mayuri's labs for another experiment.
"I used to be so jealous of her." Momo continued without waiting for a response. "At the academy, it was just the three of us you know. Izuru, Renji and me. They didn't really get along at first, Renji being so competitive and having such an attitude. Luckily he calmed down after first year." Rukia tried not to snort. She didn't feel like walking down memory lane with a cracked Momo. She just wanted to sleep and prepare herself for the next summons or visit from Aizen.
"But after Aizen Taichou saved us on that training exercise, we all grew close. All because Taichou took us under his wing…even Hisagi senpai." Momo's eyes were glazed over and Rukia let herself relax against the wall. She didn't know that much about Renji and his friends from back then, circumstances hadn't made it possible. Closing her eyes, Rukia waited to hear more, reluctantly curious as to where Momo was going with her memories and desperately hoping she wouldn't get angry if her captive audience rested her eyes.
"And then Taichou took all three of us into his division! I never dreamed that we would have been able to stay together and get seats right after graduating. When we found out our placements, we went out to celebrate the three of us and that's when Hisagi senpai introduced us to Rangiku-san." Momo's voice turned in annoyance and Rukia cracked an eye open to see if she was being watched. "Those idiots were all over her, playing stupid drinking games and flirting. Kira especially acted the fool, you know he can't hold his drink. And then Renji and Hisagi started their contests to see who could impress her more, it was so awful! Thank goodness Taichou finally came to make sure we got home and brought them to their senses. And Ichimaru came as well and as soon as Rangiku saw him, she forgot all about Renji and Hisagi, they were so crushed!" Momo giggled hysterically, the bright sound bouncing off the stone walls in dissonance.
"But then of course, they invited her every time we celebrated anything. And they never listened to me anymore, I was just good, trusty little Momo, always there to get them home." Momo's voice had turned heated again and Rukia quickly tried to turn the conversation, unwillingly drawn in to Momo's deranged perspective.
"Momo, tell me more about Renji. Why did he get transferred to the Eleventh? I heard it was because he was always getting into fights."
"You know, he got in a big fight with Ichimaru." Momo stated matter of factly, her earlier anger averted.
"Yeah, he was always sensitive to being treated differently by others. You could call him weak or stupid or bad at kido, but some of the nobles would call him gutter trash and he'd go crazy. He was so touchy about where he came from and some people could never get past his low birth. Always felt he had to look out for people and keep things fair…we were never sure why he was always so angry, but people liked him well enough…outside of the nobles." Rukia inwardly cringed at the way Momo said nobles. It was as if she knew that Rukia had chosen the Kuchikis over Renji and felt she was responsible for his bad attitude in the early years.
"Well one day, Ichimaru was training the new recruits and he always toyed with us. He's always playing games and someone always gets hurt. There was an unseated recruit who made a few mistakes and Ichimaru decided to make an example of her combat skills. We were all using bokken but Ichimaru was using his zanpakuto and he kept scoring shallow hits on her to emphasize her weak spots and openings. She finally managed to land a hit on Ichimaru's arm because he was yawning and he suddenly turned and attacked her. The whole time Renji was seething because he didn't think it was a fair training exercise and when he saw Ichimaru move to retaliate, he jumped in front of Akiko and blocked the attack. That's when Ichimaru really started fighting Renji and we all knew Ichimaru would put him in Fourth Division in seconds. At first Renji tried dodging but he finally let his temper out and mounted an all out attack on Ichimaru. We were horrified that Renji would raise his zanpakuto against a lieutenant, but before he could land a blow, Izuru blocked Renji's attack. Of course that only set Renji off more, so he started attacking Izuru and just as he's about to beat him, Taichou intervenes. That's what really got Renji sent to Eleventh."
Momo was quiet for a few minutes, her unstable reiatsu calming down as she breathed deeply. "I thought Izuru and Renji would never make up. Renji was so bitter and Izuru felt so badly. I made sure Hisagi senpai took care of Renji since they were really close after we graduated. I tried to help Izuru, but soon after the incident, Ichimaru became captain and took Izuru with him, and I got promoted and had new duties with Taichou. We kind of lost track of Renji for awhile, though we'd still go out drinking for big events and oh! She would always be there." Momo's memories had come full circle back to her original grievance against Rangiku, and the abrupt turn in her thoughts was jarring to Rukia's tired mind.
"And of course, when Shiro-chan became a captain, she just had to be his lieutenant. She was so lazy and so inappropriate it made me angry to think he had to deal with that." Momo's hands were waving wildly as she punctuated each thought. Rukia tried to make herself smaller as Momo became more and more emotional.
"Momo, I thought you said Rangiku was your friend now." Rukia asked quietly, hoping to once again distract Momo.
"Ah yes!" Momo's face lit up into a sweet smile. "She and I had a heart to heart soon after Shiro-chan became her captain. Did you know she fell for Ichimaru? I couldn't believe it! I don't know what she sees in that creep, but the heart loves who it loves right Rukia?" Momo giggled again and Rukia desperately wished the girl would leave.
There had been signs over the past few weeks that Momo was cracking and this strange conversation only furthered her suspicions. At first Momo had been the perfect soldier, obeying every command without question. However, since they had gone to the real world to…kidnap their friends...cracks began to show in Momo's devotion. Rukia feared what an unstable Momo was capable of against her and the other captives as well as fearing what Aizen would do if he thought his loyal servant was beginning to shatter.
Suddenly the door opened and Rukia tensed as she felt the familiar reiatsu wash over her.
"Aizen taichou! What…what are you doing here?" Momo asked confusedly. Normally Aizen had her get Rukia when he needed her.
Aizen smiled down at his former lieutenant and calmly swept a hand through his hair. "Momo-chan, please give Rukia-san and I some privacy?"
Rukia felt her heart drop as she saw Momo turn to stare at her, suspicion and anger growing in her eyes. After a tense moment, Momo finally stood up and walked towards the door, glancing up at Aizen as she passed.
"And Momo? Please wait for me in the grand hall. I wish to speak with you after I am through with Rukia."
"Hai."
Momo paced angrily as she waited for Aizen to come back to the throne room. She knew she shouldn't have and that he wouldn't like it, but she had lingered at the door after she left Rukia's cell. Oh she had heard exactly why they needed privacy and she was ready to kill. Turning to the great table, she grabbed a heavy candlestick and flung it at the wall, barely satisfied as it clattered loudly against the floor.
"Momo-chan? What's wrong dear?" Gin's eerie voice floated through the hall. Spinning around, Momo saw the willowy ex captain leaning against Aizen's throne, idly tossing an orange into the air and catching it in one hand.
"Leave me alone Ichimaru." Momo spat out angrily. Horrified she felt the sting of tears as she tried not to think of what was happening back in the cell, of what would make Aizen groan in satisfaction, alone with Rukia behind a closed door. She wasn't stupid. He hadn't touched her in weeks, never once coming to visit her, to expertly guide her in giving him the release he needed. He had always been a brilliant teacher, and the long nights spent at the office with him had been for more than just official duty.
"Could it be that Taichou has lost his taste for peaches?" Gin asked slyly, his words driving into Momo's heart. "Perhaps he feels that she isn't loyal anymore, that he needs to find loyalty from a more willing subject."
Momo froze, her own suspicions coming to life at Gin's suggestion. Had Aizen put Rangiku up to testing her? Could it be that he sought out Rukia because he felt her doubting him?
"Maybe I know what you could do to make him happy again." Gin sighed, lazily peeling the orange and dropping the rind on the floor as he walked towards her. "Maybe if you were stronger, he'd think of you as an equal."
Momo closed her eyes, trying to sort out her thoughts. She jumped as she heard a sucking sound near her ear. Gin's arm snaked around her neck lightly, pinning her in place without touching her as he continued to suck on an orange wedge. "You want to make him happy, ne?"
Momo nodded slowly, falling prey to Gin's hypnotic voice. "Then say yes. When he asks you, say yes." In an instant, the arm and voice were gone and Momo was alone in the throne room. Shivering, Momo rubbed her arms briskly, trying to rid herself of the sudden chill.
*****
Rangiku clawed uselessly at the screen in front of her, hoping it was just another horrible trick. She was left unguarded in the observation room, watching her friends battle against each other.
"Isane, no!" Rangiku sobbed as the tall fukutaichou charged a fallen Ikkaku, his body motionless and bleeding profusely. Yumichka was on another screen, dodging cero blasts, injured but moving.
Unable to look away, she tried to stifle another sob as Yumichka's body was thrown across the screen, hitting a wall and falling to the ground. Tears openly streaming from her icy blue eyes, Rangiku pounded against the screens, trying to destroy the console and remove the images from her sight.
She saw Grimmjow appear in front of Isane, releasing into his resurrection and beating her back as he grabbed the unconscious Ikkaku. A few minutes later, she saw him do the same thing with Yumichka and she heaved a sigh of relief. Isane and Momo suffered only minor injuries from Grimmjow as they continued to stalk back and forth on the screens, their faces unrecognizable.
"Time to head back."
Rangiku gritted her teeth as she heard the familiar voice behind her. "You monster, how could you do that to them?"
"I didn't. Momo wanted it."
"Liar! Momo was so confused she didn't know what she wanted. She certainly never wanted to be turned into a hollow!" Rangiku could feel herself falling apart as she struggled to emotionally keep it together. "And Isane? What is your excuse for turning her? Don't you need her to heal us?" Rangiku suppressed a shudder as she thought of her gentle friend and the mindless, brutal beast that inhabited her body.
"Isane was collateral damage. Aizen Taichou is turning anyone he thinks he can sway to his side into a vizard. Momo agreed, naturally. All Aizen taichou had to do was ask and she couldn't be changed fast enough. Isane? I guess she was an experiment. At the very least, she won't be able to overcome her inner hollow and she'll be an asset to Taichou. Simple tactics, Ran. Don't be stupid now."
"So why doesn't he turn Ikkaku, or Zaraki, or me?" Rangiku asked painfully, still not wanting to think Aizen would be so careless with their lives.
"Surely you know the answer. Zaraki would take out as many of us as he would the others, and Ikkaku is better as training material for them. By the end, he'll be too exhausted to fight or dead."
Rangiku clenched her fists and tried to control her shaking as she was painfully aware that he withheld the answer she wanted most. Waiting a few moments, she hoped he would be straightforward for once but knew he would be anything but what she wanted.
"And ME?" Rangiku finally whirled around, her anger and fear threatening to overwhelm her.
The smiling man simply shook his head once before gesturing her to follow him. Stubbornly, Rangiku decided not to listen and sat down in the chair with her arms crossed tightly over her chest.
In an instant, Gin crossed the distance and slipped his hand around her wrist. Pressing down hard, a quick twist and half spin had her arching on her toes, trying to relieve pressure off her imprisoned wrist and shoulder.
"Please don't fight me Ran, I will hurt you if I have to."
When she stubbornly refused to give in, trying to kick out at him he effortlessly snapped her arm up, shattering the fragile bones in her wrist. Crying out, Rangiku instantly collapsed to her knees, cradling her injured wrist to her chest.
Sighing, Gin knelt down next to her and gently brushed her tawny hair from her face. "I don't make idle threats, you know that. Now let's go." Carefully he gathered her up in his arms and after resisting for a brief moment, Rangiku melted against him, crying softly.
"I hate you." Rangiku said bitterly.
Gin sighed softly and held her tighter against him.
"I don't believe you."
Renji sat down next to Shuuhei, breathing heavily as they watched Lisa and Kensei fight each other. Elsewhere Sado was fighting Hiyori and Hitsugaya was working with Yachiru.
"You really improved with Kazeshini. I always underestimate how fast your second attack is." Renji said, flexing his bandaged shoulder. Both men were clad in only their hakama, their torsos and arms bandaged extensively from training.
Renji gestured toward Lisa and Kensei, both currently engaged in hand to hand combat, the faster Lisa successfully dodging and absorbing most of Kensei's more powerful hits. "They're good. They're really good."
"She'll throw him in a few more moves. She's always been better at hand to hand. And kido. And tactics. He is just much, much stronger." Hisagi shrugged, sipping the water Hiyori had Yachiru distribute earlier.
"You gonna transfer or duke it out with the green haired chick?" Renji asked idly, enjoying the down time to just shoot the shit.
"Eh, duke it out. I can't imagine leaving ninth, they need someone from before the betrayal." Hisagi murmured, watching as Lisa caught a thick wrist and expertly flipped Kensei to the ground.
"Are you sure that's why you won't transfer?" Renji asked slyly, turning to study his friend's poker face. To his credit, Hisagi didn't rise to the bait.
"Haven't we already discussed this? Yes I'm happy Kensei is back. Hell, I'm thrilled he seems to think I'm not a total incompetent dumbass. I can get along with Kuna-san, I get along with you don't I?" Hisagi finally cracked a slight grin.
The two sat in companionable silence as they watched Lisa and Kensei square off again, this time employing kido techniques with Lisa seeming to have the upper hand.
Hisagi sighed quietly. "Renji, we're training physically but we haven't done a whole lot to prepare us for what we might see. You gonna be okay with that?"
"Honestly Shuu, I don't know. I just can't comprehend fighting against Ikkaku or Zaraki. I can't bear to think of Ran being left to Ichimaru's mercy. And I…I don't want to fight Kuchiki. How did you find it in yourself to fight Tosen? How did you stay sane when so many others didn't?" Renji turned to look at the dark haired shinigami curiously. Hisagi was always so reliable, where did he find the fortitude?
Hisagi was quiet for a few moments, reverting back to his normally reticent demeanor. He'd always been open and laid back with Renji but most of the time he was uptight and reserved. Reflecting on Tosen's betrayal and death was something he hadn't shared with anyone except Komamura.
"I guess I just made myself too busy to think about it. And when the stress of that built up, I shoved it away and locked it up in some small part of my being. When it came to the final battle, I just relied on what felt right. It helped that Tosen just stabbed me and had willingly chosen to be hollowfied. I think when this is all over, and if I survive, I'll take some time off and try to make sense of this whole crazy mess."
Renji studied his friend's face carefully, wondering if he was just as shattered as Momo and Kira but simply able to hide it better. Hisagi had always been somewhat of a contradiction to Renji. The man's rebellious appearance belied his quiet and fastidious nature. His strength and control contradicted his tendency to fidget and his sense of honor was in constant conflict with the savage undercurrent of his zanpakuto. Since he was older, Hisagi was always looking after Renji, backing him in the endless bar fights, playing wingman, or hauling his sorry ass home when he was too drunk to walk. Renji felt a little guilty that he hadn't stopped to ask his ex lover how he was handling his captain's betrayal, death, and emergence of Kensei.
"Knock it off baka!" Hisagi grunted, irritated. "Quit looking at me like that, I'm not about to fall apart on you."
Embarrassed, Renji drained his cup of water and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. The movement reminded him of his aching body and he leaned back against the rock, grimacing.
Hisagi calmly relaxed next to him and closed his eyes. They'd catch hell if either Kensei or Hitsugaya caught them resting but given their history, they barely needed any training to know each other's reiatsu and abilities. "Renji, do you want me to handle Rukia?"
"What do you mean, she'll be the easiest to rescue. Did you forget how tiny she is?" Renji half joked, regretting it immediately. He sounded like an idiot even to his own ears.
Hisagi responded seriously, only pissing him off more. "Well, she took Orihime. What if she is willingly following Aizen? You remember that he sent back Kuchiki's things. She may not have a choice."
"The fuck you talking about Hisagi, she'll help us once we get there. Sure, maybe I'll hafta remind her who she is a bit, but she'll never actively go against us." Renji turned to glare at Hisagi, willing the quieter man to give him a reason to punch him.
Hisagi remained silent, knowing from experience that Renji would only end up hurting himself. Instead he let it drop, hoping his friend would think about it more. Surprisingly, Renji felt his anger slip away and he turned back to watch the fighting figures in the distance.
"I don't know what we're gonna find Shuu. I'm trying to stay hopeful but I'd guess the Captains are already dead. Why keep them around? Neither of them would turn against us, they're just open liabilities for Aizen." Renji groaned slightly as he shifted to get more comfortable. He smelled food and hoped Hiyori was cooking barbecue again…who knew she'd be so useful. Training was hard and everyone appreciated the down time at meals, despite the occasional outbursts and bickering that occurred.
"I know Kensei and Hisugaya have been staying up late talking so maybe they will have some ideas going in." Hisagi murmured, sleep creeping into his weary voice. Closing his eyes, Renji let himself relax, not caring that Kensei would kick his ass later. Feeling some of the tension drain from his battered body, he felt Shuuhei's breathing even out and Renji finally gave in to a restless sleep.
Flashback
He had been out drinking with the usual crowd, flirting with Rangiku and trying to get Hisagi drunk. Kyouraku Taichou had invited them to a fairly disreputable bar and had even managed to drag out a few surprises…Nemu and Isane to everyone's shock. Rangiku had been especially feisty that night and it seemed she and Kyouraku had set their sights on the shy lieutenant from the Fourth division. Renji had felt awkward around Nemu as she usually resembled a robot from the real world rather than a woman, but she seemed interested in him, as evidenced by her casually chugging his sake with a demure smile. His muddled mind was suspicious as he saw Rangiku and Kyouraku whispering in the quiet girl's ear prior to her sake thieving but he decided to play along, pouring more liquid courage and flashing his now trademark cocky smile. Surprisingly, Nemu had turned out to be a lot of fun, never getting embarrassed and flirting often in her own odd, stiff way.
Renji was watching her dip a finger in his sake bowl and lick it suggestively when he felt an achingly familiar reiatsu enter the bar. Like a moth to the flame, he honed in on the spiritual pressure and fought the urge to drop everything and go to her. Staying focused on the oblivious lieutenant in front of him, Renji carefully monitored Rukia's movements behind him and picked up a second, trailing reiatsu. It had been a year or two since that disastrous morning when Ikkaku had burst in and thrown her out, dragging him to their training spot in the mountains to beat the shit out of him. He still burned from that lecture and after Ikkaku got done telling him how fucking stupid he really was, Renji realized that the rough man was actually keeping him from getting killed by the Kuchiki noble. Rukia on the other hand had been furious and now looked at him with aloof distaste whenever they had the misfortune of meeting. They had never spoken of the incident and she seemed determined to make him feel like a royal douchebag every time they interacted. Stubbornly, he refused to give her the fight she wanted and he did his best to move on in as a mature a manner as his limited capabilities allowed.
Renji felt Rukia move to the table most of the group sat at, exchanging pleasantries with Kyouraku and Isane and speaking briefly with Hisagi and Rangiku. Thankful he and Nemu had moved to a corner table for more privacy, Renji surreptitiously watched Rukia and the pretty boy Ogidou Harunobu from the Fourth division move to a table entirely too close to his own.
Pretty boy was a stealth predator, leaving a string of broken hearts in his wake. To be fair, he never seemed to promise more than a good fuck, but Renji still despised him, especially at this very moment. The fact that Rukia was out at a bar with him to begin with shocked the hell out of Renji. She wasn't the type to hook up casually and he hated to admit that he was angry to see her with someone.
Nemu shifted her sitting position and Renji was momentarily distracted by the sudden appearance of long legs unconstrained by the standard issue hakama. Renji wondered absently if she was slowly uncrossing and recrossing them on purpose and he cursed himself for being so easily and stupidly distracted. He felt a soft hand on his arm as Nemu stoically asked him to refill her sake bowl. He grinned victoriously as he felt a ripple of anger in Rukia's reiatsu and resisted the urge to turn around to see if she was watching him.
"Abarai-san, you seem distracted. Is my company not pleasing to you?" Nemu leaned forward, pressing her face uncomfortably close to his. Fighting the instinct to pull back, Renji reluctantly looked into her blank eyes. "No, of course not Kurotsuchi-fukutaichou." Renji quickly smiled, trying to hide his awkwardness behind bravado and leaned back, glancing casually around the half-filled bar. He momentarily froze as he saw Rukia glaring at him a few feet away, her shoulders rigid and her hands gripping the edges of the table. Breaking her gaze, Renji gulped down his sake and quickly refilled it, wondering for the thousandth time why the hell women were so much more complicated than men.
Over the next hour, he strategically fought with Rukia, relishing in how easily she was baited and gritting his teeth every time she upped the ante. If he brushed Nemu's hand Rukia would brush her knee against the weakling. If he leaned in too close, Rukia would lean in to whisper into the idiot's ear. At one point he made the mistake of getting caught ogling Nemu's bare legs again and he had to physically restrain himself when Rukia grasped pretty boy's hands and batted, batted! her goddamn gorgeous eyes at him. Pissed off beyond reason, Renji swiped the sake bottle, swallowed more than he should, and kissed a surprised by unprotesting Nemu squarely on the mouth.
He could feel the anger emanating off of Rukia in waves and he instantly regretted his rash decision to hurt her. Swiftly he turned to look at Rukia and saw her openly glaring back at him with fury and recrimination. She turned away from him to lean in and whisper into Ogidou's ear, causing the idiot to suddenly turn his not-so-drunk and not-so-innocent eyes to look at her appraisingly. After throwing some money down on the table, the lothario stood and quickly guided Rukia out of the bar.
Seething, Renji tried to block out any thoughts of where they were going or what they were doing from his mind as Nemu asked him something he didn't care about. Struggling to focus on the woman in front of him, Renji gave up after half an hour and after muttering an apology, he paid their tab and left alone.
Stumbling out of the bar, he hastily shunpo'd back to Seireitei, hoping none of his friends would follow out of curiosity. He moved toward the Fourth division, thinking pretty boy would take Rukia back to familiar territory but he couldn't find any trace of their reiatsu in the quiet division. Puzzled, Renji briefly wondered if they were at the Kuchiki mansion before mentally kicking himself for such a stupid idea. Quickly he moved to the Thirteenth division, remembering that as a member Rukia maintained a small apartment there, though she rarely used it for more than the occasional afternoon break. As he got closer, Renji grew angrier. Rukia never went out with anyone and the one night she does she has to waltz in to the bar he's at with his friends with a goddamn baby face mooning after her.
Suddenly he felt her reiatsu spike and he quickened his step, sensing her growing panic. Breaking into a run he honed in on her reiatsu, feeling her panic turn to fear. He didn't hesitate in kicking the door in, wood flying as the frame shattered. Stepping in frantically, Renji looked around the dark apartment. Hearing Rukia whimper, he froze as he rounded the entryway and saw her kneeling between Ogidou's knees gagging, his head thrown back and his hands fisted in her hair.
For an instant, Renji's mind was blissfully numb as he surveyed the scene dispassionately before the reality hit him full force. Renji felt every nerve in his body scream at him to run, to erase the image now seared into his mind but his feet refused to move and his throat refused to speak. Perversely, he couldn't tear his eyes from the man he suddenly hated with every fiber of his being sitting in front of him, ignoring his presence, and getting blown by what was his.
As if reading his mind, Ogidou finally looked up at Renji and smirked. Renji felt his hands start to shake with the need to strangle the smug ass and the idiot had enough sense to sober up. Though Renji wasn't seated higher than Ogidou, he was from the Eleventh and he was already gaining distinction amongst the belligerent, battle hungry squad.
"Abarai…"
Renji saw Rukia's shoulders stiffen as she straightened up and struggled briefly to free herself from Ogidou's grip. Carefully she wiped her mouth with the back of her wrist and straightened her yukata. The small actions made his blood boil and he briefly considered throwing her over his shoulder and taking her straight to her brother.
"Get up Rukia. Now. Let's go." His voice came out harsher than he wanted and his hands quivered at the urge to break something. He saw Rukia flinch at his words as her hands balled into fists. Slowly she turned her head to glare at him with a fury matching his own.
"Is there some official business you have Abarai-san that requires you to come barging into my private quarters uninvited at this hour?" Rukia bit out, her voice cold and patronizing.
"Does your Brother know you're here?" Renji snapped back, hoping to either piss her off to fight with him or shame her enough to forget about pretty boy.
Instead, Rukia's expression turned haughty as she looked down her nose and through Renji with such disdain and disregard, he knew any hope he had of someday getting back together with her was gone. Without speaking, she turned back to Ogidou and gracefully climbed onto his lap, lifting her yukata and straddling his hips. She shifted a few times before a loud groan from the man snapped Renji from his stupor and he stormed out the door, his chest constricting painfully as he tried to get outside before gasping for breath.
He felt like a hole had been punched through his gut and someone was pulling all his organs out, piece by painful piece. He didn't know how long he stayed there, gasping for breath and trying not to cry like a goddamn baby. Losing track of time, Renji blocked everything out and fought the urge to eavesdrop on what he knew he didn't want to hear. After awhile he felt a change in reiatsu and he quickly jumped to the roof as he heard approaching footsteps from inside. Carefully concealing his reiatsu, he saw pretty boy walk out and disappear into the night. Renji debated on leaving before Rukia came out, not sure if he would yell, beg, or run if he saw her.
"Suck it up Abarai." He muttered to himself. Resolutely he jumped down to the porch and guiltily surveyed the damaged door frame. He waited a few minutes before cautiously entering. There were no sounds and he knew she hadn't left yet. Rounding the hall corner he saw Rukia lying curled up on the floor, her discarded and torn yukata flung carelessly over her and the sparse furniture overturned haphazardly. A jade vase was broken and the mats were stained. A half empty bottle of sake was tipped over and forgotten, slowly emptying the rest of its contents on the floor. Two plants in the corner had been knocked over and the dirt had spilled out. Renji sat down heavily, slowly taking in the damage. He watched her sleep for a few minutes, trying to decide if it'd just be better to leave and let things be.
Kicking himself and his inability to walk away, he slowly got up and lifted the torn yukata from Rukia. Feeling a little bit like a pervert, he gently gathered her naked form in his arms and carried her to the small bedroom before laying her down on the futon. Quietly he searched the closet for a blanket and pillow and tucked her in carefully before leaving the room and shutting the door.
Impassively he used her yukata to pick up the broken vase shards, depositing them in a basket he found in the kitchen. He picked up the plants and swept the dirt outside. Grabbing the nearly empty sake bottle, Renji searched for a rag to clean up the spilled liquid and poured out the rest into one of the plants. He went outside to get a bucket of water and returned to scrub the floor where the plants had been overturned. When he finished washing the floor, he righted all of the furniture and took the tatami mats, briefly considering washing them before his disgust convinced him to put them in the basket and take them out with the rest of the trash.
On his way back to the apartment he saw a dark figure waiting on the porch. Tensing he wondered if pretty boy had decided to come back.
"Abarai-san, I thought I sensed you here."
Renji started in surprise. He didn't realize the lieutenant of the thirteenth division knew who he was. "Hai. Shiba fukutaichou. I was just helping Kuchiki-san…fix her door." Renji wasn't sure why the lieutenant was there, but he heard that he was easy-going and well-liked, giving him some hope that he wouldn't end up in fourth before the night was over. Renji steeled himself to stay still under Kaien's measured stare, firmly keeping his mouth shut and trying not to get defensive under the scrutiny
Finally Kaien broke into a wide smile and clapped Renji on the back. "Good luck my friend. I hope you like a challenge." As the lieutenant walked away, he paused to call back casually, "there's extra tools and supplies just off the main training room. Try not to be too loud Abarai-san. Good night."
Renji waved before he turned to inspect the doorway, breaking off some of the broken trim. Quickly he went and gathered what he needed and returned to do the repair. He'd always been good with his hands and often carved and whittled scraps of wood during his infrequent down times.
Just before securing the door, he went inside again to make sure everything was picked up and put away. Looking in on Rukia one last time, he resisted the urge to reach out and brush the hair out of her eyes. She was snuggled in her blanket and her expression was peaceful. It painfully reminded him of their youth when he made sure everyone had gotten home at night and was safely sleeping as a pack. Quietly, he left her apartment and closed the door softly.
The next day he heard the rumors about Ogidou's new conquest but chose to ignore them, thankful that the douche bag at least had the courtesy to keep Rukia's name out of the gossip. He was proud of himself when Rukia approached him and tentatively asked him if he was ok. He was damn fucking proud that he kept his cool when she asked him if he was going to tell her brother. He had bowed formally to her, apologized for intruding on her business, and quietly promised that he would not interfere with her life again. She had looked at him oddly and started to say something before stopping herself and shaking her head. Renji had merely bowed again and retreated, trying hard to convince himself that he wasn't a coward and that he was doing the right thing yet again. It felt good to be the one walking away and not left behind, and though he swore he head a soft "wait," Renji credited his slight hangover for making him hear things that shouldn't be heard. Renji always had a hard time letting go of things that were important to him, mostly because those things were few and far between. However, he realized that somewhere along the line, everything important had either been taken away or walked out on him regardless of what he wanted. Therefore, he didn't turn around and look back when he thought he heard Rukia call out, and until Ichigo invaded his life, Renji never looked back again for almost 40 years.
A/N: I am hoping to wrap this up in 15 chapters and an epilogue...so we'll see how that goes.
Preview: Everyone's in Hueco Mundo and there will be lots of character deaths over the next two chapters. Good idea of who but haven't made final decisions on some. Also, will have mostly action filler and maybe some intense unpleasantness since it is a war.
