Yachiru stood up, changed into her robes, and walked out of her room. The grounds were dark now, lit only by a few lanterns and the moon. She walked down the hallway to Renji's room, dimly lit by a single lamp. She slid the door open and walked in, kneeling beside him as he slept. His eyes blinked open slowly and looked up at her. His voice was soft. "How are you feeling?" "I'm ok. I wanted to thank you…"
"I didn't do anything." He shifted his weight, a look of pain on his face. The blanket moved slightly, revealing his blood-stained bare chest. Yachiru blushed slightly. "Ken-chan would have been mad if I would've gotten hurt. You made sure I didn't." Renji shrugged, seeming to disagree with her. She could tell that he was too exhausted and in too much pain to argue, something very unusual for Renji. She let out a small sigh. "Whether you see why or not, thank you Ren-kun." She lightly kissed his cheek.
His face was warm beneath her small lips. When she sat back up, Renji's face was a shade similar to his hair. She smiled. "Do you mind if I keep you company?" Renji cleared his throat, trying to divert attention from his face. "N-No…" Yachiru sat beside him. "Ren-kun, is Rukia not your girlfriend because you're with Icchi?" Renji jerked upward. "What?!" He groaned in pain and lowered himself back down onto his pillow. Yachiru looked into his eyes. "I saw you two earlier and…" "He was putting that damn medicine on my cuts." Yachiru looked down at the now-fully-exposed upper half of his body. Its usual tattoos were now crossed with deep gashes. "Oh…So you're not…" "No, Yachiru. Rukia's not my girlfriend because I don't want her to be. She's better off with pumpkin-head anyway." Yachiru stayed silent for a few moments. "You will get better, won't you Ren-Kun?" Renji nodded and yawned. He closed his eyes and soon fell asleep once again.
Yachiru stayed quiet, not wanting to disturb him. Her eyelids became very heavy. She curled herself into a small ball and snuggled beneath Renji's arm trying to stay warm. She yawned quietly, partially stuffing her fist into her mouth to not make a sound. Her eyes closed, and she slept quietly beside him until morning.
