Entwined – Secrets

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any Bleach characters.

Warning: Renji's dirty mind, and language.

Author's Note: I'm so sorry for taking so long to update =( Last time the reviews were so awesome, I feel bad for not updating sooner. This month I'm on vay-kay so I will have a little more time to write.

I hope you enjoy the chapter. This is not the beta version, so I apologize for the mistakes.^^' Thank you =)


Chapter 8 – Secrets II

Renji

The moment Renji stepped outside the Senkaimon, he knew something was wrong. Ichigo's scowl could be seen from miles away as he received the shinigami.

"You're here to continue what we left on Soul Society." Kenpachi grinned in a scary way. The tall man got his zanpakuto ready.

"Sorry, Kenpachi, maybe later. I came here to receive you because I need to speak to Renji. Now." Ichigo replied. That sounded serious. Was Ichigo mad or something?

"Kurosaki, what is the state of Ishida Uryuu?" Hitsugaya asked.

"Ishida seems to be stable, but..." the substitute shinigami looked down, "Urahara and his father are with him now. You guys can go inside, Yoruichi is there to explain things." He pointed at the small house, then turned to the redhead, "Renji come with me."

Without thinking twice Renji followed Ichigo, as he walked away from the house, he could hear the faint voice of Kurotsuchi, "These seem to be stolen from the 12th div..."

They both walked not very far away. Ichigo looked gorgeous as always, with a yellow shirt and jeans. Renji couldn't help but stare at the boy's ass as he walked in front of him. He was so glad to be in the human world again, that way he could continue where he left with Ichigo.

They stopped in a small alley nearby Urahara's shop. Ichigo crossed his arms in his chest, in a way that reminded Renji, strangely of Hisagi.

"What's wrong?" Renji asked.

"I... need to speak to you about something." Ichigo said moving his arms and putting his hands on his jeans pockets.

"Ok..." He was having bad feeling about that tone of voice.

"You see... I... I'm kinda pissed off about what happened to Ishida." Oh, it looked like he just wanted to talk to someone, that was cool, "And I'm pissed off with myself."

"There was nothing you could do. You can't protect everybody, everywhere, all the time." Renji said.

"That's the thing, I'm not pissed off because of that, I'm pissed off at myself because I'm more pissed off about the fact Ishida is pissed off at me because of you, than I'm pissed off at the fact he was attacked."

"Eh?" What the hell? Renji didn't understand from the second "pissed off" part. He took him a bit to get what the boy meant. "Wait! Ishida is mad at you because of me?"

"Yeah, because that night when we went to the club, you decided to put your paws on me when I was drunk and he saw and freaked out."

Paws? That's harsh...

"So?" What the hell had Ishida to do with what he did to Ichigo or not?

"So, Ishida and I are dating, kinda... I mean I have no idea now." Ichigo said looking down. Renji's eyes widen at that piece of information. Ichigo was dating Ishida? But Ichigo didn't tell anything about it, and that night he was very responsive. "I tried to tell him I was drunk and that I thought it was him, but he didn't believe in me."

"You thought I was him?" Renji asked. What the fuck? What the FUCK? What a huge blow to Renji's ego. First Ichigo had a boyfriend and now, that night, he was mistaken by that boyfriend?

"Honestly? Yeah, I did. I'm not the type that makes out with the first person that appears in front of me."

"Neither am I. You think I made out with you just because?" Renji asked trying to keep his posture normal, part of him wanted to punch Ichigo badly, or kiss him.

"Didn't you?"

What a fucking brat, cornering him like that. This wasn't supposed to happen. Renji was suppose to wait a bit and flirt more before confessing his feelings, not being humiliated and feel like he did something bad.

"I thought there was something going on between us. You were fine with me before getting drunk, and you enjoyed what we did, and... how the fuck can I be confused with Ishida?" Seriously, how could Ichigo confuse Renji, that was tall and muscled with the skinny Quincy?

Ichigo was in silence, his eyes filled with something between panic and sadness.

"I don't know, I don't even remember that night. I just have a vague memory of me and him, but it seems it wasn't him, it was you... Fuck, he hates me now." Ichigo slid the wall and sat on the floor.

His expression broke the redhead's heart. Ichigo really liked Ishida. Renji should have known something like this would happen. Things were going too smoothly.

"But that's not my fault." Renji said, "I didn't knew there was something between you two, and it's not like I forced you to do anything."

"You didn't hold back either!" Ichigo almost yelled.

"Why would I?"

Ichigo looked at him surprised. Renji continued.

"What the fuck Ichigo? I wanted to make out with you and you looked like you wanted too, so that's what I did. It's not like I caught you by surprise, I've sent you signs for a while."

"I never noticed any signs and I never mentioned that I was interested in you. I've been all this time trying to make Ishida like me and accept me, and when he finally did, you messed up everything just to get in my pants."

"What?" This was bad, this was very bad. Ichigo was misunderstanding things. Sure Renji wanted to get him naked and then do the naughtiest things he could think of to him, but he also wanted to be with him because he had feelings for him. "It's not to get in your pants..."

"Then why is it? You have that reputation... If it's not that, then why you did those things to me?"

'Because I love, want you, wish you?'

"I..." Renji looked down, was he going to say it? But he was clearly being rejected, and Ichigo was with Ishida. The Quincy was so polished and assertive, and Renji was so dumb and slow, sure he won in the physical department, but weirdly in that moment, in that alley, Renji felt so powerless, no sound wanted to come out of his throat.

Ichigo got up, and patted his pants to get rid of some dust.

"I thought so..." the boy said as he walked away. Shit, Ichigo was really mad at him, and he didn't know what to do.

"Wait!" Renji went after him and grabbed his shoulder turning Ichigo to him, and pushed him against the wall. With his free hand he grabbed Ichigo's head and he planted a rough kiss in his lips. He pushed his body against the younger's pinning him against the wall. Renji could feel Ichigo resisting against him, but he kept kissing him forcefully. If his words couldn't reach him, maybe his actions would. The boy's lips were shut and still, Renji tried to part them to deepen the kiss, but it was impossible. Ichigo's hand reached his hair and he pulled hard. Fuck. That was his weakness, he tried to bear with the pain, but the grip was too strong and it took only a slightly bit of distraction for Ichigo to be able to push him away. Without noticing, a fist came straight to Renji's face.

"The hell, Renji?!" Ichigo yelled furious. "What's wrong with you? I'm trying to get help to fix things with the guy I like, and you aren't being serious."

Renji covered his bruised face with his hand. He messed things up. He looked at Ichigo.

"I'm sorry, Ichigo, I didn't-"

"I don't care anymore! Don't come near me again!" Ichigo yelled and walked away back to Urahara's shop. Renji stared at his back for a while before closing his eyes.

How could things turned out this bad so suddenly? Everything was fine before, right? Never he thought that Ichigo and Uryuu had something together. Well, that was not really true. He did suspected a few times about Ishida being into guys, and probably being into Ichigo, but reality was that he didn't expect Ichigo to be into Ishida. And now Ichigo was angry at him.

Renji punched the closest wall.

"Fuck!"

He tried to calm down. Ichigo was mad, but it was just because of Ishida being hurt. That's why he released his anger on Renji. So, Renji should be patient with him. Talking to him when things got cooler.

Renji went to Urahara's place, he almost bumped to someone at the door. It was a man, with white hair and glasses. The man was lightning a cigarette and stopped for a second glancing Renji; he raised an eyebrow and walked away murmuring something that Renji was pretty sure was "Shinigami plague". The similarity was too great for him not to know that man was Uryuu's father.

He entered the house and everything was chaotic in there. Kurotsuchi-taicho was yelling at Urahara who was hiding his face behind his fan scared, which Renji was sure he was just pretending to be scared, the guy was probably have the fun of his life. Kenpachi was talking loudly with Yoruichi, and Matsumoto was with Orihime who was explaining something excited. Hitsugaya-taicho and Ichigo were nowhere in sight.

"Freeloader-san, you're back again?" a voice spoke beside him. It was Jinta. The brat was annoying but at the same time, Renji liked him a lot.

"You know how it is, when there's big trouble in the human world, the strongest have to come save everyone!" Renji grinned, even though he didn't feel like smiling.

"Pftt... You? Strongest? Yeah right! In your dreams!" Jinta laughed, Renji sadly smiled. The boy's laugh faded away quickly, he was staring at him.

"Are you ok?" the boy asked. Renji stared at him.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Do you know where Ichigo is?"

Jinta continued to stare at him, but he replied.

"He's in the guest room, with Uryuu-san and that kid-taicho."

"Kid-taicho? Don't call him that or you're screwed." Renji chuckled and ruffled the boy's hair as he passed by him to go to the guest room.

"Hey!" the boy protested but didn't say anything else, and stared at Renji walking away.

Renji reached the room and knocked the door opening it. Like Jinta said the other two were there along Ishida, who was sleeping.

Ichigo looked at him but turned his head right away. That simple gesture hurt more than anything else that happened in his life. Renji tried to deny the true, but it was impossible – his heart was broken; but he wouldn't let that show.

"How is he?" Renji asked. The Quincy was in the futon with an IV attached.

"His reiatsu stabilized, however he becomes dehydrated very easily so he needs fluids. Besides that, he's fine." Hitsugaya explained.

"What should we do now?"

"We have to create a plan and patrol around the town."

"What we should do if-" Renji stopped abruptly. Something was wrong, there was a strange energy that he could feel. It was definitely a reiatsu, something like he never felt before. It wasn't a hollow, it was more alike that Espada that he faced before, Szayel, but still it wasn't quite like his too.

"What is it?" Hitsugaya asked.

"I can feel something. Don't you guys feel a strange reiatsu?"

Histugaya concentrated and then shook his head. Ichigo looked at Renji skeptical.

The door opened fast, and Matsumoto spoke.

"Taicho, Yoruichi is sensing the Arrancar."

Hitsugaya looked at Renji.

"Let's go." He said, receiving a nod form the redhead in return.

They looked for the Arrancar but in vain, since the reiatsu was all over the town, after a while the reiatsu disappeared and the shinigami stopped looking for it. During that night, they traced a plan to patrol certain areas. Kurotsuchi installed some miniature sensors in several parts of Karakura Town, and Kenpachi was assigned to go wherever Yoruichi was going, Matsumoto was supposed to be with Ichigo and when the boy was at school, she would be with Kurotsuchi – poor woman – that because Hitsugaya insited that he wanted to patrol with Renji.

The reitatsu itself was big and dark, but Renji didn't feel particularly intimidated by it. Maybe because he was so used to Ichigo's enormous reiatsu that, anyone else's was no surprise for him.

He didn't know why he could feel it and the others couldn't. He could feel it the same way he could feel a hollow, it was nothing out of the ordinary. It would come and go, disappearing and re-appearing. It was unpredictable, so the shinigami spent the whole next day patrolling.

Ichigo was still at school, and Renji wondered if he could convince Hitsugaya to patrol over there, where he could see the substitute shinigami. Of course, Hitsugaya wouldn't let him since that meant they would be far from their route, and Ichigo was still mad at him, so he probably wouldn't want to see him...

Shit, how did he messed up so bad? Ichigo talked about him having a reputation... Well, yeah he had a reputation, but it wasn't something many knew, only close friends to him knew about it, so that meant Ichigo talked with someone who said Renji was freaking whore. But who?

Not that he was ashamed of that! Actually, Renji was extremely proud of himself in that scenario. He could get any women or men he wanted. Even in the homophobic Seireitei he was sure he could get any guy he wanted and make them bend with their ass in the air for him.

Soul Society wasn't really that homophobic, most pretended to be just to please Sou-taicho and the Seireitei rules. Renji knew a large amount of gay men in the Gotei 13. The 4th Division was full of them, which was nice since, generally 4th guys knew what to do and where to touch. Even his own division had some gays, although they kept everything secret, because of Kuchiki-taicho. And Rukia also told about her division having some available guys.

Anyway every division had gays, no matter how homophobic the Gotei 13 was supposed to be. Except the 11th. Sure Ikkaku and Yumichika were a couple but they were the only couple, the rest were rough manly men, not homophobic, just the kind that lives for 3 things – fighting, sake and women. But Renji doubted some of the guys there didn't try anything with men...

Still, Renji slept around a lot, but he also lived a lot compared to Ichigo. As much as he hated to admit Renji didn't get laid for a while now. With women or men. And he was frustrated, sexually frustrated. He was so busy for the past years trying to move from 6th seat to that 4th seat that Yumichika didn't want, and suddenly Momo and Kira tell him that he was fukutaicho! If he didn't have time for sex before, then after joining the 6th Division, much less time he had.

Now, all he wanted was a big cock inside him, doing him hard, making him come as many times he could. He didn't want a quick fuck, he needed an all night long session of steamy sex. And when he finally met someone who was perfect for it, someone he fell in love with, his heart was broken... Damn, he was heartbroken and horny.

Renji sighed and stopped, Hitsugaya stopped too.

"Anything?" the small taicho asked.

"Nah, this is useless." Renji replied looking arround. Away from him there was a supermarket, with a large parking lot surrounding it.

"We still have to do this." Hitsugaya replied, cleaning some sweat from his face.

That caught Renji's attention.

"Hitsugaya-taicho, are you feeling hot? I think I never saw you sweating before." Renji stated.

"That's because I don't. Hyorinmaru keeps my body temperature cold." He replied cleaning his face with his sleeve.

"It became kinda hot suddenly, didn't it?" Renji asked also feeling sweat forming in his body.

"Indeed, it has."

"Urahara-san said the hot weather must be from the Arrancar, maybe it's there somewhere right now."

"The Arrancar must have a cloaking system. It's probably here all the time, and just hides its reiatsu." Hitsugaya said looking around.

Renji knew it was stupid but he had an idea. He walked to the middle of the supermarket's parking lot and, flared his reiatsu.

"Abarai, what do you think you're doing?"

Before he could say anything, Renji felt the enemy right there next to him. He jumped quick enough just to evade an attack from the enemy. He wasn't sure what kind of attack it was, but he felt the wind move fast. Renji grabbed Zabimaru.

"Howl, Zabimaru!" Renji released his shikai, and stopped mid-air.

"Abarai!" Hitsugaya yelled with Hyorinmaru in his hand, "Where it is?"

Renji looked around concentrated. He wasn't particularly good at sensing spiritual pressure, but this one was insanely hard to understand. The reiatsu was everywhere, but Renji was able to see movement in the middle of the parking lot. It was blurry, like he was having vision problems, but he focused in it. With Zabimaru he attacked it, his zanpakuto extended as much as it could to where the enemy was, but the damned Arrancar was fast to evade it. The only thing his zanpakuto hit was a nearby car.

"Abarai! Where?" Hitsugaya yelled once again.

"Somewhere here in the parking lot, I can't see him clearly just a blur."

Hitsugaya grabbed his denreishinki and contacted the others. Renji looked arround trying to find where the Arrancar was. He was sweating so much, he could feel his shitagi wet inside the kosode. Renji moved a bit forward and the heat increased. That was it! The Arrancar was the one emanating the heat, so wherever it was hotter it was where it was.

"Hitsugaya-taicho!" Renji called and pointed Zabimaru where the enemy was.

"Understood, stay back Abarai."

"Sit upon the frozen heavens, Hyorinmau!" Hitsugaya started to freeze everything surrounding him, the ground, the cars, everything was freezing. Good, maybe he could freeze the bastard, or at least melt the ice so Hitsugaya could figure out where it was his location. But nothing happened.

"Abarai, where it is?"

"The source of heat is right there!" Renji said surpised pointing at the same place where he was seeing the movement, "I'm sure it is there!"

He didn't understand, why Hyorinmaru's attack wasn't working. The blurred figure was there, it was something big, like a hollow. Once again he attacked it with Zabimaru, but the blur disappeared and appeared behind him. He jumped far away from it, still in the air.

A laugh surrounded him. He didn't knew where it came from. The laugh was deep and dark. Renji was getting annoyed with this, he didn't want to be mocked.

"Bankai." He released his bankai, and with Hihio Zabimaru, he attacked everywhere he could, destroying more cars arround him.

"Watch out for the damage you're doing!" Hitsugaya yelled as he tried to contact Soul Society. Why wasn't anyone coming? Yoruichi could be a great help now. Or Ichigo.

The laugh came back again and then a voice followed.

"This one is as lustful as Ichimaru Gin."

"What?" Renji asked. Ichimaru? What the hell? Hearing that name was the last thing he expected. Something touched Zabimaru and the bankai dissolved. Renji was confused and then heard Hitsugaya yell something.

"Zabimaru?" The zanpakuto was silent in his hand. The redhead could feel that great part of its energy was gone.

Renji looked around frantically, he wasn't the type to get scared, but now he was frightened without Zabimaru.

Hitsugaya was freezing everything again. The difference between hot and cold was aching in Renji's body.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Renji asked to the air. A laugh replied again. But this time the laugh came from a specific spot, where Renji attacked immediately with his zanpakuto in his sealed form. He heard his sword hit something, and smirked, but before he could celebrate it, an acute pain took over him. He looked down and saw his shihakusho ripped in his stomach, blood was dripping from a wound that was caused by an unknown attack. It was a simple injury, something that Renji could bear easily, but he started to feel his body heavy and his legs and arms paralyzing.

He fell from the sky to the ground, where Hitsugaya met him yelling something he still couldn't understand. Renji tried to speak but couldn't, his throat was also paralyzed. He need to give the little information he had to Hitsugaya, at least what the Arrancar said about him being like Ichimaru Gin, because it meant they knew him.

He heard Matsumoto approaching.

"Taicho!" She yelled.

"Matsumoto call Orihime or Urahara now!"

"Oh my god, Renji!" Matsumoto yelled , "I felt the enemy but I can't feel it anymore."

"Matsumoto! Quickly!" Hitsugaya seemed a bit too worried right? Was Renji that bad? Was he going to die?

He opened his mouth trying to say something. He felt Hitsugaya putting pressure in his wound tightly.

"... I.. chi...mar..." he tried really hard, but the words were stucked, "... G-Gin..."

He could feel himself blacking out. Shit, this was it, uh? He was going to die now. The image of his friends came to his mind – Hisagi, Kira, Matsumoto, and Rukia, and Ichigo, and his taicho... He was going to leave them. Shit...

0000000000

Renji ate as much as he could. Never in his life he felt so hungry, -childhood aside – he was starving. It was a side effect from the reiatsu reduction. He wondered if Urahara was going to say anything about him eating so much, but he chose to ignore that thought since Hisagi was pushing more food to his plate. Technically it wasn't his fault.

He couldn't believe there was so much drama just because he was attacked. Hisagi and Kira were there, even Kuchiki-taicho left the 6th Division to see him. The noble was probably disappointed at him for being defeated so easily... He was ashamed of his own actions.

He swallowed some of the pastries Hisagi brought him and watched as Kira re-filled his cup with a nasty tea that was supposed to help him get better. The blond was looking down. Ergh... Ok, he always looked down, but after so many decades of knowing him, Renji could differentiate the many kinds of "looking down" Kira had. He frowned as he accepted the cup of tea.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked Kira. The blond looked at him surprised.

"What? Nothing. Do you want more tea?" the blond offered. Renji looked at him raising an eyebrow and turned to Hisagi and asked with his mouth full.

"What's wrong with him?"

Hisagi looked at Kira and shrugged his shoulders.

"I have no idea." He replied and then looked again at Kira.

"Nothing is wrong with me, Abarai-kun, I'm just worried about you." The blond replied. Yeah, right. He may be worried but there was more for sure. He probably hated being in the human world, in his little mind he must had thought in the pile of paperwork waiting for him in his table in the third division; and probably thinking in how misplaced he was feeling with that black tank top, which actually made him look kinda hot and edible... Great, Renji just woke up from his attack and was already thinking in sex. And sex with Kira! No way. That's not his territory. Kira was off-limits, he should think about someone else. Speaking of which...

"Where's Ichigo?"

"Home." Hisagi replied. "He took Ishida with him, since it's getting too crowded in here."

That was somehing he wish he didn't know.

"Did you guys... told him about me waking up?"

"Matsumoto-san called him. He'll come by tomorrow after school." Kira replied.

Renji didn't know if he was relieved for Ichigo to come see him or if he was depressed because he wouldn't come see him right away.

It was karma. Yumichika had told him countless times how his behaviour would cause him trouble in the future. He wish he knew better...

Someone knocked at the door, sliding the door after. It was Jinta followed by Kuchiki-taicho. What an odd combination, Renji thought. It was funny the idea of Byakuya having to deal with that delinquent kid.

Jinta came by quick and sat next to him with a scowl in his face.

"Yo, you don't have to be so angry that I survived." Renji joked.

"Baka." Jinta said clenching his fists in his knees, "Don't ever do that again. Scaring m... us like that." The boy blushed. Renji wanted to tease him but he knew the boy had needed a lot of courage to say that.

His eyes moved to Kuchiki-taicho that was still in his feet. He knew his taicho probably wanted to talk to him, and wouldn't do it in front of others, hell he wouldn't do it in any place other than a safe one! That reminded him...

"Jinta can you get some water for me?" the boy reluctantly left to get the water leaving him alone with his taicho, Hisagi and Kira. After the door closed he spoke.

"Ok, he's gone. Look you guys are staying here right?" Renji said looking to everybody, "Then you should know that this house has cameras everywhere! And by everywhere, I mean EVERYWHERE."

"Everywhere?" Hisagi chuckled, "Even in the bathroom?"

"Especially in the bathroom!" Renji said and then looked at the mortified faces of Kira and his taicho. Yes, Kuchiki Byakuya was looking at him paler than the usual, his eyes surprisingly wide open. That was something new...

"Ok, we'll be careful. You should rest. Tomorrow we'll discuss what we will do about the Arrancar." Hisagi said.

Both fukutaichos left him to rest. The noble decided to stay in the room in case Renji needed something. Renji felt like he should say something.

"I apologize, taicho." He tried his best to sound formal and honest.

"You do not have to. Rest, we will speak later." Geez, his tone was strict as always, but it was better than nothing. Renji fell asleep thinking in how he wished the next day would comer quick, so he could also properly apologize to Ichigo.

0000000000

"What do you think you're doing?" Kira asked.

Shit, he was caught trying to leave his room.

"I don't wanna be here anymore."

"You have to! Your wounds can get worse!" the blond replied as he shoved Renji back to his futon.

"What wounds? Orihime healed me, I'm totally fine-" Renji decided to shut up after seeing the scary glare the blond was giving him.

They stayed in the room silent for a while. Kira still looked down, his puppy dog eyes were making Renji's insides boil.

"Seriously, what happened to you? And don't say nothing happened, you are a bad liar, you can't trick me." Renji said leaning back in his futon with his hands behind his head. Kira hid his face behind his long bang. How much Renji hated when he did that. If it was someone else, he would say for sure that the person was trying to get some pity, but Kira wasn't like that. The blond didn't even realize he was being pitiful. It was just his nature to drown into depression and misery, and even worse, keep everything inside.

"Hisagi-san..." Kira started, Renji was surprised he was actually going to talk.

"What about him?"

"He doesn't trust me." Kira said and smiled sadly.

"Bullshit. He trusts you more than he trusts me or anyone."

"He's hiding things from me." Kira continued ignoring what Renji said. "Things that everybody knows except me."

"What things? Why are you saying that?" Renji hardly believed Hisagi wouldn't trust Kira. The blond was the only person Hisagi trusted with his life. What was he saying?

"Yesterday I heard you all talking about what the enemy said to you. About Ichimaru-taic-Gin." Kira corrected himself. "Everybody is keeping that from me. Including Hisagi-san, and he's the team leader."

It was odd. Renji was sure there was a reason for keeping Kira ignorant, but he didn't like it at all. It wasn't Hisagi's style to do this. He hated himself for thinking this, but he wasn't surprised at all. The whole Gin and Kira story was filled with theories and speculations after the betrayal, but Renji never believed any of those. unfortunately, not everybody thought the same as Renji, but Hisagi did. Hisagi himself suffered from those malicious theories and he was the one that understood Kira the best.

"He didn't tell you anything?"

"No. Only Akon-san told me, discritly, that this could be Aizen's work and that I should be careful. Other than him no one else told me anything."

"Why would they do that?" Renji asked.

"Because they may think I'm involved with the enemy? I don't know. I'm trying to find a reasonable answer but... I just can't believe Hisagi-san would do something like this to me."

Renji could understand that. They were really close, especially after they lost their taichos.

"Kira... I can try to figure out why he's keeping things from you. But it's strange you know? There must be a reason for it. If Akon told you that – like you said – discritly then Kurotsuchi may know something." Renji said thinking things through.

"I thought about that too. It must be an order from Sou-taicho."

"I'll see what I can dig out. You can trust me," Renji said and sat down leaning closer to Kira's ear, he whispered, "Even if I'm ordered to not tell you anything, I'll tell you everything."

Kira smiled, and he smiled back.

"Thank you."

"No probl-"

"RENJI!" the door was smashed, and a pair of gigantic breasts were suddenly around Renji's face. As much as Renji loved breasts and loved even more, gigantic breasts, unluckily he had to breath.

"Ranhiho..."

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Matsumoto said freeing him from the tight hug. "I'm so happy, you are ok! I thought you were going to die!"

"I wish there was more faith in me." Renji complained as he recovered from the lack of air.

"You know what?!" Matsumoto said, "This deserves a celebration!"

"Hmm... Aren't we in mission?" Renji asked.

"Who cares? You almost died, we have to celebrate it! Leave it to me I'll take care of everything!"

0000000000

Rangiku wasn't lying when she said she was going to take care of everything, because Urahara's back yard was filled with people, food and sake.

Renji was allowed to be out of that room as long as he didn't drink. Nonetheless, everyone was there, from Orihime and Chad, to Yoruichi, Tessai and the kids. Even Ichigo's little sisters were there.

Ichigo was also present with Ishida. He had come earlier to say Hi and ask how Renji was, but he left after, not giving a chance for Renji to apologize, and didn't left the Quincy's side for a second, since then. Needless to say that Ishida didn't even looked at Renji once.

A couple of hours after the party begun, they were all reunited in a circle in the porch, discussing the Arrancar menace.

"So, the information we have about the Arrancar is: that it has a big, presumed male hollow-like body, which emanates heat, and affects the weather around him. One strike from it will deplete the victim's reiatsu with a poison that we think it may be from it's zanpakuto. Speaking of zanpakuto, it's seems the enemy's ability also depletes the energy from a zanpakuto, like it did with Freeloader-san's bankai."

Renji grunted, Urahara could stop calling him that, it was embarrassing. The former taicho continued.

"We also presume that the enemy is under Aizen's control."

"That's what I don't get it." Ichigo spoke, "Aizen is in a high-level prison in Soul Society right? How can the two be related?"

"Aizen may have foreseeing the possibility of him being caught by the Gotei 13 and prepared in advance a Plan B, but so far it seems the enemy has no intention to go to Soul Society. He prefers to stay here, my guess is that here he doesn't take the risk of being found. Which leads us to our last piece of information, and the one I'm sure it's the key for all this, - the fact only Youruichi, Uryuu-san, Matsumoto-san and Abarai-san can sense it."

everybody looked at each other. Urahara continued.

"There must be a common factor between you four."

"What could it be?" Ichigo asked.

"I could try find it out, if the ladies here wouldn't deny me some blood and reiatsu samples..."

"What?" Renji asked, "Why don't you give him the samples?" he turned to Matsumoto. The voluptuous woman didn't look at him, she stood silent, but Yoruichi replied.

"It's my right to deny that. I don't want your little needles in me, hun." She said and then took a bite of that grilled meat that look so delicious. Damn, Renji was hungry again.

"What about Matsumoto-san?" Ichigo asked. The woman glared him and then her eyes moved to Hisagi. He looked back at her.

"Rangiku-san doesn't have to do it, if she doesn't want to." Hisagi said. Renji frowned. This was strange, Hisagi shouldn't indulge Matsumoto like that. He really needed to have a talk to him about that and about keeping things from Kira.

The blond was sitting next to Hisagi. Good, at least he didn't let his senpai's questioning behaviour get in their friendship.

Urahara sighed.

"Well, that is true. If you change your mind, please come as soon as possible. Yoruichi a word please?" Urahara said leaving the porch and entering the room. Reluctantly, the woman got up and left.

"I have an idea!" Matsumoto yelled startling everybody. Yoruichi returned and grabbed the plate with food she left behind, and went back inside the house like nothing happened.

"Let's do that secret game thingy that Kuchiki told us she did." Matsumoto suggested.

"The burning paper thing?"

"Yes."

"Rukia told you about that?" Ichigo asked curious.

"Yes, she told and I think we should do that! There's too much stress within us." Matsumoto said.

Kuchiki-taicho that was next to Renji, silent the all time, lowly asked.

"What is this, she is talking about what Rukia did?"

"Oh, it's a..." Renji thought what that really was, he still thought that secret relief technique was just a bunch of nonsense, "Rangiku can you explain what is it? Kuchiki-taicho doesn't know and wasn't with us when Rukia explained."

"Of course! Well, we set up a little fire... can someone go ask Urahara-san for something to light a fire?" Matsumoto said.

"I'll go!" Orihime volunteered and went inside the house.

"And bring some papers and pens." Matsumoto continued, "Anyway, we write a secret or a fear we have in a piece of paper and then we burn it, to liberate ourselves from that secret."

"Basically, the secret/fear dies the moment you burn the paper. From that moment on, it's a new beginning. It has a therapeutic effect." Ichigo explained.

"What do you say Taicho? Let's do this?" Renji asked the noble.

"I will stay out of it." He replied.

"Me too." Kira said.

"No way! If we are doing this, must be all of us together." Renji said.

"Exactly!" Matsumoto supported him.

After a few minutes of convincing them, Orihime arrived we the material.

The small bowl with fire was put in the corner of the yard to give privacy. The act of burning the secret away was something that should be sacred. It was the link between personal will and strength, something like that had to be taken seriously.

Matsumoto was the first one to write in the small hand-size paper, and throw it in the bowl of fire. The speed she used to do that, was enough to make everyone realize that she needed closure about something. Her feminine face looked somehow relieved when she returned to her earlier place.

Orihime gave a small speech about how her life was the way she wanted, and that she was happy, and she didn't want to change anything. Chad reminded her about the Arrancar that attacked Uryuu and Renji and she frantically wrote something and threw the paper to the fire. Chad also did it.

After them, Ishida and Ichigo went together there and stood nearby the fire talking calmly and minutes after they both threw their papers there.

For a while no one else went there, apart from the kids. Chatting went on and on, while papers were forgotten in some hands.

Renji's was still blank. He didn't write anything, because he didn't knew what to write.

Secrets?

Apart from loving Ichigo, he didn't have any.

Fears?

Apart from losing Ichigo, he didn't have any.

Shit. It was Ichigo, always Ichigo. His mind was filled with Ichigo.

He wrote.

Someone moved from the other side of Renji; Kira got up and walked to the bowl of fire and threw the paper firmly. Hisagi followed him and also did the same. As they returned the brunet said something to the blond, that made the last blush and smile.

'Damn you, Hisagi.'

Always getting so close, yet staying so far.

The night was hot, and the paper was still in his hand with only one name written.

'Ichigo.'

His fear and his secret... Well, some people speculated about him being interested in Ichigo, but no one knew he actually loved him. No one cared, anyway.

Eventually, almost everybody moved to inside the house, since it was really dark. Only the full moon and the small fire illuminated the back yard of Urahara's shop.

Only he and Byakuya were outside. The noble also had his piece of paper in his hand. It was immaculated and clean, unlike Renji's that looked like it went through war, but the name was still readable.

His taicho's eyes met his. The usual intense stare of those grey eyes was different. Byakuya's eyes had a softer look. Breaking the stare, the noble grabbed the pen that was placed next to him, and with his elegant long fingers he wrote something pretty long. When he finished, he folded the paper twice and got up and threw it to the fire.

Wow, even his taicho had no problems doing this, what was Renji afraid of? Was the idea of letting Ichigo go so bad?

After Byakuya went inside the house, Renji walked to the small bowl with fire.

This was stupid. He had to get rid of that uncertainty that was making him feeling so unlike him.

He threw the paper to the fire and watched it as it started to burn. The name facing him.

Was he really going to give up so easily? He loved Ichigo, he could try harder! Make the teen see he was a better catch than the Quincy.

"Fuck." He changed his mind. He couldn't let that paper burn. He wasn't ready to give up yet.

Without thinking too much he tried to catch it with his bare hand. He closed his eyes preparing for the pain, and put his hand on the fire and...

... nothing happened.

"Eh?"

Confused he looked down and saw the fire surrounding his hand, but he couldn't feel anything. He grabbed his burnt piece of paper and took it off. The paper was intact, just like when he put it before. His eyes widen.

"What the hell?"

He put his hand again on the bowl inside the fire. It was an illusion, someone was playing a prank. All he could see was fire, but his hand felt something else. The bottom of the bowl, and the papers in it.

An idea came to his mind... A weaked idea... But no, he couldn't... he shouldn't? Renji looked behind and everyone was inside the house, distracted. No one would know... right?

Those people's deepest secrets were in his hand... Ichigo's deepest secret was there!

Renji grabbed a paper and infolded it. His heart was beating so fast, if he was caught he was so screwed. The secret was written in a childish handwriting.

'I think my brother is gay. I hate it. I think Rukia likes him, and I don't know if I should tell her.'

What the fuck? Rukia likes Ichigo? Yeah, right, and Kyoraku-taicho never got laid. Renji laughed.

He took another paper. It had a familiar handwriting, that belong to Matsumoto, her curved strokes were almost her signature writing.

'Gin ruined my life'

This sound bad. She was still hurt by what that bastard did. Renji felt a bit guilty about reading his friends secrets, but he wanted to know Ichigo's.

Another one. This was definitely a girlie note. The hearts proved it.

'I think Kira-san is very handsome.'

Renji smiled. Someone had a crush on Kira, how cute was that?

Another.

'I miss mom.'

Must be from Ichigo's sister, how sad...

Ok, almost there, another one.

'I'm afraid of having sex.'

Renji blinked. This could potentially be Ichigo's. The kanjis were unfamiliar, so this should be his or Ishida's... Oh, or Chad's or Orihime's, but no, because Orihime's was next, and there was a small drawing of a monster being killed by stickmen with swords.

Another. This one was too familiar and too awkward.

'I'm losing my control'

'Shit, Hisagi... control of what? Your horny hormones or your zanpakuto?'

Renji didn't want to chuckle, but he did it anyway as he took another piece of paper. The kanjis were elegant and every stroke was perfect. This handwriting, he knew better than anyone else's. Everyday he read reports from him and he also had his taicho's caligraphy lessons, where the noble tried to teach him how to do similar strokes.

'I will not act cowardly anymore. I will put my feelings on top of my priorities. Things will change. I will change.'

This wasn't really a secret or a fear, but everybody had their own way to deal with this type of stress releases games. Byakuya looked like he was having an epiphany... Renji didn't understand what that meant though. It was something he would need to think better after.

Another.

'Yuzu-chan must love me!'

Way to go, Jinta! Renji laughed at the strong will of the boy, he took another paper and his smile faded away.

'I'm in love with Hisagi Shuuhei. I'm so sorry.'

He knew who wrote this. He knew those kanjis; they were elegant and expressive. They were Kira's.

"Holy shit." Renji looked back. The door was semi-opened and Kira's silhouette was visible next to Hisagi's.

"How could we've been so blind?"

Renji and Hisagi always thought that Kira was homophobic because of his uncomfortable behaviour every time someone mentioned the word "gay", but it was the exact opposite. Kira liked... No, loved Hisagi.

Renji felt the guilt come again for reading such an intimate secret, but damned...

Maybe Kira kept that secret because of the golden rule or something. He could have trusted Renji with that though, there was nothing wrong about it, on the contrary, it would be uber fun to talk about guys with him.

Kira and Hisagi... That's why they were always so close, and that's why Kira was so down when he felt Hisagi wasn't close to him.

This was shocking, really shocking but at the same time, it made so much sense. Well, at least someone was going to be very happy.

He took another paper that talked about protecting Orihime.

"Chad." Renji stated.

The last one. Ichigo's. Renji unfolded the paper and his eyes widen.

'Uryuu'

Just a name, like his own paper. Renji felt worse than before. Ichigo's fear was Uryuu, in the same way, Renji's fear was losing Ichigo.

... But he already lost him, it seemed.

Renji heard the door slide, and he rapidly put the papers back at the fake fire. He turned around and saw his blond friend.

"Kira!" Good, he could take care of this now and forget for a moment what Ichigo wrote.

"Abarai-kun, are you well? You are here all by yourself."

"Yeah, I was just thinking about life and stuff... Where's Hisagi?" Straight to the point.

"Matsumoto-san wanted to talk to him." The blond replied sheepishly.

"Oh... she's been acting weird."

"You noticed it too?" Kira asked.

Renji stared down at his feet as he spoke.

"Yeah, she's all weird and that thing about not giving blood or reiatsu samples, and the whole Gin issue and not drinking... and are you in love with Hisagi?"

"Yes, I agree... Wait, what?"

To be continued...


Looks like someone was caught XD Reviews are welcomed =) Next chapter will not take as long as this one! I promisse!