Author's note: Not making demands or anything but reviews would be nice sometimes, guys.

"Who was your first kiss?"

Renji glanced over at the person sitting aside him, who was not looking at all different than the last time he had seen Shuuhei in his dreams. There was no ocean this time, but the grassy meadow that took the scene in this particular dreamscape rolled like emerald waves under the gentle push and pull of the breeze.

Renji was spread out on the ground, lying on his back with his hands folded behind his head as a cushion. He tried to focus on the clouds floating overhead in a gray, colorless sky. What, was his brain was too uncreative to make the sky a proper cheerful blue?

"I don't remember that topic coming up in conversation. Why do you ask?"

"Just call me curious." Dream-Shuuhei murmured as he sat cross-legged next to Renji, idly inspecting a yellow blossom he had plucked from one of the scattered patches of wildflowers that cropped up in the meadow. The flower was twirled by its stem in his long fingers, petals dancing as they picked up the faintest traces of the wind.

Renji sighed, turning his head so he could see Shuuhei between the stiff blades of grass taking up most of his vision. "I know what you're trying to pull here. Don't treat me like I'm stupid."

Dream-Shuuhei adopted an expression of mock-mortification, brows raised over exaggeratingly wide eyes, putting down the flower in his hand and questioningly pointing to himself in a perfect picture of innocent obliviousness.

Renji rolled his own eyes, not impressed. "Don't act innocent. I know this is your own weird way of pushing the whole 'feelings for Shuuhei' thing on me again. I so am not interested in getting a lecture from you again."

"I thought we had elaborated the last time I spoke to you here that I was merely a manifestation of your own deeper desires and impulses, therefore I literally cannot push anything upon you that you aren't already pushing upon yourself somewhere in your psyche." Shuuhei pointed out, slumping over to rest his elbows on his knees. Thoughtfully, his eyes gazed out into the distance but at what Renji wasn't sure since when he raised his head to look in that direction all he could see was the miles and miles of rolling plains.

"You know I hate it when you do that." Renji whined, letting his head fall back against the grass. "And you can forget about all the overly personal questions and psychobabble working on me, because nothing you say is going to make me confess anything."

"So you admit that there is something to be confessed."

Renji threw an arm from under his head to over his eyes, blocking out the dream-sunlight and the sight of Shuuhei smirking at him, "This is revenge for sending the real you home in the waking world, isn't it? You're plaguing my mind by being extra-irritating as punishment."

"No, I wouldn't do that because I don't think you were totally in the wrong with that decision. You just had a lousy, half-assed way of going about it. Then again, maybe that's just you making me say those things so you'll feel less guilty. But I digress," Shuuhei lightly rapped against Renji's forehead with his knuckles, "come on, spoilsport! The realm of dreams is no place to dwell on physical problems in your waking life. We're all about you and your emotional problems here. First kiss. Exclude no gory details. Go."

"But if you're a part of my mind, shouldn't you already know the answer to that question?" Renji asked, raising his arm to fend off Shuuhei's fist, "Unless by asking me, I don't really know, myself? Or is it, like, by subconscious and my conscious memories are different? Or-"

"Just answer before you hurt yourself."

Renji sighed, bracing himself to speak, "My first kiss was on my graduation from the academy with a girl who was assigned the fifth division with me way back. I don't remember her very well. She was nice. Dark skin. Pretty. But that's all that I can really recall."

Leaning in, pressing his fists to his cheeks, Shuuhei looked surprised. "After the academy? So late?"

"It's not late! Shut up, okay! I wasn't in a rush!" Renji defended, sitting up to point a razor-sharp glare at Shuuhei, "There's nothing wrong with it. And we had sex afterwards, so there."

"First kiss and first fuck in the same night, eh?"

Renji waited a second, hesitating as if to see if Shuuhei was mocking him. After the moment passed and Shuuhei's face betrayed no pretense of cruelty or laughter, he cautiously continued, "Yeah. I didn't tell her that, of course, but I think she could figure it out easy enough. I guess that doesn't sound very romantic or cool, does it?"

"Nope." Shuuhei confirmed, "But that's okay. People do things at different paces. How was it?"

"The kiss or the fucking?"

"Either. Both, I guess."

Renji shrugged. He turned his gaze to the distance, following Shuuhei's eyes over the hills to a place unseen. "S'alright, I suppose. It felt real good when I was doing it, but I didn't feel special or different or anything afterwards with either one. It's not like the gates of sexual awareness descended down upon me from above and handed me my official, designated guidebook on how to be a sex god. Really, I was just kinda glad I got it over with. I would have done it a lot sooner if real-you hadn't warned me about Smoky McCigBreath. Thanks for that, by the way."

"I didn't actually do that, but you're welcome. Hmm." Shuuhei tapped cheek over the tattoo with an idle finger, "Maybe that's why you're afraid of deeper feelings in your relationships. Are you scared that if you get into a serious relationship that you'll be disappointed if it doesn't make you feel different or special?"

Renji groaned, rolling his head onto one shoulder, "This shit again!"

"Fine, fine! I'll shut up now. Besides, you're never gonna end up learn anything if I have to sit here spouting all the answers for you."

"Good, then." Renji said, twisting his mouth defiantly into a scowl.

A moment passed. Then another. Or perhaps it was no time at all that had moved. The process of time in dreams sure is confusing. Renji lay in the grass, Shuuhei looked over the hills, the breeze continued to roll the grass along like ripples in a puddle.

After a few more presumed moments of silence, Renji finally broke. "So what now?"

"Hmm?" Shuuhei hummed again, "What do you mean 'what now'? You wanted me to stop psychoanalyzing you, so I did."

Renji turned over on his side, supporting himself with one elbow, "I mean last time I stopped dreaming after I jumped into that chasm thingy. How do I know when I wake up now?"

"Dreams don't always have to be so dramatic, Renji. Sometimes they just keep going until they stop. You'll know you're awake when you wake up."

"God." Renji moaned, falling back against the grass, "That's such a load of-"

A blinding, stabbing pain struck Renji's temple before he realized it was the sensation of consciousness. His feet were freezing cold, and he had kicked the covers off again. He had rolled precariously close to the edge of the futon so that half his body was pressed against the floor. Which was also cold.

Renji cracked one eyelid open, and was greeted by the Urahara guest room's ceiling. With a groan, Renji pulled the covers back over his body, rolling over to the other side of the futon. "… bullshit."

Renji did, eventually, get up to greet the morning, but it was mainly due to an empty stomach provoking his attention. Cursing mornings and all who dared to enjoy them, Renji pawed around the nearby floor for his clothing and pulled them underneath his sheets to get dressed in relative warmth.

After that was done with only mild struggling, Renji could confidently roll back onto the floor as he regained control of his motor functions and pulled his hair back into his ponytail. Now standing, a yawn forced its way out of his mouth and Renji rubbed his eye with his fist as he stumbled to the window.

We wished he hadn't. It was still dark outside, what was visible of the town pitched under a blanket of darkness just preceding dawn, the feeble light that was present standing out in contrast of the thin white sprinkle of snow powdering the rooftops and sidewalks. If Renji had been more energetic he might consider the scene rather enchanting, but the dream starring Renji's subconscious in its reoccurring role of Hisagi Shuuhei had drained all the philosophical or poetic properties out of him.

A pathetic growl came from Renji's stomach, vying for attention and food, making him grimace. Renji's pride had taken its fair share of hits since becoming a guest to the Urahara household, but so far he had not stooped to having to wake anyone up to make him breakfast. On the other hand, Urahara and Jinta usually made it as difficult as possible for Renji to get his hands on any leftovers that may be available, and recently Tessai and Yoruichi had made it into a game to see who could kido-trap any food to self-destruct the moment someone snuck a greedy paw too close. No one ever admitted to anything, but he was pretty sure Tessai was winning by now.

Fair enough. Renji would just bother someone else for breakfast.

Ichigo's family's house was close enough that Renji could walk the long way there and still arrive well before the winter sun was up, but he chose to make a swift departure. Admittedly, it wasn't just because of the need for food, but the need for company as well that prompted his speed. Renji didn't want to be alone with his thoughts just now.

Stupid Shuuhei, butting into Renji's brain again! And the worst part being that the real life Shuuhei probably didn't even know it. He probably in his quarters sleeping right now, obliviously unaware of his obnoxious dream-self counterpart, and its firm insistence on making Renji talk about his dumb feelings.

At the thought of Shuuhei, Renji's stomach felt a little heavier and it wasn't from a lack of food this time. Dream-Shuuhei had been right when he chastised Renji's harshness in kicking Shuuhei out of the mission, and while it may have been for his own good the thought didn't help Renji feel any better about it. Shuuhei had probably spent the whole night sulking, and when Shuuhei sulked he tended to be especially vulnerable to peer pressure, not that the scarred vice-captain would ever admit such a thing. Renji would be surprised if one of their other friends had led Shuuhei to a bar to drown his sorrows in.

Renji hoped this wasn't the case. Shuuhei had made a lot of progress in straying from his old self-destructive habits since the Winter War/Tousen situation.

Renji stopped in his tracks, slapping a palm to his forehead with a groan. In sending Shuuhei away he had meant to keep himself from worrying about Shuuhei only to invent more possible scenarios to worry about Shuuhei for!

Trying to cast aside those thoughts in his mind, Renji focused on landing on the perch of Ichigo's window.

It took about fifteen loud taps on Ichigo's windowpane before Rukia heard from the guest room and stomped into the bedroom. She leaned over the bed of a soundly sleeping Ichigo to open the window, wincing at the sudden influx of frigid air and flurry of snow that kicked in from outside.

"Thanks." Renji murmured, climbing through and not really caring when he accidentally kicked Ichigo, waking the teen up as he got to the floor.

Ichigo groaned under the covers, "I should quit being a shinigami and just get cats."

Rukia didn't look too enthusiastic herself to see Renji, her normally glossy and neat hair tangled and mussed, rubbing her eyes tiredly. "Renji, it's like four in the morning. What the hell are you even doing here?"

"I want food. Feed me now."

"Four. In the morning, Renji!"

Something shuffled behind the door of the bedroom closet, and after a second the door slid open and Kon's plush yellow head popped through, "Can't a guy get any sleep in this house! I need my beauty rest, you know."

"I'll say you will," Ichigo agreed, voice muffled by the blankets, "you're going to school today and you've got a hell of a math test to take."

The mod soul flopped down onto the floor, bounding over to Rukia, "Dumping your work on me again, eh? That's fine with me, since it will be just me and my precious Sis-"

Kon jumped to embrace Rukia's leg, only to meet a swift kick to the side from Rukia's foot. "Don't be ridiculous. I'm going too."

"Awww…"

"And no, Renji, we're not talking pity and feeding you! We have enough strays around here and it's too early for his nonsense."

Renji rubbed at his abdomen in protest, "It's seven somewhere in the world! Come on, you know I can't get any food at Urahara's, just let me peek in your fridge real quick!"

Ichigo waved an arm lazily, "Fine, just don't wake up my dad or sisters. We should get up early today anyways. There's poptarts and junk in the cupboard. Don't set anything on fire."

"I make no promises."

Ichigo's kitchen narrowly avoided being set aflame thanks to Renji's decision to eat poptarts cold. The toaster was a wonderous product of human innovation and real world technology, but it was not to be trusted.

He was debating whether or not to open a second package when Ichigo and Rukia unceremoniously entered the kitchen, still in their night-clothes and looking no less sleepy than before.

"Well don't you two look cheery. You know I heard it's bad for teenagers to sleep too much- hey!" Renji complained as Rukia relieved the package of poptarts from him.

Rukia snapped the plastic open and chastised him around a bite of chocolate-fudge flavor, "Don't whine! It's annoying."

"You're both annoying." Ichigo threw in, shuffling around the contents of the cupboard to retrieve a bowl of cereal.

"It's a mutual gift." Rukia admitted with a slight shrug. After swallowing the contents of the first poptart, she took more time with the second, picking it apart cryptically as she studied Renji from across the kitchen table. "How'd your talk with Hisagi yesterday go? Is he still mad at you?"

Trust Rukia to hone in on the one topic Renji was actively trying to avoid thinking of, "Probably. But we'll both move on."

"You're not worried, then? I've heard he can be pretty intense when something sets him off."

"Worried? Nah." Renji answered, completely confident with his answer this time, "Shuuhei puts on the whole 'serious and responsible' act but trust me when I say- and I mean this in the most affectionate way possible- he is secretly a massive dork."

A bit of milk splattered around the bowl onto the counter, missing the cereal entirely when Ichigo looked to Renji in surprise. "Seriously?"

"Mmmhmm," Renji confirmed with a wide, sincere smile, adding fondly, "Ever since the academy he's actually been the biggest nerd."

He caught Rukia's eye and the smile slipped off his face at the mischievous look she gave him. The corner of one mouth twitched upwards as she dissected her poptarts into bottom crusts and top crusts.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"What?" Renji pressed, voice flattening to a gruff tone. At Rukia's continued silence, he looked back to Ichigo shuffling to take the seat between them. "What is it?"

"Huh?" Ichigo looked up rather distractedly before going back to his cereal, "Oh. You called Hisagi by his given name."

Well that habit was bound to get noticed sooner or later. Perhaps it was a mercy that they were up so early, and that the light was so dim that the blood flowing to gather and glow in Renji's face could not be detected. "So?"

Ichigo shrugged, only offering a terse "I dunno." while Rukia continued to wear that smug smile.

"Shuddup and eat yer breakfast."

Renji wasn't entirely sure what Huenco Mundo would look like by now. His imagination's eye was caught between his first impression of the plane, being barren desert- lifeless except for the hollows that roamed few and far between, and Shuuhei's description of teeming with creatures like flies over a spoiled piece of meat.

What he got wasn't quite either. The desert appeared as empty as Renji guessed it would be, but he could sense spiritual pressure, a mass of raw energy that nearly knocked him off his feet from the sheer throbbing pulse of it beating beneath his feet.

Ichigo first noticed the holes. Massive craters of various sized, the biggest easily being the size of a house. When the orange-haired teen leaned in over the side, the sand shifting under his feet was unsettled and kicked into the mouth, into the descending dark until is disappeared into the black. Renji was eerily reminded of his dream under the ocean.

"Holes?" Ichigo asked, crouching over the edge. His voice echoed deeply from within the chasm.

Rukia and Renji joined him in peering over the side. "Tunnels." Rukia clarified, "I can feel more of them underneath. There's something else down there too…"

"Guess that's why there aren't any hollows up here to say hello. They've all dug underground for something else." Renji predicted, suspiciously eyeing the gap. It was a ridiculous sentiment, but he couldn't help but keep expecting to be pulled into it like he was in his first dream. "We're going in those things, aren't we?"

"Oh yeah." Ichigo confirmed. None of the trio moved, however. They stared into what was for all they knew a bottomless pit. If one's balance was lost, it was easy to imagine them falling, falling, falling down and not fathoming where the end of the tunnel could possibly be.

"Maybe not this one, though."

"I like that smaller one over there. That one is nice."