"Ohayou gozaimasu! Class, we're welcoming back one of our transfer students from earlier this year. You probably all remember Abarai Renji?" Misato Ochi announced to her class with an overly bright smile.

"Hai! Ohayou, Abarai-san!" They answered in unison. How could they have forgotten him? A twenty-year old with tattoos everywhere joining their class?

Renji was standing at the front with a ridiculously large smile on his face, when Ochi-sensei motioned towards the back of the room. "Abarai-san, you may sit yourself next Kurosaki-san's desk back there, like last time."

"Hai, Ochi-sensei! Arigatou gozaimasu!" he said, then made his way past the ogling girls and irritated guys to reach his seat. He bowed politely and smiled to each person he saw, until he sat down, when he let out a big rush of air and scowled.

It was the day after Ichigo left for training, and Renji had once again joined class 3A to stay closer to Rukia in case a hollow attacked. He had tried to drag Ikkaku and Yumichika along this time too, but they had mentioned something about a Combat Tournament being hosted by the Eleventh Division. It would be the most "badass" and "beautiful" tournament ever held, but he hadn't had time to ask why.

Now he was wishing he'd stayed in Soul Soceity for the tournament. How the hell was he supposed to do this for a month?

-Earlier-

"Renji! Pay attention! We only have another hour before school, and you must learn how to act properly around living people," Rukia scolded her old friend. She was on her knees with her trusty drawing pad out, ready to sketch anything she couldn't explain in words. Renji was relaxed on the floor of Ichigo's room, leaning against the bed while Kon in Ichigo's body flipped through a collection of magazines he had pulled out of a loose floorboard. Renji had tried to get a look at them but a couple murderous glares from Rukia had convinced him they weren't worth it.

He snapped to attention, "Sorry! Sorry, geez, what were you talkin about?"

Rukia let out a frustrated sigh before she explained, "I was telling you how to act around other people when they speak to you, baka. You know, you're worse than Ichigo at lis-"

"WHOA! Hold on, don't you start comparing me to him!" he cried.

Rukia grinned smugly. "Then be quiet and pay attention. I won't have you embarassing me in front of everyone."

She went over how to say "Onigeishimasu" and "Arigatou" for everything, how to kow-tow to everyone, and how to smile whenever anyone can see you. By the end of it Renji was feeling more like a woman than he'd felt that one time when Yumichika got drunk and started hitting on "the simply beautiful red-haired lady".

After forty-five minutes of lecturing, Renji couldn't stand it any more. "Alright, alright! I get it! Geez, I just have to be nice to everyone right?"

Rukia nodded. "Hai! Now, are you ready?" she asked as she pointed to the window sill. "Go out that way. You can't leave through the house with us because Ichigo's sisters don't know about everything yet."

Renji was halfway out the window, but twisted his neck to look back in surprise. "They don't know? How the- you know what? Nevermind. See ya outside, shorty," he said over his shoulder as he dropped out of view.

"Come on, Kon, we need to go to school. And those perverted magazines will be GONE by tonight, understand?" Rukia nodded to the body of Ichigo which was still flipping through pages hungrily, possessed as it was by the perverted mod-soul.

"But Nee-san!" he whined, which was thoroughly disturbing since he sounded just like Ichigo, the man who wouldn't be caught dead whining. "If I can't use these then I'll have to use real wom-!" he started to explain then stopped with a hungry look in his eye. "Nee-san, you're truly a genius!" he exclaimed as he dove in for a hug, trying to put his face in the beautiful valley of the goddess. *WHACK* "Oww Nee-san! What was that for?"

-Present-

"Abarai? What the hell is your stupid tattooed ass doing back here?" Tatsuki's voice cut across the room as she walked in late, a look of surprise plastered on her face.

Renji looked over and cringed. Last time he saw this girl, it meant only pain... She gave him a strange look before sitting down, and he turned back to the window. He noticed Rukia scribbling on her notepad and leaned over to see what she was up to. He gawked at her drawing of what looked like a bear, or a cat, or a- screw it, it was too crappy to know.

She always sketched so poorly... he thought. Renji tried to get his attention back on the class but found it impossible. Soon enough he began daydreaming about his past in the Rukongai, and how he had come to know and even love this girl, so much that he'd even come to the real world to help her out. Though I guess Kuchiki-taichou threatening to practice using his latest Senbonzakura techniques on me if I didn't watch her had something to do with it too... Sick bastard.

Rukia...

"Hey slowpoke! Come on!"

"Aah, what do you want?"

"Dummy, just come with me, you'll see!"

Small feet pattered along the dirt of the lower Rukongai as two young children ran through busy streets to a destination only one knew. She was petite and pale, the one in front, but a second glance revealed a quiet inner strength and will to survive. The boy following her was lean and tall, his bright hair an unusual sight in the dusty city. Both of them had lived through taunting and torment until they found each other through chance, along with a group of other children without families or homes.

The girl turned a corner and the boy nearly lost sight of her as he shouted her name.

"Rukia! Slow down already! I'm tired, are we almost there?"

The girl, Rukia, looked back as she ran and smiled.

"Stupid Renji, haven't you guessed it yet?"

Renji panted back, "Guessed what?"

"Where we're going! How can you not have gotten it by now?" she asked as she turned and stuck out her tongue. "You are pretty dumb, aren't you, dummy?"

Renji growled, "Why you-!" and nearly ran her over as she stopped. "Wha-Why'd ya stop, midget?"

Violet eyes shot fire at her hated nickname, but she turned and pointed. Just ahead was a large tree with easy to climb branches growing on a grassy hill overlooking the city. "Here! We're here. I can't believe you didn't guess it. This is where-" Rukia started to explain but was cut off as Renji interupted.

"Where we made the promise to always be friends, yeah, I know... Stupid midget, like I'd forget something like that?"

She turned up her nose and huffed, "Well you seem to have forgotten to not make fun of my height, pineapple."

Renji walked over and put a hand on her shoulder. "Sorry, Rukia, it's just fun to tease you," he said with a smirk.

She responded by elbowing him in the stomach. As he crunched into a ball and gasped for breath she said, "Alright, first one to the to the top of the tree gets bragging rights for a week! Loser has to cook!"

"Hnnh... Rukiaaa... The tree.. The tree is too tall for a midg... For a midget... Ru-" *BONK*

Renji sat up cursing in pain and looked around. He was still in class and everyone was staring at him. Oh shit, was I sleeping? he thought, then sensed a shadow to his left. Peeking over he saw Rukia sitting with a book raised as though ready to strike him, and her face was beet red. He was about to apologize when she suddenly entered school-girl mode.

"Ano, gomenesai, Abarai-san! I accidentally lost control of my book and it hit you on the head! Ahaha! You look weak, should I take you to the nurse's office?" she said dramatically, causing Renji to sweatdrop.

Before he could say anything she was already dragging him out the door towards the nurse's office. As soon as they were outside she kicked him hard and glared.

"Don't fall asleep in class, baka! And what were you thinking, dreaming about climbing a tree with me? We're supposed to barely know each other here!" she scolded.

Renji was saved from explaining himself when Rukia's soul-pager beeped. Flipping it open, she frowned, then looked at Renji. "Well, it looks like one weak hollow. Strange, they normally arrive in groups lately. We should leave our gigais on the roof, the others will know what's going on and keep them safe," she explained.

Moments later they were flying through the air towards the location of the hollow alert, and Renji couldn't help but smile as he thought of that promise so many years ago... We'll always be friends... Some day though... Some day it'll be more.

They neared the location of the hollow and slowed down, stopping on a rooftop to catch their breath before going in to a fight. Rukia stood with her back to Renji, and he felt a warm smile on his lips when he saw how the afternoon light was shining on her raven hair. Purple... he thought, why does it always shine purple?

*CRASH*

"Whoaaaa!" Renji yelled as the roof underneath him collapsed, sending him crashing through multiple stories of the building.

"HYYYRRRROOOOAAAARRR!" the loud roar of a hollow filled the air as Renji hit the bottom floor, hard.

"Oof!"

Rukia had mananged to jump away before her section caved in, and she stood peering through the dust to try and spot Renji. "Renji!" she called out. Hearing no reply, she drew Sode no Shirayuki from her sheath and leapt down through the dust.

Immediately after touching the ground, she dodged to the side to avoid a massive tentacle that erupted from where she'd landed. More tentacles began to shoot up out of the ground, and Rukia looked around for any sign of Renji, finally spotting him struggling with a few tentacles that were wrapped around his chest, squeezing hard. His face was red from the exertion, so she moved as fast as she could to cut him free and jump away with him before he succumbed to the pressure. They wound up on the remains of the third floor, looking down into a sea of tentacles with wide eyes.

Rukia shook her head, "The report said it was only a weak hollow, but the reiatsu I'm sensing from this is... unbelievable!"

"Yeah, well, I believe that this bastard is gonna have a nice long date with ZABIMARU!" Renji cried as he released his fanged blade and jumped back into the fray.

"Take THAT! And THAT! You want some more? Come get some!" he shouted, spinning Zabimaru in a massive bladed circle around his head. Left, right, up, down, the blade went in all directions to slice through the hollow appendages like butter. He had cut all the tentacles down to tiny wriggling stumps after awhile, but the reaitsu signature had remained just as strong.

"Renji, watch out, the hollow is sti-" *CRRA-A-A-SH* the floor literally exploded as a monstrous hollow climbed through on four gigantic legs.

Rukia coughed out dust, then looked back at Renji only to find herself stunned. No... no it can't be... she thought as she stared at the hollow. "Renji!" she screamed, "Don't let it touch you!"

Renji turned to her as he fired a Shakkahou at the beast's face to distract it. He saw a look of pure terror and anguish on Rukia's face that he only seen twice before in all the time they'd known eachother. That night Kuchiki-taicho nearly killed Ichigo for stealing her powers... And the night Kaien died, he remembered. "Rukia, what's wrong? What'll happen if it touches me?" he asked as he dodged a stray tentacle.

Rukia was shaking, her sword arm wouldn't lift itself, but she stared at the hollow with all the hatred in her soul. With heavy eyes, she turned to her lifetime friend.

"If it touches you, it will be worse than death."