Hi guys, I'm going to start trying to be punctual with my posting again, hopefully putting one up every week until the story is completed. (Yea right, I'm such a liar...)

Thanks to all my reviewers, you guys make me feel special even though I did disappear for a couple months on you. All of you inspire me to move forward and keep writing, that's what a good review does.

Flipomatic is always telling me that my reviewers are crazy, and I have to agree, thanks for all of your Renji blackmail ideas, they made me smile.

So I'm sure many of you have seen the poll on my profile page. For a long time, HitsuKarin has reigned supreme, but recently, IchiRuki has started to catch up! If you haven't gone and voted for your favorite couple yet, the time is now!

Disclaimer: :*( - would I be this sad if I owned bleach? I don't think so!

"Can't we do something new?" Karin asks, allowing a hint of annoyance to creep into her voice. All they had been doing was sword fighting and hand-to-hand, which she already knew. "How about we do something that will help me beat menos grandes easily?"

"Hmm," Toshiro considers what she says, "Fine. How about we have a race? First to go all the way around the border of the Seireitei and get back here wins."

Karin sheathes her sword and smiles widely as she responds, "You're on!"

Toshiro scoffs, "I'm not going to go easy on you."

"Good."

Toshiro places his hand on a nearby rock and Karin places her hand next to his, "Ready, set, go!" Toshiro shunpo's away, leaving Karin coughing in the dust.

"Hey! She yells after the now gone captain, "That's cheating!"

"What's cheating?" someone asks from behind her.

Karin spins around and glares angrily at the 10th squad captain as he leans against the rock, a smirk growing on his face. "You never said you were going to shunpo."

"You never said I couldn't use shunpo, so we are even."

Karin glares, but accepts that she lost the argument and plops down onto the earth beneath her. "What was the point of challenging me to a race then?"

Toshiro shrugs, "Maybe because I wanted a chuckle. It doesn't matter now, the point is, it is time for you to learn how to shunpo. Usually only captains and lieutenants can perform this move, but the head-captain feels that this is important for you if you are going to fight menos down in the world of the living."

The two spend the rest of the afternoon doing boring training, which I'm sure you don't really want to read about, so I am going to jump to a more interesting conversation going on between our very Rangiku and a very embarrassed Renji.

Rangiku waves the pictures around dangerously, a wide smile on her face. "That's right Renji, you better help us, or these are going on the internet."

"You don't need to do that Rangiku," Renji tries to keep his voice calm, and is watching for a moment where he can snatch back the photos.

Rangiku notices what he is doing, and promptly stuff's all of the photos except for one down her shirt. "You aren't getting these back from me until I have what I want from you."

A random passing soul reaper gives them a look as he passes by, one that says, 'I can't believe you just said that in public!'

Renji sighs in resignation, "What do you want?"

"It's about Karin and Toshiro, I know Ichigo had you read some dumb script to me, but what you do for us is going to have to be improve, and you can't tell Ichigo."

Renji takes a step away from Rangiku, eyeing the one leftover picture once again, "I'm supposed to tell Ichigo everything you're planning… can I still do that?"

Rangiku shrugs, "Doesn't matter to me, he can't do anything from the world of the living. You have to follow our plan though, you can't deviate to his."

Renji nods, "Sure I can do that, as long as those photos get back in my hands."

Rangiku fishes them out of her shikasho, "Yea yea, you're always straight to the point Renji. We are having fireworks in the Seireitei tonight, and you need to lure the two of them on top of a building, together."

"How am I going to do that?"

Rangiku leans in to whisper the plan into Renji's ear. "Rukia and I worked it all out, here's what you're going to do…."

When she is done, Renji nods, and puts his hand out for the photos. Rangiku complies, Renji is trustworthy. She walks away, whistling.

Renji takes a moment to look at the photos, some are from his childhood, others where he didn't put on the right face for a picture. One stands out in particular. In this one, Renji is in the academy, and he is kneeling next to a tree. The weird part is, Renji's mouth is stuffed to the brim with Acorns, and he is wagging his butt like it is a tail. The story behind this, Renji got hit with one too many kidos during practice and suffered from temporary amnesia. He forgot everything, but somehow came up with the idea that he must be a chipmunk. Other pictures of this time include him bounding across the parking lot on all fours, chittering angrily at other students, and flinging Acorns at people who come too close to his tree. Photos complimentary of Rukia Kuchki.

Oh how Renji hates that time.

Karin effectively shunpos across the field, making much better time than she would have hours ago.

"Not up to my level, but good enough." Toshiro comments. In truth, he is quite impressed with Karin's ability to quickly learn things, but he is too stubborn to tell her. "How about you shunpo all the way around the Seireitei, and we will call it a day.

"Sure," Karin disappears with a poof of smoke, and Toshiro stands in place calmly for thirty seconds. Then, she reappears, almost like a magic trick, this time sporting a large grin.

"Good, let's head back to the tenth squad barracks.

"Waaaiiit!" A voice calls out to them and a very familiar vice-captain runs up.

"Oh, hey Renji," Karin greets the lie tenant and waves.

Toshiro just sighs, the lieutenant never comes just to say hello, "What do you want Abarai?"

"Well you see, Hitsugaya-taicho, Ichigo Kurosaki has come here from the world of the living to challenge you in a one-on-one fight."

"Really?" Toshiro's eyes widen in surprise for a split second before he regains his icyness.

Karin looks puzzled as well, "Ichigo didn't tell me he was going to come up here…"

"Ichigo told me it was a last minute decision," Renji says quickly, "He wants Karin to watch, follow me and I'll take you to where he is."

The two trail after Renji, neither suspecting what was going to happen next.

Ok, before you go saying it's short, it's over 1000 words, that's not short in my book!

Now some review replies for my most favorite people ever. I'm gong to start bolding peoples names to make things easier on my readers.

SilveringBlue- Wow! Thanks for the very original view. Ever since I discovered present tense, I can't write in past. I go to do it and I end up half present, half past. Yea fade to black was the best movie ever! I'm not really a grimmy/soifon fan, but IchiRuki and HitsuKarin all the way. I try to be funny, it keeps people coming back for more, and they aren't always long *points at this chapter* Erm, that would be funny, but instead of pairing up with Rukia, I think Ichigo would just kill Renji in that scenario.

LadyQueria- All good, I was having trouble thinking of things too. I think Gin is going to live! That would just be so sad if he died.

LunaCat13- No need to apologize, I love long reviews, they make me happy happy happy. Yea it is getting kind of silly, but that's how my mind works I guess.

Turtle-chan in Blue- I don't see Renji having a bunny named Carrot, ever.

PunkRockHolly- Hmmm about that…. Thanks for the thoughts, Flip said something similar to me, and I'm adding the learning of the shunpo into this chapter. Thanks :) Rukia and Rangiku crack me up too.

KarinKurosakiHitsugaya913- hehehe ok, I'm sure they will kiss again before the story is over, no worries.

JWzipper- YUP! I enjoy making Renji suffer, I've never really like Renji, he is in the way of IchiRuki. I wish I could just get Renji out of the way, but that would make Rukia sad. He'd be in the way even if he were dead.

DeeDubb- thanks for the idea, randomness is always the best.

MeteorLeapord- Hee hee thanks for the idea. I used one of yours in the story, I'm pretty sure you can figure it out just be reading. Yea I hate writers block, it's so annoying because I want to write, I just… can't. Anyways, thanks again.

tichtich2- Ichigo never has the "right" approach, seeing as he can never really win battles at first. He always has the "losing phase," then the "learning phase" then the "winning phase" in all of his fights. Renji in women's underwear would be funny, now I've got to get that image out of my head…

anime-lover2410- Yay! I'm glad that you love it.

Ziryx- Yea, no one cares about Renji, he just isn't important enough. I personally don't really like Renji…

radmon2344- I love don't stop believing! That song is amazing. I remember the digimon opening, "Digimin, digital monsters, digital charging champions!" That song was so funny to listen to when I was younger. My first fanfiction was a Naruto fic, although… I don't remember which one was first since I used to post on TONFA.

flipomatic- Thanks for the review, pretty solid idea, but none that I used. The Byakuya one would be funny though.

Thanks again guys. To all of you who didn't get a reply. If you write me a review, I will respond, even if you just say "hello."

Here's my question for you all this time,

Do you think I should have the fireworks say messages?

If so, what?