Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.
Fazed
Renji's POV
Hitsugaya Tōshirō was courting his childhood friend.
Hitsugaya Tōshirō was courting his childhood friend.
Hitsugaya Tōshirō was courting his—
Renji groaned.
Because what the actual fuck?
When he'd first heard the news from an exasperated Hisagi and a drunken Matsumoto, he'd thought them joking. Surely, they must've conjured up some strange fantasy or misinterpreted a casual interaction because it was just too fetched to be real. Captain Hitsugaya was notorious for not being interested in anything beyond his own small circle, and Rukia was… she was…
His heart squeezed at the thought of her.
An obnoxious brat, his mind supplied, and he reaffirmed the thought with a firm shake of his head. He squashed any feeling of denial that welled up inside of him with the efficiency of a skilled blacksmith crafting a new blade. When did he even become interested? Spirits, why is he interested? She's Rukia, damnit!
And he didn't mean that in a bad way. Not entirely.
She was the Kuchiki princess, who had a weakness for cute toys and sweets, who had defiance in spades, who had a stubborn streak two miles long to ever yield to anyone but her brother, whose grin could light up a room more efficiently than any flame, who—
Renji could go on and on about her in ways that he was sure Hitsugaya-fucking-Tōshirō wouldn't be able to. And… and…
Shit, he thought, rapping his knuckles hard against his temples. I just answered my own question, didn't I?
He groaned and clenched his fists so tightly that they ached. His whole body was shaking, and right now, he didn't know if it was from frustration or anger—possibly both.
Whenever Renji thought of Rukia, he inevitably recalled her brother—his captain—that lingered over her shoulder like an unshakable shadow. The same prideful man that would maim anyone foolish enough to step close enough to hurt her. Even though it wasn't immediately apparent to outsiders, Kuchiki Byakuya was protective to a suffocating degree. Renji still couldn't believe that he had once actually pleaded with the uppers in the Thirteen Court Guard Squads to keep Rukia from obtaining a higher seat. As if that wasn't bad enough, the Kuchiki family stood at the top of Soul Society. Although they had once been close enough to share the same chipped rice bowl, Rukia was nigh unreachable now.
… But she isn't quite as unreachable for the Captain of the Tenth Division, he thought scathingly, at once hating himself for his own weakness and ruing the careless words he'd spoken to her all those years ago at the Academy.
Renji had known that this day would come. Part of Rukia's job as a member of the esteemed Kuchiki family was to produce an heir in place of her older brother, who Renji highly doubted would ever marry again—not without a fight at least. In truth, he had just naively believed that when the day finally came around, he'd be in a position to request her hand himself. Renji didn't even consider the possibility of someone like Captain Hitsugaya going after her. More than that, he didn't think Captain Kuchiki would even approve. He had dismissed all other courtship requests thus far after all.
But there was no reason to sack it, was there? he considered. Captain HItsugaya was a child genius with a coincidentally similar element. The very boy, no, man that Captain Kyoraku had no qualms about admitting would be stronger than him in a few decades. He was more than qualified to be with Rukia.
And regardless of his qualifications, Captain Hitsugaya was genuine. Renji knew it simply because he'd never actively shown interest in anyone else… but that was part of the problem! Renji couldn't hate him if he was genuine! Ashy spirits, he couldn't even hate him now. Renji respected Captain Hitsugaya's power and his ability to lead too much to feel any sort of lasting animosity towards him.
He just hadn't thought his captain would actually approve Captain Hitsugaya's request to court her.
I'm thinking in circles now. Renji rubbed his forehead in sudden exhaustion. He couldn't properly express his anguish at that precise moment. I'm not going to get anywhere like this. What did Rukia tell me once… something about me sucking at thinki—
He banged the heels of his hands against his temples to dismiss the sound of her voice in his head.
For reasons he still didn't want to own up to, Renji wished Rukia was there right now to knock some sense into him. Even if she was kicking the back of his knees and laughing that damnable laugh of hers, her presence still offered him comfort like no other.
I can't keep doing this. Standing around is the same as running away. I need to go to the cause.
Making up his mind, Renji walked toward the direction of the Tenth Division.
Renji needed to know what Rukia was to him.
A/N: Please review.