Chapter 5 - Settle

"No!" Renji shouted, half in shock, half in denial. He couldn't be hearing Rukia right, could he?

He peered uncertainly at his captain, who was still calmly nursing his teacup, "right, Captain...?"

"Your assumption is correct, Rukia," the Kuchiki noble stated, answering his sister's previous query instead of minding the redhead's need for confirmation. Despite the increasingly thickening tension in the room, he pushed through with a calm demeanor as if to offset the outrage his lieutenant was surely going to make.

"Oh Renji this is going to be great!" the smaller Kuchiki exclaimed, her eyes twinkling with excitement.

Then, as if reminded of something, sobered to a sheepish mumble, "I'm sorry about your apartment though."

"Yeah, thanks to you Kuchiki people for taking my stuff," he said sarcastically, his tone sharp but clearly distracted from the panicked thought of his captain wanting him to move in so he can be monitored all the damn time.

"Well, that too but—"

"Now what the hell are you talking about?" Renji demanded suspiciously, cutting his friend's sentence short. His temper was not the best thing to test right now, because he just found out that his captain took his things without his permission, and he hadn't yet to scream at the infuriatingly calm raven for that, who, he might add, was idly nibbling on a piece of kaki no tane right now.

"Wait, I thought you're here because you already knew...?" Rukia trailed off hesitantly. Seeing the disgruntled look in her redhaired friend's face, she knew she was in for it. Did nii-sama not tell Renji anything?

She looked at her brother for help, but seeing that he wasn't about to answer to his actions just yet, she quickly sum up, "Uh, your apartment complex was bought in for a new entertainment complex project, sortathing."

"The whole complex?" Renji raised his eyebrows incredulously, "who the heck got the money to do that in Rukongai? I mean the Shiba is there, but last time I checked they're all busy making firecrackers for a living," he rambled, now very much derailed from the more pressing matter. He was not known for staying on topic for long, after all. His short attention span was comparable to that of a cat.

"Well... it wasn't anyone in Rukongai," Rukia shrugged, annoyance in her voice due to her brother's nonchalance. As much as she admires her adoptive brother, she was about ready to drop the bomb that she knew she would watch in snide satisfaction as it blows up on her brother's cool face in the shape of a certain redhead. But her plan was torn apart when her brother cut in before she could.

"The Kuchiki Family bought the complex if you must know, Lieutenant," Byakuya calmly explained, his tone deep and almost bored, as if it wasn't worth his time. Rukia could almost feel the eye-roll, if only he was a lesser man.

But that wasn't the problem right now, as she discreetly peeked to see her oldest friend's reaction. She could see his form trembling, his reiatsu spiking almost erratically. Oh boy, is he gonna get it, she thought of her brother's fate, grimacing.

"Sorry," she half-whispered as if it was going to help the situation.

It just tipped the redhead to the edge.

"What!" Renji roared. His reiatsu clearly going off to reflect his fury. The whole room was blasted by the force of his reiatsu, now he got back on track.

Byakuya's scrolls and brushes falling off the table he was currently sitting in front of, and his newly finished work strewn off to land on his lap, the fresh ink seeping into his yukata. Eyebrows furrowed in irritation, he let out a burst of reiatsu of his own almost instinctually. It was his favorite yukata and it was his most extensive calligraphy work yet.

Sensing the catastrophe that was about to blow over, Rukia quickly stood up and excused herself.

"Whelp I better see to your stuff in case the movers damage your headgears!" she shouted behind her back as she sprinted off the vicinity, telling the servants lurking nearby to not go near that room.

Abruptly snapping out of his furious thoughts when hearing about 'his headgears', Renji called to the escaping raven, "my what! Rukia, wait—she's gone," he banged his head against the shoji, "great."

Calming down from his outburst also, Byakuya picked up the brushes and scrolls that were thrown close to his reach, setting the now ruined calligraphy from his lap to the side to be thrown away later, he adjusted his yukata and as calmly as he could, tried to wipe the ink stain on his lap.

"Do not be alarmed, Abarai, it is all as planned," Byakuya remarked coolly, slowly scrubbing the ink—that will surely stain forever, so he would have to dispose of it anyway—to keep his hands from being idle following the silent tension in the room.

Something told him that the redhead already worked that piece of the information by himself, though, given his outburst.

Sitting up straight to pierce his captain with his glare, his nose flaring in barely retrained anger with how infuriatingly calm the Kuchiki was despite his hands in the matter.

"You," Renji pointed accusingly at the noble, formality and due respect for a supervising officer be damned, "bought the whole fucking apartment complex—my apartment—to make an entertainment center that is all a ruse... to get me to move here," he growled out the last words, the sentence more of a statement than a question as he kept his glare at the raven-haired noble.

"Indeed."

"B-but, but why!" Renji sputtered out indignantly, thrown off-guard by the simple and innocent response, forgetting his rage for the moment.

The Kuchiki exhaled softly, narrowed his eyes in annoyance, "Did you not hear my previous explanation, Lieutenant Abarai?" he really did not like to repeat himself, moreover, the redhead proved to be quite distracting in his fury with his glowing form adding to his surprisingly attractive anger. His reiatsu seemed to add its color to the glow, giving it a reddish hue, which suited the redhead quite charmingly.

He was pulled off his train of appreciative—but very much inappropriately timed—thoughts when the lieutenant spoke next.

"I haven't told you this, Captain, but I haven't had any 'weird' episode since that night at the cliff, I swear!" Renji exclaimed, " and I'm pretty sure it's all a-a, a weird, isolated, completely delirious episode that will never happen again!" his voice taking a hysterical pitch as he tried to prove the ridiculousness of Byakuya's actions.

"Abarai," the Kuchiki called his name sharply to snap him from his hysteria, "it seems you are under the impression that whoever was monitoring your movement doesn't have the ability to take alternative actions," he ground out. Just the thought of his stubborn lieutenant being left alone and the incidents happened again without Byakuya around made him want to punch the nearest wall. But it appeared the redhead just did not get the situation he was in.

He was disappointed that his second-in-command had little regard to his own safety, and to the risks his continued exposure to the 'threat' without Byakuya's watchful eyes could bring to Soul Society as a whole. For all he knew, the incidents surrounding his subordinate was linked to a much larger scale of threat. Even Aizen.

The Kuchiki Head frowned, "If indeed so, you are more naïve than I previously thought."

Renji flinched at his captain's insinuation, "you mean... there's a chance that," he gulped, "there's a chance that they... he is going to do more?"

Only now did he think about the other, much worse scenarios of his dismissal of the matter. Even if he thought it was a ridiculous notion, he realized that all and every risk that could threaten the peace in Soul Society should be accounted for and investigated thoroughly, including what he experienced scant a few days ago. Indeed, for him to sleepwalk consecutively for three days and meeting a suspicious person in his visions that seemed to be waiting for something...

"How are you so sure it's real?" Renji muttered softly, wondering how his captain can be so certain when Renji was doubtful. He experienced them, but at the moment, he just couldn't help but feel as if it was all just a weird dream.

'Because I experienced a peculiar incident with my reiryoku and you are glowing since that night, and I know it's all connected,' was at the tip of his tongue, but Byakuya decided now was not the time to confuse the redhead even more, what with him being the only one who could see the phenomenon. he was relieved that his lieutenant continued, so that he would not have to explain himself, which he couldn't, anyway, not without revealing that piece of information.

"Captain... we don't even know if he's a friend or foe," Renji trailed off, his tone unsure.

For all he knew, that person in his visions; he could be harmless, couldn't he? From what Renji remembered, the red-eyed man gave off a tortured vibe rather than a threat, as if an exile biding his time, thirsty for contact with his beloved. Renji didn't want to think of who that person was, reminded how the man caressed him so tenderly, his eyes so red and longing. Familiar. He couldn't think of that man as an enemy. And it terrified him.

"Which is precisely why I am conducting this plan to determine their status," Byakuya stated matter-of-factly. He could see the light of understanding beginning to show through his lieutenant's eyes, for which he was glad. He wasn't in the mood for a prolonged debate with the stubborn redhead.

"I—okay. Alright," Renji finally relented, "I'm trusting you on this. Even though I can't say if I agree with how you do things," he said imploringly, hoping that his captain would at least say a word or two that showed his remorse for his actions, even indirectly.

"It is efficient," Byakuya offhandedly drawled, his tone dismissive, a cue for Renji to let the matter go.

Renji's eyes narrowed, "it disregards my consent and breaches my privacy, Captain Kuchiki," the redhead bit out, his voice wet and his dissipating rage came back full force. This time, hurt got thrown in the mix, at how his captain could be so insensitive to others' feelings. It was a different kind of anger. It was not explosive nor was it loud and expressive; it was quiet, and it cut deeper into Byakuya's stunned reverie than any outbursts.

Renji stood up quietly, his eyes downcast, "but I see that you don't care about any of that."

"Abarai—"

"Excuse me, Captain. Got stuff to unload," the redhead said behind his back as he took his leave. Somehow, Byakuya could hear the thickness in his lieutenant's voice, the stuttered exhale of breath; and he dreaded the implication.

The next time Rukia found Renji, he was quietly shuffling through his things that he found in his assigned room at the manor. She took careful steps as if approaching a wounded animal, making sure she kept her reiatsu in check as to not surprise the redhead.

At first he remained silent, his hands moving deftly to separate his clothes and trinkets. He was silently glad that the movers took care to not damage his accessories. The first time he entered the room after a servant came to escort him, he was surprised to see how spacious it was. Definitely much bigger than his apartment, dare he say it was as big as the room his captain was in previously. He took to silently arranging the room that would be his, dismissing the servant when he offered to assist him.

He knew he couldn't ignore the remorseful Kuchiki, even though it wasn't in any way her fault, any of it. He noted that it was always her who felt the most regret when bad things happen to those who are close to her, as if everything was on her. The moment he let her assist him, he could hear her sigh of relief and light cheerfulness coming back to her voice.

She profusely apologized during the time; for her ignorance, for her brother's insensitive gestures, and anything and everything she could come up with. Renji had to stop her from her increasingly depressing thoughts and patted her head in forgiveness. The raven-haired girl was glad that at least her friend was forgiving, though she couldn't help but think that there was something that both her brother and her friend was not telling her. It was one thing to be upset knowing he was abruptly being moved by her brother, but Renji's reaction, not to mention the aftermath where she found him at his room, it screamed that something was very off. She didn't try to pursue this suspicion of hers, though, she didn't want to upset the redhead further.

After that, lightness came back to their interactions, jokes, and insults thrown back and forth good-naturedly. Rukia got to tell him what the entertainment complex was going to be like, with its traditional theatres and cabaret clubs, it was decidedly going to be the light of the district. Renji even got to joke about how surreal it was for the Kuchiki family to do any sort of business other than official duties mandated by the royal family. To that Rukia sniped, "well we didn't get all this from archiving Soul Society's history, that's for sure," gesturing to the entire Kuchiki wealth.

Coming up to the topic of the apartments being turned into an entertainment complex of some sort, Renji wondered what would happen to the residences that lived there. Sure it was the more uptown district with mostly wealthy merchants and government officers, which was why Renji chose to live there in the first place, as a high-ranking officer himself. But surely they would experience some sort of loss by being forcefully evicted like that. He voiced his thoughts to Rukia, to which she replied, "nii-sama said they are all heftily compensated," her wordings vague, as if she either was hiding something or it was exactly what the Kuchiki Head told her, which was not at all surprising.

"Compensated, huh," Renji mumbled the words. He wondered what kind of compensation his captain was talking about, but that was just to distract himself from the root cause of his agitation. The thought that Kuchiki Byakuya could cause all these inconveniences to all those people just to manipulate this outcome sickened Renji.

He blurted an excuse that he wanted to meditate, just so that Rukia could leave him alone to his musing—perhaps talking to Zabimaru could release some of his more distressing thoughts. Rukia, sensing her friend's disconcert coming back once again, assent quietly and left the redhead alone, reminding him to come to dinner in a few hours. Closing the shoji to Renji's room softly, she set to a brisk pace.

She had a brother to confront.

"What's got your panties in a twist, Renji?" a gruff voice called, coming from a large white baboon crouching in front of Renji. A white snake coiled on the shoulder of the creature, it's long body disappeared behind the baboon's back, connected as if as a tail.

"Zabimaru..." Renji voiced quietly, slumping down on a large rock, "it's my Captain," he sighed.

He was in his inner world, a golden terrain barren of all things except rocks and cliffs. Zabimaru stood in front of him, both their heads cocked to the side as they watched their wielder closed his eyes.

"You know he's only doing what he's doing because he thought it was the best thing to do?" the baboon reasoned, following the snake's urging to come closer to the redhead. Renji opened his eyes and smiled tiredly, stroking the black markings on the baboon's hide—the inspiration to his tattoo design.

"Of course. of course, he's doing this because it's the best thing to do..." Renji sighed out loud, grumbling, "it's just that he, he should have been more considerate."

"That's just how he's raised, though, don't you think?" the snake snorted, it's long body held high as if looking down on Renji, "He'd do stuff that he thinks is the best, regardless what anyone else thinks. And he gets what he wants, he's a born and raised noble, after all."

"True," Renji huffed out, "still a stickler for rules though."

"Rules that don't hinder him," the snake pointed, "rules that, so far, has been in line with his own."

That left Renji thinking. It was true, since realizing that his sister's life was worth more than sticking to the law that was about to kill her, there was really nothing that held his captain back against the rules and laws of Soul Society. He's a strict rule follower, but not because he's incapable of doing anything about it, but because he simply prefers order than chaos. Ever since the incident with Rukia, let's just say that Renji had the utmost confidence that his captain would do anything to make sure his sister won't get hurt, ever.

"The minute your military goes against that..." the snake continued, "well, they're making him their enemy too." Renji shuddered at the thought of his captain being the enemy, memories of fighting him in the past resurfacing in his mind. It was a very definitive moment in Renji's life, to go against the man that he always respected and admired, the man he's always been striving to surpass, and to be horribly defeated. He was just glad that the Kuchiki was on their side.

"You make him sound like a bad person, Hebi," Renji muttered.

The snake, Hebi, slithered to rest on Renji's lap, the baboon also followed to rest beside Renji, on which Renji immediately sink his body. "Yeah, well. Truth is, he and a handful of your captain-level shinigami can overthrow Seireitei overnight if they have the right incentives," the snake spoke again, the baboon besides Renji grunted in agreement, "especially your captain and that spiky head giant. Monsters, the lot of them."

"What, you don't think we can overthrow Seireitei ourselves?" Renji challenged playfully.

"Give me a break, Renji. You may look like a hothead, but you got heart as big as a mountain," Hebi hissed incredulously if he was a man Renji was sure he would roll his eyes. With his head slithered along the redhead's jawline, Hebi continued, "ain't no way you gonna do 'overthrowing' stuff anytime soon, or at all, for that matter."

Lips jutted in an almost pout, the redhead shoved the snake away from his indignant face. "O-kay, I'll just take that first part as my compliment."

The baboon rose and nudged his side, finally taking his turn to speak to his wielder. "Look, kid. He's wrong, yes, for doing what he did without asking your permission in the matter. I get it, I agree with you fully on that," he grunted out with his garish, gruff voice, looking at Renji's eyes with similar brown orbs.

"But try to keep an open mind, won't you? I'm saying this because I know you're thinking it, Ren. Our thoughts are yours, only spit out right in your face, you get me?" Hebi joined in, "he doesn't know any other way. He's like a machine, he does things the way he was taught. It's a bit sick, but that's just what nobilities do to their brats, they all have this sort of 'standardized' stuff, and the rest are their personality, which, in your captain's case, is not helping him any."

The baboon made a deep guttural sound, nodding his head. "That's why you're his partner. You teach him the other ways," he said, his gruff voice reverberating through Renji's skin that came in contact with the baboon's large body.

"You're right, Saru, Hebi... thanks," Renji smiled lopsidedly.

He exhaled loudly from his mouth, standing up. "I'll try."

"And Ren?" Saru called as the redhead closed his eyes to concentrate on leaving his inner world, making the redhead once again cracked his eyes open, a questioning look on his face.

"He's right, you know," Hebi muttered, flashing the image of Kuchiki Byakuya in Renji's head.

"About what?"

"That man in your dreams..."

Renji frowned at that. It was the first time Zabimaru said anything about the incident, they had been awfully quiet on the matter. "How do you know?"

"I've had this uneasy feeling, right here," Saru thumped his large arm to his chest softly, the white snake nodded in kind, "since that first day of your sleepwalking incident."

"It got worse that night," Hebi hissed, coiling around Saru as if in comfort. He was talking about the night Renji almost plummeted to his death by the cliffside if not for his captain.

"Something's coming, Renji," Saru warned, "we don't know what it is,"

"But we don't like how it feels."

"Nii-sama."

"Rukia."

The smaller raven jumped, nervousness coming to her full force. "I—I mean no disrespect, nii-sama, you know that I respect you the most, well, along with Captain Ukita—"

Byakuya cut her before she rambled on even more, "speak your mind, Rukia."

Sensing the impatience in her brother's voice, the younger Kuchiki straightened herself. "Yes. Yes, of course. I'm sorry to ramble, nii-sama," she apologized with a short bow.

They were both sitting in Byakuya's calligraphy room, the one he had not left ever since the arrival and departure of both her and Renji. He was now in the middle of remaking the previous calligraphy that was ruined due to a certain... lack of control. By a certain redhead. When Rukia once again appeared before him.

She hesitated, not knowing the right words to convey what she was thinking, "I think that..."

Inhaling deeply and bracing herself, Rukia managed to look into her brother's eyes that were set on her the moment she arrived. "I think you owe Renji an apology."

If the statement caught the older Kuchiki off-guard, he didn't show it past the slight twitch of the brush in his right hand.

"How did you come to such a conclusion, little sister?" he inquired, returning his eyes to the intertwining brush strokes he had laid down on the scroll in front of him.

"Nii-sama, it's clearly upsetting him to be... to be 'manhandled' like this." Byakuya eyed her, intrigued but not showing it obviously, he inclined for the other raven to go on.

"I don't know what's going on," Rukia quickly continued, "but I know there's something that you're keeping away, both of you. And I will not impose on that, believe me," she assured. She knew that her secretive brother wouldn't tell her anything, anyway. At least until he deemed it was necessary.

She took a deep breath and exhaled just as loudly before continuing her narration, "it's just that... Our lives in Rukongai, It's not exactly where we get the luxury of a choice. We were constantly forced to do things due to the unforgiving circumstances, Renji, most of all. He was always so... accommodating to us," she voiced softly, reminiscing the old days with their friends back in Inuzuri, "we, and ultimately myself, could only manage to live a bearable life because he went out on his way to make it so." Rukia looked up at her brother as she said it, conveying her thoughts earnestly to try to make him see why the redhead was so upset, that she would be too if it was her.

Hearing his little sister, Byakuya's curiosity on her and his lieutenant's past in Rukongai was piqued. He never questioned it for he never needed to. But now, with the situation the redhead—and himself—was in, he couldn't help but want to know more about the redhead's past. As loud-mouthed as he was, Renji was always so tight-lipped when it comes to his past in Inuzuri, using evasive tactics to steer conversations away from it, be it with his friends or with Byakuya—who, to be fair, never really was interested in any of it. Until now. What did she mean by 'accommodating', what did the redhead do to make her say so? Byakuya couldn't help but furrowed his brows at that. It must've not been a pleasant story to tell, by the sound of it alone. Perhaps he would divulge Byakuya in the long-overdue story, if he would find it in his heart to forgive Byakuya before that... He was proud that his sister came and read his mind, because he was, indeed, thinking of a way to make amends with the redhead. But he didn't expect her to be this bold, as to reprimand him about it, no matter how polite of a tone she used.

"And he respects you, nii-sama, for every decision you make," the younger Kuchiki frowned as she further explained her cause. "Even before, he... he tried to be understanding, didn't he? Whatever it was the excuse you gave him," she guessed, looking imploringly at her brother. Byakuya had to resist looking away as she said it, knowing that she was right.

It was he who was so dismissive of the matter, even after sensing how much it upset the redhead, how much it meant for him. Not the act, but the notion behind it. His manipulation of those surrounding him. Sure, it was all with good intention—however questionable it was—in mind. But he might as well be Aizen, the thought of which he had to suppress the shudder threatening to run down his spine. Let alone the fact that Renji was once Aizen's subordinate, however good of an actor that traitor was. Byakuya knew how Renji grew sick just thinking about being that man's subordinate once, following his orders, fearing that some of the errands he did might play a part in Aizen's masterplan. And Byakuya might just remind the redhead on that ugly memory.

Rukia's last words put the final nail in the coffin for him. "I just think that you shouldn't take that for granted."

After her long speech, the last wind of bravery to stand up to her brother left her, leaving her stuttering in nervousness once again. "That's all that I have to say, so..." she trailed off, panicky eyes shifting between her brother's still form and the nearest exit.

"...thank you, Rukia."

She froze. "Nii-sama?" she queried slowly, unsure if she heard him right or it was just her imagination that told her that Kuchiki Byakuya just thanked her.

Byakuya's eyes soften, something that he was only comfortable doing when there was only his adoptive sister in the vicinity. While he was having trouble conveying his thoughts, let alone gratitude towards others, just seeing the face that looks so much like his late wife Hisana melted his icy cold demeanor. He was gratified to have her around to ground him.

"I will endeavor to remedy this... situation."

Dinner was a quiet affair. The three residents of the Kuchiki Manor dug into their meal laid out in the large table silently. While tension was nowhere to be seen, awkwardness settled, making it hard for anyone to start any form of conversation. Rukia certainly tried, but the half grunts and monosyllabic answers were enough to put a stopper to her attempts.

Renji distractedly thought that the cooks might be able to teach him some new recipes, given his... stay, there. Rukia kept glancing back and forth at him and her brother, looking pointedly at the raven-haired noble but failing to catch his attention. She almost wanted to slam her fists to the table, when Renji stood up with his finished dishes. A servant quickly took the dirty dishes from his hands, leaving him dumbfounded. Right, they have servants that do things for them. Muttering a short 'thanks' and excusing himself from the room, Renji left the two Kuchikis to their thoughts.

He was just entering the hall where his room was located, facing the breath-taking garden with the cherry blossom tree and koi pond, when he saw his captain standing in front of his path. He must've used flash steps to get there so fast, Renji mused.

"Captain," he greeted, turning his eyes away to face the garden. Somehow he felt the awkwardness seeping into his bones. His anger from the afternoon was all but gone, thanks to his talk with Zabimaru, but now he felt sheepish for yelling and being entirely disrespectful towards his captain. Was he going to be punished?

The Kuchiki gestured for Renji to come closer to admire the beautiful night view of the garden. "We are currently off-duty, Abarai," he toned placidly, "there is no need for such formality."

"I guess..."

"Perhaps we can come to a mutual agreement on the names we shall call each other while off-duty," Byakuya remarked thoughtfully, and hesitantly continued, "seeing that we will be... deeply acquainted due to the circumstances."

"And truthfully, that is what I've come for," the raven faced Renji, his slate grey orbs boring deep into Renji's, he would even dare to say that he almost saw the remorse in his eyes.

"Captain?"

"You may call me by my name," the Kuchiki offered amiably.

Feeling strangely flustered, Renji stuttered out incorrigible words until he finally settled. "Uh... Kuchiki-san?" he blurted out.

Just thinking about calling his captain by his given name made his brain go mushy, he wouldn't dare. Sure there were many 'Byakuya' out there, heck the man in his dreams was another 'Byakuya'. But it was the person, not the name in itself that made Renji felt undeserving. It was too casual, too affectionate than what he was comfortable with giving to his captain. For now.

Byakuya's mouth twitched, barely able to hold in an amused smile at his lieutenant's endearing response.

"I've come to apologize," he straightened up, reminding himself of what he was there for, minutely distracted by the other-worldly glow the flustered redhead emitted, enhanced by the beauty of the moonlight and cherry blossom garden in the background, like a deity. It felt right, justified, for him to do what he was going to do. He tipped his head, and his whole upper body followed down to a steep degree, facing the wooden boards that made up the flooring of the walkway.

Watching as his captain, the noble, the Head of the Kuchiki Family demonstrating a perfect 90-degree bow in front of him, Renji's eyes widen in horror. "Wait—whoa! No need for that," he scrambled to straighten his captain's back, not wanting to see any second longer of the inappropriate act.

"It is only natural," Byakuya insisted, not understanding the redhead's refusal of his apology—but not minding the hands touching his shoulders. "I have severely torn your trust."

"That's... a bit much," Renji muttered, as he made sure his captain wouldn't venture to do any more 'wild' acts for the night.

"Look, uh, Kuchiki-san..." he stuttered on the name, "I understand why you did what you did, and I know how... err," how you were raised to be a stuck up noble not understanding boundaries but I can't say that can I?

"The point is!" he raised his voice to made up for his nervousness, "the point is, I get it. And I agree, to some level, that this may be the best course of action. For now," he looked at his captain for his assent. Seeing the—hesitant—nod, he sighed in relief.

"Just... Just promise me you'll tell me before you do something that will affect my life—any anyone's—going forward?"

Byakuya inclined his head, "you have my word, Abarai."

"You can call me Renji," the redhead let out awkwardly, brushing his loose red hair over his shoulder. "Abarai is... it's a made-up name. I was always just Renji," he explained shyly. He didn't know why he was telling his captain this. Most of his friends that only knew him after his admission to the academy didn't know he didn't have a last name, heck, only Rukia knew that. They were the same after all. While Rukia only took the name Kuchiki after she was adopted, Renji sought a last name way before that. Embarrassingly, the name he got was from the name of a souvenir shop in Inuzuri that he found was now closed down. But no one needed to know that.

Hearing this, Byakuya couldn't help the smile tugging on his lips, the redhead gaped in surprise. It was the first time Renji truly see a smile on his captain's normally stoic expression. It really softened up the noble's sharp looks and somehow made him so much more approachable.

"Renji, then."

The redhead felt his face grew hot.

- to be continued -

Additional Notes:

Kaki no tane: crescent-shaped senbei pieces, popular in Japan to accompany beverages.

Hebi: the snake part of Zabimaru. The name was used during the Zanpakuto Rebellion arc when Hebi takes a humanoid form of a boy. I stick to it because it's logical for Zabimaru to have individual names—nicknames, at the very least.

Saru: the baboon part of Zabimaru. Same explanation here.

Renji's last name: no excuse for this, I made that up. But if you think about it, what was Rukia's last name before being adopted, hm? They were all from the same time period, I just take the liberty to 'enrich' the historical facts, is all. sorry.

If there is anything that you don't know or understand that I missed to explain here please tell me :)