Title: Bitten
Rating: MAPP: R, Fiction Ration: M
Pairing/Character/s: Byakuya x Renji
Disclaimer: The author holds no license of nor makes claims to any of the characters, concepts, or story the above originated from in any way. The characters are used without permission of the original creator for the sake of entertainment only. No profit is gained from the writing found hereafter, nor any personal credit taken for the character designs, personalities or concepts stemming from the original story used. All situations below, unless otherwise stated, have no bearing on the creator's original work, and are solely the creation of the author based on personal interpretation of the above mentioned works or are parodies exempted from copyright laws. It is the responsibility of the reader to observe all warnings before proceeding to the fiction below, as it may contain any number of situations, themes, ideas, views, or lifestyles not suitable for those under the age of 18 or which may be contrary or offensive to the beliefs of some. In the event that the following is the author's original work, or contains an original character, the author holds the copy write and should be contacted before either is used or distributed in any way. All questions and comments concerning the written work or otherwise can be made directly to the author.
Warning/s: Spoilers for the Bleach manga from chapter 140 on, the Bleach anime episode 51 and up.
Word Count: 7,804
Summary: Sequel to "When The Moon Reaches Back", in which the rumor mill spins, Byakuya is visited by an old acquaintance, Renji learns the pain of friendship and value of alcohol (or is it the other way around?) and life goes on.
Author's Note: This story has been mulling about in my mind since the beginning of my ByakuyaxRenji series. Mainly, this is just events as I see them playing out. I can't imagine Byakuya and Renji getting along perfectly right from the get go, and this is an extension of that thought process. Renji always came across as a very protective and generally outward and honest person to me, while Byakuya is more of an inward person with similar qualities. This portends many a great battle, as we've already seen so far in the manga. Renji would step right into the relationship, whereas Byakuya would be careful and still rather closed off to him. This means that while Renji has lowered most emotional defenses, Byakuya has only raised them, thus conflict and chaos ensue. Thank goodness there's some voice of reason in that damn noble's head ;P.

Bitten
"No sword bites so fiercely as an evil tongue."
- Sir Philip Sidney

He hadn't thought of the event for days, usually having more pleasant thoughts to fill his mind, but come to think of it, maybe it hadn't been such a good idea to go for the opening. Of course, he hadn't exactly been betting on a trip to the Fourth Division for anything worse than a few slashes or bruised bones, so it only made sense that word got around the division fast. But the one thing that never crossed his mind was that news of it would ever leave Division Four. This was part of the reason why, after all the years he'd known Ikkaku, Renji never once thought that a simple offer of drinks would turn into such an inquisition.

"Well don't start dyin' on me 'cuz of a simple question!" Ikkaku reprimanded, smacking the red head on the back to help him choke down the sake lodged somewhere between his lungs and his stomach. "Can ya' or can't ya'? Oi! I never knew ya' had such a damn problem keepin' your alcohol! Che!"

Renji glared at the Eleventh Division's third seat and shoved the man's arm off him to regain his normal breathing pattern. "Where th' hell'd you hear that?" He grumbled, and then coughed one last time, the foul liquid finally going where it was intended.

Ikkaku just grinned mercilessly at him. "I've got my sources."

"Meaning you shook down some poor Fourth Division brat until he could babble in full sentences," Renji supplied with a grimace, taking a needed swig of sake.

"So what if I did?" Ikkaku snickered, most likely reminiscing the moment if his face was any gauge. "An' anyway, ya' still haven't answered me! Can ya' or can't ya'?" He pushed.

For some reason, Renji felt reluctant to say anything. His auburn eyes lidded partially and he looked to the side as he groused, unable to find a reason for his mood. It felt weird. Shouldn't he be bragging about it? Then again, the only person he'd really wanted to show was Kuchiki Taichou, and damned if he hadn't already done just that. Well, if attacking counted as showing. "…Yeah, I can."

"Geez, don't get too excited now," Ikkaku muttered, not comprehending Renji's lack of enthusiasm for an achievement he by all means should've been celebrating. "So how long?" he pressed, trying to pull Renji's attention back.

The Sixth Division vice captain sighed at the memory and turned his gaze back to the other shinigami. "Since the day of Rukia's execution."

Ikkaku's eyes widened, "Why didn't you tell anyone? Shit, Renji! It's fucking Ban Kai! That's captain level-"

"I know what level it's supposed to be!" Renji snapped suddenly, overly angry at the simple comment but not nearly buzzed enough to blame the alcohol. "I fucking lost Ikkaku. Would you go braggin' about that!"

There was a long, tense pause, and then, "… You fought with it?"

"… What the fuck were you told?" Renji queried darkly, upset he'd let something slip that he didn't need to. He and Byakuya hadn't mentioned the incident to anyone­ since Renji had placated a rather anxious Hanatarou by explaining what had happened.

"Che, calm down," Ikkaku returned sharply. "All heard was that ya' got messed up practicin' it! I didn't know you'd already fuckin' achieved it." He grinned again suddenly, "So who'd ya' fight?"

"I swear, Madarame, you say anything, a fuckin' hint, and I'll give you a fuckin' personal showing," Renji growled lowly, leaning closer for effect.

"Okay, okay, lips're sealed!" Ikkaku grinned eagerly, shoving Renji back to his own seat. "So tell me already!"

Downing another swish of alcohol, Renji sat back against the nearby wall and frowned. He sighed finally and replied, "Kuchiki Taichou. We fought back just before th' execution was s'posed ta' happen and he beat my ass into the ground. I'm not proud of it."

Ikkaku sniggered at the last comment and sat back as well, glancing up at the ceiling ponderously. "So ya' must've just gotten it when ya' fought, eh? Not trained well enough?"

Renji snorted derisively, "Not battle ready," he answered, smirking in spite of himself.

"And now?" Ikkaku looked down and across again, focusing on Renji.

The red head grinned then, letting a little of his friend's previous enthusiasm slip in. "It's a lot better."

Ikkaku started to grin back, "And…?"

"An' what?" Renji relaxed a bit, sinking against the wall more.

Ikkaku gave a frustrated growl, "And when're ya' applyin'! I got money on this, man!"

Renji blinked stupidly for all of a second before lurching forward, "You WHAT!"

Pure instinct allowed Ikkaku to clamber out of the way fast enough to avoid collision. "The fuck is wrong with ya'!"

"What do you mean you've got money on when I apply? How many others know!" Renji was positively seething at this point, a reaction so incongruous to what Ikkaku had expected that the third seat cold only stare in confusion for a good minute after the outburst.

"I, uh… I guess… all the vice captains, the first ten chairs of Eleventh, most of Fourth and at least some captains?" He ventured, finally.

"And they all think I'm pushing for captain?" Renji continued, slightly calmer.

Ikkaku nodded.

Renji sagged and pushed himself back against the wall. "Fuck."

Ikkaku blinked. "I think I missed somethin'…"

"I'm not trying for captain, Ikkaku." Renji clarified.

"There's three seats open, don't be stupid, Abarai!"

"I'm being perfectly reasonable!" Renji raged. "You think a fucking 'Ban Kai' means a damn thing to captains! So what? They mastered their Ban Kai: mine's not even fucking finished yet! Regardless of whether I've gotten more powerful, there're still a million other things I need to do to fill an empty seat! Do you have… Do you even know anything about what that position means aside from fighting?"

"Calm the fuck down, Abarai!" Ikkaku snapped, moving back to his previously vacated spot. "I'm not some idiot who thinks things like Kenpachi Taichou happen all th' time, so sit yer ass down and take a drink before I shove it down yer throat."

Slightly mollified, Renji begrudgingly grabbed another bottle of sake and slumped into his seat again, downing a long swig immediately.

"Now I don't know what's got ya' all worked up 'bout this, and I'm not gonna try an' guess," Ikkaku continued, reclining with his own dish of sake which was being used more for gesturing purposes than drinking at the moment. "But just think a sec. We're three captains short and out of those divisions, how many ya' think could be looked after by their vice-captains?"

"… How's Hinamouri doing?" Renji asked quietly.

"Eh, don't really know much about 'er. I heard some of the lieutenants saying she was still basically outta commission, though." Ikkaku mumbled, waving his drink. "She'll prob'ly be outta it for a while."

"And Kira…" Renji sighed and drank more. "I've known him since the Academy, but damn he's messed up right now."

"Yer implyin' he was right in the first place," Ikkaku pointed out. Renji glared. "All right, all right, look, my point's this: Hisagi's prob'ly the only one capable of taking over his division, and Yumichika's pretty sure the guy doesn't have a Ban Kai. Considerin' he took the bastard out with his shikai, I believe him."

"So yer point's that because the vice-captains of Three, Five, and Nine are either still in shock or probably don't meet one of the requirements, I should ask to be considered because I can Ban Kai." Renji summarized, looking at Ikkaku for affirmation.

Ikkaku sighed. "Yer makin' this harder than it needs to be. I honestly don't see whatcher so upset about. Ya' lead fine, ya' train fine, and ya' get your paperwork done quick enough to run off every few days. That's already better than Kusajishi-fukutaichou."

"She'd kick yer ass if she heard that," Renji smirked.

"Yeah, well, she ain't gonna hear that, is she?" the other shinigami challenged, glaring back.

Renji sighed, "I guess not, though it'd really be worth watchin'. Anyway, if I applied, who'd help Kuchiki Taichou?"

"Che, I dunno, yer third seat? Why's it matter?" Ikkaku muttered, leaning forward a bit to watch his friend. "You used ta' talk about becoming a captain all the time-"

"I said I was gonna surpass Kuchiki Taichou," Renji grumbled, "and I still haven't done that."

Ikkaku cursed under his breath and leaned back again in exasperation. "I give up."

"'bout time," Renji muttered. Ikkaku snorted and drained his sake dish. "… Sorry 'bout your money."

An empty sake bottle hit the wall next to Renji's head.

-----

"This many meetings already and still no replacements?"

"Give it time, we're still recovering-"

"And three of our divisions are leaderless."

"There's simply no way to appoint anyone as yet without lowering the requirements for the captain rank. We'll have to make due with the vice captains until then. I hear Division Nine is holding together admirably."

"What about Abarai-kun?"

Byakuya looked to his left, arching a surprised eyebrow at the ever flamboyant Kyouraku Shunsui. "What about Abarai?" he queried back. A few other captains glanced over when he echoed the question. The reverberations of shifting cloth and quick feet faded to a murmur in the large hallway leading from the meeting chamber.

Kyouraku shrugged loosely, tipping his hat up a bit. "He's an excellent officer, wouldn't you agree, Kuchiki Taichou?"

"And only two months into his term as my lieutenant," the noble replied neutrally.

Hitsugaya harrumphed, "What does that have to do with it? I skipped lieutenant."

"You believe Renji should ask to be considered for one of the positions?" Byakuya continued.

The smaller captain shrugged. "Why not? He can at least try."

"True," Ukitake murmured from a little farther to the right then smiled at his fellow captain. "He's done fine work so far, and he's the only lieutenant I know of capable of holding Ban Kai. Unless we have another Toushirou-kun hidden somewhere, he would be the obvious choice for promotion."

The other eyebrow rose at that, Byakuya's dark gaze moving instantly to Unohana.

"My, word certainly travels fast," the woman commented serenely, "especially when one asks that it not. Don't you agree, Kuchiki-sama?"

"Mm," the nobleman offered wordlessly.

"Ah? You didn't know?" Ukitake ventured, attempting to decode the other man's response.

"I was not aware that it was public knowledge," he replied finally.

"When your secret is known by those who are preyed upon, it is common knowledge." Soi Fong offered the proverb curtly and then added, "He may be an excellent officer, but he will remain an adjunct until he decides to become something more. We should be focusing on our own jobs in order to better accommodate our loss until we return to full strength. Speculation at this point is moot."

-----

"… So how was your day, Taichou?" Renji grimaced a bit at his own tone of voice, but was willing to put up with it, if only to break the obstinate silence that lingered between them.

Byakuya set his cup carefully on the table, letting his critical gaze rest on the other shinigami for a long moment before replying, "Informative." Despite Renji's casually reclined form, it was easy to tell that the other man was far from relaxed. He oozed repressed energy and something the elder could only discern as mounting stress or agitation in the way he kept fidgeting. "And yours?"

"Meh, I had to run basic training with a hangover," the other man caviled and pushed himself into a more proper sitting position.

"That can be easily remedied by not spending the night drinking until you can't stand," Byakuya offered.

"I could too stand!" Renji protested for the sake of argument.

Byakuya merely arched a single eyebrow.

"Bah! You're impossible, you know that, Taichou?" It would have had more affect if he wasn't grinning. He was gifted with a slight upturn at the edges of the noble's lips, which would have been more appreciated if the rest of the man's demeanor reflected the emotion. Renji shook his head at the man next to him, smirking at the incongruencies still very much apart of the other. Even in the safety of his own apartment, door locked and windows shuttered, the noble was slow to return Renji's relaxed air.

Silence descended once more; Renji unable to come up with further conversation topics and his captain seemingly preoccupied with a thought he didn't care to share just yet. The tension was creeping in again; making the red head wish, not for the first time, that he could somehow divine the source of such things as his companion chose to keep to himself and allow fester unsaid between them. With a sigh, he rose effortlessly to his feet and made for the kitchen and a refill for their tea when his captain's smooth baritone suddenly broke the silence.

"Wait."

Renji paused, standing next to the man and turned to face him more completely. "Taichou?"

"Please sit," Byakuya continued and looked up at him. Renji plopped down where he was without thinking, his gaze settled on the other man. "Apparently, there have been some… rumors as of late concerning your chances of promotion-"

Not again… Renji sighed loudly, "Taichou, I-"

"Let me finish," Byakuya interrupted, waiting just long enough for the other man to close his mouth before continuing. "I don't know what decision you may or may not have come to, however I would hope you would… inform me of it before taking any actions regarding it."

"What makes you think I'm even considering it?" Renji replied, a little miffed at the direction the conversation had immediately taken.

"Why shouldn't you? If you consider the competition, it's not an impossible enterprise," Byakuya countered in a carefully calculated tone.

"If I…" Previously neutral auburn eyes narrowed suddenly as Renji snapped back to his feet and stalked to the other side of his living room, jaw clamped tightly as a sluice gate before a flood. When he reached the other end he paused, closing his eyes and took a deep breath; visibly trying to calm himself.

"Renji-"

"Stop. Just stop." It was all Renji could do to keep malice from the sharp command. Spinning on his heel, he stalked back to the other side of the room, snatched Zabimaru from the floor and headed for the door. "Don't wait up," he managed civilly and forced himself to leave before he could say something he'd regret later.

-----

The gash was horribly jagged even though the blade held a clean edge. Renji panted slightly, staring at the rent Zabimaru was still embedded in. Then wrenched the sword free of the half destroyed tree trunk and with an angry growl sliced at the other side. The pattern continued on, interspersed only with harsh thoughts and intelligible growls. Of course something had to happen! Renji would have sworn that someone 'up there' enjoyed screwing with him if he wasn't technically already 'up there' and fairly certain that it was somehow his own damn fault. Like everything else. He hacked at the tree with renewed vigor, shaking so hard that a particularly hard swing managed to lodge his zanpakutou far enough into the wood for him to lose his grip and stumble for balance before giving up and landing roughly on the ground.

"Damnit, damnit, damnit!" He slammed his fist sideways against the tree, and suddenly slumped loosely against it like a rubber band stretched so thin that it finally snapped.

"Damn what?" A familiar feminine voice demanded from behind him.

Renji sighed and banged his head against the tree, eyes closed and not turning around. "What the hell, Rukia? Any normal person would understand th' concept of leavin' a guy alone when he's beatin' a tree!"

"Hn, you're just upset it was me instead of Ni-sama," Rukia huffed, crossing her arms even though Renji wasn't watching.

"Rukia-"

"Oh no – it's fine! I understand! Lover boy can't be bothered to visit or even say 'hi' to his old friend It's okay, I'm sure you have much better things to do. Ni-sama must keep you busy, after all – ah, or is it Byakuya now?" She grinned mercilessly down at him.

"I'm not in the fucking mood, Rukia-" Renji growled before he was interrupted again.

"Oh? Renji, you're brooding," she snickered and nudged him with her right foot, enjoying the frustration rolling off her old friend in waves. "What's wrong? Couldn't pull Ni-sama away from paperwork?"

"Damnit, Rukia, would you lay off!" Renji snapped, finally moving to glare over his shoulder. "If I'd known you'd be easy enough about me an' yer brother to fucking badger me this much I never woulda' let ya' find out!"

Rukia paused, and then frowned down at the other shinigami hunched quite miserably on the ground in front of her. "What makes you think I wouldn't be?"

Renji grumbled under his breath and finally stood up, running a hand over the top of his hair as he turned around to face his rather diminutive friend. "Why are ya'?" he countered, "I didn't expect ta' tell ya' 'cuz I thought it'd be a little… awkward."

"Yeah, well, the most 'awkward' part was how I found out, so that was pretty much covered," Rukia muttered, fighting down a blush by glaring up at Renji instead. "But it actually makes things easier for me now," she continued on valiantly, glare eventually softening when she wasn't trying so hard not to blush.

Renji sighed and nodded lightly, understanding most of what she wasn't saying. It seemed like another Kuchiki trait she'd adopted over the years: it felt like no one in that house ever said entirely what they wanted to get across. It didn't really help make his day any better, though. It was hard to believe how good he'd felt just a few days ago considering how complicated things were now.

"So what are you doing out here, anyway?" Rukia prodded, dragging him out of his unpleasant thoughts. "Ni-sama told the staff not to make him dinner tonight: I assumed he was going to be with you."

"He was," the red head grumbled, wondering how the hell Rukia managed to pin point the exact problem without even knowing what it was in the first place.

Oh boy. "Two days? Two days! That has to be a record!" she exclaimed, somewhere between disbelief and cajoling.

Auburn eyes looked to the sky as if searching for some blessed help for once. The sky stayed unhelpfully unchanging. Renji muttered under his breath and dropped his gaze. "It ain't my fault," he defended immediately, "he's the one who fucking pissed me off."

"What the hell'd you argue about? Paperwork?" Rukia asked, mystified. She couldn't think of a thing that would have ended up with Renji this upset and not at fault as well.

Renji stared. "You didn't hear?"

"Hear what?"

If she really was the only person who didn't know, he was going to hunt down Irony and punch her. Hard. "… 'bout my Ban Kai?"

Rukia looked more than a little confused, obviously not connecting the two trains of thought to the same conversation. "Of course I heard about that. Ukitake-taichou asked me about it during lunch. What-"

Renji cut her off. "Wait – what did he ask you about?"

"He wanted to see if I knew anything about when you achieved it and if you were planning to… do… anything…" she trailed off, a possible connection suddenly occurring to her. "You're not applying are you?" she demanded incredulously, looking intently up at him.

Renji threw his arms up in exasperation. "Why does everyone think that I should!"

"Uh… because it makes sense?" Rukia ventured. When she received no immediate response she added, "And if you're not, how does this have anything to do with you and Ni-sama getting into a fight?"

"We didn't fight," Renji ground out.

"Then why are you out here brooding like you were!" she shot back in annoyance.

"I'm not brooding!" he insisted.

"So the tree just pissed you off?"

"Rukia-"

"Or is this some sort of weird 'Ban Kai' training that I should inform the rumor mongers of so they'll have something else to tag on to 'Did you hear Abarai-'"

"I'm not fucking good enough!" Renji bellowed suddenly, stopping Rukia mid-sentence. "I'm not fucking good enough and he knows it! He's known it ever since he fucking beat me the first time and he sure as hell knows that I'm still not good enough! He knows and he still told me to apply, because maybe they're just fucking desperate enough to take me anyway!"

Rukia's eyes widened at the outburst, "Renji-"

"He's not stupid, Rukia! He knew exactly what he was saying! 'You're not good, but you're good enough.'" Renji's voice cracked and he spun around, violently slamming his fist into the tree Zabimaru was still embedded in, needing to expend some energy before he burst.

It took her another moment of deafening silence to recover from the sudden verbal explosion. She shook her head lightly, trying to make sense of everything she'd been told and slowly began putting the pieces together. "Renji," she began, putting a hand on his left arm, "that can't be right. It doesn't make any sense-"

He laughed harshly, "Don't fool yourself, Rukia, there aren't many different ways you can take, 'if you consider the competition'!" His imitation of his superior officer managed to make the mocking quote sound haughty while maintaining his simmering rage.

"But why would he want you to leave?" she pressed, grabbing his arm tightly enough to tug him around to face her. "That's what doesn't make sense. He couldn't honestly mean that, Renji, think for second! Anyone who knows you, knows something like that would piss you off."

Renji frowned down at her. "That makes even less sense. Why would he purposely tick me off?"

She punched him. Honestly, was he really that senseless? "Oi! Are you even listening here!"

"-the hell! You fucking punched me! I'm standing here freakin' confiding in ya' and you punch me! What the hell, Rukia!" Renji snapped, rubbing the left side of his face.

"Well if I can't talk sense into you, I'll beat it in!" She flared. "Now shut up and listen! Are you applying to be a captain?"

"I already told ya' I'm not!" he barked indignantly.

"And the best way of ensuring you don't consider it would be implying you wouldn't get the position based on your ability!"

Renji paused. In a strange, twisted way, it made horrible, horrible sense. "… He told me to apply to make sure I didn't?" he canvassed confusedly.

Rukia nodded.

"That… is fucking devious."

Rukia sighed and massaged her temples. "It's who Ni-sama is, Renji. Can you really imagine him just asking you to stay?"

Renji exhaled slowly, and then shook his head slightly. "I shoulda' figured that out."

"No kidding," Rukia muttered.

The red head ignored the commentary for the moment, choosing instead to lean back against the tree he had previously brutalized and cross his arms thoughtfully. "… Leaving Sixth Division just means we'd see each other a little less," he stated finally. "That can't be the only reason he's against me applyin'."

"Of course not." Rukia crossed her arms again and rolled her eyes at the denseness of her companion. "You really need to get better at this, you know, I'm not playing therapist for you all the time."

"If you're not going to be helpful, leave." An eyebrow twitched.

"Do you have any idea how old he is?" Rukia posed.

"… No."

"How about how long he's been in the Gotei 13?"

"Can't say I've asked."

"How long he was a vice-captain?"

"Nope."

"What about the Kuchiki clan?"

Renji shrugged, "What about them?"

"Do you know how many of them ever made captain?" Rukia prodded.

"… I know he's the strongest leader the clan's had," Renji half answered.

Rukia sighed. This was going to take a while. "If it took you years beyond years to obtain something and someone else managed to do the same thing in a fraction of the time, wouldn't that make you feel a little inadequate?"

"… I think you've got that a little backwards, Rukia," Renji muttered.

"Oi, do I have to punch you again?" she growled threateningly. He glared. "Just think about it. Even if he could blame the promotion on lack of competition, he still knows as well as anyone else it'd only make you that much more determined to surpass him that much earlier." She paused to let that sink in.

Renji straightened and turned around to yank Zabimaru out of the tree. "Even if that's true, I don't see why I always have to be the one to settle," he growled lowly and turned back around. "Why am I the one that has ta' figure everything out, eh? Why's it up to me to do anything about it? What the hell happened ta' meeting someone half way?" He demanded.

Rukia blinked, not having expected that response.

"So what if he's upset about it? I'm fuckin' pissed over the whole damn thing and it never would have been an issue if he had just listened to me from the beginning!" Renji continued bitterly. "So thanks for th' pep talk an' all, but I think I'd rather drink to my fucked relationship… 'least sake doesn't punch me in the face."

-----

"… It's blue." Renji eyed the drink doubtfully, seriously reconsidering his decision to leech his friend's alcohol supply.

"Of course it's blue: I couldn't just give you any bland drink, what kind of friend would I be?" Yumichika huffed over the counter as he went to mix more of the liquid.

"A sane one?" Renji muttered, dubiously picking up and examining the tall, thin glass filled just below the brim with cobalt blue liquid, and topped with a perky little pink umbrella.

Yumichika sighed dramatically and poured a second glass. "Just drink it… you might actually like it."

Alcohol was alcohol… right? The red head slipped the umbrella out of his drink and placed it on the counter before knocking back the tall glass in one long draught. The fifth seat muttered something about how coarsely he was treating such a beautiful drink, but Renji was too busy attempting to discern the decidedly fruity taste that over powered the burn of alcohol in his mouth. He swallowed and tossed a rather confused look across the counter. "What th' hell was that shit?"

"You didn't like it?" Yumichika fairly pouted.

Renji grumbled. "Alcohol ain't s'posed ta' taste like fruit!"

"Perhaps it was too delicate for your palate," the other man pondered out loud, glancing at the other bottles of assorted alcohol and whatever turned alcohol blue in front of him.

"Less blue shit, more alcohol," Renji grunted.

"Fine, fine, you needn't be so rough about it." More clear liquid was added to the mix which was then shaken and poured into the same glass.

Now it was light blue. Renji tossed it back, wincing when the hard alcohol hit the back of his throat, and swallowed with a grin. "That's more like it."

"If you keep going at that rate, you'll be useless in an hour," Yumichika sighed as he made another drink for his friend.

"That's the plan," Renji answered brashly, but without any real enthusiasm. He leaned forward on the counter, swinging his empty glass around slightly as he watched the preparation of another drink.

"… Are you going to tell me why?" Yumichika asked softly, carefully keeping an eye on the vice-captain lounging unhappily on his counter.

"Bad day," Renji groused.

"So you mentioned," Yumichika continued, pouring Renji another glass worth of the light blue mixed drink. The red head hadn't needed to mention it, of course, since the look on his face alone had been enough to make the fifth seat come between him and drinking himself into a coma in some run down Rukongai pub, which was simply too repugnant an action to allow. But, Yumichika had yet to get the reason for said bad day out of the stubborn man. "How bad?" he tried.

Renji drank a little slower this time, obviously undecided as he watched his friend-turned-bartender. "Really bad."

It couldn't be more obvious that he needed to talk to someone, nor more obvious that he didn't think he could. Yumichika shook his head lightly and continued the interrogation and mixed drinks, knowing the combination would eventually make his friend spill his heart out. "Worse than losing?"

"Worse than achieving ban kai, immediately losing your next fight even with it, nearly dying twice, nearly having half yer friends die, nearly losing your only family, almost watching the end of Seireitei, and failing to prevent any of it." It might have been an exaggeration, but he was beyond making an accurate analysis, and he felt like making a point.

Yumichika winced slightly and tipped off Renji's glass. Okay, so maybe it was worse than he'd initially thought. What was it that Renji wanted so badly to forget that he was willing to drink himself into coma and shirk his duties for the next few days by not showing up at work because of it? For as long as he'd known the vice captain, Yumichika could never remember a time when the man had seriously considered ditching his responsibilities. Now, on top of that, Renji was equating today, which the fifth seat was fairly certain had not heralded any near disasters, to the day he knew Renji considered to be the worst day he'd ever lived through? Surely this couldn't all be blamed on those rumors about Renji's intent for promotion. Ikkaku had said the red head was unnecessarily angry about them, but even that couldn't explain the frustration and pain weighing down the shoulders of the man across from him.

"You sound like a man who just learned his love was unrequited," Yumichika commented wistfully.

Renji stared at him for a moment and then downed the rest of his drink and looked away.

Yumichika arched a gracefully feathered eyebrow. Had his commentary drawn closer to the source than his previous ponderings? "You're seeing someone?" he asked calmly, despite being desperately curious. Renji in a real relationship: this he had to see.

"Sort of," came the gruff reply. The tall glass was shoved towards him, even though Renji still wasn't looking at him.

He refilled it. "Sort of? How can you be sort of seeing someone?"

"It's complicated, I…" The red head sighed and finally turned back to him, seemingly sedated by the topic of conversation. "Look, just forget I said anything: it probably won't even matter by tomorrow anyway."

Yumichika furrowed his brow in confusion and thought, frowning lightly. "Why do you say that, Renji?"

"It's all fucked up." He downed the rest of his drink fast and passed the glass back to his host, leaning on the counter more as the alcohol finally starting to kick in. "I don't know. I finally found somethin' – and I probably just screwed it all up. He's the one who pissed me off, but somehow, it's gotta be my fault. 'Cuz the world would fuckin' end if it wasn't my fucking fault."

Yumichika filled the glass again, silently watching his friend nurse the drink. That Renji was involved with another man didn't phase him much, he'd known the vice captain long enough to know his preferences. It was one of the charming things about Renji: he understood that beauty could come in many forms. No, what really surprised him was the emotion the red head had so obviously invested in the relationship already. It had to have been nearly brand new. Renji, while being stubborn enough not to reveal with whom he may have been involved with, was absolutely horrible about keeping the fact that he was in relationship a secret. At least, that was the case between the two of them. His other friends might be dense enough not to notice, but Yumichika could read him easily.

"Ne, Yumichika…"

The fifth seat blinked lightly and turned his full attention back to his friend. "Mmm?"

"Do ya' think I'm good enough ta' be a captain?" Renji asked quietly, obviously deep in thought.

"… Why do you ask?" Yumichika questioned instead of answering.

"Everyone keeps sayin' it makes sense, or that I should be promoted, or whatever because some fucking fourth division whelps couldn't keep their mouths shut," Renji muttered. "And I just- I mean, being able to Ban Kai doesn't mean I should be a captain. I know that! So why'd they have ta' bring it up? Why'd they… why'd Kuchiki Taichou even have to mention it? He could've let it be. He knew, Yumi, he fuckin' knew it wasn't good enough – I'm not good enough and he still brought it up! He still had to fuckin' say it."

Yumichika tried to catch up with the rapid change of topics. "You're upset because Kuchiki Taichou told you not to apply?" he hazarded.

Renji shook his head furiously, "He said I should," his demeanor soured more as he straightened in his chair. "'cuz I'd have little to no real competition and there're three fucking seats, so it's a good fucking chance."

The more some things were explained, the less sense they made. Yumichika frowned again stopped mixing another drink, voicing his thoughts almost immediately. "I thought the two of you… had come to terms?" It was his understanding that the captain and vice captain of the sixth division were finally getting along. So then, why would the noble say something like that to Renji?

"Oh yeah, we're getting along famously," Renji replied, folding in on himself again, leaning on the counter for support. "So well, in fact, he felt like fuckin' messin' with me just ta' keep me around. Damnit!" The loud thud of a fist meeting the wooden counter top accented he swear. "Why do I have ta' fuckin' decode him? Yer jus' not supposed ta' pull this kind of shit!"

Yumichika watched with wide eyes as Renji seemed to crumble in front of him, bending over the countertop and sagging on to it. He didn't need anything more to put the pieces together, but the end result was still startling to say the least. Calmly, he placed his hand on the forearm Renji wasn't resting his head on and asked only, "What did you do after he said that?"

"Nothing," Renji mumbled into the counter top. "I left before I said somethin' – I – "

"You didn't want to get into a fight," Yumichika surmised. Renji looked up then, a little surprised. "But it will only get uglier the longer you stay away from confrontation, Renji." The red head grunted slightly, acknowledging but not wanting to at the same time. Yumichika shook his head lightly. "What happened to your spirit? It's not like you to run from a fight."

"I'm not running-"

"Yes you are," Yumichika cut in sharply, catching the auburn gazed and holding it. "And the longer you do, the worse things will become. You have the right and hopefully you haven't lost your will to demand better. If you think you've been wronged, be upset, Renji! But most of all do something about it! Being afraid of breaking what you already have is only going to cause more stress." Renji turned away then, tensing up again. Yumichika held tighter to his friend's arm and made him turn around again. "You haven't finished your drink."

Renji paused for a moment, watching Yumichika as if waiting for something else to be said. When nothing came, he relaxed in his chair and nodded lightly, taking the glass again.

-----

A slight breeze dried the thin layer of ink, and placed a single sakura petal on the paper. Byakuya slowly arched an eyebrow and set his brush aside carefully. There were no open windows or doors, nor was his desk anywhere near his private garden, but he didn't need that knowledge to identify the gentle waves of spiritual energy that wafted about the room, carrying the faint scent of blooming sakura with it. He gently plucked the petal from the paper in front of him and observed it instead of turning around. "It has been a long time since you've manifested."

"It has been a long time since I could breathe enough to," a gentle voice answered its inflections and tone neither distinctly masculine nor markedly feminine.

The noble considered the small, velvety gift in his hand, noting the way the petal curved and the subtle changes in color and texture towards where it had been detached from its flower. "You can now?" he asked quietly.

"I preferred the rain to the ice," it replied, waves of energy rippling gently forward as it drew near. "But I preferred the fire to both."

Byakuya let himself be buffeted by the familiar power, and closed his eyes to feel the new warmth in the ancient strength. "Fire can be more dangerous than both."

"More dangerous than anything," it agreed amiably. A pair of faintly glowing arms encircled his shoulders, its ethereal touch tugging gently against his pristine white haori. The combined sensations of enduringly powerful spiritual energy wrapping around him and a body resting against his own acted as gentle sedatives to his tense form. "We burn to feel the power of life. Let me be consumed in fire, that I may know the warmth of happiness again."

"Your riddles should remain that," Byakuya only answered, his voice barely traveling the distance between them.

"I never spoke riddles; you merely grew to understand true meaning," the voice spoke, barely a whisper against his ear.

"Then I am faulted again," the noble replied steadily. "Is that what you wished to show me?"

A gentle chuckle floated past him. "Water still parts before you, lest it hinder your path. Turn such determination inwards again. Grant me the heat of your soul as I grant you the edge of mine. I ask no more than that."

Dark eyes opened part way, watching the shadows bend across the wall in front of him. "You do not make requests," the shinigami observed quietly.

"I did not make requests," the being corrected gently. "Yet have I spoken since you mastered me?"

"You said you could not breathe, would that not also imply a lack of speech?" Byakuya countered.

"I was drowning when you won me, yet still I spoke." The arms tightened their embrace as if in warning. "I have been frozen since; you expect me to ignore the first fire to light my world since then?"

"Rekindle it, then?" he queried softly.

"If it were already extinguished, I could not be here to commune with you," the voice answered. "Do not let it fade away."

-----

The main room of Renji's apartment was the cleanest it had ever been. Everything that had a place was in it; everything that didn't was in some other room. He'd even managed to find a spot for the plant Yumichika had insisted on giving him to "enliven the understated beauty of plain walls and tatami mats". Whatever that meant. In fact, the only thing seemingly out of place were the stacks of paper piled around his all-purpose table which the red head was using as a substitute to the desk he daily excavated from layers of a never ending stream of paperwork. The sheer amount that had accumulated over the last two days alone would have been baffling if Renji didn't already know that it was due to the slack a sudden lack of three captains and two vice captains caused. It was because of all this work and continued relapses into thoughts he'd rather be rid of that he didn't notice the familiar reiatsu until it quite literally walked through his front door.

Renji's head jerked up at the sound of his door opening, already partially standing when he registered who it was that was calmly closing the door behind them. "… Kuchiki Taichou…" he trailed off, letting the suddenness of the moment fade a bit before he continued, "Oi! You could at least knock!"

Byakuya turned around again only after ensuring that the door was once again locked and said only, "If I had knocked, you could have avoided letting me in."

"… Th' freakin' point of closin' a door is ta' keep people – that door was locked!" Renji stuttered, half irrationally angry and half simply shocked.

"Not very well."

"That ain't the point!" Renji exploded, still far too upset from both the previous day's events and that morning's resultant hang over to try to seem calm in the least. "If I don't want to talk ta' ya', it's my choice to slam the damn door in yer face!"

"Is that why you avoided work today?" The noble questioned calmly, his gaze never straying from the other man.

"I wasn' avoiding work," Renji growled lowly and gestured to the low table in front of him, "I was avoidin' you."

"And if I allowed you to continue to do so, what good do you expect to come of it, Renji?" Byakuya asked, still calm, but letting his voice drop the demanding tone it usually carried.

"Then maybe I'd be able ta' think of something ta' tell ya' rather than bein' pissed about some else you did like walkin' in here like ya' own th' place when you know damn well that I'm still pissed at you!" Renji rounded the table, closing the distance between them suddenly and grabbed his captain by the haori, momentarily gratified by the slight widening of the man's eyes at the action. "It ain't right," he continued, lowering his voice. "Don't tell me I'm 'worth it' if I ain't worth your respect. Don't fuckin' think you can play with me like that and don't you dare think that I'm gonna just leave. I said that I wasn't gonna to apply: I ain't gonna lie to ya' and I don't play games. I respect ya' too much for that. At least give me the same in return."

For a long moment, no response came. Byakuya's expression shifted slightly from mildly surprised, past his previously aloof mask, to something more natural which held more than merely one emotion. "…You're right."

Renji blinked and loosened his grip a bit, not sure he'd heard right.

Byakuya's lips twitched up at the corners, watching Renji's reaction. He meanwhile brought his hand up to Renji's wrist, intent on dislodging his lieutenant's hold on him. "That is why I did not want to give you the chance to shut me out. I should not have said what I did: I came to rectify that."

"You…" Completely ignoring his captain's subtle attempts to remove his hand, Renji tightened his grip again and grinned. "You're damn right." With another sharp, unexpected tug, he was gifted with a last brief look of surprise skittering across the noble's features before he claimed the man's lips in a deep and demanding kiss.

Unexpectedly, Byakuya returned the kiss almost immediately despite his initial surprise. Renji smirked and broke the kiss early, unwilling to let the moment pass without teasing his captain at least a little. "Miss me that much, Taichou?"

"… If I said 'yes'…?" The noble answered, epicurean in a moment.

Renji returned the look, hooking his hand around the knot on the front of Byakuya's sash and using the leverage to pull the other man close. "We wouldn't make it to th' bed."

"I shouldn't answer, then."

-----

He hadn't really had a chance to notice before, but there was something infinitely gratifying about the way his captain's spirit energy would simmer at a low thrum for a long while after they'd lain together. It was like an unconscious purr, brushing against him occasionally as it rumbled on contently. Renji smirked at the thought, trailing his fingers lightly down his companion's neck absently.

"You're grinning," Byakuya pointed out, speaking for the first time since they'd made it to the bed.

"Mm… just thinkin'," Renji murmured, shifting his gaze to meet the other man's easily. He adjusted his position a bit, supporting his head with his right hand and let his gaze slide appreciatively over the rest of the noble's body as well.

"What about?"

"You."

"You find me amusing?" Byakuya queried softly, his voice pointedly lacking any accusations.

Renji smirked at him and dipped his head to gently kiss the man's neck. "I like your reiatsu right now."

The noble contemplated that as he tilted his head to the side a bit, allowing Renji better access. "What about it?" he finally asked in return.

"'s like you're purrin'…" The red head sighed in response, trailing his lips up to nip gently at a soft earlobe.

The reiatsu shifted momentarily, but then continued on as it had been, the only acknowledgement Byakuya gave to the statement.

Renji sighed and pulled back enough to look at his companion. "What're you thinkin' about, Taichou?"

An elegant black eyebrow arched at the blunt question. It was amazing how easily his lieutenant had picked up on his moods. On some level, even a bit disturbing to the normally solitary man. After a moment's consideration, however, he found he didn't mind nearly as much as he thought he should. "Senbonzakura was whispering."

Renji gave him an odd, almost confused look. "Your sword?"

"Yes." Byakuya's lips twitched into an almost smirk.

" … Yer sword talks to you during sex?"

"After," the noble corrected, growing more amused at the way Renji's expression went from confused to something close to paranoia.

"… An' that… doesn't bother you?"

"No."

Renji muttered something under his breath and tried to relax against his pillow again. "If Zabimaru ever did that … che, too freakin' weird."

"Why is that?" Byakuya turned to face his companion, a hand gently tracing the dark outlines of tattoos.

Renji smirked at the small gesture, and replied, "Maybe it's different for ya', but I don't think I could have a serious after sex conversation with a baboon if I tried."

Byakuya smirked faintly. "Senbonzakura is… an interesting conversationalist. If it weren't for their words I might not have pursued you today."

"Your sword beat some sense into ya'?" Renji grinned, far beyond amused at this point.

"I don't recall Senbonzakura ever 'beating' me," Byakuya drawled, "but it was quite insistent that I not sit passively this time."

"I'm glad you didn't," Renji stated softly, leaning forward to catch Byakuya's lips in a firm but gentle kiss. The noble returned it easily, his hand stilling against the designs covering Renji's chest.

"As am I," Byakuya breathed as they parted.

Omake

The original line was:

… Renji smirked at the small gesture, and replied, "I only know what Senbonzakura feels like, so maybe it's different for ya'…"

What my beta did with this sentence:

… Renji smirked at the small gesture, and replied, "I only know what Senbonzakura feels like when its implanted into me, so maybe it's different for ya'…"

Which leads to this fun little scene:

Renji: Ack not there!

Byakuya: Oh:jabs:

Renji: Don't impale me

"Impaled"

Renji: … Look what you've done!

Byakuya: You didn't seem that upset last time.

This is why editing is a good thing.