Title: In memoriam
Rating: G
Pairing / Characters: Renji / Rukia
Word Count: 493 words
Warnings: Some spoilers for the Soul Society arc
Summary: Renji remembers
A/N: Instinct writing at its best! So this was written at half past one in the morning and I am really not sure if its actually any good shrugs but never mind, here it is…
FOR ALL THE RENJIRUKI FANS!
Renji's earliest memory of Rukia was of spying on her one day down at the river when he was just old enough to know what he was doing.
Rukia loves rabbits; he wanted to please her so much that he spent three days trying to catch one.
When he finally did, it was not the look on Rukia's face that he remembered most but the first – and last kiss she ever gave him.
Renji has a drawer full of drawings that no one knows about. All of them are of Rukia.
The night they sneaked away from the academy to visit the graves of their childhood friends, Rukia fell asleep in his arms as they lay on the grass. Renji didn't move all night and couldn't move in the morning.
Renji was never bothered by the fact that Rukia was a better shinigami than he; even when they were younger she would beat up anyone who dared insult him.
Renji killed a man once, just after they entered the academy. He knew what made him do it – the idiot pawed Rukia and then tried to make out that she had wanted him to.
When Rukia was adopted into the Kuchiki clan, Renji went out and got so drunk he couldn't remember his own name.
Renji loves Rukia more than life itself, and would throw away everything to protect her.
When Kuchiki Byakuya received the orders to arrest and execute Rukia, Renji went out and got drunk. Again.
When Rukia was in confinement, she asked Renji to lie to her and tell her everything was going to be all right. Renji didn't have to lie; he knew Ichigo was coming.
Losing to Byakuya never hurt Renji as much as the knowledge that he had to step aside and let Ichigo save her.
Renji often wondered if Rukia would mourn for him if he died in battle.
He's always wanted to go out in a blaze of glory so that Rukia can be as proud of him as he is of her.
Surpassing Byakuya had nothing to do with the fact that he was a noble, and contrary to popular belief, nothing to do with Byakuya's strength.
Renji was aware that Byakuya couldn't always protect Rukia, even though she took his name.
Renji will never tell a soul, but he has Rukia's name tattooed on his ankle.
It took him eight and a half hours to do it.
Rukia bought Renji a pair of pyjamas in the living world once; patterned with pink and yellow and blue and orange rabbits, they're too small and terribly gaudy but Renji wears them every night.
Renji was never angry with Rukia for the distance she put between them after her adoption; he hated himself because he could never bring himself to tell her that he loved her.