A/N: This chapter is about Renji. Very fun, and easy to write, after the last chapter, which sucked all the life out of me. For those of you who also read A Sleeping Valentine, I'm gonna update it too, and I meant to get the next chapter out sooner, but I went on vacation. Sorry, readers. I meant to write some stuff down, but I forgot a notebook. Also, see if you can find the mild crossover in here. If you know the manga/anime, then it's not hard, but I couldn't resist XD

Renji was settled in quite nicely at Shuuhei's apartment. Of course, it wasn't just Shuuhei, Rangiku was there also. The interesting thing about being around Rangiku was he wasn't overly affected by her womanly charm. It made him wonder, since everyone else melted upon sight, but it just blew over Renji's head. Probably for the best. Shuuhei would kill him if he tried anything. It had been a week since he'd left Ishida and Ishida's…dare he say it? Boyfriend. After calling Ryuuken to the scene of the crime, things became a bit too sticky and girly and emotional; he packed his things and left for his long-time friend, Shuuhei Hisagi, and Shuuhei's gorgeous cousin Rangiku, who only let her boyfriend Gin (who was older and knew Ishida's chemistry teacher) call her Ran. Renji was supposed to call him Ichimaru, but he was such a weird, weird guy, Renji had decided to call him Gin. He didn't like Gin (at all) so he refused to address him formally. Renji logic was unmatched.

Currently, said Renji was sitting on the blue couch in the very middle of the living room, watching TV, drinking soda and wishing he wasn't too lazy to get up and get some pretzels. Shuuhei and Rangiku were playing with Shuuhei's Wii in his room. Or, at least they were, until they decided to play their other favorite game: Sit Near Renji and Bother Him. A popular choice in the household, unfortunately. He heard them come in before he actually saw them attack the empty spaces on the couch.

'Reeeenji,' Rangiku cooed, putting an arm around his neck, and putting her head on his shoulder, looking terribly innocent for someone who wasn't innocent in the least. Shuuhei sat down on the other side, grinning and jingling his car keys.

'Where are you going?' Renji looked at the keys, and then back at the expectant-looking Rangiku. He smirked.

'No. If you thought it would take both of you to convince me to come, I'm not coming,' Renji shook his head, thrashing his unruly red hair about. It was usually in a ponytail, but he didn't feel like messing with it today. Rangiku and Shuuhei reeled from the faceful of crimson hair being whipped about.

'But I want to see a friend,' Shuuhei whined.

'Who?'

'He's really nice,' Rangiku added, 'and although may seem kinda emo, he has his moments.'

'He drinks, doesn't he?' Renji had become acquainted with Rangiku's friends enough to know most of them shared a common interest: alcohol. He wasn't too sure how Rangiku didn't have an eternal hangover, but these were the mysteries of Shuuhei's relatives; Renji tried not to question them.

'No…I mean, he does, but not like some people,' Shuuhei explained, looking at Rangiku.

'Hey!'

'I didn't say anything,' he said nonchalantly, shrugging. Renji sighed.

'I'll go. But Shuuhei, if we get something to eat, you're paying for mine.'

'Why don't we ever make Rangiku pay, Renji?'

'Because we both know if we asked her, she wouldn't.' Shuuhei and Renji laughed. Rangiku stuck her tongue out and crossed her arms.

Surprisingly enough, the establishment in which Shuuhei's friend worked was shockingly clean, pleasant and smelled like coffee. This, of course, makes sense considering they were in a coffee shop. Shuuhei strolled breezily to the counter, followed by Rangiku, who had a not-really-meaning to be seductive saunter worked up, and Renji just walked.

'Hellooo,' Shuuhei drawled to the sales clerk. She blinked uncaringly at him with large, brown eyes; she had short, dark brown hair tucked behind her ears.

'Where's Izuru Kira?' Shuuhei leaned across the counter. She turned away and yelled, 'Izuuuru! There's a man with a sixty-nine on his face here to see you!' She turned back to Shuuhei.

'He'll be with you shortly.' True to her word, after a few seconds a blond man with a large portion of his hair hanging in his eyes came out from behind a staff-only door. His eyes, or eye, was a blue colour, but covered by his heavy eyelid. He looked unhappy with life, in Renji's opinion. He didn't really need Johnny Razorblades around, but Shuuhei was friends with him, so he was obliged.

'Haruhi, you could have just gotten me, there's no need to shout,' he said flatly, using the same tone as Haruhi. What a pair they made.

'I'm trying to leave early to avoid--'

'Haruhiiii!' Haruhi sighed, putting on an even more emotionless expression, if that was possible. Izuru escorted the trio to a table quickly; Only Renji saw the exuberant blond man jump over the counter to hug Haruhi.

'So, Izuru, how've you been?' Rangiku rested her chin in her hands, staring at Izuru with curiosity.

'Fine. How's Ichimaru-san?'

'You always ask. Gin's fine, he's made a new friend. A girly boy, but I forget his name. He has a pet octopus. How weird is that?'

'Very weird, Matsumoto,' Izuru said with a warm smile. They were right. He wasn't as scary as Renji had originally thought.

'Where are my manners! Renji, this is Izuru. Izuru, this is Renji. He's staying with us, because Shuuhei can't say no to a cute redhead,' Rangiku said with a wink. Izuru blushed slightly at the joke. Shuuhei was being oddly quiet, though. Renji looked at him. He grinned.

'Hey, isn't he one of your teachers?' Shuuhei pointed conspicuously at Ishida's physics teacher, Byakuya Kuchiki, and his friend Rukia's older brother.

'Yeah, but he's not my teacher. He's Uryuu's.'

'Is that the gay one?' Renji sighed. That was true, but bluntness was not appreciated.

'Yes. But Kuchiki-san is also Rukia's brother, not just a teacher.'

'Then let's invite him over here,' Rangiku said devilishly, 'he's awfully cute for a stuffy physics professor.' Renji groaned. It wasn't that he didn't like Byakuya, but he always acted like there was a stick up his ass, and it made it hard to talk to him about anything. Uryuu acted like that too, except that behavior stopped when Uryuu met…him. In the middle of his deep, ponderous thoughts, Renji failed to notice that Rangiku had already dragged Byakuya to their table and was babbling on.

'Oh! Hello Kuchiki-san, we aren't bothering you, are we?' Renji internally kicked something. He sounded like a suck-up.

'Good afternoon, Abarai. I see you've stopped working with Ishida. It's a shame, he was a much better influence,' he said offhandedly. Renji couldn't blame him for thinking this, though. Rangiku was basically going topless she was exposing so much of her breasts, Shuuhei had a sex position, along with many other markings, tattooed on his face (he claimed it had meaning from his childhood. Nobody ever believed him) and Izuru looked as if he was going to slit his wrists at any moment. Of course Ishida looked better than his friends, he was a star pupil who carried around textbooks and wore glasses. Glasses, damnit.

'Well…would you like anything to drink?' Shuuhei pointed invitingly to the counter, where another girl was working. God knows what happened to Haruhi, if that blond freak was involved.

'No thank you.' Shuuhei sighed. Renji slumped his shoulders. He could feel Byakuya's icy gaze on him, as hard as he tried to avoid it.

'Yes, Kuchiki-san?'

'You're a bright young man, Renji. Maybe I should tutor you. You have potential.' Shuuhei and Rangiku both looked at Renji appraisingly, who could only imagine the horrors of spending periods of time alone with Byakuya Kuchiki.

But…how could he say no?

A/N: That's actually a cliffhanger, because we're returning to Szayel and Ishida in the next chapter. So…if you enjoy the Renji bit, you'll have to wait another chapter.