Title: Apotheosis
Series: sequel to Nexus
Author: Akuni
Genre: Drama/Romance
Rating: M for 'Much Smut'
Pairing: Renji/Ichigo
Spoilers: read through Soul Society & Arrancar Arcs
Summary: One year after Nexus, Ichigo and Renji face personal challenges and a new crisis that threatens everyone.
Word Count: 65,500ish
Warnings: There is more talk about the war with Aizen that I wrote around in Nexus. There are mentions of character deaths during the war, but they're mostly minor. Should also be noted that there's some definite Shuuhei/Yumichika subtext, and off camera Hitsugaya/Hinamori.

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, I'm just borrowing it for a while. A few lines of song lyrics are included in this chapter, and they are the property of their owner(s).
Distribution: Also posted to my LJ. Please ask if you want to share it :)

Dedication: To my wonderful beta Shelagh, for putting up with my writing process and for drawing the amazing art that goes with my stories. She keeps me on the path of reality when my feet try to take me down sugar plum lane. And for Sara, our partner in fangirling and BL love, for helping us stay silly and sane. And I suppose even for my husband, who has had to endure my mental love affair with Renji, my extended hours on my laptop writing this beast, and my ups and downs while writing it. One night we got drunk and he let me read all my fics out loud to him in one night (yes, even all of Nexus) - my voice was ruined the next day, but we had a great laugh. He laughed in all the right places, and wouldn't let me chicken out and stop reading at the sexy bits. :)

And as always, to all my fellow Renji/Ichigo fangirls/guys out there. We know it's impossible, we know it's silly, and we know it's damned hot!

A/N: I said Nexus ate my life - I was wrong. So very wrong. The idea for Apotheosis came to me while I was still writing Nexus, and I scribbled down a couple pages of notes as I went along. Nexus was posted at the end of August, and it's now December. I've only taken a handful of days off writing this story - I even took my notebook to work and scribbled lines and scenes as they came to me. This is definitely an obsession. And I loved every minute of it. I hope you all do, too.

Chapter 17 - Consequences

"How could you?!"

"What?" Ichigo stepped back as his normally mild-mannered sister exploded. He and Renji had arranged three extra days away from Soul Society right before their next weekend off to put Ichigo's affairs in the living world in order before he began his new life. The first thing on Ichigo's list of things to do was to tell his family.

Yuzu trembled from head to toe as she faced him angrily. Her wide eyes lost their shine as the tears that had gathered as Ichigo revealed his decision finally spilled over.

Oh crap, tears? Ichigo glanced nervously at Karin, who was calmly watching their sister's tirade.

"You're just going to leave us? Throw away your whole life?"

"Yuzu it's not like that. I'm not throwing anything away, I'm just choosing a different kind of life," Ichigo tried to explain, but he was frankly shocked at his sister's reaction, and he'd been unprepared to deal with an outburst.

"That's not life!" her voice broke. "You're going away, choosing them over your family! To be with him!" Yuzu pointed at Renji without looking at him, who was staring confusedly at the hysterical girl.

"Now wait just a minute, Yuzu, that's not how it is!" Ichigo scowled.

Renji finally found his voice. "Yu-chan, c'mon, just listen t' what he—"

Yuzu whirled, levelling a teary glare at the red-haired shinigami. "Don't talk to me! This is all your fault!" she wailed accusingly. "If you hadn't… hadn't seduced my brother, he'd never abandon us like this!"

"Yuzu!" Ichigo said sharply. "That's enough!" I know she's upset but that's just goin' too far!

She ignored him; her voice cracked again as she delivered her parting shot toward Renji. "I wish we'd never met you!" With a final sob, she fled the room. Stumbling footsteps echoed through the house, ending with a slammed bedroom door.

Renji winced, the hurt caused by Yuzu's angry words written clearly on his face. He gave Ichigo a baffled look, but all Ichigo could do was shrug helplessly in return – he was at a loss for how to deal with his sister's transformation. She'd always been so gentle and supportive, and normally she adored Renji; her outburst was completely unexpected.

"That didn't go very well," Karin observed.

"You got anything to add to that?" Ichigo asked sourly. Renji nudged his foot. "Ah, sorry Karin, I mean… what do you think?'

"It's your life, Ichi-nii. Gotta do what you gotta do, right?" Karin shrugged. "She didn't listen, you know, when you told us this might happen. She just didn't want to think about it, so this really surprised her."

"I can't understand why she'd say those things, though. I mean, last summer when Pop just dropped the news, yanno, 'bout Renji… she was fine," Ichigo objected.

Karin gave him an exasperated look far too mature for her teenaged years. "Ichi-nii, we already knew about you guys before that."

"W-what?" Renji stammered.

"That's not possible, there was nothin' to know befo—" Ichigo broke off, flustered.

"Our old man knew something was going on. He made us sit and listen to a long talk about—" Karin made a face. "Never mind. My point is, do you really think it would've been that easy if we hadn't been prepared for it?"

"But I did try to prepare her," Ichigo scratched his head, confused. "I came here and talked to you guys all about it."

"She never thought you'd go through with it."

Ichigo sighed. "So are you really ok with this?" This's almost too easy after what Yuzu just pulled.

"I guess I just don't see what the big deal is, for us anyway." Karin rested her chin on her hands. "I mean, you guys can still come and visit whenever, right? I see shinigami around here all the time. It won't be much different than when you were in school, except you won't come home for supper once a week. Renji-nii visited a lot last year, so I know you won't be gone forever."

"Now if I can just get Yuzu to see that," Ichigo sighed again.

"You're supposed to go after her and make her understand," Karin told him bluntly. "She's up there waiting for you to chase her and prove you still care."

They stared at her. "She's what?" Renji asked incredulously.

Karin rolled her eyes. "Just go talk to her."

§

Ichigo knocked tentatively at his sister's door. "Yuzu, open up, it's me."

"Go away!" The plaintive demand ended with a muffled sob.

"No, Yuzu, we need to talk about this. I'm not goin' away, so unless ya want me to chop your door down, you'll open up."

Silence, then the soft click of the lock.

Renji urged him forward from his hidden position on the other side of the door – they'd decided Ichigo should go in first, alone.

Ichigo stepped into his sister's room. Karin had moved into Ichigo's old room when he moved out to go to college, and Yuzu's taste in furnishings ran toward the 'pink' and 'frilly'. She was lying face down on her bed, face buried in a lacy pillow.

"Yuzu, it's not goodbye forever." Ichigo started with the most important thing, just in case she started yelling again. "It'll just be like I'm livin' in another city."

Her shoulders shook. "I kn-know," she hiccupped.

"Then why're you so upset?"

"I don't know… I thought I'd never see you again." She sat up and swiped at her eyes with the back of her hand. Ichigo handed her a tissue from the box on her desk.

"You're my sister, how could I do something that meant I'd never see you or Karin again? I'll be back as often as I can, but this is somethin' I gotta do."

"Why? Why does it have to be your job?"

Ichigo was relieved that he actually had a good answer for this question. "Yuzu, I want to protect people," he explained gently. "I have the ability to help a lot of people, in both worlds. I'm a good shinigami, and there aren't a lot of people who can be a strong captain."

She sighed. "Yeah, but why can't you be a shinigami here, like you were before?" She sounded resigned now.

"I got a responsibility to use my abilities the best way I can. I couldn't live with myself if I didn't. And it's what I want to do." Ichigo put a hand on her trembling back. "Things are pretty bad over there, Yuzu. You already know it's been spilling out into this world – like that pack of Hollows last summer that went after you and Karin. How do ya think I'd feel if that sort of thing kept happening to people when I wasn't doin' everythin' I could to stop it? There are only so many shinigami to go around, and not everyone has a big brother with friends to pull them out of danger."

The tears started falling again as his unsubtle reminder of how Renji had rescued her and Karin struck home. "I didn't mean what I said," Yuzu apologized as she wiped her face. "It was awful."

Ichigo nodded. "Yeah it was, but we'll live." His sister flung her arms around his neck and hugged him hard. He patted her back and let her cry herself out. When she finally pulled away, he handed her another tissue. "Renji wants to talk to you. You feel up to that?"

"Yeah, he can come in now."

Renji poked his head around the doorway. "How'd ya know I was there?"

Yuzu wiped her nose. "I heard your footsteps on the stairs," she snuffled. "You're a shinigami, not a ninja, Renji-nii."

The shinigami laughed softly and sat next to her on the bed. "I'll try t' do better next time."

Yuzu shook her head. "Will you really visit?" she asked wistfully.

Ichigo nodded. "Definitely."

"Both of you?"

Renji looked pleased, smiling at the girl's hopeful tone. "We promise," he squeezed an arm around her shoulders. "We'll even write, an' ya know I really suck at that."

"I… I said some pretty awful things," Yuzu looked at the floor. "I'm sorry, Renji-nii."

"Ah, that don't matter, Yu-chan." Renji shook her shoulder gently until she looked up again. "Family's real important t' me, an' I think ya should be able t' say what ya need t' your family. I don't want my li'l sister mad at me, so if we got a problem just tell me, ok?"

A small smile crept onto her tear-stained face. "We don't have a problem anymore, Renji-nii." Then she buried her face back into her pillow and began crying again.

Ichigo exchanged an anxious glance with Renji. What've we done this time?

"Yuzu, what—"

"It's ok, Ichi-nii," Karin came in to rescue them. "Yuzu and I need to talk."

"But—"

"About girl stuff," she said pointedly.

"Oh. Well, we'll just…" Renji was already out the door.

"Yeah, we'll go talk to Pop." Ichigo was right behind him.

§

On the third and final night, Ichigo's family and friends threw him a party. They couldn't decide if it was a going away party or a congratulatory celebration, but they all agreed it needed cake and beer and loud music.

Ichigo and Renji were greeted with an embarrassing display of paternal affection as they entered the Kurosaki family home. Isshin locked an arm around both their necks and loudly proclaimed how proud he was of his sons. Ichigo pinched the nerves in his father's hand and quickly twisted his wrist to uproot him, then Renji snapped his foot against the back of the man's knee and sent him sprawling.

"Hey Pop," Ichigo stepped around his enthusiastic father.

Renji helped the laughing man up off the floor. "Hi, Kurosaki-san."

A room full of people chorused a welcome. The Kurosaki family was joined by old friends who understood Ichigo's double life, all of them eager to give him a loud and cheerful send-off.

There were decorations everywhere – if it was brightly coloured or sparkled, it was hanging somewhere in the living room, where all the furniture had been pushed back against the walls leaving a wide open space in the center. Lights shone from unknown sources, bathing the room in a confusion of colour. A new addition to the room caught Ichigo's eye, and he had to suppress a groan – his father had hauled out the karaoke machine. He didn't object to karaoke, but his father's singing left a lot to be desired.

Enticing smells pulled them into the kitchen, where the table was covered in a huge selection of food. Sandwiches, sushi, curry, and more desserts than anyone could possibly eat. And of course, Ichigo noticed with a laugh, the inevitable plate of taiyaki that Renji was already digging into. A huge tub of ice in a corner was filled to overflowing with an impressive amount of alcohol and soft drinks.

Ichigo almost couldn't believe this much could have been accomplished in so short a time – but when his father and sister got an idea, they could be a bit scary in their dedication to it. He was amazed. Yuzu must've been cooking for days.

A glass was placed in his hand, and a firm shove put him in the centre of the room. "Wait a min—"

"Kurosaki Ichigo! Your friends are here tonight to congratulate you and send you off properly to your new job and your new life." Arisawa Tatsuki's voice rang out loud and strong as she raised her glass. "Which means, it's time to party!"

"Yeah!" Glasses went up around the room and were drained just as quickly. Someone turned on the stereo, and plates of food began appearing from the kitchen.

The drinks flowed freely, and the conversations got louder. Isshin and Tatsuki were only distracted from telling embarrassing childhood stories about Ichigo when Karin and Yuzu started passing around cake. Renji seemed a bit disappointed by that; he'd looked far too keen during the storytelling, and clearly found the idea of Tatsuki regularly beating Ichigo up in karate class especially amusing. Ichigo grinned ruefully. He's never gonna let me hear the end of that one!

§

Orihime had lured Tatsuki and Ishida to the centre of the room, and the three of them were dancing enthusiastically to a loud song with a fast beat. Ichigo and Chad were listening with great amusement as Renji fended off Isshin's attempts to give 'his other son' advice on everything from Hollow-slaying to how to drink Urahara Kisuke under the table.

When his father began offering romantic advice, however, Ichigo buried his head in his hands and groaned loudly. He was relieved, and more than a little bit pleased, when Renji shut the man up with a loud, "Aww c'mon Pop, quit embarrassin' me!" Isshin was moved to tears, and Yuzu helpfully intervened and led the joyfully weeping man away to compose himself.

"Ichigo, how did you hurt your arm?" Chad was frowning at his arm. Ichigo looked up in confusion. His sleeve had shifted and the newly uncovered tattoo on his forearm was exposed, barely visible in the dim light.

"Kurosaki-kun, why didn't you tell me you were injured?" Orihime sounded concerned as she and Tatsuki leaned over to investigate.

"Ah, it's not a bruise." Ichigo extended his arm for their inspection. I'm not gonna be able to avoid this, and I don't really want to, anyway. I wanted people to see it when I got it.

"Ohh, it's a tattoo!" Tatsuki exclaimed, drawing the attention of the others in the room.

"A tattoo? Ichigo, really?" Keigo was suddenly peering over his shoulder, Mizuiro hovering behind him.

Ichigo was a bit overwhelmed by the reaction. "Ahh, yeah, it's…" he searched for the right words.

"It matches," Chad observed with a smile.

"Yeah, it matches his." Ichigo grinned and shook his head. "Ya might's well show 'em yours, too, Renji."

Ishida sniffed. "We already know Abarai-kun has a lot of tattoos, Kurosaki. We don't need to see any more of them than we already have."

"Not those," Renji scoffed, pushing back his sleeve. "This." He held up his arm readily, displaying the inked version of Zangetsu's shikai form on the underside of his forearm. "Matches in a different kind a' way."

"Hey that's cool!" Karin grabbed their arms and twisted them to get a better look. "Ichi-nii, why didn't you tell us you had a tattoo?"

"They're still new, we only just got them."

"Actually he's got more'n one," Renji revealed.

Ichigo groaned. "Don't tell 'em that!"

"Really? What is it? Where is it?" The slightly inebriated crowd wanted to know.

"You and your big mouth! Four years I managed to keep this quiet!" Ichigo made sure to elbow Renji in the ribs as he rolled up his left sleeve, earning a punch in the arm in return from the grinning shinigami. "I don't wanna hear any jokes about this, ok? I got it right after the war; it's a long story, but there was a lot of sake involved and some impulsive friends with their own tattoos."

He endured the laughter much as he'd endured Rukia's reaction in the summer. "Yeah yeah, very funny… Ichigo has a strawberry tattoo."

Another round of snacks drew the attention away from Ichigo again. He pushed both sleeves up to his elbows, catching the pleased thread of Renji's energy that filtered through their bond as his lover mimicked the gesture.

Ichigo accepted a refill and found himself talking with Ishida for the next half hour about how he was getting on in medical school. He had no real regrets about giving it up, but he was still interested in medicine for interests' sake.

Keigo and Mizuiro had convinced Renji to show them his spirit communicator, and they were doing their best to figure out how it worked. The red-haired shinigami laughed as they pressed the buttons randomly, insisting there had to be a game on there somewhere.

§

More hours passed, more drinks were poured, and more music was played. Ichigo needed a breather from the festivities, so he made his way back to where Renji was sitting sprawled on the floor and made himself comfortable beside his glassy-eyed lover.

"Well I gotta say, Ichigo, they sure know how t' throw a party." Renji grinned at him as Ichigo settled against him. His arm rested on the floor behind Ichigo, not quite around him and unseen from the rest of the room.

"Yep. I think Ikkaku was a bad influence on those two." Ichigo chuckled tiredly as Tatsuki tried to swing at Keigo and Mizuiro at the same time when they tripped over her feet and landed in her lap.

They fell silent, enjoying the company and the atmosphere, watching the antics of their friends. Ichigo had no idea how much time passed until he heard his name repeated loudly several times.

"What?" Ichigo blinked blearily. Someone was speaking to him. Must've spaced out there for a bit. He shook his head a bit to clear it.

"It's cute!"

"What?" Ichigo repeated cluelessly. "What're ya talkin' 'bout?" Damn I'm really drunk. That or she's makin' less sense than usual. He'd had… he'd lost count of how many times his glass had been filled by his enthusiastic friends.

"You two're all…" Orihime flapped her hand at Ichigo and Renji where they sat on the floor, leaning against each other for support. "Connecty."

"Connect…huh?" Renji squinted at the bubbly young woman who was suddenly kneeling in front of them and peering intently at the air around them.

"Ooh it's all sparkly and tingly, like little purple lightnings!" she giggled.

Something in that penetrated the alcohol-induced fog, and Ichigo realized she was talking about their reiatsu. He gathered what little remained of his concentration and focused on the light connection they usually maintained in company. Except it wasn't a light connection anymore, but a very obvious bonding; they weren't fully meshed, but there was no mistaking this energy link between them.

"Oh," he mumbled. I should probably care about this, but… eh. He was having the time of his life; he had good food, good music, and good friends around him, and he was relaxing happily on this final night with nothing pressing on his mind before he left to go to Soul Society permanently. He felt Renji's excitement as clearly as his own, excitement that had barely waned since Ichigo had announced his decision to become a full-time shinigami.

Renji shrugged against his shoulder. "Oops?" He didn't seem particularly concerned, either.

Orihime patted them both on the head as she stood and danced off, a bit unsteadily, in search of more cake.

"Ok, I'll try'n…" Renji straightened up a bit. "Damn this's hard t' do drunk." Ichigo felt him focus and attempt to bring his wandering energy under control, but it was a lost cause.

"Don't bother, Abarai-kun," Ishida Uryuu's voice drawled lazily from across the room. "You're pathetically obvious, you know."

Renji snorted. "Mind yer own business, Quincy-boy."

"It is my business, shinigami, and the business of everyone in the room to whom you're choosing to display your… enthusiasm." Ishida's lip curled sardonically, but the way his eyes danced behind his glasses gave away his good humour.

Ichigo snickered. "Shut up, Ishida. Go sew somethin'." He offered their smirking friend a crooked grin.

Ishida rolled his eyes. "Oh so funny, Kurosaki. All these years and you can't come up with anything more original?"

"Gotta go with the classics."

"Classics! Yes!" Isshin leaped up and flicked the switch on the karaoke machine.

"No don't let him—" Ichigo spoke too late. His father had already grabbed the microphone, and was making his selection. It was mercifully short, and Orihime saved them all by rushing up immediately after Isshin had finished destroying an old ballad. She sang something in French – not perfectly, but with feeling, and far better than the previous performance.

Everyone else, even Ichigo, had taken at least one turn before Yuzu noticed that Renji hadn't stepped up once. "Renji-nii, you need to sing, too!"

Renji shook his head. "Ain't got no voice," he confessed. "I don't sing."

"You lie!" Ichigo held the microphone out to the reluctant shinigami. "You sing in the shower."

"Che, everyone does that," Renji argued. "Don't mean they're good at it."

Yuzu dismissed his argument with a wave of her hand. "Ichi-nii can sing with you!"

"Sure," Ichigo agreed easily. My singing's ok – good enough not to embarrass myself, and Renji's not that bad. Definitely not's bad as our old man, and we've already had to listen to him twice.

Renji wobbled to his feet, and stood unsteadily at Ichigo's side. "Yer all gonna regret this," he warned.

"Here's a good one for you," Ishida set the song with a smirk.

Ichigo recognized it right away. "I'll get ya for this," he glared at the Quincy as the music played.

Ishida was unfazed. "I think everyone will agree it's suitable."

Ichigo held the microphone up between them and picked the song up at the chorus.

Don't you want to know how we keep starting fires?
It's my desire, it's my desire, it's my desire!

Renji chimed in with him for the rest.

Danger! Danger! High Voltage!
When we touch, when we kiss.

Tatsuki was rolling on the floor laughing, tears streaming down her face. Chad and Isshin wore matching grins, and Ishida just looked smug.

It wasn't that bad. Ichigo knew he sang fairly well, keeping the tune steady – as steady as he could with that much alcohol in him – while Renji made up for his lack of skill with enthusiasm and sincere emotion. Their voices blended together uniquely, Ichigo's smooth notes sliding across Renji's rougher tones. Ichigo found to his surprise that he rather liked the way it sounded.

Only other time we hear this sorta thing is when… Ichigo was glad the lights were so low, as memories of other times their voices cried out together intruded, and nearly made him lose his place.

Don't you want to know how we keep starting fires?
It's my desire, it's my desire, it's my desire!

Ichigo was having fun in spite of his threat; Renji was definitely enjoying himself, playing up to their encouraging audience. He exchanged a grin with Renji as the shinigami grabbed and pulled the microphone closer, bringing him laughing along with it.

Danger! Danger! High Voltage!
When we touch, when we kiss.

The song was a good choice; as they sang the final chorus, Ichigo realized that the reiatsu they hadn't bothered separating was echoing their enjoyment, sparking as their hands shifted together on the microphone. The smirks on the faces of their friends proved that it hadn't gone unnoticed. They looked at each other and grinned again, leaping and turning back to back to finish the song with a flourish.

When the song was done, the group applauded and began coercing Renji into singing the latest release from a popular Tokyo band. Ichigo excused himself to the kitchen to get another round of drinks for everyone, staying there until the urge to haul his lover into the nearest bedroom passed.

§

"Renji-kun, we need to speak with you."

"Eh?" Renji attempted to focus on the three earnest – if somewhat flushed – faces in front of him. "What's up?"

Karin, Orihime, and Tatsuki sat across from him and glanced at each other meaningfully. Their glances made him nervous; Renji tossed back the rest of his drink, thinking he was probably going to need more very soon.

"We just want to make sure you understand the situation," Orihime explained.

"Uh, ok?"

Tatsuki spoke up next. "We're trusting you with a lot, here."

What'n the hell're they talkin' 'bout? Renji nodded, playing along as he wracked his not-sober brains trying to figure out what the three young women were looking so determined about. "I'll do my best?" he offered.

Karin rolled her eyes at her companions. "He's even drunker than the two of you; we have to be a little more specific here." She turned back to the confused shinigami. "You. Ichigo. You and Ichigo. It's your job to be good to him, not to hurt him," she explained slowly. "And you'd better do your best, or we will come find you…" she trailed off meaningfully.

Ah. "Right. I'll do my best," he assured them. They nodded approvingly.

§

Ichigo wasn't sure how he'd ended up dancing. He was even less sure how Renji had ended up dancing next to him. He hadn't even realized the red-haired shinigami knew how, but he was doing a decent job of it despite the occasional stumble when someone's feet wandered across his path.

Wait, what? Path?

An arm was flung over his shoulder. "Huh?" It was Keigo.

"We're gonna miss you, Ichigo!" His old friend had his other arm slung around Mizuiro's waist, who in turn was connected to Tatsuki. "It won't be the same without you!"

Another arm claimed his waist – he knew without looking this time that it was Renji. His lover had been drawn into the circle as well, by Chad of all people, who'd been pulled in by Orihime – and even Ishida was there, completing the circle between Orihime and Tatsuki.

What the hell is this? "Er… I'm gonna miss you guys, too. But not this much!"

"Kurosaki-kun, we're not going to see you for ages, maybe years! You can dance with us just this once, don't be such a stick!" Orihime's nose and cheeks were bright red, and her eyes danced as happily as her feet. Ichigo couldn't help joining in his friends' contagious laughter.

Renji's snicker made him laugh even more. "Yeah Ichigo, don't be a stick, we already got enough uptight captains."

"Hah, I'm more fun than Byakuya an' Soi Fong any day," he declared. "Put together!" Renji snorted a laugh.

"But I'm not drunk enough yet for this!" Ichigo announced loudly. He broke away, snatching up the first full glass he saw and draining it before resuming his place in the circle. "Ok, now I can do this!"

The music didn't matter – the disorderly group twisted and sang to everything Isshin played, from popular new music to old foreign tunes in languages they didn't even recognize. The one thing they all had in common was a loud, fast beat, and that was enough.

When at last the dance music ended and something softer began playing, Ichigo was more than ready to take a break. The room was spinning from the booze, the wild dancing, and the friends' unrestrained excitement stirring the energy in the room.

He wiped his face on his sleeve and turned to leave the circle when he was suddenly shoved into the centre of the room.

"Wha--!?"

"Oof!" He turned just in time to see Renji falling toward him as the shinigami received a similar push. They staggered together, grabbing each other frantically by the arms as they struggled to find their balance.

"…the hell?"

They forced themselves upright, still clinging to each others' arms. "Who did that?" Ichigo demanded.

Faces all around were grinning at them. "We did!" they chorused.

"Why?"

"We're not finished dancing yet, Kurosaki-kun," Orihime said helpfully.

He looked around the circle, confused. "We can't dance to this!"

"Come on, Kurosaki, anyone can dance to this, even you" Ishida's sarcastic tone was laced with laughter as he offered Tatsuki a hand and pulled her into a formal embrace.

"Well yeah, but…" Renji stopped as understanding flitted across his face. "We can't—"

"Why can't you?" Orihime smiled as she stepped in front of Chad and lifted her arms.

"I… I dunno." Renji looked at him. "Why can't we?"

Ichigo thought about it, but came up blank. "I dunno, either." He moved a hand from Renji's arm to his shoulder. Renji gave him a crooked smile and moved closer, mirroring his posture. Ichigo's arm fit nicely around his lover's waist. You'd think we'd know how to do this, but it's a bit different than holding each other in bed!

They moved together hesitantly at first, but with growing confidence as their bodies fell into an easy rhythm together. Hmm, maybe it's more like bein' in bed than I thought…

Ichigo looked around curiously; Chad and Orihime were laughing softly together about something, and Ishida and Tatsuki were engaged in an intense debate. Mizuiro partnered a blushing Yuzu while Keigo spun Karin energetically, both pairs under Isshin's watchful eye. He shook his head and chuckled as Keigo panicked after stepping on Karin's foot.

"What's so funny?"

"My father," Ichigo steered them around so Renji could watch Isshin terrorizing Keigo with only a stern look.

Renji laughed softly. "Poor guy." His arm left Ichigo's shoulder and joined the one wrapped around his waist. "This's nice."

Ichigo returned the embrace and pulled himself in closer. "Yeah." Renji leaned his forehead against Ichigo's, a silly grin playing at his lips. They moved together in silence for a while, content simply to look into each others' eyes while swaying with the music.

"We're really drunk, aren't we?" Renji mumbled happily.

"Oh yeah." Ichigo shifted, putting his arms all the way around his lover and laying his head down on his shoulder. He smiled and closed his eyes when he felt Renji move to match him again.

The slow song was long; Ichigo wasn't familiar with it, but the lyrics in the chorus caught his attention. The way Renji's arms tightened around him, he knew he felt it, too.

Ichigo tilted his head toward his partner's ear. "That's right," he whispered softly. "We can trust in this. Forever."

"Forever." Renji's lips brushed his neck with his murmured reply. Just then, they no longer cared how strongly their reiatsu reflected their feelings.

They remained like that until the song ended several minutes later.

§

The rest of the evening was given over to laughter and foolishness. Chad and Keigo were fixated on the notion of finding a traffic cone – something they'd seen on a foreign television program – but their adventure was called off when Keigo ran full-tilt into a wall and nearly knocked himself out. Mizuiro peered down at him curiously from under the lampshade hat balanced precariously on his head.

The girls were dancing again, with Ishida somehow managing to partner them all at once. When Ichigo realized that all eyes were finally not on him, he nudged Renji and casually slipped out of the room and into the kitchen.

They were definitely on the same wavelength; Renji met his embrace eagerly, pressing him back against the counter as they shared a rather sloppy drunken kiss.

"Been wantin' t' do that all night," Renji confessed with a grin as they pulled apart briefly. "This's a great party, but I'm lookin' forward to bein' alone with ya later." The press of his hips against Ichigo's made his meaning very clear.

"Mmhmm." Ichigo agreed, but he had better things to do with his mouth than talk just then. He leaned in again, pulling his lover hard against him with a hand on his waist and another on the back of his neck. Renji's arm went around him as lips and tongues met once more, the rough hand on his cheek caressing, and…

"OH!" They jumped apart at the startled exclamation. Ichigo was sure he was red from head to toe as he realized what he'd just been doing, and who had just caught him at it.

Karin and Chad stood in the doorway, hands filled with empty plates and glasses.

"Sorry, we didn't mean to interrupt," Chad drawled, amused.

"I… oh fuck, sorry, we shouldn't—" Renji babbled, flushing brightly. Karin's laughter cut him off.

"It's not a newsflash, Renji-nii… Lovers kissing, who would've thought it?!" She gave him a fake-astonished look. "Oh no, your secret is out!" Karin snickered and rolled her eyes, looking and sounding a great deal like her big brother.

"Shaddap." Ichigo pushed away from the counter to pick his sister up and threaten to dunk her in the sink.

"Hey, quit it! Stop or I'll… Daaaaaaaad!! Ichigo was—"

He clamped a hand over her mouth. "Gah, Karin no!"

"Ichigooooooooooo!"

"Argh!"

§

It was late – or early, depending on how you looked at it – when the party began breaking up. Karin called for taxis, and one by one Ichigo bid his old friends farewell, not really objecting to the sobbing and the hugs from people he knew he wouldn't see again for a long time.

Ichigo and Renji elected to walk back to Ichigo's flat, letting the cold winter air sober them up a bit. Amazingly, they made it there without any major mishaps, and managed to enter the flat quietly so as not to disturb the neighbours.

"Been a while since we spent so much time here," Renji remarked, looking around at the nearly empty flat. Before the party, they'd spent the day packing up the few things Ichigo wanted to take with him back to Soul Society.

"Mmhmm." Ichigo flopped back on the bed. Renji fell beside him with a long sigh, head spinning a bit from the alcohol they'd consumed at the party.

"Yanno, I think I'm gonna miss this place."

Renji raised himself on one elbow and leaned over to smirk at his lover. "What part? The tiny kitchen, or maybe the thin walls?" Got a pretty good idea what he means, but I want t' hear him say it.

"Quit fishin', you know exactly what I'm talkin' about," Ichigo chuckled. "Got a lotta good memories here."

"Yup, me too," he agreed. "Just wanted t' hear ya say it."

Ichigo rolled his eyes, but he was smiling. "I think I'm gonna miss that shower the most… though I do like the bath we got at home."

Renji smiled. Home sounds good. "So what do ya want ta do with your last night with your mortal body?"

"Man, that sounds weird." Ichigo sat up and leaned against the wall, which was bare for the first time in years of all the photos that had adorned it. "My last night with my body."

A thought occurred to Renji then. "You'll need t' use a gigai when ya come back," he realized. "An' I'll definitely be there t' laugh when ya get stuck! Serve ya right after all those times ya made fun a' me." He slapped Ichigo's leg gleefully as he laughed.

Ichigo snorted and punched his shoulder. "Idiot. I won't get stuck."

"Wanna bet?"

"Hah, you'll lose."

"We'll see. So c'mon, what do ya want t' do?" Renji nudged the other man with his foot.

"Make more memories." The grin Ichigo flashed him was accompanied by a noticeable increase in the energy level in the room.

Renji started to sit up, but then he was being pressed back against the mattress as Ichigo straddled his waist. He licked hungrily at the hot mouth fastened onto his, deciding as his lover sucked on his tongue that making these kinds of memories was indeed the best way a person could spend their last night as a mortal.

§

Omake
Chapter 17 omake

Yuzu: That was a fun party, but…

Karin: …why do we get stuck cleaning up?!

Keigo: (snores)

Mizuiro: (snores)

Tatsuki: (snores)

Orihime: (snores)

Chad: (snores)

Ishida: (snores)

Isshin: …

Yuzu/Karin: (hastily) Never mind, we'll do it ourselves!!

-elsewhere-

Renji/Ichigo: (sexing it up)

Ichigo: Crap, I think we actually managed to break the shower this time…

Renji: Whoops… hope the old man doesn't want his damage deposit back.

A/N2: Song to listen to while reading a certain bit of this chapter: 'Nothing Else Matters' by Metallica.