AN: Hey, guys… Phew, 'tis a bit late but oh well (lol 12:20AM) I'll get over it someday. Now, I'd just like to thank all my regular reviewers that have been following me through with this fic! THANKYOU! (I would write down usernames, but i'm afraid I might miss someone...Then i might get hunted down and bad stuff like that...)

Ahem..Please read on…Well, after this stupid thing below me...

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.

A Summer Job – A Superior's Love

"You."

"Yes, Aizen-sama?"

"I want you to scout out that region once more. There is a girl there who I would like to assess."

"Certainly, Aizen-sama."

"Oh, and one more thing. Bring a friend. You might get hurt."

"Yes, Aizen-sama."

"This is the girl." Aizen took a picture out from beneath his robes.

The arrancar looked closely at the picture.

"Go."

The arrancar turned from the presence of Aizen. The former shinigami captain just sat there, until a voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Oh my, now why would ya be usin' the likes of him?"

"Gin. It is not that difficult to retrieve a mere girl from the human world. She does, after all, have some amount of spirit power. Besides, if I send stronger Arrancars they would be detected by him."

"Whateva' ya say, boss."

"Come on Rukia." Renji looked behind him to see his childhood friend merely strolling.

"Oh, please, since when did we have to run to this place?"

"I'm not running. It's called a fast walking pace."

"Fast walking pace my foot."

"Shutup. Look we're here."

They reached the peak of the hill that overlooked Rukongai. Renji stretched. "I haven't been here in ages!"

Rukia, at his side, was silent. She had practically just been here. Her eyes glanced over to the side were her and Ichigo had that stupid picnic. What was she thinking then? Actually, she wasn't really thinking about the picnic, she was more thinking of what she had done during the picnic. They had kissed…

"Oi, Rukia, stop drifting off." Renji's clear voice cut through her thoughts.

"Huh?" Rukia realised that she was staring not at the remarkable view, but at a patch of grass beside them. That, of course counted as weird behaviour. "Oh, yeah…I was just thinking…about something…"

Renji shrugged. Rukia was still Rukia, even though at times she acted rather strangely. Even more so now, when Kurosaki Ichigo had come into her, correction, their lives. The thought of Kurosaki Ichigo temporarily darkened his thoughts. Sure, Ichigo was a good friend, but there was one, one vital thing that stuck in the way of their friendship. Well, not a thing, but a person. Kuchiki Rukia. Before, when they used to go on these trips together, Rukia would pay him full attention, and he would try to show off to her, about how he was so strong, etc. Now that Ichigo had come into the picture she would usually just stare off into the distance, as if remembering her times with Ichigo. When Ichigo left, last time, she had become a body, with no emotions, a person that couldn't quite get the 'kick' in life. When Ichigo returned however, it was like real, flowing, life just entered that 'dead' body. Damn Ichigo.

"Rukia."

"Yes?" This time she answered. She was painfully aware that their friendship had drifted further and further apart. She knew it was partly because of her.

"Do you…" Renji didn't finish his sentence. He decided it would be too dangerous, way too dangerous. However, Rukia didn't say anything, obviously waiting for him to finish. He sighed inwardly.

"Do you…like… Ichigo?" There, question was out. Her response was quite a weird one.

Rukia turned to him, looking all flustered, and a tinge of pink had appeared on her cheeks. "W-wha-what?" She paused for a moment, lost for words. "What makes you say that?"

Damn Rukia. He knew she'd avoid the question like this. "I just was curious."

"Curious?" Rukia was spluttering. She was in an awkward position. She knew, even though most people thought she didn't, that Renji harboured feelings towards her. She didn't want to hurt her childhood friend, so her response was, "Well, I don't like him."

Renji turned his head to look at Rukia. She was such a good liar. "Liar."

"W-what?"

"I said, liar." He had been around her too long. This long, and he knew when she was lying, and when she was telling the truth. She definitely was lying. And even if he hadn't been around her for very long, he would have still called her a liar, because the way she acted when Ichigo was around…was very different from the way she acted around everyone else. Even though they fought a lot, it was still obvious. You didn't need to be a rocket scientist to see the chemistry between those two. Sometimes, Renji wished that you did have to be a rocket scientist.

Rukia looked at her red-haired friend. What was he getting at? She opened her mouth to retort, but was cut off by a change of tone in Renji's voice.

"You know…I overheard a bit of your conversation with Kuchiki-taichou last night."

Oh. That was it. The reason why Renji was being so weird today. That dratted conversation.

"That's why…That's why I wanted to know…"

Flashback

The red-haired shinigami tossed and turned in his bed.

"Fricken hell," he growled to himself. For some reason he could not get to sleep. Like always, there was too much things on his mind. First off, there was Rukia. When you're about 150 years old you'd think that you'd get over a girl pretty quickly right? Wrong. Renji thought about Rukia while he lay in his bed almost every single night. But this night, something else was bothering him. He just couldn't get to bed.

After tossing and turning a little longer, Renji threw the covers off his futon and stomped outside for a walk.

He walked aimlessly, and soon he found himself near the residence of his captain, Kuchiki Byakuya. Renji looked up at the huge mansion, then resumed his walk. Well, he tried to, and then stopped when he heard Byakuya's voice very clearly. Kuchiki-taichou was awake?

"Why are you late?" The tone was so cold. But it was so obvious that there was some affection below that dark, I'm-too-good-for-everyone tone. That could only mean one thing. He was talking to Rukia. So Rukia returned home late did she? Renji smirked. This was typical big-brother treatment. But why did she return home late?

"I was…I was with Ichi- I mean, Kurosaki-taichou, nii-sama." Oh. Ichigo, eh? Well, of course, who else would she be out so late with?

"Is that so." That was a statement. Not a question. Renji stood still outside the mansion, waiting to hear more. There was a brief moment of silence, then he heard Byakuya continue. "Why do you spend so much time with him, Rukia?"

"Nii-sama, he is…my friend."

"Are you sure?"

"What?" Rukia stopped speaking for a moment. "O-of course I'm sure he's my friend."

"Rukia. Think carefully. Is he more than just a friend?"

After that, he couldn't hear the rest of the conversation. Probably because Rukia had gone to her quarters. But what he heard…

End Flashback

"Did you do what your brother had asked?"

Oh, so he had heard most of the conversation, even up to the point when her brother had asked her if she thought of Ichigo as more than a friend. Dammit. Why did Renji, of all people have to hear that conversation between her and her brother?

"Yes." Her reply wasn't that clear, but Renji heard it anyway.

"Oh." Suddenly things seemed a bit awkward between them. Renji took a deep breath. He knew, that she liked Ichigo. Even if she didn't know it herself, he knew, deep down, that she liked Ichigo. Well, what he was about to say now was useless…because of that guy. "Rukia."

"Yes?" She replied, not looking at him directly.

"I…I…like you," he blurted out.

If Rukia had looked at this situation at a different time, she would have thought to herself that it was about damn time Renji told her. But now, with different circumstances, and Ichigo…What was she to say? Thankfully she was saved, because Renji hadn't finished.

"I…know this won't accomplish anything…because of him…but I'm just telling you this because, I thought you needed to know..." Renji stopped. What he seriously wanted to say was that he fricken liked her, and that he was hopelessly jealous of Ichigo...

"Renji…"

Silence. Both parties didn't know what to say. Rukia had always imagined that when Renji confessed to her, she would gently take him in his arms and tell him that she felt the same way too. After all, she did, like him… but now…

"Tell me," Renji broke her thoughts again and she was about to break his heart. Well, she already had. "The answer to your brother's question."

Rukia opened her mouth to say, 'No of course I don't like Ichigo more than a friend. What the hell do you think I am, liking some stupid mortal?' Before she could, however, Renji grabbed her by the shoulders and looked her in the eye. "You don't need to lie to me Rukia." A pause. "It hurts me more…"

Rukia felt sorry for her friend. Basically all she could do now, was tell him. But, she was not telling him the answer to her brother's question. Instead what she said was, "Sorry." Another pause. "Sorry, Renji. I can't…return your feelings."

Renji let go of her shoulders. He laughed harshly. "Idiot, I know." He didn't say the next few words, because he knew she would vehemently deny it. It's him, isn't it? Instead, he waited for another few moments to pass by. "You better have feelings for Ichigo." It was a statement. Questioning her about it was useless. "And you better let him know… or else…"

"But…what…about you?" Rukia managed to get the words out.

Renji laughed harshly again, although a bit softer this time. "Don't worry about me Rukia. As long as you're happy, then I'm happy." Which was a lie, though some of it was true. Of course, when Rukia was happy, he was happy, but this particular time…being happy with Ichigo, he just couldn't take it, but at least he could hide it. "If he treats you badly, just tell me. I'll kill him."

With that, Renji turned his back on her. "Sayonara."

Rukia just stood there, looking at his disappearing back. She didn't know what to say. Her best friend had read her completely. And, he had used that word. Sayonara. A sad, sad, farewell…with sad, sad music playing in her head.

As she watched him go, tears started to fall. She didn't want to make her best friend feel like this.

"RENJI!" she screamed out, in an attempt to make him stop, even though…she knew she couldn't do anything.

The red-haired stopped momentarily. He then kept walking…just walking. He felt a slight dampness on his cheek. He looked up at the sky. It was clear.

A few minutes later a messenger appeared right in front him, kneeling, with a scroll clasped in his right hand.

"Abarai Renji, you are required to report to the meeting hall immediately."

Renji looked down at the messenger. He took the scroll offered.

The messenger looked up to see the red-haired shinigami's response. He wasn't there. That must have been a serious message then. He stood up, about to leave, when he saw a raven-haired shinigami walking slowly down the road. Ah, that was Kuchiki Rukia. He remembered what he had been told.

"Vice-captain Renji, and Kuchiki Rukia have left on a trip of some sort. Find them, and tell them that they need to report to the meeting hall immediately."

This was great. He didn't need to look for the girl after all.

"Kuchiki Rukia. You are required to report to the meeting hall immediately." With that the messenger disappeared.

Rukia looked up, and wiped the tears from her eyes. Why not a hell butterfly? This must be important.

Renji opened up the scroll once again, while flash-stepping to get to the meeting hall faster. What he read disturbed him greatly.

"Two arrancar have been confirmed in the real world. Details will be provided at the emergency meeting."

It seemed that they were making another move.

AN: Oh, wow, its getting early in the morning…lol, sorry about this really angsty chapter…WAHHHH I feel so sorry for Renji…even though I am like a totally Ichi-Ruki fan…but yeah, I can't help but feel sorry for the guy… Heheehehehe…The plot thickens…AGAIN!