"Hello there!" Renji opened his eyes and blinked lazily as the little man he'd seen earlier sat down beside him. The shirt, spectacles and pants went together well but they clashed badly with the moccasins.

"Hey. Richard, right?" He asked and was answered by a smile and a nod.

"I was wondering, Renji. We're so isolated here. Can you tell me about yourself? What the rest of the world is like?" He asked in a soft, gentle tone. Renji laughed, feeling completely relaxed. Even his stomach didn't hurt much anymore, with all that beautiful reishi sloshing through his system.

"Oh, I'm just a street brat! Grew up in the Inuzuri, worst place you ever saw…" Renji told him all about the Inuzuri and was flattered by the real interest Richard was showing. But then, it was all new to him. Then he mentioned how Rukia had been adopted into the Kuchiki clan, and that moved the conversation to something slightly different.

"Tell me about the noble clans. What kind of things do they do?" Richard asked. Renji folded his hands behind his head, thinking about it.

"Oh, all kinds of things!" Renji told him and began explaining the duties of the clans. He didn't even notice that other people were listening, or the concerned looks that were exchanged when Richard asked how they handled unclaimed territories.

"Oh, well, if there's something valuable the clan that finds it first gets to stake a claim. Then they can do anything they like – OW!" Renji jerked upright as someone yanked on his ear, hard. "What was that for?" He demanded as Ichigo scowled at him. What was the kid's problem?

"I think we need to talk, Renji." Ichigo said and he stared at the quiet venom in the kid's voice. "Richard, if you'll excuse us?"

"Ichigo, you really shouldn't – " Richard started but then stopped as Ichigo shot him a look that was really a naked threat. The older man sighed. "As you will." He got up and left and Ichigo gave a scorching glare to the pair of girls who were a bit too close. They quickly gave him some space and Renji realized that even the kids were staying away.

"You are really fucking stupid." Ichigo's voice was still quiet and venomous. Renji stared at him, shocked and more than a bit offended. "Do you know how tempting it is to slip you into a quiet grave right now?"

"What? What the fuck?" He tried to wrap his mind around that. What had suddenly made the kid so hostile? "You and what army?" He demanded, although he supposed the army was right over there. None of them seemed pissed at him though. Ichigo hissed a breath out between his lips.

"It wouldn't take an army right now, and if you think anyone would lift a hand to help you, you are sorely mistaken." Ichigo suddenly rubbed his eyes and sat back on his knees. "Fuck. Fuck you and fuck this and fuck everything. I won't hurt you but I really, really want to. Why are you scaring the shit out of everyone? Are you fucking stupid? Do you want us to attack your precious captain when he comes to find you?"

"Why would…" Renji paused then suddenly paled. Byakuya was a noble, and what he'd just said… "Oh, shit. Uh, Ichigo, it's not like that! This place is the ass end of nowhere, Bumfuckistan, shit, it takes weeks to get here even with flash step! No one's going to bother with this place!"

"Yeah, right." Ichigo gave him a strange look. "You haven't noticed, have you?"

"Noticed what?" Renji snapped back, feeling like he was close to losing his temper. He didn't appreciate being threatened over something so stupid.

"The flasks, the cups, the plates. Even those little sparkly rocks the kids are playing with. What do you think they are, pewter?" Renji stared at him, confused, and Ichigo sighed. "It's gold Renji. This lake is lousy with gold. It's very pretty but only good for utensils, so we make plates and flasks out of it. Are you saying that gold is worthless?"

"Oh… fuck." Renji muttered, looking at the lake waters. The reishi in them bubbled merrily, unperturbed by any mortal concerns. He supposed that was a resource too, although he wasn't sure you could bottle reishi. It would probably come out of the water. "Gold's pretty valuable." He admitted, not looking at Ichigo. The kid was right to be upset.

"What I figured. Is there anything you can say to reassure people, Renji? Because right now things are not looking too good around here, and we have kids to care for." Ichigo looked tired then, tired and drawn. Renji took a deep breath.

"Look, Ichigo, I can't promise anything. But Byakuya is not a bad guy and his clan is already seriously wealthy. I'll put in a good word for you with him, hey?" He said, trying to calm the kid down. It was true anyway. Byakuya didn't need the gold, he'd probably be more interested in the reishi. Ichigo looked skeptical but shrugged.

"Well, I'm not about to let you die after all that work I put in, so I guess it will have to do. Just try not to run your mouth off so much, okay? I know it might be difficult." He added and Renji grinned.

"You know me already!" He joked before trying to stand. "Ow!" The pangs from his stomach let him know he wasn't that healed yet. "Do you guys ever swim in the lake?" He eyed the waters. It was a hot day and they looked inviting.

"In a glacial runoff lake? Only if we're feeling really adventurous. Do you know how cold that water is?" Ichigo asked and Renji grinned at him.

"No. Help me down there so I can find out." Ichigo blinked at him and he puffed out his chest. "I'm a man! I can take it!"

"You're crazy. But if that's what you want." A smile tugged Ichigo's lips and Renji was pleased to see it. Threats aside, he thought he liked this crazy kid.

He'd do what he could to make sure things came out alright for him.


Two days later.

"Aw, that's so cute." Ichigo narrowed his black and gold eyes, trying to enhance his vision. Any observer would have said he looked horribly sinister, but in truth he was just trying to see. He could see quite well in the dark, but the distance was a bit much.

He was spying on the two Adjuchas in their lair. The female of the pair – the one who stayed at the nest, anyway, Ichigo wasn't sure how Hollow reproduction worked and he damn well wasn't going to try to sex them – was just chivvying out a tiny cub. It was pretty strong though, and Ichigo thought it could have survived on its own if it absolutely had to. The male gave it a piece of his kill and the cub tore it up and gulped it down.

The female Adjuchas looked like a wolf, and the male looked like a lion. The cub looked something like a fox and Ichigo smiled to himself as it flirted a little tail before stealing another piece of the kill. The male growled, but his heart clearly wasn't into it.

"Boo!" Ichigo nearly jumped out of his skin at that. The soft breath on his ear didn't help a bit. He turned his head to meet cinnamon eyes and a shit-eating grin.

"Renji! What the hell? You almost made me shit my pants!" He hissed, keeping his voice low. The Adjuchas had good hearing. "What are you doing here? If they sense you they'll try to kill us and maybe move the den!" Ichigo did not want that to happen. They all knew where the Adjuchas were right now, and they studiously avoided the area even in the daytime. If the pair moved, Ichigo would have to rescout them and that would be an infernal nuisance.

"Eh, I was bored and wanted to see what my Strawberry-chan was up to." Renji said, playfully mussing Ichigo's hair. The young man's eyes narrowed and he picked up a rock, tossing it in his hand warningly. "Richard told me you'd probably be here. What are you doing anyway, spying on Hollows?" He asked and Ichigo smiled wickedly.

"Didn't you know? I'm making a film for NatGeo. Today on National Geographic, the family habits of the common Adjuchas class Hollow! Not interested? Tune in tomorrow where we explore the mating habits of a shinigami known as 'Renji'… hey!" Ichigo gasped as a warm tongue suddenly assaulted his throat, gripping Renji's shoulders. That was… incredibly hot.

"Why wait until tomorrow?" He whispered into Ichigo's ear and the younger man groaned softly as blunt teeth assaulted his neck. Pulling himself back to reality he glanced at the den.

"Not here. There's no way I can stay unnoticed during that, and I don't want Adjuchas' teeth in my ass right in the middle." He said firmly and Renji laughed, but pulled back a little and cupped his face, tilting it to see his eyes better. That surprised Ichigo quite a bit. He'd thought Renji didn't like his dark eyes.

"Those eyes are starting to grow on me. It's like you can see into my soul." He said and Ichigo swallowed. He could see better when his eyes were like this, but he couldn't see souls… yet. He could see a powerful aura around Renji, and that ability had only showed up a year ago. There might be more to come. Would he eventually be able to see souls? Shaking away the unsettling thought, he smiled at Renji. "Where should we go?"

"The lake. I want to show you the lake at night." Ichigo had been thinking about that for a while. This was a perfect opportunity. He wanted to see how Renji would react to the dark energy of the lake. "Run with me." If Renji could get all the way to the Adjuchas' den, he was recovered enough to run. Taking Renji's hand, Ichigo deliberately held himself to a pace the shinigami could manage. When they reached the lake, though, Renji gave him a strange look.

"That is definitely not a flash step. You have no idea what that is?" He said before looking at the lake and almost jumping back, reaching for his sword. Ichigo laughed and looked at the lake. "What the hell?!" His concern was understandable. There were dozens, perhaps even hundreds of Hollows on the banks of the lake. They had already slaked their thirst for the reishi, and most were sleeping or just wandering around. A few were eating some of their comrades. The waters of the lake would sustain Hollows, but could not help them evolve into higher forms. The ones that had the urge to evolve still needed to feast.

"Don't worry, they're fairly safe after they've fed. And I can clean them out." Ichigo concentrated a moment and projected his reiatsu in a pulse of dark fire. Renji wavered on his feet but endured the crushing spiritual pressure. The Hollows, on the other hand, scattered like a flock of birds. Or like a herd of antelope at the presence of a lion. "C'mon." Ichigo walked down the suddenly empty beach. Renji followed carefully and stopped as he felt the power of the lake.

In the night, the lake was a dark beauty. Reishi still bubbled to the surface but it was infused with the power of death, not life. Ichigo basked in the dark glory for a moment, just soaking it in before he waded into the water. Cold as ice, it ripped at his legs as he bent down and filled a flask. Lifting the dripping vessel to his lips, he tossed back his head and drank. Then he shuddered as the power hit his system, heavy and sweet and bitingly painful. Taking a deep breath he turned to look at Renji and smiled.

"Would you like some?" He wasn't expecting the other man to take him up on that. He especially wasn't expecting Renji to wade into the water after him. "Careful!" He quickly gripped the man's shoulder. He was used to the mild pain of the dark reishi laden waters, but it wouldn't be good if Renji fell into it. Ichigo had taken a swim in it once, but that had not been voluntary. The shinigami hissed but ignored the pain and grabbed the flask.

"If you can do it, so can I." He said with a cocky grin before taking a deep gulp of the water. Ichigo grinned as he waited for the inevitable reaction. "OW FUCK!" Renji bent over, a hand to his stomach and his face pale as the power hit his system. "You – you drink this all the time? How can you?"

"You get used to it. Can you taste how sweet it is?" He asked, still holding his shoulder. Renji blinked and licked his lips before nodding. "It's wonderful. Terrible, but wonderful."

"Just like you." Renji's hands were on him then and Ichigo laughed softly as he was pulled into a hard, bruising kiss. It felt so damn good, and he wanted to drag Renji down into the water and ravish him then and there.

Why the fuck not? Instinct took over and Ichigo wrapped Renji in his dark power before taking them both down and into the water. The freezing cold tore into him but also invigorated him, and he claimed Renji's lips, even more roughly. The cloak of power was protecting the shinigami from the water, and after a tiny hesitation Renji began to explore cold, yet oddly warm and pliant flesh.

Ichigo made each kiss an intimate duel, a struggle for dominance. The deep, primitive instincts of his dreams demanded that Renji submit or force him to submit. There was no simply giving up, not when the dark power was washing over them. And Renji seemed to feel the same way. Ichigo grinned as cinnamon eyes briefly flashed gold and Renji suddenly gripped his arms, flipping him over. But Ichigo was not going to simply take that, oh no.

"Are we going to have sex or wrestle?" Renji asked as Ichigo eeled out of his grip and tackled him back. Ichigo's answering laugh had a strange, echoing quality. It didn't bother him at all, but he saw a jolt of alarm in Renji's eyes… alarm that was wiped away as Ichigo savaged his neck, making him groan and arch in pleasure.

"Depends. Will you let me take you?" Ichigo met Renji's eyes and saw the fire in the shinigami. He wasn't going to let that happen. "If not, it's both." Renji growled and surged up against him, briefly turning the tables on the younger man.

They were both sweating, despite the water, when there was finally a decisive victory. Ichigo screamed in pain and pleasure as Renji slammed into him, catching him at just the right moment. He submitted completely then, long white fingers scraping down Renji's back and leaving thin trails of blood. If the shinigami noticed, he didn't mind as he continued to pound into Ichigo, making him arch and twist in ecstasy. The water flowed between them and over them, caressing them as they caressed each other, and Ichigo knew his skin was turning bone white. But it didn't matter, all that mattered was the friction and the pressure against his prostate as Renji slammed into him again and again. Renji's low, guttural cries made the whole thing even better, and Ichigo couldn't hear his own voice but he knew he was screaming.

Finally, after endless moments things turned white hot. The physical was nothing to the spiritual and Ichigo didn't even bother to suppress his outpouring of raw power. Water flew everywhere as his spiritual pressure blasted it away, leaving only Renji unscathed and grinning wickedly as he joined his own pressure to the mix. Then the pressure eased, and Ichigo had a moment to realize he'd made a mistake before the water poured in with a clap.

"OH FUCK!" That scream was entirely unsexy as all their power blew out like an extinguished candle and they both ran for the shore. Renji slipped and almost fell but Ichigo grabbed his arm, heaving him up. Helping each other, they finally got to the rocks and the air that felt blistering hot after the ice water of the lake. Ichigo looked around blindly for his clothes. Renji was rubbing his arms and shivering like mad, trying to warm himself up.

"This really wasn't well thought out." Ichigo said dazedly, looking back at the lake. "… My clothes are gone." He'd been wearing them when Renji came in the lake after him, and the redhead had practically torn them off. Sexy as hell, but now where were they? Who knew? And Renji was just as naked.

"What? Shit! My clothes! What are we gonna do, walk back bare-assed naked?" Renji yowled and Ichigo couldn't hold back a giggle that quickly turned into a laugh. Soon he was laughing so hard he felt like he might be sick. "It's not that funny!"

"Oh, oh god, it's fucking hilarious." Ichigo managed to get out between giggles. "I bet we woke everyone up too with all that spiritual pressure. We're going to get eye raped. The girls are going to be in lust for a week." Renji paled and looked up at the hill. There were already lights starting up. "C'mon, let's go. They're probably worried we had a fight with something." Reason was starting to reassert itself and Ichigo did not want his friends to get hurt by the Hollows. They were mostly safe after feeding, but mostly was not a good adjective when it came to skin and pointy things. And unlike him, the rest of the group couldn't fend Hollows off with the force of dreadful personality.

"God… one moment!" Ichigo blinked as Renji uprooted a small bush and used it to shield his private parts.

"Um, you realize those things sometimes have fire ants, right?" He asked conversationally and Renji looked blank for a moment before screaming.

"FUCK!" Then he was running back to the water and Ichigo was having another bout of hysterical laughter.

He wasn't sure Renji would ever want to have sex with him again after this, but honestly? It was worth it.