Author's Note: For Renji and Rukia as children, the image I used as inspiration is a picture by Irishgirl982 on Deviantart called "C'mon Renji" and it shows the two of them out in the countryside of the Rukon. Thank you to those of you who are following this story and double thanks to the fantastic people who are following this series; namely: Shadewolf7, Truantpony, ForbiddenME, Pink357, Immortalvows, Chellythemadhatter and Insomniac95, sallydestroyerofworlds23, UNTensaZangetsu, XDArk FangsX, Superlynx, BobTheSexyTurtle, .Love, Ennaalemap and Makaykay15. And thank you also to those of you who have left reviews, favourited or messaged me. And, finally, thank you to anyone who is following on the quiet.

Many of the children refused to venture into Rukongai. Those that needed to eat and drink, and there were a few, relied on raiding parties who went into town for provisions and clothes. Renji's was one of these groups and a successful one at that.

At first, Rukia was happy merely to stay in or around the shack. When Renji returned with candy or water or fruit, he would always give her a share and, on his advice, she took to eating and drinking every day. The sustenance made her stronger.

In the evening, if Renji was willing and not too tired from the day's exploits, the two of them would venture into the foothills of the Rukon, up amongst the farms and vineyards to the high, secluded places that she had found when she was just a small child trying to run away from life in a hopeless town.

One afternoon, they brought back sweets covered in sugar cane. Rukia perched on the end of one of the beds and picked at them; the sweetness tasted like fireworks exploding in her head. One of the older boys tried to take a bag of them from the smallest child in Renji's gang and, when no-one went to stop him, she stood up.

He took the measure of her; she was half his height. Slender. No match for him. He laughed. And that was when she sprang at him. Her kick knocked him to the ground and she landed on his chest like a bird of prey, unthinkingly wrapping her hands around his throat, squeezing until he bleated out an apology.

It was the first time she'd had to fight since Renji had found her, and it frightened her that she had done so without thinking.

She stepped off of the prone boy, stared at the tears running down his face, and fled the shack.

Of course, Renji came to find her.

The sun was setting over the Sereitei and the sky was filled with amber light. The white towers of the Court of Pure Souls seemed grey against the horizon. Renji very nearly ran straight past the tree where she was hiding:

"Rukia! Rukia!"

"I'm here!"

"What are you doing?" He whirled and saw her sitting on one of the branches: "Where did you learn to fight like that?"

"Where do you think?"

"You're good, you know. For a girl."

"I know," she said. She was.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I thought I wanted to be alone, but" – she laughed. There was something absurd about wanting to be alone when she could never be so again. Not while Renji was alive. She could feel him. His life. His soul.

"You're weird," he said.

"You're the weird one."

He grabbed her ankle and pulled her out of the tree. They landed in a heap. She didn't want to have to fight, but it was second nature out here, even in play. She and Renji scuffled together in the long grass. He was bigger and stronger and he bruised her easily, but she never let it show. He had never treated her as if she was any different from the others, any different from him. No more delicate. No more fragile. She was the only girl. Girls didn't survive in Rukongai, she knew, so she was grateful that Renji was oblivious of their differences. Briefly, he held her at arm's length where she struggled and scratched at him. He was grinning: "You really are weird." He didn't mean it, of course, or, if he did, it didn't matter because he wasn't going to leave her. For either one of them to part from the other now would feel like tearing themselves in two. And that, she believed, would never change.