I find Renji a really funny character – clueless and always angry. So I really enjoyed writing his clueless moments in this chapter.
Thanks for your reviews, it really does help to focus on writing more.
Renji carried the wad of papers into the Kuchiki Mansion and the new division office.
"Taicho." Renji said standing at the door and glancing at the figure of Ichigo sitting in a chair near by, looking it seemed, peacefully out at the garden. Byakuya indicated the empty spot on his desk for the new batch of papers.
"You can take those away with you." The captain indicated the completed pile he had finished earlier.
This was the pattern that they had fallen into for the past three days. Renji wondered if the view was that good. This certainly was the quietest he had ever know Ichigo.
"Good morning Ichigo." Renji said cheerfully as he had the past few days, but got no response as usual. He looked to his captain with a sad look.
Byakuya placed his brush down.
"Would you like to stay for some lunch Abarai?" Renji tried to hide his look of surprise at his Captains invitation and nodded.
"Thank you Taicho."
"Good, sit and finish my paperwork for me." He heard as his captain who had turned to walk to Ichigo. Renji spluttered and coughed and looked at the masses of paperwork. He had enough of his own back at he division office and now having to run back and forth to the mansion was just adding to his work load. Byakuya reached Ichigo's side and looked to his Lieutenant. If Renji didn't know better he would have said the man was smiling. "I have a captains meeting in half an hour. If you wouldn't mind staying here for me?"
"Of course."
"Ichigo I need to go out for a little while. Stay with Renji." The boy nodded. Renji bowed in respect as the captain passed him. "Just stay with him. Where ever he goes. I mean where ever." Byakuya placed a hand on the mans shoulder and spoke quietly. "Oh and Renji? Please, don't do my paperwork."
Renji bent to look out the window at the height Ichigo was looking and frowned.
"Never took you as a garden lover." Ichigo's eyes looked towards him and Renji gave a impish grin. "Aren't you bored sitting there day after day?"
"No." Renji stood and looked the kid up and down.
"What did you do to your arm?" He looked at the bandages and sat on the floor legs crossed leaning against the wall.
"I cut it." He said looking at the bandages.
"No? How did you manage that?" Well it was the start of a conversation so he decided to go with it. Having not seen him since he arrived here that dark night, it was a good chance to catch up.
"I broke a mirror."
"Oh. I bet Byakuya was mad at you for that."
"No."
"If it was me, he would have torn my head off!" Renji half laughed. "How did you get away with it? Six, seven weeks ago, he would have torn yours off too!"
Ichigo frowned. Renji wondered at the confused expression.
"He always used to try and get rid of you quicker than you could set your feet inside Seireitei. I think he was scared you wanted to marry his sister!" Renji chuckled.
"I don't know what…"
"Nah, it don't bother me if you two like each other; she's like a sister to me. Rukia and I go way back, truth be know if it wasn't for her, I'd be dead by now. I wouldn't have made it through childhood let alone the academy."
"Can I go and sleep now?" Ichigo asked sounding more like a scared rabbit than a shingigami. What ever this man was talking about, Ichigo felt uncomfortable. It was as if he seemed to think they knew each other and Ichigo felt that vast missing feeling keenly with each passing sentence.
"I… Err… I guess so." Renji shrugged and getting to his feet.
Ichigo laid on the double futon and Renji opened the side door. It was a nice hot day and he thought the breeze would be good.
"Hey you got to bring your stuff with you." Renji picked up the music CD's. He flipped through them smiling at recalling the nights spent in Ichigo's room avoiding going back to Urahara's for as long as possible. "I liked this one. Oh and that one." He looked smiling over the figure who had rolled away from him and curled in a ball. "Home from home hey?" He noted the duvet cover on the single futon as he sat on the blue and white Quincy cover. "Oh look photos too!" He did a double take. Second bed? "Hey whose bed is that?"
"The man you call captain." And if it wasn't clear enough already that he wanted to escape, Ichigo rolled over away from him.
Well, well, well. Renji smiled. The captain is a soft hearted bastard after all. "Isn't he going to be mad at you for messing up his bed?"
"He said I could sleep here."
"I guess its not as if he's using it." Renji shrugged. "I got to pee. Can I use your bathroom?"
"Your asking me?"
"Don't get defensive! God you never change. I only wanna pee! I ain't going to run away with it!" Renji tutted. "Can I use it or not?" Damn freeloading shit just follows me around!
"Yes." Ichigo felt the unmistakable signs of a headache with all this uncertainty.
"Hey you ain't got a door on it!" Renji yelled over to him then spotted the remaining half of the mirror that stayed intact on the wall. "What happened…" He began to pee into the loo. "…Byakuya knock it down when you broke the mirror?" He laughed loosing his aim as his joke was confirmed as the truth. "Oh shit." He looked at the wet floor. He bent with a handful of toilet paper and began to wipe the floor.
"Did you miss again?" Rukia laughed putting her head inside the bathroom.
"Rukia! You don't just walk in on a guy in the bathroom!" She laughed at his indignation. "A minute earlier and…"
"Nah, seen it all before, it doesn't interest me." She laughed leaving him and sitting on the double bed next to Ichigo. "Anyway, I could hear you a mile off, and I bet your keeping Ichigo awake?" She looked at the closed eyes of the orange haired friend. Her hand rested on his shoulder and patted it as if he were an infant.
"Oi what do you mean you've seen it before!" Renji strode over with affront across his face.
"Quieted down." She said looking at him gesturing towards the sleeping teen. "Where is my brother?"
"Captains meeting."
"Well then you'd better shut up and be quiet before he comes home and finds you yelling your head off in his house." It was sensible advise and Renji tutted getting comfortable on what should have been Ichigo's bed. He picked up the photo's again and thumbed through them quietly.
"Isshin almost looks normal in these." Renji scoffed. "Ahh look at baby twinnies." He held the photo out for Rukia to see. "What's all this don't leave him alone business?" He whispered.
"The mirror." She replied. "He used it to cut his arm to shreds." Renji's eyes opened wide. Surely he heard that wrong?
"Why?"
"Who knows? He doesn't say anything that makes sense to us. He just gets these times when everything just seems too much…its scary as shit." She gave Renji a half hearted smile. "I'd like to rip Aizen's balls off and stuff them down his throat personally."
Renji unconsciously crossed his legs.
-- ByakuyaXIchigo --
Byakuya walked into the room and stood in his usual position in the meeting room. Glances his way told him they all wanted to know how Ichigo was doing, but as the Commander-General appeared their opportunity was lost.
The noble listened as intently as always, he made it's job to be aware of everything happening in the Gotei 13; even if the respective captains did not deem it worthy to stay awake.
The war preparations were discussed and new orders issued. Permission for a capture of an Espada for experimental purposes denied – It was beyond even Byakuya's comprehension that any experiments were worth the risk of the lives of them men it would take to capture one.
"That is unfortunate." Mayuri Kurotsuchi's shrill tones echoed in the room before the meeting could be adjourned. The captains all looked back at the misshapen man. "Then may I be permitted to find out why the ryoka Kurosaki Ichigo no longer had any spiritual energy?"
"Soul Society recognised that he was not a ryoka many months ago Mayuri." The voice drifted out from under the straw hat.
"I think that my patient has undergone enough 'research' experiences during his time at Hueco Mundo. It would not be conducive to his healing." Unohana spoke softly to the whole room much to Byakuya's relief.
"That is as maybe, but it doesn't answer our question." The evil man persisted. If he couldn't get what he wanted, then he'd just be awkward for something else instead.
"I have not seen him, how is he doing Byakuya?" Kyōraku enquired. "Maybe we could visit and cheer him up?"
"It took Rukia several months to regain her spiritual energy. It seems that he will need the same consideration." Is all Byakuya wanted to say on the matter.
"Could I have a report on his progress" The Sotaicho asked.
"I will get to it right away." Byakuya bowed.
"Surely we need to know everything that happened to the ryoka whilst he was with the enemy. He could be a spy, the man is a Vizard after all." Mayuri cut above everyone else silencing the room.
"Then I can clarify that he no longer is a Vizard. From what I understand, Aizen isolated and removed the Hollow." Byakuya looked directly at the 12th division captain. "Making him rather useless to your investigations I believe?"
"Oh." The hat and the man looked thoughtful.
"This meeting is dismissed." The old Sotaicho announced.
Byakuya looked to the peace loving straw hat wearer as he approached him to leave the room. His hand was placed on the captains shoulder. "Steady yourself Byakuya. Your not the only one unwilling to release the boy to that mad man." It was a sign that Byakuya had obviously been close to losing his calmness. His life long training of nobility failing him when it came to a matter close to his heart. The gentle pat reassured him and he nodded to the older man thankful for his support.
-- ByakuyaXIchigo --
The lunch was prepared and ready almost as if the servants had some inner knowledge as to the exact time the head of the house was due to arrive. Byakuya stepped shoe less into his house, feeling a relief of home and nodding his thanks to the announcement of lunch, just as he heard Rukia sensing his retsui arrive running from the sleeping quarters.
"Nii-sama! Its Ichigo again."
Renji sat a little mystified as to why Rukia was so keen to find her brother when it became evident that their friend was slipping into a nightmare.
He did as told and took her place on the bed beside the teenager.
Apart from the odd call of 'No.' It seemed like a typical type of nightmare, even Renji got at times, usually surrounding getting shredding by Byakuya and his Senbonzakura for not completing his paperwork on time.
"Oi." Renji shook the boy. "Its just a dream mate."
Chocolate eyes flew open as he jolted from the shake.
"Hey. Alright?" Renji tried one of lesser used compassionate smiles.
Ichigo shot back off the edge of the bed towards the corner of the room he had used before. He knees drew up to which he clung desperately and flinched as Renji closed in just mystified. "Hey its just me. What's got you spooked?"
"No. Don't." The kid seemed to be looking right through Renji. Renji reached out with his hand to touch Ichigo on the shoulder and stopped short when Ichigo blanched and almost appeared to climb up the wall shrinking away with an anguished cry to avoid the touch.
"That must have been some nightmare." Renji said aloud. As the other two ran back into the room.
"What did you do?" Rukia accused him as Ichigo once he set his eyes on Byakuya bolted out of the corner and flew towards the captain.
Catching him by the upper arms the Byakuya spoke in his calm tone.
"Ichigo. It was just a dream."
The boy shook his head and looked worried back at Renji before resuming his usual questioning.
"When's he coming? Make him come now." The face fell when he realised that he would only get his standard answer. "He said he'd come." Byakuya wanted to let the now sobbing kid into his arms. "Why did he leave me here?"
"Because your safe here." Byakuya lifted the face and looked into the sad eyes. "Even that buffoon over their would never hurt you Ichigo, you have to believe me. Would I have left you with him if I thought he would hurt you?" The boy sniffed and looked at him shaking with the after affects of the dream. "What was your dream about?"
"The green haired cat one."
"Grimmjow." Renji sneered. Ichigo jumped at the name. The memory of hearing it used startling him. "What did that evil bastard do to you?"
"Renji." Byakuya glared at his lieutenant.
"He came when everyone was asleep." The confession came out quietly. "Unless my Hollow was there. He would come." More sobs started. "I didn't like it, I didn't but I would be punished…If I didn't let him…" The flash of fear in his eyes was real as the painful fingers digging into Byakuya's arms. The boy shook his head. The moments of being able to talk about it were gone.
"Its alright Ichigo. Its all gone now." The softer well spoken tones soothed and let the boy fall into his chest.
-- ByakuyaXIchigo --
"Rukia. What was all that shit earlier? I mean…he hugged him. This is Ichigo and your brother we're talking about!"
"Don't forget he's just a kid when all said and done. Right now, he's hurting really bad… Nii-sama is just trying to protect him like you would any kid. It was a hug that's all."
"Yeah from your brother that's like the earth changing orbit."
-- ByakuyaXIchigo --
"Are you asleep?" Ichigo whispered into the dark locks of hair.
"What is it?" Byakuya didn't think he could take another dose of questions regarding the appearance of that damn Hollow and remain patient.
"Renji."
Well, Byakuya could have predicted that it was that loud mouthed yob who upset Ichigo.
"He said some things."
Oh this was going to priceless. Byakuya thought.
"I've always been Ichigo… I know that I've forgotten everything… I didn't live here, because you wanted to get rid of me each time I visited. The real me, you don't like me really?"
"Its not that at all."
"Was I in love with your sister?"
"I don't honestly know. I thought you were, but she says not. You were just friends apparently."
"Why can't I remember anything before?"
"Captain Unohaha says that its possibly just a way your brain is trying to protect you. Everything that happened to you was too painful and so your mind, if you like, closed a gate to stop you hurting anymore."
"Then if I'm safe here… It should come back?"
"Hopefully. There's nothing you can do to make it happen. You just have to let yourself heal Ichigo. All your memories will come back just as all your memories of Hueco Mundo feel less painful over time…What else did Renji say?"
"That you would have been mad about the mirror before this happened to me."
"I was mad but not at you. You didn't do this to yourself. I'm mad at those that did this to you."
-- ByakuyaXIchigo --