Title: Would You Go With Me?
Date: 18 December, 2008
Words: 1276
Characters: Renji, Tatsuki, Hitsugaya, Matsumoto, Ichigo, Rukia, Ishida, Orihime, Sado, Urahara
Pairings: Renji & Tatsuki, Hitsugaya & Matsumoto
Inspiration: Just my thoughts on how Renji and Tatsuki could make things work. With positive results, of course.
Rating: PG, some mention of innuendos, and my note.

A/N: I'm not a hard-core Renji/Tatsuki shipper. But they are totally cute together, and with my idea, it could so totally work out with them. Like, seriously. If I couldn't have Hitsu, I'd consider Renji. He's bound to be fun in bed. (But you didn't hear that from me.) Don't judge me just 'cause I have thing for red, long, and/or white hair. Lol.

"Just, please don't kill me, and let me explain this all before you make up your mind. You have to promise you'll be unbiased and fair until the very end, okay?" a very nervous Renji pleaded with his girlfriend of seven months. Knowing the kind of trouble he could get into with the Gotei 13, he prayed Tatsuki would at least hear him out.

Tatsuki looked fit to be tied, but grudgingly indulged the man his request. "Okay, fine. But you better make this quick, Pineapple."

"Well, you see, I'd like to ask you to marry me," Tatsuki's eyes widened some in delight, but Renji motioned with his hands to let him continue, "But, there's the problem of you still bein' alive and all, and, well, technically, I ain't."

"I know this, so what are you suggesting? Can't you stay in that false body you've got, that gigai thing?" Tatsuki implored.

"Well, yeah, but see, that causes another problem. Even with the gigai, I won't age like you, and well, eventually you'll get old… and…" Renji trailed off, the thought too harsh to think on.

"So, you're saying that even if you stay in that gigai, you won't age as fast as me, and I'll just get old and die, right?" No, Tatsuki did not like this at all. When she finally found someone, he turned out to be a stupid shinigami, and to make things worse, this problem was occurring. Both of them wanted to bang their heads against a wall. "So, what do we do about this?"

Renji turned shy. Tatsuki was scared for a moment, thinking he might be sick. The loud, obnoxious, opinionated (okay… good-looking, great in bed) shinigami always had something to say. "Well, um…" he hesitated, just knowing that he would surely be killed. At least maybe he wouldn't have to worry about his problem anymore, on the bright side of things.

"Just spit it out, Renji. I promised not to kill you. And I meant it," Tatsuki practically growled out.

Renji's next words came in such a rush Tatsuki barely had time to hear them, much less comprehend them. "Well… I could kill you and if I perform the konso I should be able to follow you to Soul Society and find you and that way you don't get lost or anything and then we can do what we've been doing here, only there. And we could get married." He finished and flinched, preparing himself for the inevitable blow to come.

Instead of punching him hard in the head, Tatsuki just looked confused. After a few moments, she tried to work out his message aloud. "So, what you're telling me is that if I were to die, or be killed, you could perform this konso thing, and follow me to Soul Society, where you'd find me, right?" Renji nodded and Tatsuki carried on, "So then, once I'm in the Soul Society, we could pick up there what we've been doing here? And we could get married?" Tatsuki's eyes brightened at the thought. Renji nodded again, still trying to prepare himself if she decided to strike.

"But don't think that's the only way. It's just the best way so that we get to spend as much time together as possible. I mean, I can always talk to Urahara about other options and things, no problem. Surely we can work something else out that isn't so…"

"Drastic?" Tatsuki supplied. Renji nodded slightly, blushing heavily. Tatsuki shrugged her shoulders. "Why don't we go talk to this Urahara guy, didn't he do something like that to Ichigo?"

Renji nodded enthusiastically, a worthwhile option forming in his head. The couple made their way to the Urahara Shoten, and managed to get a meeting straight away with the shinigami inside.

"When did you two get here?" Renji asked, eyeing Matsumoto and Hitsugaya.

"I got called out for a mission, Abarai. Since you managed to worm your way out of it. Some taicho you are," Hitsugaya grumped.

"Oh, so Rangiku, you came along to help?" Renji drew the most obvious conclusion.

Rukia, Ichigo, Ishida, Orihime, and Sado all snickered. "As if," Rukia laughed, "she just doesn't want her precious boyfriend within the reach of Ichigo's sisters."

Matsumoto looked outraged. "That is so not true! I trust Toshiro one hundred percent."

"But you don't trust Ichigo's sisters at all, Rangiku-chan, and you know Yuzu has a big crush on Hitsugaya-kun," Orihime chimed in, trying to hold in her snorts of laughter.

"And it's cute how she does," Rukia reaffirmed.

"Hmph," Matsumoto huffed, "It was cute when they were eleven. They're not eleven anymore, though, they're sixteen." The affronted Matsumoto stood abruptly and marched from the room.

"Thanks," Hitsugaya said dryly to the room at large, promising everyone present a painful experience at his hands, "Now she'll be pissed with me." He huffed and followed after Matsumoto.

Renji and Tatsuki shared a quick look and took seats at the table. "Whatever," they chorused together, trying not to snicker themselves.

"Urahara-san, we've come to ask you for advice. Seeing as what Renji wants to do is technically illegal, in both this world and yours," Tatsuki opened the floor.

"Hey, Hitsu taicho already said he wouldn't say anything if I didn't and you agreed. We already discussed that," Renji defended himself.

"Point being, I want to live with Renji in Soul Society, and I'm not an advocate for suicide, nor am I fond of the idea of willingly letting someone murder me."

"Ah," Urahara began, using that weird habit of covering his eyes with his hat and adding a certain mystique to his character. Or creepiness, depending on your viewpoint. "So, you've come to see me, to ask for my help?" Renji and Tatsuki nodded, hoping they weren't digging themselves a hole they couldn't get out of.

Urahara continued on, muttering to himself. The rest of the people in the room shared a look matching the way Tatsuki and Renji were feeling. "Well then," Urahara announced loudly and suddenly, "Follow me to my basement."

Urahara led the way, followed by the nearly trembling Renji and Tatsuki, and then the morbidly curious remainder of their group.

"Do you really think he'll do the same thing to her he did to me?" Ichigo asked those around him.

"Surely not!" Rukia chimed, hoping he wouldn't be quite so ruthless.

"But, what other alternative is there?" Sado asked.

"I have no idea. I'm a Quincy, we don't exactly study methods of how to coerce people to be willing to… die," Ishida put in his two yen worth.

"But, what if he does? Tatsuki-chan will be a real shinigami, and we can visit Soul Society to see her then. And we can go out and kill hollows together, and she can protect me and I'll heal her wounds, and…" the rest tried to ignore Orihime's misplaced excitement and ramblings.

When Tatsuki reemerged from Urahara's basement a few days later, a very excited Renji in tow, she felt like a new woman. And, in many ways, she was. The only issue left would be explaining to her family and the members of the Gotei 13 just what had happened. They intended to spend some time in the living world, at least until Renji actually proposed and they had their wedding, then they would 'move off' to Seireitei, and maybe stage a death or two. She wasn't looking forward to that, but, she'd see them again eventually.

Ah, the things people do for love. And, once they married, if Renji ever decided to divorce her, she would use her newfound powers…

…And kill him where he stands.