Edited and Rewritten
I don't own Bleach
Renji followed silently behind the strange woman, Renee, who now stood in front of a light blue door. She dug around in one of her inside coat pockets, and pulled out a set of keys that she used to open the door. Following her inside he watched as she threw her long black coat across a grey couch. "You can sleep there tonight. A bed that pull out of it, so you don't have to worry about not having enough room." He watched in awe as the table in front of the couch moved, the cushions removed themselves and a bed pulled out. "I'll be right back with a blanket and pillow."
She disappeared into another room, only to come out a few minutes later with a black blanket and a pillow encased in black. She tossed them both on the bed and placed her hands on her hips, smiling up at him. "There we go, you should be pretty comfortable it doesn't get used much." She used her thumb to point behind her at the room she had just exited. "You can use the bathroom to shower if you want. Fez leaves his own shampoo and body wash here so you don't have to smell all girly."
He stared for a moment, finally getting a good look at her appearance. She had long black hair that reached to the middle of her back, two blue streaks lay on either side of her face. It was still damp from her own shower. Cobalt blue eyes stared back at him, she couldn't have been any older then 18, and she was short at about 5'4. She was extremely beautiful, even wearing a pair of light green pajama pants, the words MT. Dew written all over them, and a darker green shirt saying, 'Kiss Me I'm Irish'.
"What are you doing here living alone? Aren't kids your age suppose to be living with their parents?" He asked shaking his head to rid himself of the stray thought. Glad that she couldn't read his mind.
Renee glared at him, her blue eyes darkening with anger. "I'm not a kid and my dad pays for me to stay here."
"What about your mom? What's her opinion about you living on your own?" He asked crossing his arms.
She looked away from him, whispering, "My mom died 2 years ago, she doesn't really think much about anything."
"I'm sorry I didn't know." He sighed, "So there's a shower in that room?"
She smiled again, "Yeah, go a head, I'll get you a towel. If you can't figure out how to turn on the hot water, give me a second and I'll show you."
Renji nodded and walked towards the room Renee had disappeared into earlier to get the pillow and blanket. He stopped and stared at the room before him, the walls were painted black with light green stars covering the walls and ceiling. A black, iron bed sat in the middle of the room, it too was covered in black. 'Wow she really likes the color black, doesn't she.' The only non-black item in the room was an oak dresser that sat underneath the only window.
"Didn't get lost, did ya?" She asked from behind him, making him jump. A laugh escaped her. "Scared much."
"You didn't scare me, just startled me was all." He growled at her. "You shouldn't sneak up on people like that. It's rude."
"Well if you weren't standing there like some idiot in your own little world, then you would've heard me coming up behind you." She tossed the towel at him. Moving around him, she walked over towards the bathroom. "I'm not sure how hot you like your showers," he followed her voice into a light blue bathroom. "So you can adjust it anyway you want." She showed him how to make the water either hotter or colder. Turning she looked up into his eyes. "I'm going back to the living room, it you need anything just give a yell and I'll be right back."
Renji watched as she left him there to shower in peace. The sound of other voices caught his attention. 'She must've turned on the TV.' He sighed, 'Does it have to be so loud?'
Shrugging he undressed and climbed into the small stall.
Renee kicked off her flip flops and laid down on the pull out bed. The TV switching on without her having to even touch the remote. Tonight she was both physically and mentally worn out, from mentally trying keep that 'hollow' from reaching her, not to mention she hadn't run like that in years, and literally running into Fez on the way there hadn't helped.
She flipped though the channels, hardly paying attention. Her sole focus was on the man that was currently showering in her bathroom. 'What the hell is he? Am I the only one able to see him? And why in heck can't I read or see his thoughts?'
She heard the shower turn off and she quickly found her favorite channel, National Geographic. Luckily Taboo was on and it was an episode she hadn't seen yet. As the TV droned on she still wasn't really paying it any attention, instead she was listening for him. The bedroom door opened and he walked out in only the black towel she'd given him.
Renee knew she was staring, but damn who could blame her. A god was standing in front of her in nothing but a towel. His long red hair was damp from his shower, hanging down past his shoulders. She noticed that the tribal tattoos did indeed cover his chest, arms, abdomen, neck, and she could tell, without looking, that the tattoos continued to his back. His black outfit was held in his hands. "I didn't want to put these back on, they smell."
Snapping out of her daze she stood too quickly and tripped over her sandals. Closing her eyes, she didn't even have time to react before strong arms were wrapping around her shoulders. Looking up into Renji's brown eyes, Renee blushed a bright red that she knew covered her entire face. Standing on her own, she moved around him, taking the clothes, that now lay discarded on the bed. "I'll wash them for you, they'll be clean in the morning." Taking the clothes to the washing machine, she threw them in, added some soap, and turned it on. Going back out into the living room, she found him sitting on the edge of the bed staring at the TV. Clearing her throat she gave him a sideways glance, careful not to meet his eyes before disappearing into her bedroom. Rummaging through her bottom drew of her dresser, she found the pair of men's sweat pants. Taking the pants she returned to the living room. "Heads up," she tossed them right at his head. His reflexes kicked in and caught the flying pants in midair. She smiled, "Good catch. You can wear those tonight, but I'm going to need them back tomorrow, they aren't mine."
Renji looked at them like they were diseased. "Whose are they then?"
"They belong to my friend Fez who comes by every now and then to keep me company. Sure I have to concentrate more on blocking out his thoughts, but he knows that and guards his mind so I don't have to concentrate so hard." She shrugged, "I don't have many friends who know what I go through, he's one of the few people I can trust."
Renee slipped back into her room while he changed into the sweat pants, after a minute she opened the door back to find him adjusting them. He was taller then Fez, so they were a little short on his tall frame. He gave a groan and looked up at her. "How tall is this friend of your anyways?"
She chuckled, 'He's about 5'10."
He looked shocked, "Damn no wonder they don't fit."
"Well I think they look great on you," She joked, sitting back down on the pull out bed. He sat down next to her. While watching the TV she said to him, "Look, I'm not going to push you to answer my questions, I'm sure you already know what I'm going to ask anyways. When you can tell me you will."
She felt his eyes on her face and she gave a light blush. "You're not even the least bit curious?" He asked.
Looking over at him, blue meet brown, she gave him a 'duh' stare. "Well yeah I'm curious, but I also know what it's like to have to keep a secret, so I'm not going to push the issue."
He gave her face a quick once over, before looking back at the TV. "I don't know how long I'm going to be here, might be a while. That creature you saw tonight, isn't going to be the last one that shows up here. There's been a recent increase in hollow attacks in this area in the last couple years. Soul Reapers aren't normally found in these parts of the world, but with the recent increase in hollow numbers, they sent me to figure out what's going on." He looked back over to her, his face very serious. "I think the reason the hollow numbers have jumped, is because of you."
"But why me? What do they want with me?" Renee asked, confusion written all over her face.
"You have a high amount of spirtiual energy, which it was draws in the hollows. They serach out souls like yours to consume."
Shaking her head, and putting her hand up to stop him, Renee walked back to her room. "Thanks for telling me all that, but I'm tired and I've got school in the morning. I think I'll just go to bed now. Good night Mr. Abarai." And with that, she entered into her room and gently closed the door, leaving Renji alone in the living room.
Remember to R&R all new and old readers ^^