Chapter 5

Renji looked down at her to see pain painted clearly on her face.

"What's wrong?"

She looked up and shuddered.

"Do I really need to go shopping? I mean, these clothes here are quiet fine. No need for more."

He suppressed a smile. Could it be, that she despised shopping?

"Well, first, these are not your clothes. They belong to Momo. Second, just tell me when something is wrong. If you don't want to go for some shopping, tell me."

He was serious. Most of the day he had the feeling that he was forcing her to do as he said. She wouldn't complain and just do. It felt wrong. Taking her hand, he pulled her down onto the couch next to him, locking gazes with her.

"Listen, Tatsuki. I know it's hard for you right now with everything that happened. I really do understand that. But I don't think that you behave like you used to when you were still alive. Try to not be intimidated by what happened. You're strong. I know that. Hey, you've kicked my ass."

He grinned.

"Be that Tatsuki. Not the timid little girl that lets herself be pushed around. I mean, God, we did some serious mud wrestling not quiet twenty-four hours ago. Where is that wildcat that insulted me the whole time while trying to break my neck?"

Her dark blue eyes were glistering with unsheathed tears and she looked away. Had he said something wrong?

Shit!

"You're right, Renji. I am not myself. It's just, I'm so tired. I just want to close my eyes and sleep. Some part of me is still hoping, that when I wake up I'm still in my bed at home and this was all a dream."

A tear slid down her cheek and he couldn't stop himself when he saw it. He pulled her into his arms and held her. She slung her arms around his waist, burying her face against chest.

"Shhh Baby, it's okay."

They sat like that for a few minutes when his door burst open and he heard an all too familiar voice chirp.

"Reeeennnnnjiiiiiiii! Wanna go for some Sake with me and the other boys? Uh, who's that?"

He let out an exasperated breath and Tatsuki stiffened a little against him.

"Rangiku, that's Tatsuki Arisawa. I'll explain later, but would you do me a favor?"

The voluptuous blond came over to them.

"Sure. Is everything alright with her? You didn't say something stupid to make her cry or something, did you?"

That was one thing he loved about Rangiku. She cared about everyone, even total strangers.

"No, I did nothing wrong."

Except ask her to go shopping.

"She's fine. Could you do some shopping for her? She's new here and needs some basics."

That was the magic word for her. SHOPPING! She loved it.

Bouncing up and down while clapping her hands she talked excited.

"Of course! I know just the right places. There's a new boutique that sells such adorable little dresses. You like dresses, Tatsuki?"

The head on his chest lifted a little to show Tatsuki looking over at Rangiku wide eyed. He had pity with her. Rangiku could be a hand full if you weren't used to her.

"I don't think that she'll need dresses right now, Rangiku. Just go with some casual clothes. Oh, and get her a few shihakusho."

A little hand squeezed his back lightly in gratitude. He smiled down at her at the gesture.

"Casual look. I can go with that. What size?"

"Nine" came a muffled sound from against his chest.

"Uh, a nine! That's great! Okay, I'm outta here. Give me two hours and you'll have a new wardrobe. Bye, bye!"

She was gone so fast it was a miracle she didn't leave a vapor trail.

Shaking his head at the Lieutenants behavior he bent down to Tatsuki's ear.

"Now you have a personal shopping assistant."

She turned her head slightly until they were almost nose-to-nose. Their gazes locked, her eyes now dry of tears.

"Thank you, Renji."

Time stopped as he looked into the deep blue depth of her big eyes and he saw the emotions swirling in them. He lifted one of his hands to cup her soft cheek, his thumb caressing her full lower lip. Her eyes closed as his head came down and his lips touched hers ever so slightly.

"Captain Abarai! Are you in there?"

At the loud voice of his third Seat they jerked apart. His mood made a downfall right into the realms of hell, his voice boomed menacingly.

"I swear, Kudo, if this isn't some emergency like the whole fucking Seireitei is on fire I'll fucking kill you stupid idiot!"

A smiled tucked at her lips at his speech.

"Don't you laugh, Sweetheart." he said in a low voice, but his own lips came up.

There was a silent pause before Kudo found the courage to open the door.

"Captain, I am really sorry to disturb you but Lieutenant Madarame asked me to give this to you."

The blond man held out a small package.

Ikkaku sending me a package?

Then it clicked and he jumped off the couch, over the table and ripped the brown box out of the man's hands.

"Ikkaku you're the best!" he almost screamed in delight.

Kudo jumped back.

"I-is that all, Captain?" he stammered.

Renji waved his hand dismissively, his thoughts on the box in his hands.

"Yeah, yeah. Go. See ya tomorrow."

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Tatsuki was amused at Renji's behavior. One second he threatens to kill the man at the door and the next he jumps up and down like a child on Christmas, ripping the box open with a huge grin on his face. She was curious what this Ikkaku had sent Renji to get him into such a mood.

"What's that?"

He came over to the table and placed the brown box on it.

"This, my lovely Tatsuki, are one hundred percent Arabica beans fresh from the world of the living!"

With that he opened the box and she immediately smelled the roasted beans. Her eyes closed for a moment as she inhaled deeply, a low moan escaping her throat.

Before she could even react, she was pulled off the couch and dragged out of the office by a grinning Renji.

"What the hell? Renji, let go of me!"

His big hand was holding her small one in a wise grip while he carried his box with the other.

He didn't stop as he ran through corridors until they stood in his living room. Letting go of her hand he ran into his small kitchen and started to run the coffee machine.

She stood there and watched him move around. He looked a bit out of place in the small kitchen. But suddenly she had an image in her head of him standing there in the morning, hair tussled from sleep, wearing just a boxer short and making some coffee with a grumpy expression on his face.

He turned, leaning against the kitchen counter, his brow raised. Would he stand like this in the morning while waiting for his coffee?

Hmmmm!

"What are you thinking?"

She could feel a blush creeping up her cheeks.

"Nothing."

Ne smirked at her.

"Really? Didn't look like that." he teased.

She held his gaze, as he pushed himself off the counter and came to stand in front of her. Her head tilted back to compensate the difference in their height. He was towering over her, the smirk still plastered on his face, but a gleam had entered his brown eyes.

Memories of last night rushed through her thoughts. His big hands holding her against his hard naked body, his lips raining kisses down her neck.

Suddenly she was pressed against a wall, his lips on hers and her hormones took over. They kissed in a frenzy, hands tucking on clothes and hair. She felt cool air against her bare skin as he pulled the lapels of her top apart. She slid her hands around his already naked torso, feeling the muscles under her hands move.

His hands came down to her backside and he lifted her up, her legs wrapping around his waist. Their tongues battled, breaths became moans and all she could do was feel him against her. She was so caught up in their heated play that she first realized that something was wrong when Renji pulled back with a growl.

Then she heard it too.

A knock.

They were both breathing heavy and his forehead rested against hers.

"Can I pretend to not be here?" he said quietly.

"Captain Abarai, I know you're in there." came a male voice from the other side of the door.

She felt the vibration of his growl with her whole body as she was still pressed against him.

"Toshiro, give me a moment."

Renji said and she let go of his waist and slid down his body, his strong hands steadying her when she was slightly swaying on her feet. He kissed her one last time before whispering into her ear.

"Go, take a shower. I'll deal with him in the meantime."

She nodded and went into his bedroom. Turning to take a last look at him she saw him bending down to retrieve his kosode, pulling it over his broad shoulders on his way to the door. She closed the bedroom door and took a deep breath.

What in the world had just happened?

She wasn't the kind of woman to just get down and dirty with some guy she had just met. She wasn't prudent, but something about Renji made her hormones go into hyper drive. It was as if she couldn't control herself with him.

Sighing, she turned for the bathroom, letting her robes fall into a pile on the floor. She turned on the water and stepped under the hot spray.

Finishing quickly she wrapped herself into a fluffy white towel and went back into the bedroom. She had no desire to wear the shihakusho again but her clothes from last night were still at Ichigo's.

So she went over to Renji's dresser, sidestepping the chaos on the floor and opened a drawer to find multiple shihakusho as well as a stack of what looked like t-shirts. Picking one up she saw that it was a black shirt with a white skull on the front.

Better than nothing.

She pulled it over her head, the hem ending just over her knees and the normally short sleeves reaching her elbows. Once again she realized what a giant he truly was compared to her. She searched for some boxers or something similar to wear since she had no panties but the only thing she found were some black sport shorts. Shrugging, she stepped into them, securing the cords tightly around her waist.

She could hear Renji and the other man...What was his name? Ah, Toshiro. talking in the next room. She sat down on the bed and braided her still damp hair. Should she join them or wait here until he left?

"Oi! Tatsuki! Your coffee is getting cold!" Renji called.

Okay, you join them.

Getting up she went to the door, opening it slowly to see Renji sitting on the couch looking up at her, surprise showing on his face as he saw her in his clothes. Opposite him sat someone with a thick mop of white hair. She couldn't see anything else of him since he sat on the couch that faced Renji's.

"Tatsuki, this is Toshiro Hitsugaya, Captain of Squad ten." he introduced them.

Captain Hitsugaya got up and turned toward her. He was a head taller than her with light green eyes.

"Nice to meet you, Captain"

She stepped forward and inclined her head to the Captain.

"The pleasure is all mine."

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

When Renji saw her coming out of his bedroom his heart skipped a beat. She wore one of his shirts and his training shorts, her long black hair braided down her back. She looked absolutely breathtaking, like she just got out of bed.

Toshiro was observing him the whole time while sipping from his mug, a knowing smile tucking at his lips.

After introducing them he got up and went into his kitchen, retrieving her coffee.

"So, you're the other caffeine junkie here in Soul Society?" her voice drifted over to him.

"I'm guilty. When Renji and I discovered it a few years back we drank so much of it one day that we couldn't sleep for the whole night."

Toshiro just told her the censored version for his own luck.

Back there, they were both so high on caffeine that they were jumping up and down through Tokyo, doing all kinds of crazy things, like shunpo-races, betting on who could perform more konso's in one hour or whose Bankai was the bigger one.

At the time they thought all these were good ideas but when they came down from their trip they decided to never talk about this with a single soul. But this night resulted in a steady friendship between them.

Toshiro helped him in the first years of his captaincy and Renji introduced the once stiff Captain to a world of fun and carefreeness.

He came back into the living room, handing Tatsuki her mug, her fingers brushing his for only a second. Winking at her, he turned his attention back to Toshiro.

"So, what was it that you wanted to talk about?"

They all sat back down, Tatsuki taking a place next to him.

"This midday there were huge waves of an unknown reiatsu flowing through Seireitei. Since rumor says, that it came from the Head-Captain's office and you were there at that time, my guess would be that you were the source, Tatsuki?"

He hadn't thought about the fact that almost every Shinigami in Seireitei must have felt her reiatsu today. She stiffened a little at Toshiro's words but nodded.

"Yeah, that was me. I kind of lost control or something I think."

His friend looked at her sympathetically.

"I thought so myself. Listen, you must learn to control it. If you'll need help, just tell me. But what I really wanted was to warn you two. My fourth Seat was at Squad Twelve this afternoon and told me that Captain Kurotsuchi is searching for the source of this reiatsu to do some of his tests with it. Be careful. Don't let her wander around alone at least until she's strong enough to protect herself." he ended, addressing Renji with the last part.

Shit. If Kurotsuchi was after Tatsuki they had a big problem. The man was nuts. And a sociopath. Combine both with a highly intelligent brain and you had Mayuri Kurotsuchi.

Tatsuki was gripping her mug in both hands, tension radiating from her. He suppressed the urge to pull her against him.

"Who is this Captain Kurotsuchi?"

It was his turn to speak.

"He's the Captain of Squad Twelve and the chief of the Department of Research and Development. And he's absolutely crazy. He's the kind of guy you tell kids about to give them a lifetime of nightmares."

"Not just kids." Toshiro mumbled under his breath.

She looked up to Renji.

"Wait, is he that clown with the stupid hat who wears tons of make-up, always talking in a sing-songy voice like 'Oh my, Oh my'?" she mimicked.

Toshiro and he exchanged a puzzled look. How the hell did she know Kurotsuchi?

"Yeah, that's him. How did you.."

She smiled at both of them.

"Ichigo told me about him, telling me this guy gives him the creeps."

This was probably the only time no one laughed about one of Ichigo's crazy descriptions since he was right. Kurotsuchi gave every living thing the creeps. Himself included.

"Reeeennnnnjiiiiiiii! I'm back!"

His door flew open to reveal a happy Rangiku. She stepped aside, ordering two Shinigami around.

"Oi! Put the bags over there guys."

The two men did as she said and carried several bags inside.

"Thanks! See you around!" she chirped and dismissed them with a wave of her hand.

The three of them didn't say a word at the spectacle. It was just so typical Rangiku. Closing the door, she came over two them threw herself onto the couch, placing her feet on Toshiro's lap who looked down at her with raised brows.

"I am so exhausted! My feet are hurting like hell from all the running around. Did you know that there are just three stores around here that sell casual clothes? It's a shame! Captain, will you massage my feet? They're really hurting."

Renji smiled broadly as he listened to her rant. Glimpsing over to Tatsuki he saw her perplexed face and bent down to her while Toshiro and Rangiku were bickering.

"What is she, Renji?" she whispered.

"That is Toshiro's Lieutenant, Rangiku Matsumoto. And yes, that's her usual behavior. You'll get used to it. She's actual one of the nicest people throughout Seireitei and one of my best friends."

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Tatsuki was a bit dumbstruck by Rangiku. When they had met a few hours ago she was so caught up with her mixed up emotions and Renji's scent that she hadn't really seen or heard her. But now she did and it was confusing.

The Lieutenant was a beautiful woman but she acted like a spoiled princess. Somehow she reminded her of Orihime with her long strawberry blond hair and big breasts. But she would trust Renji. Until now he had helped her with everything.

"Tatsuki Sweetheart, if you don't like any of the clothes, just tell me and I'll get you new ones. Renji told me that you hate shopping. So if you need anything else just come over to the Tenth' and I'll get it for you. Captain, do we still have any work to do today?"

The blond asked Toshiro, her feet still on his lap. When he shook his head her face lit up some more.

"Uhhhh, then it's time for some Thursday-nights-special's!"

Tatsuki had no idea what the woman was talking about but she could tell by looks on Toshiro's and Renji's faces that they knew exactly what she meant. And that they thought it a good idea, too. Renji got up.

"Tatsuki, would you mind giving me a hand?"

She took his outstretched hand, letting him pull her up.

"Sure."

She followed him into the kitchen where he pushed her against the counter as soon as they were out of sight. His lips meeting hers in a hot fast kiss. Her hands came up and she pushed them into his hair, tousling his ponytail.

Her head reeled at the sensations of him pressing against her, the softness of his lips and his strong hands on her ribs. She could have stayed like this forever but all to soon, Renji pulled back. He looked down, breaking eye contact, whispering quietly so only she could hear.

"What are you doing to me woman? God, I can't keep my hands off you."

She chuckled.

"Same here. I don't know what's wrong with me."

They locked gazes for a second, sparks firing between them. Then they broke apart.

"Come on, we should hurry before they miss us."

She took a deep breath, trying to find her composure.

"What can I do?"

He had turned around and was rummaging in a cupboard.

"Behind you on the top shelf is a big red box."

She turned and looked up to see several racks with all sorts of things on them. And on the top one as a big red box.

"You're kidding, right?"

Turning back toward him, arms akimbo, she stared at him. He looked first at her with confusion and then to the box and back at her grinning.

"Ups, sorry shorty."

Stretching his arm up he easily retrieved the box form the 8'' high rack, giving it to her.

"Here. I'm ready."

He had four saucers and two bottles in his hands and led them back to the others. Placing everything on the table in front of them she sat back down, curious of what all that was. Rangiku got up with lightning speed, snatching one of the bottles and filled the saucers while her Captain opened the box to reveal a vast assortment of sweets. Renji gave her one of the saucers and saluted.

"To new friends and peaceful times!"

They all repeated before drinking the contents.

It was Sake.

She sputtered a little at the unexpected taste but composed herself quickly. They settled down on the couches again, talking and laughing. Every so often Renji handed her some of the sweets or would refill her saucer. The alcohol started to effect her as she began to tell stories of hers and Ichigo's childhood and teens.

It was a great evening and she felt at ease. Her head was lying on Renji's lap, his fingers playing with her hair.

When had she put it there?

Shrugging it off she looked over at the other pair. Some time Toshiro had started to massage Rangiku's feet subconsciously. His fingers moving in circles over her soles while she lay on her back, her eyes closed in bliss.

Renji was telling a story of someone called Shuhei who had once hid in the office of a friend for two days after someone made some very inappropriate pictures of him being nearly naked in a lake while completely drunk. Rangiku giggled and confessed that it was her that had taken the pictures after Shuhei had lost a bet.

Her eyes drifted close as the alcohol took his toll and fatigue from the long day took over. Renji's fingers lightly massaging her skull was so soothing that it didn't take her long to fall asleep.

Her last conscious thought was that this evening was one of the best she had in years.