Disclaimer: Bleach and its characters are the property of Tite Kubo.

Note: It makes me incredibly happy to read those reviews you write for me, thank you all very very much!
Anyhow, next chapter is up and though it is kind of short I hope you like it.

Chapter 19:

They were left alone by the bed. Rukia sat down and Renji remained standing beside her chair.

"Is it really okay for you?", Renji asked after some time.

Rukia looked up to him. "Yes. I am glad you took the decision out of my hands. I might have backed down for fear of making a mistake."

"What if it makes everything worse?"

"It won't, Renji. I'm sure of that."

"You know", said Renji and he sank down on his knees, leaning against the side of her chair. "When she said I shouldn't have come, I almost turned and ran out. Is that stupid?"

"No", said Rukia softly. "No, it isn't."

They remained like that for a while until the door opened again.

The familiar face of Hanatarou looked in.

"Hello Abarai-kun, Rukia-san", he said. "I have brought another chair." He dragged an armchair after him that barely fitted through the door. Renji quickly hurried over, took it from him and easily set it down next to Rukia.

"Would you like something to eat?", asked Hanatarou. Looking at their silent, morose faces, he smiled apologetically and backed out of the room. "I'll just get you something, alright?"

"I hope Nii-sama eats something, too", Rukia said after some time. "He looked paler than usual."

Renji nodded. "What's with the rest of this family?", he suddenly ground out angrily.

"Um, Shinana's parents were here, yesterday", said Rukia.

"And her damn fiancé? Shouldn't he be here right now?"

"Unfortunately, the engagement has been negated", came a voice from the door.

"Oh, taichou!", exclaimed Rukia.

Ukitake entered the room and sat down on Renji's offered armchair. "Byakuya-san just informed me of it", he said.

"Oh", uttered Rukia, then immediately caught Renji's arm. "Don't go now", she said, noticing the angry flare of his reiatsu.

"I'll crack his sorry neck", growled Renji from between gritted teeth. "How dare he do this now?! How can he back out now the moment she needs him most?"

"I think whom Shihana-san needs most now, are people who truly care about her", spoke Ukitake softly. "I only came to inform you that you are freed of all duties for as long as necessary, Rukia-san." He stood up, stifling a cough. "I will be there, if you need my help."

With this, he left and almost collided with Hanatarou, who bustled into the room with a tablet of food.

"S-sorry, Ukitake-taichou", he stuttered and bowed so low that he almost spilled the food.

"Eat up", he said while he set the tray down on a nearby table. "Unohana-taichou asked me to tell you, that she will begin in two hours."

Silence fell again while they ate.

Finally, Rukia lay down her chopsticks. "I have wondered", she began, "why it is that they chose to show her your death."

"Right", said Renji and knitted his brows. "Your or taichou's death should have affected her much more."

"That might be", said Rukia. "But I don't think so. You have never noticed how heads turn when you walk down the street, right, Renji?"

The Red-head stared at her surprised.

She scrutinized his familiar face. That sharp chin, red eyes and the dark tattoos on his forehead, half hidden by the black cloth he had tied around his head. One strand of hair had escaped his ponytail and fell over his face like a streak of blood.

She had always been aware of other women's eyes on her friend. It might have been his wild, easygoing nature that allured them, or the fierce crimson of his hair. She had never seen him with any of them, though.

Deep in her heart she knew that it was for the same reason she had always felt inadequate, misplaced in Seireitei. It was that they were from Rukongai.

That flaw of birth seemed to hunt them when they trained beside people like Kira, who had a family and a noble one at that.

Renji tried to overcome it with training harder than everyone. She had always admired and envied him for it.

She never once had the illusion that it would be better, when she was adopted by the Kuchiki family. The opposite was the case: she even felt more like scum between the graceful figures around her.

The Living World had been the first place, where her birth didn't matter. Where nobody even gave a damn about nobles and commoners. She had felt less worthless there. And Ichigo had shown her that she was worth risking all their lives for.

She had first felt worse than ever. But with time she had begun to understand that she had been wrong. That her birth didn't make her anything less than the nobles, but that people cared about her, because she was the person she was.

Rukia reached out and brushed the rebellious strand out of Renji's face. "It is because she cares about you more than about us", she murmured gently.

Renji's eyes went wide. "You can't mean that", he mumbled.

How was it? I like writing Renji/Rukia talk very much because its easy to think up what and how they'd talk.
Hope you stay with me until the next chapter! And as always, reviews are deeply appreciated.