Disclaimer: Bleach and its characters are owned by Tite Kubo, not me.

Note: Unfortunately, there might be no update until next weekend, because I'm doing a clinical clerkship next week which could keep me busy. Until then, you can help me and be creative: remember that Byakuya owe's Yoruichi one? I already decided she'll ask him do something at the marriage, what exactly, I'm not sure of yet. So ideas what she could ask are appreciated! Let's make Byakuya blush!
Now enjoy the new chapter.

Chapter 28:

Your father's gone a-hunting

Through the silver and the glass

Where only greed can enter

But spirit may not pass

(from "Hunter's lullaby", Leonard Cohen)

For a moment, there was only white-hot pain. Then, red seemed to fill his vision, until he felt like drowning in a lake of dark blood.

Renji opened his eyes to find he wasn't in Kuchiki manor any more.

The floor he was sitting on was made of cool white marble. The ceiling was quite low and also white.

But all around him he saw his own troubled face reflected. The whole room was filled with tall mirrors.

He sprang to his feet and unsheathed Zabimaru, turning around wearily.

He flinched, because his hand gripping the hilt hurt a great deal. With a glance he could see that the image of a flower had been burned into his palm.

Renji carefully strode across the room between the silent walls of mirrors.

He soon found out, that they were arranged like a maze, often showing only his own image glaring back at him at a dead end.

"Ah, welcome, Abarai-kun. How rude of me to let you wait."

Renji whirled around.

Ichimaru Gin was calmly walking down the mirror-corridor, his silent crowd of doppelgangers following along the walls.

"Have you felt it yet?", he asked in a kind voice, his smile widening. "the despair?"

Renji had no time to answer, because the blink of an eye later, Gin's Zanpakutou was barely blocked by Zabimaru.

Sparks flew, when they jumped apart and their blades crossed again.

"Did it come as a shock? Shihana-chan begging ya to kill her?" Gin chuckled.

Renji exploded. "Howl, Zabimaru!", he roared and lunged at the silver-haired man.

Gin dodged with ease, still chuckling to himself.

"Shoot to kill, Shinso", he stated while taking a flash step to the side.

Renji whirled around, but couldn't prevent the blade from nicking his right forearm.

He hissed angrily and resumed the attack.

Some time later, Renji was bleeding from several small wounds while he hadn't cut Ichimaru even once. That ever-present smile began slowly to grind on his nerves.

But Renji had had time to calm down again and was trying to figure out a weakness in his enemy's attacks.

Let's see, he can adjust the length of his sword at will. It changes length rapidly and combined with his shunpo he can quickly stab at any opening in my defence. But it cannot change shape! Since his Zanpakutou only changes its length, I should be able to avoid it, if I keep out from its line of attack!

Renji whipped Zabimaru around, aiming for Gin's head. As he had anticipated, his enemy ducked, then immediately flash stepped away to do a counter attack.

Renji, being trained by his taichou's amazing shunpo skills, easily kept track of Gin and turned around to face him.

He only had mere seconds from the moment the tip of the blade was pointed, yet he made it. Just when Shinso extended to stab him in the chest, he jumped, touched the blade for the instant of a flash step and let Zabimaru bite deep into his enemy's flesh.

Blood gushed forth from a deep wound to Gin's right shoulder. The blow would have beheaded him, had he not reacted a split second earlier.

"Seems I've underestimated ya, Abarai-kun. Sheesh, I guess I wasn't the first ta", he spat.

Renji growled and attacked again.

Zabimaru missed Gin's head by an inch, but Renji yanked it up and it hit the white ceiling, so it changed direction and cut Gin's right leg. He flash stepped away with a slight air of surprise.

"Yare yare, always such a hot-head, Abarai-kun", he said. "Ya poor manners'll never match up ta nobles."

Renji brandished his Zanpakutou with such force now, that Gin was pushed back while blocking the blade.

Strangely, the mirror he crashed against did not break, but he seemed to sink into its surface. He waved at the stunned Renji and walked out of the frame.

Renji caught a flicker of movement in the corner of his eye.

The red-head jumped back, resulting in receiving only a cut to his left shoulder.

Did his eyes play tricks on him? Had Ichimaru really just vanished into the mirror? Well, only one way to stop it!

Renji whipped Zabimaru to strike against Gin, who dodged the blow. The blade should have crashed into the mirror behind him, shattering it into thousand pieces.

However, it passed its surface, leaving behind what looked like ripples on a water surface. After he hauled Zabimaru back, the mirror looked as if nothing had happened at all.

"Nothing is as it seems", whispered Gin cruelly from behind and stabbed Renji in the right flank.

The tip of the blade missed his liver, but punctured his lung instead.

Coughing up blood, Renji stumbled away from his enemy. Who disappeared in a mirror to his right, only to reappear on his left side.

Renji had a hard time dodging his enemy's strikes which came from all sides now.

While he ran through the maze, the silver-haired man hot on his heels, he frantically tried to think of a possibility to eliminate the threat the mirrors posed for him.

The ceiling was too low to fight on top the mirrors, they seemed to be indestructible...Were they? He decided it was worth a try.

"Bankai", said Renji. "Hihio Zabimaru!"

In a cloud of smoke, the massive bankai form appeared, curling around its master in endless circles.

Renji cried out and brandished the giant snake, trying to crush the mirrors around him.

"Useless", smirked Gin and one of Zabimaru's pieces was destroyed by his own katana.

The red-head didn't need to hear this because the same thing that had happened before had happened again. The mirrors were truly indestructible. What to do?

He had learned better control of his bankai since he had fought Byakuya. Still, as strong as it was, it was far too slow to catch up to an enemy who could use this mirrors to disappear and reappear to his liking.

Renji blocked another blow at his head and coughed. His body was covered in shallow wounds and he had only landed a few hits. Was this ex-taichou invincible? Would he die right here at the hands of a traitor?

No, there was still one possibility left. One way to capture an enemy that was too fast.

Renji arched his back when Shinso suddenly pierced his gut.

Choking, he fell on his knees. His bankai disappeared and Zabimaru clattered to the ground.

"Was that all tha great fukutaichou Abarai Renji can do?" drawled Gin and prowled nearer.

He stood over his fallen foe whose eyes had already half closed. His breathing came slow and shallow.

Gin yanked his katana out and immediately the blood began to gush forth, staining his white shikakusho.

"What shoulda do?" he mocked. "Let ya bleed to death? Or make it a short one, a clean beheading? What a bother, so hard ta decide."

He failed to notice the smile on Renji's lips and his hand resting next to Zabimaru's hilt.

Ichimaru Gin's smile vanished when his head was cut open by the merciless blade of Renji's katana.

The mirrors shattered, one by one.

With great contentment and relief, Renji looked down on the corpse of his enemy. Then his eyes went wide.

Gin's form shattered and disappeared.

"No", whispered Renji. "Not all in vain!" Zabimaru slid from his grip and the world went black.

How was it? Darn fight scenes, but cannot do without them. And don't worry, of course poor Renji won't die^^. Review review review!