Hello again! I'm finally able to present you the third chapter of More letters! I hope you'll enjoy it, because I spent quite some time on it, thinking about how to express Renji's confusion and problems after Rukia's letter. Hope I managed to do it, more or less :) First two lines were meant to be crossed, but it doesn't work here so I had to add "cross that" or "forget that" at the end :( Hope you won't be confused.

Read, enjoy and review!

Dear Rukia,

you can't imagine how I felt when I read your letter. I mean, a wedding? I was so surprised and a bit excited, and... cross that.

this wedding thing… knowing Rangiku, she already told whole Seireitei about it… so there's not much we can do, maybe we'd better comply... forget it.

did I read right? Rangiku thinks we're getting married? How? I mean, we're close, but… I don't know what to think about it. I don't know what to do about it.

Kuchiki-taicho won't be pleased, that's one thing I'm sure of.

About Hitsugaya-taicho's letter, you wrote you were curious about its content. I read it, but nothing interesting was in. Just some mushy things written with a bit of tsundere attitude (if I can apply this term to the captain, since he's a guy…)

I had more problems with delivering the letter.

I'm not allowed to enter Kurosaki clinic, so meeting Karin was quite a challenge. I had to get in without being noticed by Ichigo.

I went there at night, hoping he would be already asleep. I climbed to where I remembered was his sisters' room and gently knocked on the window.

I was lucky; one of them immediately walked up to me, but to my disappointment, the person turned out to be Yuzu. She wanted to scream upon seeing me like this, but managed to cover her mouth with her hand in time and opened the window a little so that we could talk.

"Renji-kun?" she whispered, not believing her eyes. "What are you doing here?"

I scratched my head and smiled sheepishly at her.

"Honestly, I'm looking for your sister. Is she here?" I asked. Yuzu bit her lower lip and looked away.

"She's downstairs, but should come back in a couple of minutes" she replied, and I don't know why, but she sounded disappointed.

"Can I come in?" I asked and she let me in, still not looking at me.

She told me to sit on a chair and wanted to turn on the lights, but I protested.

"Ichigo shouldn't know I'm here" I said and she seemed to understand, because she didn't object. She sat on another chair and we waited for Karin to come.

Neither of us started a talk and I wondered where was the cheerful Yuzu I met just days before. Maybe she was just tired…

"Renji-kun" she spoke suddenly, breaking the awkward silence.

"Yes?" I replied immediately since I couldn't handle it anymore, smiling widely to encourage her to talk, but she wasn't looking at me.

"Are you…" Yuzu started, fiddling with her fingers, "are you interested in Karin?"

Huh?

What did she say?

Why did she think so?

Yuzu finally was looking at me, but I swear I looked like an idiot, staring at her wide-eyed. Then suddenly I started waving my arms before her face.

"No, I'm totally not!" I explained hastily. "I'm just friends with cap- er, Hitsugaya and he asked me to give her something, that's all!"

I stopped and gave Yuzu my most innocent look.

"I see" she said and in her voice I could hear something like… relief? I don't know why, honestly…

I straightened up and she looked at me again, this time smiling. Whatever was going on in her mind, I ignored it and smiled back.

Finally, the door opened and I turned in its direction, holding the letter tight and smiling widely to look nice and harmless despite the time I chose to visit.

"Yuzu, dad asks where are the leftovers from dinner and-"

My smile disappeared the moment my eyes met those of the person in the door.

"Renji" he hissed, his left eyebrow twitching dangerously.

"I-Ichigo!" I squeaked, hiding the letter, just in case.

He narrowed his eyes and I knew I was doomed. I heard Yuzu trying to explain that "it wasn't what it looked like" but I was aware that Ichigo's mind was already occupied by only one thought.

To destroy me.

I won't describe what he did to me because it was too cruel and painful and I don't want to remember it. I'm pretty sure whole street heard my screams.

Now here's what Urahara and Yoruichi find funny: the next day Karin came to the Shoten to buy some medicaments against hollows and I gave her the letter.

It's not funny.

The same day was my duty to go food shopping. I went to the supermarket and guess who I met there? Arisawa.

She was in the section with dairy products and without much thinking I walked closer to her.

"Arisawa?" I asked and she turned to me.

"Oh… Abarai?" she asked back and I nodded, happy that she remembered me. "You're one of Ichigo's friends, aren't you?"

I nodded again.

"I came to Karakura not so long ago" I said, pretending to look for something on the shelves. "It's like I'm replacing Rukia or something."

I laughed at my joke, but Arisawa only looked at her half-filled trolley seriously. I decided to change the subject a little.

"Well, you've known Ichigo for quite a long time, am I right? Longer than me, that's for sure…"

"We've been friends since we were little children" she admitted and put milk into her trolley.

I looked at her and an idea came to my mind.

I need Ichigo to be nicer to me, so that I can live freely and happily here. So he needs a girlfriend to teach him some manners. He and Arisawa would make a good couple, wouldn't they? And once they're together, I know he'll be nicer, I know it.

"You know" I said, looking at her seriously, "friends from childhood are often meant to be together."

She suddenly looked at me, blushing a little.

"How do you know?"

I smiled slightly.

"I know people that experienced it" I lied smoothly, but with good intentions. Besides, it really happens in books and movies! Arisawa smiled a bit and threw some cheese and yoghurts into her trolley, not really paying attention to it.

"It was nice talking to you, Abarai, but I have to go, sorry" she said quickly, holding her trolley tight. "See ya."

I waved my hand at her and she went away, just in time, because I could no longer hide my triumphant smile.

I felt like a genius.

Just wait and I'll be able to get into Kurosaki clinic and enjoy a life without endless work for Urahara. Plus, I'll make two more people happy.

Hope you're life is as good as mine, if not better.

Take care,

Renji

PS. Did Kira really say all that? Captains should really do something about him.