Requested by The Crazy Chick In Black- thank you
Kaien, Renji x Rukia
Ever
Kaien cared very deeply for his subordinates, and worked them hard and to their full potential. He was a harsh teacher at times, but he was also a good one, and it was rewarding to all. He enjoyed what he did, even though he had declined his position for a while because he had not believed that he would.
And, he was convinced that, had he been given the task of training Renji Abarai, the brash young graduate might have been a lot happier for it.
He watched Abarai and his own little Kuchiki girl perform their dance around each other- him with an infinitely careful step that did not come naturally to him at all, and her with a unknowing humour that spoke reams about her own obliviousness, although the tender way that he caught her looking at her old friend suggested that the truth would not be as unwelcome to her as Abarai seemed to believe that it would.
It made him laugh, sometimes, at the sight of the blushing kid who tried valiantly to be a hundred things at once, so that people would stop looking down at him and that he could actually have some worth.
Kaien watched the two of them, watching each other, and laughed to himself.
The youth were painfully stupid. If Renji ever actually ever told Rukia how he felt, he would know that he already had worth.