Bleach Fan Fiction ❯ Daydreams Come True ❯ Renji ( Chapter 6 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Tite Kubo owns Bleach. I just borrowed the characters.

I do own a Kon plush toy.

This chapter is more serious than the previous chapter. Contains angst and poetry. You have been warned.

Renji

He had entered the real world unofficially and before the appointed time. He needed to know what was happening. Byakuya has directed him to prepare for the journey to the real world to apprehend Rukia. She had disobeyed orders and it was necessary for her to be returned to Seireitei for trial and punishment. Those were the words Byakuya had used. They would leave the next day.

Renji frowned as he thought about his captain. He had been impressed by Byakuya from the first time he saw him. His noble bearing, his aura of control and power was something that Renji had not come into contact with previously. Byakuya was a man who prided himself on holding aloof from turmoil. A man, who was rational, displayed calm in a crisis and who always followed the rules.

The last characteristic was something Renji both admired and despised. For Renji, to obey the rules without question was flawed logic. The rules were not always fair. As he grew up, Renji had to constantly break the rules in order to survive. If he had obeyed the laws in a society where no one cared for the abandoned children, he and Rukia would have died. Rules could help if they were enforced properly. Too often rules were created by idiots who could not enforce a rule or think of the consequences.

One thing Renji could not fault was Byakuya's speed. The speed with which he moved was virtually unequalled. Renji had rarely seen him fight, but his skill was legendary. As a noble he would often ignore challenges he felt were too far below him as to be a waste of his time. That too was a flaw that Renji saw in Byakuya's character. It seemed ignoble to ignore a challenge, even from some one with inferior abilities. How else could they learn if they did not learn from someone with superior abilities? Okay, he would probably refuse a challenge from Zaraki. He wasn't insane and he didn't want to die, yet.

Renji tried to model himself on Byakuya, at least the facets he admired. The calm, the speed, the power and control were all characteristics Renji tried to emulate. He eventually hoped to surpass Byakuya, at least in fighting abilities and rise to be a captain. First he had to learn to defeat him. That would take time, practice and the ability to bankai.

His thoughts turned to the reason he had visited the human world without Byakuya and before the appointed time. Renji knew that Rukia had not returned as scheduled and he had been waiting impatiently for her return. He couldn't understand why she had not returned. Byakuya's attitude did not shock him. Contact with his captain had enabled him understand Byakuya, a little. His pride as the head of a noble house and sense of honour outweighed any other emotion or consideration. Rukia was considered an outlaw and an outlaw in the noble family was shameful.

Since they had entered the Soul Reaper Academy to train, Rukia and Renji had gradually grown apart. Neither of them was to blame. Due to the different classes and training they didn't have the chance to meet as often as either of them would have wished. They found new friends, developed interests and learnt different skills. It was natural that they would not spend as much time together as when they were children. They were no longer children.

Rukia always seemed happy to see him when they did meet. Renji hoped that once they graduated they would be able to spend more time together and re-establish that special intimacy. For many years they had been like brother and sister. Supporting each other, helping care for each other when they were sick or wounded. He would insult her and she would insult him in return. Sometimes the insults would develop into a fight, as was normal with siblings. They would always make peace, eventually. Most of all they would compete with each other. They soon left their friends behind with their ability to fight and use kido. Renji was secretly jealous at how Rukia seemed to learn kido so quickly. With Rukia, it all seemed to be instinctive but Renji did not seem to possess that instinct. She had helped him learn so much before they entered the Academy.

When Rukia was adopted by Byakuya's family, Renji had lost another dream. His daydreams of restarting his relationship with her, once they graduated from the Academy, were doomed to fail. She was a noble. He was just a cadet. He thought he was doing the right thing in encouraging her to accept, but now he remembered her tears and wondered if she felt betrayed by his words. Another betrayal to add to the list. It was too late now; he could not change the past.

Without consciously planning it, Renji had decided to visit the real world, just to see the situation. He tried to make himself believe that he was just reconnoitering for the mission. If he could just assure himself that Rukia had come to no harm, he would be happier about the assignment.

He was shielding his spirit energy; he'd made certain that his spirit energy was virtually undetectable, if he wished it to be. Consciously he had not planned the visit, but subconsciously he must have known that he would take this step. He had missed Rukia. With the shield in place, Rukia would not notice him and he wanted to see her.

He started to search for her spirit energy.

Renji felt an unusually strong spirit energy that masked all others. It was not a hollow, nor was it Rukia. He'd checked that there weren't any other Shinigami in the real world tonight, well not anyone important. Carefully he traced the energy and saw Rukia and some weird orange haired teenager walking along the street. The orange haired teenager appeared to be carrying a plush toy. Wasn't he a little old to be carrying a plush toy? Then again, it had been some time since Renji had been to the real world. Maybe it was the latest craze. He found that idea hard to believe. Probably the guy was just weird, but the spirit energy Renji detected seemed to be leaking out of him. A human with that type of spirit energy? Why hadn't this been reported in Seireitei? He moved closer, careful to maintain his shield.

Suddenly, Rukia stopped walking. For a moment Renji thought Rukia had sensed him.

`I am shielding my presence. I know my spirit energy is not leaking,' Renji thought looking around him.

Rukia had stopped to look at the teenager, no, the boy she was walking with. Teenagers were a modern term. Renji would think of him as a boy. The boy turned to face her, smiling. Renji was stunned. That look on Rukia's face! He'd seen that look before. The only time he had seen her look at someone like that had been the night before they had entered the Soul Reaper Academy. Rukia had looked at him like that.

One precious night, the night before they entered the Academy, they had spent all their money on the best room in an inn. Neither of them discussed it. It was as if they had come to an unspoken agreement. While in the gang they had behaved like brother and sister. It was the best way to survive, but now all they had was each other and that might change in the new environment.

Of course he'd had sex with girls, women. He wasn't a virgin. Females were attracted to him. His experience had been hurried couplings in an alley, against a wall, wherever he could have a few minutes privacy. Quick entry and come. It had meant nothing, just a release of tension and sometimes a bit of fun. He liked sex. But he had never suggested it to Rukia.

That night in the inn with Rukia had been a revelation. When they closed the door to the room, Rukia had looked at him with that expression on her face. Her face, showing all her hopes, love and dreams. A Rukia he had not seen before. The look had surprised and delighted him.

They had never kissed until that night. Sex with someone he cared about was different to the swift sex he'd indulged in `til now. If he closed his eyes he could remember that night. Their first kiss. Rukia's shyness at appearing naked in front of him. The touch, the feel of her skin against his. The sweetness and fulfillment of their joining. The sex was everything he had imagined, everything he wanted. There was no fear of discovery or interruption. No words of love were spoken. He did not feel the need. Why did they need words? They knew each other so well. Their actions were all that were needed. He knew he loved her. The sex had been different to any he had experienced before. Not just better and more prolonged, but different as he tried to please another as well as himself. He'd never experienced sex like that before or since.

He wrote a poem for her while she slept after the third time they'd made love, but had not had enough courage to show it to her.

Moonlight dances on the lake

Gleaming with the stars own light

Life unites us

This is the consummation

And the finalrealisationof our love.

When they joined Soul Reaper Academy it did not seem the right time to show her the poem, or to tell her his feelings. They needed to concentrate on their studies. As he had in Inuzuri, Renji had sex with any willing attractive female. Why not? Sex was something that happened and was fun. It didn't mean anything to him. Admittedly it was more comfortable in the Academy as he could take his time and experiment more. He viewed the sex with many other partners as his final opportunity because once they graduated he was sure he would marry Rukia and would not need other women. For all he knew, Rukia had sex with other cadets as well, not that he heard any gossip about her, but he was pretty sure she heard the gossip about him.

The only gossip he had heard regarding Rukia was after she left the Soul Reaper Academy and became infatuated with the married Vice-Captain of her division. Her hero worship of the Vice-Captain was really quite funny. Jokes were made about it, often in his hearing. He had looked forward to the opportunity to mock her, but never had the opportunity to tease her until after Kaien died. After Kaien died he saw Rukia even less and he knew the opportunity to tease her was gone.

The memory of that night lingered. If he closed his eyes... If he closed his eyes he would see the images seared onto his mind from that one night. Her face in the throes of passion, her body lying next to him, he would remember these so clearly if he just closed his eyes.

Renji did not close his eyes. He glared at the boy at whom Rukia gazed at with the look he had only seen directed at him. The boy seemed to be looking at Rukia with a similar expression. Renji dared not go any closer, but from the distance he thought he had seen the boy before. Who was he?

Renji cursed. He had actually thought he would be her protector. Once they arrived back at Seireitei with Rukia, he was sure that all charges would be dropped. Now he was vice-captain to her brother he thought he might have enough rank to begin courting her. She wasn't even seated in her division, even though she was a noble. Surely an unseated noble would be an appropriate match for a vice-captain. Seeing that look made another daydream crumble and begin to vanish into the wind. Before the daydream had totally disappeared, a thought occurred to Renji:

`Maybe nothing has happened. Maybe she just feels friendship towards this boy. It couldn't be love. It took me so many years to make her look at me like that. No, I'll just watch a little longer. I'm basing all my ideas on just one look. I might have mistaken that look. The light is pretty bad as it's night time and they're pretty far away. I'll just watch for a little longer.

He noticed that they entered a house. As he watched a light was switched on and he saw Rukia and the boy in the room. They were kissing, weren't they? Renji scowled and watched closely. Definitely kissing. Rukia bent and picked up something to which she seemed to be talking. It seemed to be the plush toy the boy had been carrying. She then placed the plush toy she had picked up out the window. Why put a plush toy out the window? Still scowling and feeling pain in his chest, Renji watched a few minutes more as both Rukia and the boy removed their clothes and started to…

Renji closed his eyes. The images of Rukia and the boy kissing, the boy touching Rukia, the images he had just seen were seared onto his eyes, replacing the images of the night at the inn. Rukia and the boy were lovers. He felt defeat settle on his shoulders as the last of his daydream was destroyed. The dream was over. Reality in all its cruel majesty had once again invaded his life. He allowed himself time to mourn the passing of the dream.

A noise alerted him to the window opening and distracted him from his thoughts. He saw the boy dressed as a shinigami exit with Rukia. The boy was in spirit form. What had happened? Why was Rukia still in the gigai?

An idea struck him then. Rukia had lost her powers, or given them to the boy. That was why she had not returned to Seireitei. No, the boy must have stolen her powers. Rukia knew the punishment for passing on the powers. She wasn't that stupid. The boy had stolen her powers and then fooled her into falling in love with him. How had he fooled her so quickly? Did the boy even love Rukia?

Renji began to feel an emotion other than defeat. The pain in his chest increased as he gave into the other emotion, anger. He could not believe he had been so stupid as to plan to marry Rukia. She'd fuck anything if she'd fuck a human boy. She probably fucked Kaien and her captain and all the other cadets. That night at the inn obviously meant nothing to her. He'd thought she was a virgin. She's acted like one. Nervous and shy. So unlike her normal, cool façade. He'd thought she'd loved him. He was a fool. She had made him look a fool. Well, she would look the fool, soon.

Renji shook his head. This changed everything. He would not allow himself to feel defeat. He would choose the emotion this time, and he chose anger. Justifiable anger. Anger at the boy for stealing Rukia's powers. Anger at Rukia for destroying his dreams with her betrayal of him. Anger at Rukia and the boy's love. Anger at himself for being fooled. Anger at the bleakness of his future without Rukia.

He would return to Seireitei, quickly. Tomorrow he would accompany Byakuya to the human world and they would hunt down, humiliate and kill this boy and take Rukia back to Seireitei. Maybe he would try to save her but with the heat of fresh anger in his blood it did not seem likely. Mentally he rewrote the love poem to Rukia.

Moonlight dances on my blade

Gleaming with the stars own light

Death unites us

Death is the consummation

And the final destination of our love.

That was better than the original. Stronger. A realistic view of love and death. In death he could possess her completely. She would no longer deceive him.

Briefly he thought of telling Byakuya of his discoveries but dismissed the idea. Byakuya would not be pleased if he knew Renji had paid an unofficial visit to the real world. It was breaking the law and Byakuya would feel impelled to report Renji. Renji decided that he would persuade Byakuya that it was best to observe the situation beforehand. If a vice-captain was not a good match for a nobles' sister, this human boy was a far inferior match. Byakuya would be enraged in his cool manner and not interfere as Renji killed the boy.

Renji smiled grimly. He had heard many stupid proverbs and sayings about revenge, advising humans not to take revenge, or, at least, to defer revenge. He didn't care. People who didn't take revenge were weak. Revenge was the antidote to his anger and he would drain the last drops of that antidote.

I always wondered why Renji wanted to see and kill the person who stole Rukia's powers. Renji did not appear to even wonder for a moment if it was Uryu who had stolen Rukia's powers. Renji's anger and insistence on killing Rukia seemed a little extreme for someone who had been her friend for so long. I decided there had to be a reason for his anger and desire to kill Ichigo. This is my explanation.

Okay, maybe you think the language may seem a little sophisticated for Renji. Too bad. This is the way it came to me. Renji is intelligent, just very impatient, hot-headed and with little control. He had to be intelligent enough to enter the Academy and survive all those years in Inuzuri.

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