#Verse: Head Captain of the Sereitei

[inmensapotentia]

🎲 (For Shun and Uki, From @penandswords cus i'm GREEDY like that)

Shun - 7: A Romantic Kiss

Movies weren't usually Shunsui's favorite past time, but the fact it left him open to sitting there with Rima curled up in his lap made it much easier to deal with. Ukitake did enjoy a nice hot bath in the evenings, and Shunsui wasn't going to complain about being left with Rima alone for a while. As the credits started to roll, he reached out, finger curling under her chin, thumb finding her skin as well to tip her head up.

Leaning in slowly, always careful to give his partners a chance to say no, he pressed his lips tenderly to hers. His other arm was looped gently around her waist, holding her close as he kissed her slow and sweet.

Ukitake - 27: A Kiss in Greeting

Being away from Rima always pulled at his heart in ways he wasn't fond of, but it made their time together just a little more sweet, a little more intense. For he knew it only lasted so long.

Which explained the way he smiled at Rima as she stepped out of her office, probably expecting Nanao or Rukia as he had just let them off duty. Stepping close to the woman as she stepped out of the building, he reached out to pull her close. One large hand cupping the side of her face, he leaned down slowly and brushed a soft kiss to her lips. "Good evening, Little Love, how are you?"

[faintblueivy]

All and little of what follows - Renruki fanfiction

Alright. Alright! I know that it is too late for Renrukiday and even I can’t excuse myself for this but well, yes, life happens. I was busy with some stuff and things got dragged on and I couldn’t bring myself to half-ass this. So well, yeah, here I am with a new renruki fic! Hope you enjoy!

Also posted on ao3

dedicated to: @salzrand​

Words : 4820

All and little of what follows

The clacking of wooden swords striking against each other echoed throughout the compound of sixth division. Violet eyes carefully observed the form of each and every participant of this exercise, ready to guide if a wrong form was seen or an incorrect blow was made. Everything was going smoothly when she felt his presence behind herself.

“How is the practice regimen going on, lieutenant Kuchiki?”

She turned to give her brother a respectful nod of acknowledgement and said, ‘It is going all according to the schedule. Members from both squads are performing sufficiently.”

Gotei 13 has a tradition of conducting inter squad training regimens in order to promote the spirit of friendliness and cooperation between the members of different squads in order for proper functioning and synchronisation for the system to work together as a whole. Since Rukia’s promotion as the lieutenant of thirteenth division, this is her seventh time conducting a combined training regimen. Albeit, most of them have been done with sixth division due to her closeness of its elites – namely the Captain and lieutenant and her own Captain’s infinite support to her, but one was also done with fourth division as well.

Well, these exercises were always done in the supervision of lieutenants of the respective squads, but due to an unavoidable mission lasting an entire week had caused Lieutenant Abarai and few elite members of sixth division to be absent on this particular event. Maybe it is the reason behind her brother’s – better known to the people here as Captain Kuchiki’s -repeated visits. It was not that he had any doubt over her abilities, it’s just that he was a worrywart, and Renji’s absence definitely brought it out. Rukia inwardly smirked at her brother’s attempt to remain neutral despite his behaviour of fretting over things.

When she realised that the routine was nearing its completion, she raised a hand to signal halt. She climbed down the porch in front of the subordinates and announced loudly.

“Today’s training regimen has been successfully completed and you call have performed remarkably well. You all can have a fifteen minutes break and then the thirteenth division would need to file out and head back. Is that understood?”

“Yes Mam!” The loud chorus of affirmation was heard and Rukia found herself pleased with the response. When she whirled around to look at her brother he was already looking at her, a hint of smile gracing his lips, so faint that nobody else but her could see it. He nodded in her direction and then walked back to his office with all the easy grace that was expected of him.

“Lieutenant Kuchiki?”

At herself being addressed, Rukia turned to look at the source before her. A timid looking woman, which Rukia quickly recognised as the sixth division’s seventh seat, stood in front of her.

Rukia gave her an encouraging smile to her as an indication to continue and the woman looked positively thrilled with it.

“My name is Okuda Megumi, the seventh seat of sixth division. Lieutenant Abarai had requested me to assist you in the paperwork of this exercise before leaving.”

Rukia couldn’t hold back a smile at that.

“Ah, yes, thank you very much. I’d be glad for your assistance.”

The woman visibly brightened at her response before guiding her to Renji’s office. Of course, Rukia didn’t need her for that. She has already been to Renji’s office multiple times. And it was adjacent to her brother’s office as well, separated by thin walls. When they entered the room she was surprised to see all the papers and forms all neatly arranged and filed accordingly. She seated herself to peer over the documents but instead found her gaze straying to the woman who flitted around the room with knowing and well versed steps.

“It seems like you know your way around here, Okuda-san.” Rukia commented.

The woman laughed lightly.

“Yes Mam, I do! Sometimes, I help lieutenant Abarai in paperwork.”

“Oh, does he push his work on you?” Rukia asked with a little ire.

“Oh no, no! Not at all! You see, well, he is not very fond of paperwork but he does his job diligently. Sometimes the workload is more and well, Captain Kuchiki is quite strict when it comes to things like this so, I, at times assist him out of my own free will.”

That…was true. Her brother was definitely uncompromising when it comes to paperwork and documents. Captain Ukitake was much more lenient comparatively. There was no denying to that. And she was perfectly aware that Renji has always been an action’s man. Sitting in one place and dealing with documents all day long was just not his forte. So yes, asking for help would be plausible. She’s ripped out of her thoughts when the other woman said fondly.

“I’m glad that we have Lieutenant Abarai with us.”

That caused Rukia to raise a brow at her before she asked, “It is not often that I see a woman at the position of a seated officer…let alone this high. Apologies, I didn’t mean to come out as this rude, but I’m very curious.”

The girl smiled, “Oh you don’t have to apologise. I perfectly understand your sentiments. And anyways, my status is a result of my training with Lieutenant Abarai.”

Rukia jerked at that.

“Training?”

“Yes, well, I have always been a little lost cause. People always tended to ignore and isolate me for as long as I can remember. But one day, it was during a training session under him that he told me that some of my sword combat moves looked good and they can definitely become better with some proper modifications. Since that day, he took active interest in my development and offered to train me. It not only helped me grow my skills but also raised my confidence towards my own abilities. And before I knew it, I was here, above a lot of my peers.”

Hearing the woman tell her story, Rukia felt a strange sense of nostalgia. This seemed exactly like how Kaien had supported her. Made her capable and strong. Made her what she is today. A surge of pride warmed her chest at the thought of Renji helping someone to live with respect. She was brought out of her musings when the woman set a tray in front of her. And the smell that penetrated her nostrils was definitely familiar.

Chamomile tea! Her favourite!

Surprised, she looked up at the woman who was pouring the tea into ceramic cups.

“How did you-”

“Lieutenant loves to talk a lot about you. It is his favourite pastime.”

Rukia found herself flushing red at her words and the woman giggled, a little amused at her embarrassment.

The rest of the time was spent with being completely productive. Okuda’s help proved to be a blessing with the massive paperwork and Rukia found herself getting fonder of her as they spent more time together.

The work was almost completed when the door was slid open and her brother walked in. Okuda immediately scrambled up and bowed her head demurely in greeting to her Captain and Rukia collected the documents that were needed to be approved by him but stopped when he gestured to Okuda.

“Seventh seat Okuda, deposit these on my desk.” He ordered and she immediately followed. Bowing her head to both of them and giving her a smile before imparting, she left to perform her errand.

“What-” her brother paused and then continued, “Do you think of her? Renji has taken a keen interest in her development.”

Rukia gave a bright smile to answer, “Yes, she told me about it. And, I’m glad.”

She must have definitely imagined the widening of his eyes before he closed them but then the rare, but yet slowly becoming familiar smile was present.

“Yes, she is proving to be quite a useful asset to the division with her skills. He is…quite proficient in bringing the positive out of people.”

Rukia smiled. Oh, it didn’t seem like it in the first glance but Renji did have a knack of leadership. Even back then, he was the one to lead their little band of hooligans with fervidly. When someone would stumble, he would gladly offer his hand and that stupid wide grin and they’ll grasp onto him, deciding to stay by his side.

“So, I assume you’ll be taking your leave then?”

“Yes, I believe that is the case since the work here is done.”

“I see.” He turned back to leave but then halted on the threshold.

“Anyways, I have just received information that they have entered Sereitei and will be arriving any minute now.”

As soon as he finished the statement they heard crashes and some commotion outside. She watched her brother exhaling a sigh before commenting, “Looks like they have arrived.”

She could almost make out a fond exasperation behind his neutral tone but he did not give her enough time to ponder over it.

“Tell Renji that he has one hour before needing to report to me.”

Rukia bowed to him thankfully before exiting the room. She could hear his boisterous laugh and loud words from here itself. Unknowing, her steps quickened in pace as she turned round the corner. The sun shined in her eyes when she saw him. He was violently patting the back of one of his subordinates with a large smile commenting about how they didn’t look stronger since the time he was away. The other members surrounding were laughing out and someone from the crowd exclaimed about how they weren’t him and didn’t enjoy training every chance they had. But the loud conversation died out when she stepped into light, effectively silencing the lot.

Renji looked a little confused at the sudden quietness before swivelling his head in her direction. The smile he had worn immediately morphed into one large grin.

“Rukia!” He called out before taking four massive steps and coming to stand in front of her.

“Renji.” She greeted him, not holding back a smile at his arrival back home.

But before the conversation could continue further Rikichi said worriedly, “Lieutenant! We should first go to fourth division to get your arm healed, sir.”

That instantly made Rukia’s ears stand up.

“Arm? Healing? What happened?” she questioned but noticed Renji glaring at his subordinate but the boy looked completely unfazed. It was again the boy who answered for her because Renji was apparently busy trying to scare the boy off.

“On our third day we were attacked by a horde of Menos Grande. They were not much trouble to the lieutenant and other powerful officers but one dangerous hollow managed to sneak past them and entered the village. He slashed at the kid but lieutenant managed to save him by incredibly fast shunpo. Though he got severely injured in process. He attained a large slash on his arm. But, you were so cool! Lieutenant!”

Rukia smirked at the embarrassed look on Renji’s face at his subordinate’s admiration but a pang of worry was in her chest.

“Did you not have a healer in your group?” she asked.

“No mam. We mainly had combat specialists with us. We did not expect the Menos in the first place either.”

That made sense, she realised. Since Aizen’s defeat, a few months ago, the boundaries between the worlds were quite unstable, Causing Menos and Hollows to pop up out of nowhere. She thanked the boy for letting her know before dragging Renji away herself.

“Rukia! Wait! I’ve gotta see Captain Kuchiki before!”

“He knows you’re already here. Told me that you can see him an hour later.”

“What?” he stopped dead in his tracks, hardly believing.

“Yes.” She confirmed before yanking him back on the path.

“But I don’t wanna go!” he complained.

“Don’t be such a baby, Renji!” she scolded him harshly before deciding to make an offer.

“Choose. You want to go to fourth division or want me to have a look at the injury.”

He grimaced visibly. She wanted to laugh at him but then crossed her arms in front and proceeded to glare at him fiercely. After a few moments of staring he finally gave up.

“Fine! You win. Have a look!” he raised his hands in surrender but then winced when the pain flared up.

Dragging him beneath a canopy of tree, she forced him to sit. She rolled up his sleeves and examined the damaged arm. It was wrapped up quite nicely. Slowly undoing the bandages, her eyes narrowed.

“It is a large and deep cut. Did you clean it regularly?”

“Yes, yes. I did. Not looking for a nasty infection. Even I’m’ not that stupid you know!”

“I had my doubts.” Rukia deadpanned, grazing her fingers lightly over his injury. Her hand glowed with the healing application of kido, sealing the cracks in his skin carefully.

“How did the training exercises go? They told me you were great.”

“It went smoothly.” Her hand prodded his healed arm to detect any sign of further pain and immediately found herself satisfied with her work.

“Though it was lot quieter without you.” She said softly, looking away.

“Are we meeting up today? After work?” he questioned as they sat there idly.

“Eh? You still want to? You just came back! Are you not tired?”

“Haha! Not at all! I’m that good!”

Rukia rolled her eyes at his boisterous answer but what he said next made her still.

“I missed you.”

His voice was so small that it could have been easily missed but between the silent companionship that they shared, it ringed loudly.

Rukia immediately jumped up, her cheeks burning pink at his words. She turned to the other side and marched away a few steps refusing to look back.

“F-Fine! We can meet up! The usual place and the usual time, right?”

“Alright!”

Hearing his response, she instantly flickered away unaware of that fond smile that spoke volumes of the affection her best friend held for her.

…

The skies turned darker with the swirling grey clouds, threatening to spill over the Seritei any moment now. Rukia was standing on the porch waiting for her brother to appear. She had almost left for her meeting with Renji when she had received summon from her brother.

  Just a few moments later, he arrived, his white haroi swishing behind. Handing a large envelope to her he commanded, “I want you to deliver this to Renji.”

  “Yes, Nii-sama.” she nodded and tucked it between her arms before heading out. The hustle and bustle in Seritei is increased by ten times when the evening rolls by. And with the spread of the dark clouds, the ambience was much darker than normal. When watched various faces pass by, some familiar and some completely unknown. Trudging towards her destination she saw a few people on the way who looked as worried about the weather as she felt. But ignoring it all, she finally reached her destination and spotted him immediately. After all, with a height as tall as that and hair as red as his, it was not easy to miss him.

  He gazed through the crowd and grinned when she raised an arm to attract his attention. When she came to stand beside him, he poked her shoulder.

  “I think you really need to start growing.” He mocked.

  “And I think that you really need to stop growing.” She retaliated.

  He shook his head, laughing at her feistiness before escorting her inside. They occupied one of the farthest table from the entrance, at the right corner and Rukia slipped the envelope on the table pushing it towards him. He raised a questioning brow at her.

  “Nii-sama.”

  That word alone was enough to explain everything and he seemed to agree with that. He opened the envelope and read some of the documents when a small hand written note slipped from inside. Rukia curiously watched him pick it up, read it and then slip it back into the folder.  

  Their activities were interrupted when the waitress arrived and asked for their orders. While waiting for their orders they talked about this and that. About his mission and the training regimen. The food was as good as always and Rukia felt gratification at the lovely taste. They also talked about Okuda and Renji told her that the girl looked up at her with so much admiration. But Rukia wanted to tell him about the admiration the girl has for him can hardly compare to the gratefulness that the girl feels for the kindness that Renji had bestowed upon her.

  Later when the exited the restaurant, on their way to the Kuchiki mansion, Rukia's fears came true when it started raining cats and dogs. Yelping out loudly, she squeaked when Renji grabbed her hand and they raced through the streets towards sixth division barracks because they were closer in comparison to her home.

   And it triggered a memory, of a red haired boy and a black haired girl running through the narrow slums, all happy giggles and smiles and loud laughs. Getting drenched together and cursing the rain together, building up a fire to warm themselves together and cuddling up together to keep themselves alive.

  Together.

  Always together.

  But then suddenly not.

  But that was something she didn't want to think about. Ever. Especially not when everything was okay. Now when finally after decades of lamenting, they could run like this again.

  The guard of Sixth division barracks opened the gates as soon as he recognised both of them. Water pelted against her face as Renji raced through the courtyard, still dragging her, to reach his quarters. Slamming the front door open and thrusting her inside and yelled.

  “Go, remove those wet clothes! I'll be back!”

  That was all he said before turning on to his heel and launching himself to run off somewhere back in that merciless rain, leaving her dripping in cold all over the place. The quarters given to the lieutenants were very large and spacious. She entered on of the spare rooms and was in the process of untying her Obi when she heard a soft knock at the door. Instantly, she knew it was not Renji. Cautiously, she peeked out of the room to see the intruder and felt herself quite surprised at the sight of Okuda, who held a small package in her hands, searching for something. Before Rukia could utter put a sound the woman herself called out, still looking around.

  “Lieutenant Kuchiki?”

  “Yes I'm here!” Rukia replied.

  She immediately spotted her and stepped up to her, handing the small package. At Rukia's questioning gaze, she supplied, “Lieutenant Abarai just banged on my door claiming if it was okay for him to borrow one of my normal Kimonos for you. But due to some further work, he requested me to fetch it to you.”

  Rukia nodded with a thankful smile and slipped into the room to change. Tying it roughly, she jumped out, thanking the woman.

  “Thank you so much!”

  “Ah, no problem! I'm glad I could be of your assistance.” The woman bowed and left.

  Rukia, deciding to make some tea to warm herself and her absent host entered his kitchen to boil some water in the kettle. She had only set it on the stove when he entered the house, of course, his arrival was punctuated by a loud bang of the door.

  “Rukia?” He called out, his expression was a little frantic, but immediately relaxed when she peered out from the kitchen.

  “Go! Get changed!” She chastised, because he was dirtying the entire floor with his wet self and muddy feet.

  “Renji!” She hissed again, threatening to hit him with a mop she had found leaning against the corner of the kitchen. He obliged with a mocking smile on his face.

  The water had just come to a boil when he re-entered the room, dressed in his signature white yukata with pink flowers. His luscious hair free from their usual confines, falling over his shoulders and beyond. The front of his Yukata was a little loose, exposing his chiselled chest and his tattoos peeking out. He had a towel drying the ends of his locks and Rukia felt herself swallow something. She wasn't blind. She was perfectly aware of his attractiveness. And even more so in the recent past years. His body conditioned itself well to accommodate his growing powers and blazing strength.

  She shook her head lightly to bring herself out of those thoughts.

  No matter what...he's Renji!

He was, he is and he'll always be.  

  Her hand adding the scented leaves in the steaming water in a precise amount. Being close to a captain who's as fond of tea as her Captain was, it just came to her as a second nature. Her brother too liked to have tea at some evenings with her. So she of course, was proficient in the art of brewing tea. And Renji commented positively over it.

  They were enjoying the warm tea in companionable silence. When loud thundering struck the sky Rukia was startled. She shivered slightly, but Renji noticed.

  “You okay?”

  “Yes. I just... don't like thunderstorms.” she whispered, staring at the steam rising from her cup.

  There was rustle before a soft blanket was draped over her. At her surprised look, he gave her an easy smile.

  “I know.”

  Of course he does. He's always known her. Nobody would else knew her darkest desires and silliest fears but him. Settling beside her, he slipped his tea noisily again.

  “You should stay here for tonight.” He offered quite nonchalantly.

  “See. This is why I call you an idiot. An unmarried noblewoman cannot sleep in any man’s house like this!”

  She said haughtily, laughing inwardly at the absurdity of the entire situation. The rim of the cup tipped over her lips, the warm liquid seeping down her throat and the companionship of the person beside eased her.

  “What if her guardian allows that though?” he grinned.

  “Oh? I have a permit to sleep here? Who did that?” she asked inquisitively.

  “Your brother did.”

  She almost sputtered out her tea at that.

  “W-What?!’

  “Yup! Rememeber that note? He had asked me to take care of you if the weather goes bad.”

  Rukia felt overwhelmed by the concern her brother had for her ignoring when Renji whispered something along the lines of, “More like threatened me to.”

   That's when her eyes fell on a small trinket and she immediately recognised the Urahara watermark on it.

  “What's that?”

  He followed her gaze and smiled sheepishly.

  “Oh that? It's a good luck charm.”

  At her nonplussed look he laughed.

  “Ururu made it. And I couldn't refuse a child.”

  He smiled softly as if reminiscing and she giggled.

  “Oh yeah. They probably tricked you!”

  He shook his head in a gesture to say he didn't mind. And took another sip. And Rukia figured it the right time to ask him that question which has been nagging her for three days. Since her last visit to Karakura town.

  “You...you went to see Ichigo? Didn't you?”

  His stiffening was all the answer she needed. A wide silence passed between them. Stifling with uncertainty.

  “How did you-how did you know?”

  The hesitancy in his question swimmed between them. And Rukia decided to answer him honestly.

  “I met Orihime. Three days ago. She told me that she had sensed your reiatsu near Ichigo's home a week ago.”

  Another pause filled the conversation, something incredibly heavy circulating in the air.

  “Renji? Why?” She questioned again. He looked silent for a moment before exploding.

  “I didn't get to say him a proper goodbye! Heck, I didn't even wanted to say good bye! Why did we do this to him Rukia! Why did Soul Society do this to him! He shouldn't have even treated like that! Like as if...he was some sort of disposable!”

 He gripped the cup tightly enough which made Rukia think that he would actually shatter it.

  “Renji...Renji, look. Whatever Ichigo did, it was of his own accord. He knew what he was losing but he still did it. He knew the risks, the consequences. You can't blame others for his own decisions.”

  “Own decisions? Rukia. He had to fight Aizen because everyone else couldn't! Because some were too weak and others were too exhausted. He did not fight Aizen for the sake of fighting him. He did it to protect us, everyone! He had no other choice! He did it to protect Soul Society, Human world. Soul Society owes it to him for saving their asses time and time again. But what did they do?” He laughed bitterly.

  “They left him alone as if he didn't matter. At all.”

  “Renji…” Rukia pleaded. “It's for his own good.”

  A small moment of silence interrupted his triad and then he gave her a challenging, rueful smile.

  “Look into my eyes and say that again.”

  And she couldn't. She didn't. Because how can she when every word uttered out from his mouth resonated with her own convictions so strongly.

  “You know-” he bit out, his voice cracking, “I wanted to support him for as long as he lived and then welcome him into the Soul Society when the time finally comes. I thought I could be a part of his nakama and struggle through hardships together.”

  “Why?”

  Rukia begged, his every word overwhelming her even more. She was aware of his nature. Renji had always had this sense of strong loyalty to anyone he ever considers Nakama. But this raw devotion to Ichigo had shaken her up to the roots. It was strange but so unfathomably deep.

  “Because he...he was the one to bring us back together.”

  That one statement hung between them. His feelings for Ichigo...they were a product of his gratitude for bringing them back together? For her? To cross that unreachable distance between them? This discovery made her light headed. The air felt so suffocating that she stood up on shaky legs and opened the only yet large window of the room to breathe in the fresh air.

  Lightning streaked across the skies, violent flashes, and thunder boomed. Stray water droplets hit her face, sliding down, down and down. That abyss of untold feelings stretched between them, so weighted that she could barely hold upon but yet, it slipped and then crashed, loudly.

  “If you wanted us to be together so much, then why? Why did you let me go in the first place?”

  The silver of light ripped through the skies, illuminating everything around her in an eerie glow for a moment and a loud sound followed, punctuating her feelings with a deafening sound.

  His answer came in a while, voice so weary with tiredness that she had to turn back to look at him.

  “Then what else was I supposed to do? I thought, about how I could never give you the comforts they could offer you. The warmest, softest bed. The best silk to wear. The pretty gems to flaunt and the best thing meals that we've ever had the fortune of seeing. How could I be selfish enough to rob you of a future where you could have perfect three meals a day without the constanNo matter how hard I tried. No matter how many excuses I gave I couldn't bring to fool myself that yes, that would be our future. I know it's not enough, Rukia. I made a mistake. And I accept it too. And that is why, I'm grateful to Ichigo for correcting them for me.”

  Her vision clouded with tears when he finally stopped. Even back then, it was for her. She felt hurt and loved. He did it all for her. And the fact that he regretted it convinced her that - all was not lost. Not yet. They still had the chance.

  Yes, things can go back to the way they were before.

  “I'm sorry too, you know. I'm sorry that I didn't gather up enough courage for defiance. I didn't stood up for myself. For both you and me. A little step could have reduced the distance between us. But I didn't. I regret it too, so much.”

  The words and the tears, all came pouring out. She didn't know when he had gathered her in his large warm arms, but she remembered clutching the front of his Yukata and sobbing all the regret and pain that had accumulated for those past forty years. His embrace tightened even more but she felt nothing but that familiar sensation. The one which was etched on the canvas of her memories like how the blue of the sky did.

  A brush of chapped lips. A nose nuzzling dark midnight hair. A forehead left tingling. And loud squeak is all and little of what follows her thoughts.

  Loved writing it! And well, about Renji’s thoughts for Ichigo…I believe that his devotion for him in the last arc did not just appear out of nowhere. And of course, Renruki’s separation was something extremely important to be talked about as well. In fact that was the essence of the story! This was based on a headcanon that I and @salzrand talked about. thank you being patient with me!

 I would be very happy to know what you all think of this piece.