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A Test of Faith	By : honeyMellon Category: Bleach > Yaoi - Male/Male > Renji/Shuuhei Views: 1155 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: No underaged beings, humans or otherwise, are involved in this work of fiction. Bleach and all its characters belong to Kubo Tite, I just "expand" them for fun. I do not make any profit from these work of fiction.

Chapter List
- 12
- 13
- 14
Previously on "A Test of Faith":

She had risked her life so many times for Abarai-fukutaicho during the fight, and what did she get in return?
Sooo sorry for the late update! I've been bitten by a case of writer's block...staring at software code all day long does no favor for my English vocab! (English is not my native language)
This chapter is extra long because I couldn't decide on a good point to break it up into a smaller chunk without making the chapter boring. So, without further ado, here's the 4K+ word chapter 13!

Chapter 13

The next day, Akari was welcomed with fanfare when she entered the 6th squad combat training grounds. Amongst the first-years, she was now the only one who had been on a real mission. Sure, they've all experienced drills, which were designed to be as realistic as possible, but mock hollows and fellow team members just didn't cut it when it comes to thrill.
Nobody noticed how unnatural Akari's smile was, or how the smile would disappear every time nobody was looking at her. She was never a talkative person to begin with, so nobody thought it was out of the ordinary when she kept mostly silent besides the mandatory greeting and thank yous.
But not everyone was oblivious. Rikichi could immediately tell that something was bothering Akari, but given the awkwardness of their last encounter, he wasn't sure how to approach her. So he watched quietly, quickly averting his eyes every time Akari turned even remotely close to his direction.
When Akari finally went to a corner to sit by herself, Rikichi mustered up his courage and went up to her.
"Do you want to see my scar, too?" Akari asked wearily, rolling up her sleeve.
"No," Rikichi said, sitting down next to her. "Is something the matter?"
Akari was taken aback. Rikichi was the last person she would have expected to sense her mood. "Nothing," she mumbled. She glanced at Rikichi, who had an eyebrow cocked skeptically. "Oh, alright. I'm depressed, but I don't want to talk about it, okay?"
"Oh," was all Rikichi said. The boy stared down at his own hands, which he had laid in his lap. After a long silence, he said softly, "Well, I'm glad you came back alright. I mean...alive...err...I mean..." His face turned a little pink trying to find the right words.
Akari snorted in amusement. "I know what you mean," she said with a ghost of a smile. "Thank you."
"Sometimes talking about things will make you feel a little better," Rikichi said, hoping that Akari would change her mind. He was partly worried, partly curious, and most of all, didn't like to see his crush looking so dejected and not doing anything about it. "I won't tell anyone," he added hastily, remembering how his big mouth had led to much interest in Abarai-fukutaicho's sex life.
"I know...and I still don't want to talk about it, okay? I'm trying to get over it," Akari said with an annoyed frown. "It's not a big deal."
Rikichi opened his mouth to protest, but before he could get any words out, a large hand landed on his shoulder with a smack.
"And look who's hiding in the corner being all anti-social?" a familiar deep voice said from behind. The hand moved to ruffle Rikichi's hair good-naturedly, and Renji sat down next to Rikichi with a big grin on his face. His smile faltered for a bit as he suddenly realized that he might have intruded on a private moment. "Err...you wouldn't be...err, in the middle of a confession, would you?"
Rikichi felt as if all the blood in his body had rushed up into his head; his ears burned in embarrassment. "No!" he said at once. "We're just friends!"
"Uh huh," Renji said, not even bothering to hide his skepticism. "Sure, I'm friends with Hisag-fukutaicho, too." He winked at Rikichi, who had somehow managed to turn even redder in the face.
"We're just hanging out," Akari said, not amused at all. She shot her vice captain a not-so-subtle glare, feeling her mood sinking a few more notches.
Rikichi could only take so much embarrassment. He jumped to his feet, muttered something about needing to look for a friend, and ran off, almost tripping over in his hurry.
Renji scratched his head and shrugged. "Don't be so harsh on him," he chided Akari, quite oblivious to the true reason of her less-than-friendly attitude towards him.
"What do you want?" Akari asked, trying hard to keep her voice even. Abarai-fukutaicho's playful, light-hearted manner was getting on her nerves. The fact that the man had somehow jumped to the conclusion that she and Rikichi were more than friends only served to piss her off even more.
Renji's face turned serious at her question. For a moment, Akari thought she saw a faint blush appear on the man's face, but it quickly passed. Looking at the ground, he said casually, "I never thanked you properly for saving my life yesterday."
Akari's eyes widened in surprise before narrowing again. "I thought it was Hisagi-fukutaicho's lucky charm that saved you," she blurted before she could stop herself. She immediately wished that she could take back those words, because that pretty much told him that she had eavesdropped on their conversation.
Now it was Renji's turn to widen his eyes, then he began to chuckle; softly at first, then it became loud, boisterous laughter. Akari looked at him, face burning in embarrassment. When he didn't stop laughing after a good minute, Akari pouted and punched him on the arm.
"Oh boy," Renji said, wiping the corner of his eyes. "Do you seriously think that I'd believe that? We were just fooling around, Akari. At least finish listening to the entire conversation before getting all upset, baka."
Akari couldn't help but grin. She felt like an idiot, but inside she was exhilarated. It was funny how a little acknowledgement could make such a big difference. "You're welcome," she said finally.
Renji reached out to ruffle her hair—he seemed to be really fond of that habit, then with a loud, dramatic sigh, he got onto his feet. "Not going to join the rest?" he asked, gesturing towards the group of members who were in the middle of practicing basic techniques of hakuda, the art of unarmed combat.
"I'll be there in a bit," Akari said, picking herself up and dusting her shihakusho.
"Well, have fun," Renji said and made a face, "Time for me to head back for some paperwork. You won't believe the amount of reports Kuchiki-taicho and I have to go through every day. One day when you become a seated officer, you'll get to enjoy that, heh!" With a casual wave, he turned around and strode across the training grounds to his office.
Akari stared after him, and another smile crept up her face. One day when I become a seated officer...

Finally, Renji thought as he scrawled his signature on the last form for the day. For once, the incoming paperwork section on his desk was blissfully empty. He glanced at the clock and groaned when he realized that there was another half an hour left till the end of the workday. Now, what should he do?
He walked out of the office to the hallway and looked out, taking the opportunity to take in a deep breath of fresh air. His office was on the second floor of the building, while the training grounds and practice halls of the 6th division were situated on the ground floor. To his surprise, the training area was not empty. A tiny figure appeared to be randomly delivering punches and kicks at something, then, as the figure darted around, Renji saw that the "victim" of that violence was a mannequin. The clumsy, out-of-sync moves of the fighter caused Renji to scoff out loud, but then he noticed the familiar purple obi. Akari? He thought in bewilderment. No wonder the girl was reluctant to join the rest during training earlier! So she did have a weakness, Renji thought in amusement.
Wow, she is terrible, he thought with a grimace. Granted, hand-to-hand combat was not as easy as it sounds; it required physical strength, but more importantly, an agile body and quick reflexes. Often times, speed and nimbleness could make up for the lack of brute strength for people with smaller stature, but unfortunately it wasn't the case for Akari. As Renji watched the girl from the balcony, he noticed that while she was fast, she seemed almost wary of making contact with the mannequin, her limbs slowing down slightly as they approached it, throwing off her rhythm as a result.
Renji descended the stairs and walked towards Akari, watching silently and shaking his head all the way. Well, at least she knew that she needed improvement. But without someone to give proper guidance, all the practice in the world would be moot.
"Abarai-fukutaicho!" Akari felt his presence and turned around in surprise. Her shikahusho was soaked with sweat, and the hair that had come loose from her ponytail stuck to her face and neck in an almost-comical way.
"Why are you afraid of the mannequin? Are you worried that it would break?" Renji asked bluntly.
"I-I..." Akari stuttered, pink spots appearing on her cheeks.
"You're not going to hurt it, you know," Renji teased her as he gave the mannequin a powerful punch in the gut. "See?"
"I'm not worried about it," Akari rolled her eyes. After a pause, she added, a little shyly, "I...I'm afraid that I'd..."
Renji raised an eyebrow. "Afraid that you'd hurt yourself?" he guessed.
Feeling foolish, the girl nodded. "Nii-san used to teach me hakuda too when I was little. And one time...I think he misjudged his strength...and…he broke my arm. After that he stopped, and I sort of..." She trailed off.
"Ah," Renji said. "So you developed a phobia, afraid that you'd get hurt again." He looked at Akari. She seemed almost fragile like this, unlike her feisty self when she was doing things she was good at. "Well, if you want to move up the ranks and become a powerful officer," he said. "You'd have to overcome that fear."
"Of course I want to," Akari said at once. "It's just that I..."
"Too ashamed to ask for help?" Renji asked not-so-tactfully. Then he kicked himself when the girl's face abruptly reddened. "I'd be happy to coach you," he offered.
Akari's face lit up at the prospect of having such a skillful mentor, but then her heart sank as she realized what a bad idea that was. The last thing she needed was more time alone with her crush, the one man that she couldn't have.
"Here, let's start with the basics," Renji began, unaware of Akari's torn expression. Before she could protest, the redhead grabbed her right arm and positioned it straight and away from her body. Holding her elbow in place, he gently guided her palm to face forward. Satisfied that she had a somewhat correct pose, he got into the fighting stance himself and held his right arm forward like hers.
"Now, thrust your arm forward. Put your strength in it, but keep your muscles controlled...you don't want to hurt your elbow," he said, eyeing the girl as she tried to mimic his action. "Here, don't be scared, I won't let you get hurt."
Akari forgot to breathe when she felt the warmth of her vice captain's hands on hers. She was vaguely aware that he was telling her something, but what, she hadn't the faintest idea. Her heart raced as if she was sprinting for her life, and her mind went numb. Her hand moved obediently under his direction.
She watched as Renji place his palm over her hand and guided her to push her hand outwards. She instinctively wanted to pull back as her hand neared the mannequin, but his firm grip held her in place and maintained the speed of her movement. When her palm hit the mannequin with a firm thud, she winced, then realized with surprise that it hadn't hurt at all. She looked up and saw Renji smile down at her.
"See? Nothing to be afraid of," he said with an encouraging grin. "Now, let's do the same with the left arm..."

Shuuhei started to notice something curious. Renji had stopped bugging him about not spending enough time with him, and for the past few nights Shuuhei actually got off work earlier than Renji. At first, he didn't give it much thought; in fact he felt kind of relieved that he no longer had to feel guilty about neglecting Renji.
But after a few days, he found himself wondering what was keeping the redhead so occupied at work. Surely Kuchiki-taicho hadn't given him extra chores because Renji would've complained about it. You know that feeling you get when you say no to someone who offers you a candy, only to end up staring at the person longingly as he eats it? That was exactly what Shuuhei was feeling. He used to wish that Renji would stop bugging him about working too hard, but now he actually missed hearing Renji whine about it.
So he decided to see for himself. It's not spying, he told himself. What's wrong with showing a little interest in your lover's work life, right? There was nothing to it, he'd just take a quick peek, that's all. Renji won't even know that he was there.
Imagine his surprise when he arrived at the 6th division grounds to find Renji's office empty. He eyed the stack of papers tethering precariously at the corner of Renji's desk. Whatever the redhead was doing, it sure did not involve finishing his paperwork.
That's odd, he thought. Closing his eyes, he reached out with his senses to search for Renji's spiritual pressure. He was here, in the 6th division, somewhere where Shuuhei could not see him. And so the raven-haired vice captain wandered, using Renji's spiritual pressure to guide him to its owner's location.
The sight that greeted him at the combat training room caught him by surprise. Another personal coaching session? He thought, pressing himself into the wall and reigning in his own spiritual pressure. He couldn't explain it, but he suddenly felt like he didn't want Renji to see him. Who am I kidding? Shuuhei thought unhappily. I amspying on him.
Inside the combat hall, Renji was correcting Akari's posture, holding her shoulders with his large hands and pressing into them so that the girl's back straightened. "That's more like it," the redhead said with a smile of satisfaction. "Now, counter this." With that, he abruptly shot his hand forward, straight into Akari's face. The girl immediately bent her body backwards to dodge the blow, then with a clever twist of her body, she reached under her vice captain's outstretched arm and thrust her arm forward, hitting Renji squarely in the ribs.
"Good!" Without even a pause, Renji flipped his body and lashed out with his leg. With a yell, Akari jumped, barely avoiding the hit. "Too slow, too slow!" Renji bellowed, following up with a swing of his arm. This time Akari could not react fast enough and with a surprised "oof!", she flew a few feet away and landed on the floor in a heap.
"Shit!" Renji was immediately by her side. "Are you okay?"
Akari wiped her brow and stood up on wobbly legs. "Yeah, I'm okay," she gasped, bending over slightly and holding her knees to support herself, "But I think I'm done for the day, Abarai-fukutaicho."
"Alright," the redhead said and reached out his hand to ruffle her hair. "Take care of yourself, see you tomorrow."
As Renji's footsteps came towards the door, Shuuhei sucked in a breath and looked around in a panic. Renji was coming out from the hall and he would be busted! Somehow he didn't think Renji would appreciate him spying on him like this.
Then, the footsteps stopped, and he heard Renji say, "Oh, and sorry about that!" He didn't stay to hear the rest; he took the opportunity to leap up to the roof and flash-stepped away.

When Renji arrived back in his quarters, all sweaty and aching from the workout, he was surprised to see Shuuhei sitting on the sofa, apparently waiting for him.
"Hey," he greeted his dark-haired lover with a big smile. "Miss me?"
Shuuhei snorted, feigning disgust at Renji's narcissistic remark. He wanted badly to ask him about his...work, but he couldn't think of a way to ask without giving away the fact that he had secretly snuck into the 6th division. In the end, he decided to just comment casually, "Looks like you can't complain that I work late now."
Renji chuckled and began to undress for his shower. Shuuhei couldn't help but look at the man, greedily taking in every inch of bare skin; the toned lines of his arms, expansive chest...he loved everything on that man's body. He imagined that a lot of other people did, too. He wondered if the girl did. As soon as the thought crossed his mind, he mentally kicked himself. What was he thinking! That was exactly what she was: a girl…so young that she was probably, what, not even one fifth of Renji's age?Are you jealous of a little girl? Shuuhei's inner voice asked. He paused to ponder the question. Was he?
"So, what'd you stay late for?" Shuuhei asked, hoping that he sounded indifferent.
"Oh, the usual," Renji said, kicking off his hakama. "You know, paperwork and shit." He took off his hair tie and let his long hair fall free onto his shoulders, and disappeared into the bathroom. Sounds of rushing water from the sink filled the room.
Shuuhei's heart sank. So Renji wasn't going to tell him about those after-hour lessons? That meant he—
"I said, did you know that Akari sucks at hakuda?" Renji peeked his head out from the bathroom. "Hello? Were you listening to me?"
"Huh?" Shuuhei looked up with a startle. "Oh, sorry. I, uhh, kind of spaced out." He couldn't help smiling a bit. So Renji was going to tell him after all.
Renji's laughter rang from the bathroom. "Makes me feel better about sucking at kido, you know?" the redhead called out.
"So is that why you've been staying late? Training her?" Shuuhei asked, raising his voice to be heard.
"Mmmph?" Renji peeked his head out again, a toothbrush sticking out from his mouth. He curled a finger at Shuuhei with a "come hither" look. When Shuuhei stood in front of him, the redhead grinned slyly at him. "Instead of trying to have such a loud conversation, why don't we just have it in here?" He sniffed Shuuhei's hair. "Have you showered already?"
Shuuhei poked the redhead in the ribs. "Yes," he said, then wrinkled his nose. "God, you stink!" That earned him a splash of water in the face, and he yelped in protest. Before he could dodge the next splash, he found himself dragged into the shower. Ignoring Shuuhei's yells, Renji turned on the shower and the dark-haired man instantly became soaked.
Shuuhei opened his mouth to scold Renji, but before he could utter a word, he found himself pushed against the tiled wall. A pair of warm, wet lips crushed his, silencing him. His eyes fluttered in surprise, then he smiled into the kiss and closed his eyes. Fine, he could use a second shower...

The sound of rushing water could not mask the pants and lustful moans echoing in the small bathroom. Shuuhei's clothes had long been stripped off, tossed on the floor carelessly. He was on his feet, bent over, his palms flat against the wall for support. His body shook and swayed in time with Renji's thrusts, and he couldn't stop moaning his lover's name over and over again as if it was the only word he knew. All the questions about Akari that he had wanted to ask were temporarily forgotten; his body knowing only the pleasure that Renji was giving him.
Renji tightened his grip on Shuuhei's grip and snapped his hips, burying himself into the dark-haired man. He hissed with pleasure, eyes glazed over with desire. The way the water ran in rivulets down his lover's back sent shivers down to his groin. He groaned, unable to contain himself. He was close...very close...he bent over slightly and reached under Shuuhei to stroke the man's swollen arousal.
Shuuhei's legs nearly gave out when he felt Renji's palm on his erection. Renji's hand was slick with soap and water, and his fingers glided easily over Shuuhei's flesh. Shuuhei felt a familiar tightening at the pit of his stomach, and he knew he was at his limit.
"Renji—" he cried out hoarsely.
Renji recognized the sign, and began to thrust deeper. Almost immediately, he felt a warm gush on his fist, the stickiness washed away quickly by the falling water. He followed soon after, grunting as he came deep within his lover.
Then came the part he loved the most about having sex in the shower. Turning Shuuhei around, Renji gently rubbed soap over his body, washing away sweat and semen. He loved the way Shuuhei closed his eyes and relaxed under his touch. He leaned forward and planted a quick kiss on Shuuhei's lips, and felt the man smile.
"Come on, we should dry ourselves, I'm beginning to feel like a raisin," Shuuhei said, running his wrinkled fingers over Renji's bicep. "We can take round two to the bed," he added with a wink.

"I have a question," Shuuhei said. He had his fingers laced behind his head. They were both on their backs on the bed. Well, more like questions. They'd had been bugging him the entire night. He had almost forgotten about it, but now that the high from their lovemaking was dissipating, the questions came back to haunt him.
"Mmm?" Renji murmured, feeling a little sleepy already.
Shuuhei paused to choose his words carefully; the last thing he wanted to do was to come off sounding accusatory. "I've been thinking...have you noticed anything weird about Akari?"
Renji turned to look at him, puzzlement clear on his features. "Weird?"
"You know, nervous, panicky...awkward," Shuuhei said. "Things like that."
"Mmm...can't say I have," Renji replied, looking up at the ceiling as he pondered the question. "Why?"
"I dunno," Shuuhei said, then sighed. "Well, no, I do know. But...I don't know how to ask this in a nice way."
Renji shifted his body to lie on his side, facing Shuuhei. "Come on, just spit it out."
Shuuhei stared at the ceiling, feeling a little apprehensive about what he was about to say. "Well...I feel like...I mean, don't you think you're spending a bit too much time alone with the girl?"
Renji's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "You mean those lessons?" he asked with a hint of amusement.
"Well, yeah...first it was zanjutsu, now it's hakuda...then of all people in the 6th division, you picked her to go on that mission with you," Shuuhei said. Now that he started on it, he couldn't help blurting out everything that had been bothering him. "Don't get me wrong, it's nice of you to coach her, but given how she feels about you—"
"What do you mean?" Renji asked, confused. "How does she feel about me?"
Shuuhei gave him a look. "Are you blind?"
"Huh? Wait, tell me, what do you mean how she feels about me?" Renji asked, still clueless. He had grown up with a girl after all, so being close to one was nothing out of the ordinary to him.
"She likes you!" Shuuhei burst out. "You should've seen the way she looked at you just now—" His voice faltered as he realized what he had just said.
Renji's eyes narrowed. "Excuse me?"
Shuuhei felt his cheeks flush. Crap. He glanced at Renji and quickly averted his eyes.
"Did you spy on me?" Renji hissed.
"I just happened to be looking for you," Shuuhei said lamely.
"Right," Renji said stiffly. "And you obviously saw me. Then what, you decided that you weren't looking for me after all?"
Shuuhei cringed. It was beginning to look like things were turning ugly. "I..." he stammered, but didn't know what more he could say to explain himself. It was the truth; he was checking up on Renji.
"I was just curious to know what was keeping you busy at work," Shuuhei said, deciding to be honest. "So I went to look for you...and...then I saw you with her. And now I'm worried."
"You could've just asked me, Shuuhei!" Renji said indignantly, raising his voice. This was unbelievable. He felt hurt and angry, and at that moment anger dominated his mind. "She's just my subordinate!"
"I know she's your subordinate! I'm not saying that you have a thing for her," Shuuhei said defensively. "I'm saying that she has a thing for you, and I don't think that you should spend so much time alone with her!"
"So now you're going to dictate whom I hang out with?" Renji demanded. "Have I ever checked on you when you stayed late at work? You work all the time and I never thought of questioning you, I have absolute trust for you, but apparently you don't trust me!"
Shuuhei felt a stab of panic. How did it come to this? "Renji, I..."
"Well? How else can you explain why you were at my division just now?" Renji asked. He clenched his fist to reign in his rising anger.
By now both of them were on their feet, facing each other; Renji with his crimson hair loose around his face, making him look even fiercer, Shuuhei standing stiffly, torn between placating Renji and justifying his own actions.
"I used to ask you to spend more time with me, but you wouldn't, you decided that your work was more important. I don't like it, but I respect you and let you be," Renji continued, his voice icy. "And now that I've found something to keep myself busy, you decide that you don't like it and you expect me to just stop! How is that fair, Shuuhei?"
"But I was doing real work!" Shuuhei said.
"And I'm not?" Renji asked, narrowing his eyes. "I'm coaching a member of my division, how is that not real work?"
"It might be just work for you but it's not for her!" Shuuhei yelled in exasperation. Why didn't Renji get it? This wasn't about him!
"You don't even know if that's a fact!" Renji raised his voice, baring his teeth. "Yet you question me, not just my work, and also my loyalty to you!" His voice went hoarse at the last part. He breathed heavily as his words echoed around the room.
"Renji, please..." Shuuhei looked pained. How was he supposed to convince the redhead that he wasn't doubting his loyalty when he had indeed checked on him secretly? He wasn't worried about Renji, he was just troubled by the girl!
"I've had enough of this shit!" Renji said loudly, his voice trembled from emotion. "You were the one who told me that our time is precious, but you always place your duty before me. I've come to accept that, even though it hurts. Yet you don't give me that same respect, hell, you don't even fucking trust me!"
"Renji, listen to me!" Shuuhei yelled, frustration leading him to raise his voice several notches higher. "I trust you, it's just that—"
"If you trust me, why did you spy on me?" Renji practically shouted.
"It's Akari that I don't trust—"
"What did she ever do to you?" The redhead asked, flinging his arms in frustration. "She saved my life, but instead of thanking her, you think she has ulterior motives?"
"Oh, great, now you're defending her?"
"You're un-fucking-believable!" With a growl, Renji grabbed Zabimaru from its stand and flung open the door. He turned around and spat,"Have a good night!" The door slammed shut, shaking the walls, then he was gone.
Shuuhei stared at the door, lips trembling from anger and defeat. He blinked furiously in an effort to make the tears go away, but they still ended up sliding down his face. Clenching his fists, he turned around and kicked one of the chairs over, needing something to vent his emotions.

Next door, Rikichi quivered in fear under the sheets. The spiritual pressure from the two vice captains was overwhelming when they fought; at one point he even fell to his knees and had to struggle to breathe.
Was it true, what Hisagi-fukutaicho said? Rikichi thought as he clasped his hands over his ears. Akari...?

To be continued...
Sneak preview of the next chapter:

"Why do you always stick your nose in our business?" he asked in exasperation.
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A Test of Faith