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Things Never Spoken	By : Areitus Category: Bleach > Het - Male/Female Views: 5868 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, nor do I profit from this creation.

Chapter List
- 18
- 19
- 20
Chapter 19
�Don�t be ridiculous, you idiot!� Rukia growled at the red-head, �We�re going! Now come on! If we keep hanging around, it�s just going to attract more--�
�Hallows,� he said bitterly, �I know. Don�t you think I know?!� His body was shaking ever so slightly as he squared his shoulders and faced her reprimand head on, �I told you to leave me and go!�
Rukia was a bit surprised at his behavior. He rarely got so irate with her he resorted to confronting her in this manner. His distress was obvious to all of them. �We�re not leaving without you, Renji,� the petite girl said calmly as Inoue and Ichigo remained quiet, unsure of whether to intervene or not at this point.
�Don�t you get it�� he said in a low, shaky voice, �The reason I�m here� this whole fucked up mess!? Aizen�s fuckin� illusion beasts?!� He was shaking much more noticeably now as he threw his hand through the air angrily.

�What exactly am I supposed to be getting, Renji?! Whatever hole you�ve dug yourself into, we�re here to pull your ass out, got it?! Stop being so dramatic and get moving!� Rukia barked back at him, wanting nothing more than to slap him right across that perfect face of his.
�I don�t have anywhere to go back to, Rukia!� He yelled, his voice dry and cracking from the swell of emotion that was painfully tightening around his throat. �Maybe Soul Society could have pardoned me before� but that�s too far gone now. Aizen�s the one behind what they did to me at the lab. He�s the one who turned me into this, �he said as the hollow mask materialized across his face. His blackened eyes stared at her with pain and torment through the boney masquerade.

Rukia was snapped out of her anger when the familiar dreaded mask appeared on his face. Visions flashed in her mind of the last time she saw it and she felt a cold fear arise on the back of her neck. She quickly shoved the feeling down and re-gathered her strength. ��So what about it,� she replied, more softly than she�d intended.
Renji snorted almost mocking her response, �I been helpin� the bastard� is that plain enough for ya�ll?�
Inoue gasped, shaking her head, and grabbed a hold of Ichigo�s arm in shocked disbelief.
Ichigo, himself was flabbergasted, �T-that�s ridiculous! I won�t believe that, Renji! What motive would you have for something like that?!� the boy screamed in denial.
Rukia�s eyes were wide and her lips were tight as she stared at the man she once thought she knew like the back of her hand. The mask he�d dawned hid his face and made it easier for her to distrust him, but even so, her insides twisted and gnarled for the refusal to believe Renji could willingly help that mad man. Even as she looked upon him now and felt trepidation as the flashes of fragmented past could not be quelled from her mind, she knew he was a good person� a good man.
�Motive�?� he said bitterly as he looked down at the dead girl beside him, �She�s layin� right there�� His eyes narrowed, �I was already a traitor to Soul Society� I hit rock bottom a long time ago and I�ve just been sinkin� deeper in the mud ever since!�
�But Aizen?!� Ichigo clenched his fists to help repress his frustration, �You hated him! Probably more than all the rest of us combined!�
�It ain�t changed�� he spat bitterly, �I just wanted� I wanted to breathe again, damn it! If the only way to do that is to live in a fantasy world, then so be it! I don�t� I don�t care anymore!� He screamed his frustration as the red waves of his reiatsu flared out around him. �Can�t you understand, Ichigo? I get no respite! Inside there�s beast tearin� at my guts and outside all the people who used to be my friends have turned against me! I�m not�� Dropping to his knees as the mask broke away into stardust to reveal his tormented visage. He was undone by everything that he�d become. �I�m not invincible�� his voice trailed.
�I know, Renji� I�m not against you,� Ichigo said sympathetically as he stepped toward his friend.
Inoue followed quickly behind him, �I�m not against you either, Abarai-kun.� She smiled sweetly at him, �I think you�re very brave.�
Renji�s eyes narrowed as he frowned deeply up at the pair in front of him. His eyes turned to the dark-haired shinigami that remained at a distance.
She remained cold toward him, although her eyes were brimming with bottled emotion. A silence hung in the air as she slowly turned toward him, but refrained from making eye contact. �I don�t condone what you did, Renji. Actually it really pisses me off�� she nearly growled. �That� that thing you just�� She bit her lip as her eyes glossed over, �It disgusts me!� she yelled stomping her foot angrily.
Ichigo pouted and moved to interject, �Rukia, don�t you think you could--�
�BUT,� she continued, disregarding Ichigo�s attempt to quell her. �But�� she walked up to him and stopped as she stood before his crumpled form, �I understand why,� she muttered as she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him. The reassurance was like a breath of air to a drowning man.
�I�m sorry, Rukia�� he whimpered as he hid his face against her petite shoulder, �I-I�m sorry.�
Ichigo and Inoue smiled a bit as they watched their friends, but as they felt distant reiatsus jolting and flaring Ichigo interrupted, �Listen guys, It�s great that we�re all making up here, but Ishida and Chad are still running around here in a maze of hollows. Can we do this later?�
Rukia stepped away from the red-head and nodded as he moved to stand up. As they turned to leave the brick-strewn hallway, Renji stood fast, remaining beside the bloodied body of his ill-fated comrade.
�Renji?� Rukia asked as she noticed his down-cast eyes fixed on the motionless body.
�I� I need to set things right here. Aizen uses my blood to create the illusion beasts. If I can destroy the lab, it might put a dent in his army reserves.� There was also revenge� not only revenge for the unknown hollow girl who�d been so callously thrown away, but also for his own sake. �I need to make some heads roll.�
�For her?� Rukia asked seemingly perplexed.

He gave a short nod. �She deserves to be avenged� and I deserve� to be the one to do it,� he said as he looked up from the carcass and met Rukia�s puzzled expression.
Ichigo stepped up beside him, �Then� we�ll go it together.�
�Ichigo�� he said a little surprised.
�Yes. I can help too, Abarai-kun. You did come to rescue me, after all,� Inoue smiled.
He felt a warmth in his chest as his friends loyally stood beside him. Hueco Mundo was a dismal place that seemed to suck away genuine feelings of hope or happiness. It was something he hadn�t felt in a long time, and it heightened his morale.
Rukai�s soft smile was the biggest morale boost though, �Yeah. Lets go together.�
� � �
�...enji...�
��Renji.�
His head hurt.
�Renji! Wake up, damn it!�
His tired orbs slowly slid open as the persistent calling grew louder in his ears. He moaned dryly as he rolled onto his stomach. His vision was blurry as he tried hard to focus. �Rukia?� he asked the feminine voice.
�Yes, dummy. Hurry up and help me. Get up,� she replied anxiously.
As his vision began to focus, he realized only one of his eyes was currently working. He reached up to touch his face and found it was warm and wet from the copious amount of blood that coated it. The pain was pulsing through his very skull in time with his heartbeat. He gave himself a quick check and found several other abrasions on his shoulder and legs, but nothing that felt too serious. He found Rukia beside him with an unresponsive Chad, and a wounded Ishida, who was conscious but only just.
�Where�s Ichigo and Inoue?� He asked as he got to his feet, mindful of his bloodloss as he moved his bandana down across his wounded eye and tightened it a bit.
�I don�t know, but I think Inoue is hurt,� she said worriedly, disregarding her own lacerations. Her kimono was barely clinging to her torso and much of her breast binding was stained red.
�Are you okay?� he asked as he tilted to look at her wound.
�I�ll manage. Come with me. We have to find them quickly.� She dashed off and he swiftly followed.
�What happened? It�s a bit fuzzy,� he asked as he got to her side.
Rukia snorted in disbelief, �Hah, that�s a laugh. I�ll just say Aizen�s not gonna be making anymore illusion beasts with what you did to that lab. After the Espada showed up, things started to get ugly. Ichigo and Inoue got separated. We have to get back, Renji. We can afford any more damages. If anything has happened to Inoue, I�m afraid Sado and Ishida won�t make it.�
Renji nodded as Rukia slowed a bit and began to frantically look around. She was frightened, he realized, and it created a feeling of protectiveness in him that was making him tremble. It was only momentary before they found their two friends, and when they did fright and shock was only the tip of what they felt.
Ichigo�s hollow form sported huge, sword-like horns and black, reckless eyes as they turned from their prior engagement and settled on the two newcomers.
�Ichigo�� Rukia whispered as she shivered from the thick, viscous spirit pressure that was bombarding the area.
Renji could see the intent in those murderous eyes as easily as he could read. �Rukia get back,� he said sternly as he stepped forward and put his arm in front of her.
�What--� she began, but the red-head cut her short.
�Get back now,� he said again, sounding much harsher.
Rukia startled at his tone and backed up immediately, deeply concerned for the grotesque looking beast that was somehow her friend.
�Ichigo,� Renji said with a steady voice, �wake up, man.�
The hollow roared as the tip of it�s horns swiftly collected a powerfully burning cero.
Renji realized Ichigo was far beyond words at this point and reacted the only way he could. He summoned his hollow powers mere seconds before the cero fired at him. He couldn�t dodge it with Rukia behind him. This was gonna hurt�
A blinding light lit up the area as the cero screamed around him. He could barely hear Rukia crying his name through the blast of red-hot torrents around him. He yelled as he stepped into the flare and threw his own crimson reiatsu into it, cutting it as he felt his powers surge like never before. His black and gold eyes became fixated on the slim form in front of him.
Ichigo let a rattling growl escape as he squared up with the older man. Renji snorted as he did the same. �So be it,� he muttered in a distorted voice.
�Stop it! Both of you! Ichigo, it�s us! Please-- there�s no more enemies here to fight!� Rukia pleaded as she stepped toward them.
�Stay back Rukia!� Renji demanded without taking his eyes from his target. �He�s not Ichigo right now. He�d sooner kill you than look at you. Now stay the hell back!�
Rukia clenched her sword in her fist as a horrific battle began between the two titans. Her teeth chattered together as the enormous waves of spirit pressure assaulted her small body heavily. She reluctantly backed away as she found it increasingly harder to catch her breath in the deluge of raw power. She tripped suddenly as the ground began to quake. The pressure was unbearable as she lay there on the quivering ground, concentrating all her efforts into just breathing. It was then she noticed a pair of watery eyes staring back at her from a comparable position on the ground several meters away.
Inoue�s shield was sporadically flickering around herself as she crawled across the sand toward Rukia. When they finally met, their hands clasped together as a huge dome of light illuminated the sky in the distance.
�K-Kuchiki-san�we have to� make it s-stop,� Inoue managed to whisper hoarsely.
At the site of the battle, destruction was abundant. Ichigo�s rage seemed boundless and Renji�s conscious mind became more and more distant in the haze of battle. Black, heartless eyes were fixated on one another as gargantuan sized ceros were tossed back and forth between them. Stone structures crumbled around them as sharp sands swirled in their massive reiatsu.
Renji�s crimson spirit pressure seemed to take form around him as Zabimaru warped and contorted into a grizzly shadow of it�s former self. Blades cleaved through flesh that quickly forgot to bleed as the wounds seemed to vanish. The mortifying screams of the crazed Hollows was drowned by the loudness of the destruction that boomed through the atmosphere.
The battle seemed without end as Inoue and Rukia lied still and waited for some sign of closing, but none came; No Aizen showed up, no Espadas, no Shinigami, no relief came to their searing lungs.
Inoue choked as blood flowed from her nose. �I� I can�t� any�more�� she whimpered.
�It�s almost over, just� hang on,� Rukia whispered back as she squeezed her hand to try and reassure her. In truth, however, Rukia had been tasting blood in her mouth for some time. She could feel her strength waning and her fear grew with every passing minute as she watched Inoue fading in front of her. �Please� one of you, please wake up and see what�s happening�� she pleaded silently.
Somewhere in the haze of insanity Renji could feel a soft desperation pulling at him as he swam in a flurry of malice. The hollow was alive with bloodlust as he watched himself fighting from an unconscious mind. He could hear a voice somewhere dimly pleading for help, but it wasn�t until a flash of remembrance showed him Rukia�s face and the scent of her fear, that he realized something was very wrong.
Quickly his eyes left their quarry and found Rukia crumpled on the ground with a red patch of sand under her. A fear rose in him as he attempted to go to her, but Ichigo intercepted him with another attack. He had to stop Ichigo at once, and essentially, he did just that. When he dropped Zabimaru, the stressed sword immediately reverted to it�s original form. Ichigo didn�t relent, however, and as Renji grabbed hold of the boy and maneuvered him into a position where the girls were visible, Ichigo�s blade found it�s way into tender flesh.
Renji could not be swayed from his task, despite the pain. �Look Ichigo!� he screamed into the boy�s ear, �Look what we�re doin� to them.�
The beast paused as his deadly eyes saw the still bodies in the distance.
�They�re dying,� Renji said as the words seemed to sink in to his own mind as well.
His hold on Ichigo went lax as his tattooed mask suddenly broke and crumbled into dust. He stumbled away as his eyes were trained on the limp bodies in the distance. Ichigo stood fast as he stared, unblinking, as the red-head began to run toward them.
When Renji got to Rukia�s side he quickly scooped her up, calling her name with an powerful fear in his voice.
It was then the blackness faded from Ichigo�s eyes and his daunting horned mask split down the middle and fell away in the wind. His clothes shredded and his mask gone, his eyes were wide and mortified as he ran full force toward his friends.
Renji was holding the petite girl in his trembling arms with a heart-wrenching expression on his face. He called her and shook her lightly trying to get any kind of reaction. A small whimper finally escaped her mouth as she took a quivering breath against his chest. He closed his eyes and sighed before kissing her head several times in amazing relief.
Ichigo fell to his knees beside his friend as he peered down at Inoue�s still body. He rolled her over and gasped as he saw the blood covering her mouth. His breath caught horribly as he stared while tears welled in his wide eyes.
Renji clutched Rukia tightly as he looked over at Inoue and tightly closed his eyes in denial as he turned away.
Ichigo refused to accept what he was seeing. He quickly tilted her head back and pressed his mouth to hers, pushing his breath into her before he sat up and began to pound on her chest. He repeated the actions for what seemed like hours, pounding against her ribs and breathing into her mouth. He knew very well how to perform the life-saving act, as he�d done it on several occasions in his father�s clinic, but this time it was different. This time, it was Inoue. This time, he was responsible.
�Inoue!� he cried out as he threw his weight down against her chest over and over, before leaning down and breathing into her again. �Inoue please!� tears were streaming down his face at this point. His desperation was unbearable to watch as Renji held fast to the small shinigami his lap, petting her gently as he tried to avoided watching the scene beside him.
It was then a staggering cough and wheezing breath erupted through his ears and he shot up to see Inoue being cradled shakily in a harshly panting Ichigo�s arms.
Renji had never been one to blindly believe in a greater entity, but at that moment he thanked whatever god or spirit was watching over them that day as he securely held onto the woman he loved.
� � �
At Urahara�s shop, he sat at Rukia�s bedside stroking her hair slowly as he watched her serene face. On the next futon, Ichigo was sitting beside Inoue, seeming forlorn and lost as he stared at the floor with the girl�s pale hand in his. Chad and Ishida had woken a few hours ago and were now eating in the other room as Urahara discussed his predictions of future enemies with them.
Renji laid his head down as the warm sun spilled in through the windows. He was pretty tired, and not completely unscathed after such a draining battle. He was beginning to fade off when Ichigo�s voice pulled him from his doze.
�If you hadn�t�� he said softly, almost as if he were talking to himself. �If you hadn�t woke me up when you did, they would have both died there like that.�
Renji lifted his head from the pillow, �Don�t think about it, Ichigo.�
�It would have been my fault� I was� trying to protect her�� he continued sounding dejected.
�I know, man. I know, but don�t put all the blame on yourself. I was there too.� He closed his eyes, �I was there�� It wasn�t the first time his hollow side had gone out of control and Rukia had ended up hurt because of it� but it was the first time it�d come so close. He tenderly kissed her forehead before he got up.
�Where are you going?� Ichigo said when the older man began to leave the room.
Renji�s expression was tired yet decisive, �I still don�t belong here.� He paused, �Maybe you don�t either��
�You can�t leave!� Ichigo quickly stood up. �I need you here, Renji... in case��
�Hmph, the roles are reversed now, ay?� he said bitterly.
The boy�s expression was broken as he stared somberly at his friend, �I don�t want to leave them.�
Renji�s eyes mirrored the cheerlessness in Ichigo�s chocolate pools, �That feelin� never really goes away�� he said as he looked back at the sleeping Rukia and swallowed the spine in his throat.

A/N: So it�s been ages since I last updated, and well there you have it, another update. Reviews are appreciated. Thanks for reading.
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Things Never Spoken