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We Will Save Your Precious Skin	By : TotidemVerbis Category: Bleach > AU - Alternate Universe Views: 1084 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of its wonderful characters; all rights belong to Tite Kubo. Title credit belongs to Les Friction and their song, "World On Fire." I am not making any monetary profit. My only profit is my own amusement.

Chapter List
- 1-I
- 2-II
- 3-III
- 4-IV
- 3
- 4
Greetings: Welcome back! I would’ve updated sooner, but a plot bunny was whispering in my ear. Ya know what that means? New story coming up soon! Yay! Anywho, I’d like to say thank-you to anyone who’s read this far! I thought about begging for a review, but I’ve changed my mind. Reviews are nice and make me feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside, but begging makes my knees hurt. Well, on to the story!
Warnings: Just a bit of bad language, courtesy of Grimmjow.
Last Time: Doesn’t matter because Harlow ain’t in this one!

04: Out Of The Sandbox And Into Reality

January 30, 2308

Shinigami Territory

Omniscient
“I…fuckin’…hate…everybody!”
“Grimmy!” Muffled curses spilled from between overly large breasts, and loud laughter drowned out the angry words.
“Ran, darling, I believe that Grimmjow is turning purple and it’s clashing horribly with his hair,” a teasing voice spoke. Powder blue hair was released from its death grip, and the once loud cursing was cut off as the angry male fell to the floor and started greedily sucking in air. Two more males continued to laugh at his dumbstruck face, while the fourth male rolled his amethyst eyes at the whole lot of them.
“Shut tha fuck up!” the blue haired male yelled from his spot on the floor.
“Can’t!”
“Too funny!” Thin yet strong arms wrapped around broad shoulders and voluptuous breasts were pressed against a strong back.
“Just ignore them, Grimmy. They’re just jealous!” the only female yelled and stuck out her tongue.
“Would all of you be quiet?! The movie is starting!” The laughter died down at that particular tone of voice, and the two sitting in the floor twisted to look at the TV.
What movie was playing didn’t really matter. The only thing that really mattered was that they were all together, for now. Soon they’ll all go their separate ways and start their “adult” lives. Two of them are going off for college, two are joining gangs, and one hasn’t really decided what to do yet. The five of them are best friends, despite their different backgrounds. They’ve been together since their first year of school, and none of them are really sure how they’re going to handle the separations. Oh, they can call and send letters, but it won’t be the same. The end-of-the-month movie marathons will be over, their once a week poker tournaments will come to an end, and they’ll have to learn how to stand on their own two feet.
The baby of the group, no matter how much he hates it, is Grimmjow Jeagerjaques. He won’t be eighteen until summer, but he will be able to say that he’s the youngest graduate. Of the group, he’s the only one that doesn’t live in Shinigami Territory. He lives just across the border in Espada Territory, but the closest school to his home is in Shinigami Territory. He’s tall at six-one, and his lean body is toned from hours of sparring and all the time he spends fighting because of his quick temper. His wild hair is a light, not powder, blue, and his blue eyes are just a shade darker. He met Rangiku first, in the sandbox. He beat up some kid that was trying to steal her juice box, then she beat him up for getting in her way, and she spent the rest of their playtime putting pretty bows in his hair. He hasn’t really left her side since.
Rangiku Matsumoto is the only girl in the group, but she doesn’t mind. She’s never gotten along well with the other girls in her class. She’s not sure if it’s her looks or the company she keeps, but she doesn’t care either way. People can talk about her all they want, she knows who she is. She could care less that her four closest friends all happen to be guys. They respect her and love her, and that’s all she cares about. She’s a tall female and stands at five-eight, and her voluptuous body does tend to get a few stares. Her dark blonde hair hangs halfway down her back now, and her dove gray eyes know just how to bend anyone to her will. There are a few that believe she’s a ditzy blonde, but they couldn’t be any more wrong. She’s highly intelligent and calculating, but she loves messing with people. She met Grimmjow first and instantly fell in love with all of that pretty blue hair. She met Yumichika next, during their “art” class. He was the only kid in the class who refused to fingerpaint because he didn’t want to get dirty and mess up his pretty new scarf, and Rangiku found an instant friend. Yumichika and Grimmjow had an instant hate of one another. Grimmjow says it’s because Yumichika put that dress on him during naptime, and Yumichika says it’s because Grimmjow doesn’t appreciate beauty. Yumichika and Rangiku, however, were just as close as siblings if not closer. So, when a tiny Rangiku declared Yumichika as hers, Grimmjow decided that Yumichika was his too. When some little boy cut Yumi’s long pretty hair, Grimmjow defended his honor.
The little boy that cut Yumichika’s hair was Shuhei Hisagi. He was a skinny little thing and didn’t look like much at age five, but he grew up quite impressively. Shuhei was tall at five-eleven, with a nicely tanned lean frame. Three evenly spaced scars traced from his right temple to his jaw, from a skirmish with a smalltime gang that Grimmjow had initiated. There were some things that hadn’t changed over the years though. His eyes were the same dark gray that had stared into Grimmjow’s own as the two rolled around in the grass surrounding the playground, and his hair was the same spiky black that refused to lay down no matter how much gel and hairspray Yumichika put in it.
Back to the story, Grimmjow wrestled Shuhei to the ground because he didn’t like the sight of Yumichika crying. Grimmjow had just gotten the skinny child pinned to the ground when another body had leapt on top of his own. Grimmjow was thrown sideways and later discovered that the meat over his elbow was missing. At Grimmjow’s little war cry, Rangiku had run to the rescue and picked up where Grimmjow had left off with wrestling Shuhei. After a few more sniffles, Yumichika had thrown down his once long braid and joined the fight with a cry of his own. They were soon discovered by a teacher and given the ultimate punishment: no playground time for two weeks. During those two weeks, the five children were forced to sit inside. They could talk quietly together but only if they didn’t argue. By the time they were allowed back outside to play, they were best friends for life.
The fifth member, the boy who had jumped on Grimmjow to help Shuhei, was Renji Abarai. Renji and Shuhei were from the same orphanage, of which there were many, and they stuck together. Renji was seventeen days younger than Shuhei, but Shuhei acted the role of a big brother. Renji was more like the brash younger brother, which when paired with Grimmjow’s volatile nature, resulted in a lot of incidences that could have been avoided. Of course, Grimmjow and Renji were both more than capable of taking care of themselves. Renji was an inch taller than Grimmjow at six-two and had just a bit more muscle tone to him, and he attracted just as much attention as Grimmjow did. His crimson hair was usually put up in a spiky ponytail that was very easy to spot in a crowd, and most people shied away from looking into his burgundy eyes. What most people didn’t know was that Renji was a total softie. He could get riled up easily, but his temper was nowhere near as bad as Grimmjow’s.
“Sit still, Grimmy!” Rangiku yelled as Grimmjow shifted for the twentieth time in the past ten minutes.
“Why are we watchin’ a chick flick?!” Grimmjow yelled and tried to ignore the hand tangled in his hair.
“Keep it down!” Yumichika yelled and popped another piece of candy in his mouth.
“Yeah, Grimmy, keep it down!” Renji yelled and pointed down at the scowling male.
“Don’t make me come up there!” Grimmjow yelled and would have done just that if Rangiku would just let him go already!
“Bring it on, powderpuff!” Renji yelled and tugged on a blue lock.
“Oh, this is just ridiculous!” Yumichika moved as a blur and shut the TV off. Silence fell over the room, which was Rangiku’s basement, and four pairs of eyes moved over to the only standing person in the room. Rangiku let go of Grimmjow’s hair and moved over to Yumichika on her knees.
“What’s wrong, Yumi?”
“I know we usually wait until after the movie to talk, but I don’t think it’s going to work this time. We obviously have too much to talk about, so let’s get it all out in the open,” Yumichika said and lowered himself back into his chair. He pulled his legs under him, and Rangiku leaned back against the chair he was sitting in.
“Where’d ya get in at?” Grimmjow instantly asked. Yumichika and Rangiku had applied to several different colleges, and they both had announced earlier in the week that they got into the same college. They didn’t say which college, because the more serious conversations were usually held when they were all together and normally after a movie night. Or poker night. Whichever one cam first.
“You can tell them, Rangiku.”
“We got into Benehime University.” The usually giddy blonde sounded cautious, which was understandable. Grimmjow’s knuckles had turned white, and it was easy to hear the crack of his tense jaw in the silent room. Benehime University was in Visored Territory, and it took a little over a week to get there by car, which none of them had.
“Congratulations!” Everyone turned to look at the grinning redhead, but his smile didn’t waver a bit. The way Renji saw it, they should be proud. Benehime University was a wonderful college, nearly impossible to get into, so they should be happy. Rangiku’s face softened, and Yumichika’s shoulders relaxed a fraction.
“What about you, Renji? Anything definite yet?” Rangiku asked. Renji raised a hand to rub lightly at the back of his neck and looked away from her questioning eyes.
“Byakuya wants me to come work for him, as soon as I graduate.”
“As a grunt?”
“As his right-hand.” Everyone’s eyes widened at that, and Renji did his best to control his blush. Being a grunt, for anyone, was where most people started off in a gang. Running errands and taking orders, not really something to look forward to. Byakuya Kuchiki wasn’t some ordinary gangster though. Genreyusi Yamamoto had formally retired, even though he still had plenty of influence and was involved with all of the gangs. For all intents and purposes, Byakuya was the head of the Shinigami. Being his right-hand, or lieutenant as the position was formally called, was as high as someone could get without being Byakuya. It was an honor, one that Renji had worked for.
“That’s great, Ren,” Rangiku breathed. She was happy for her friend, even though she was imaging all of the dangerous situations he could get himself into.
“And you, Shuhei?” Yumichika asked. Gray eyes widened a little, and Shuhei’s shoulders tensed just the tiniest bit.
“Go ahead and tell them, Shu,” Renji said and nudged his friend.
“Tousen asked for me,” Shuhei mumbled. Shuhei had met Kaname Tousen, partner of Gin Ichimaru, a few months earlier. Tousen witnessed a small scuffle and watched as Shuhei single-handedly dealt with four small-time gangsters. He had praised Shuhei’s talents, which Shuhei wasn’t particularly proud of (why be proud of knowing the best ways to hurt someone?). Shuhei thought that was the end of it, until the man had showed up at the orphanage a few days ago. It was a proposition that Shuhei couldn’t refuse. After graduation, he couldn’t stay in the orphanage. He could always stay with a friend, but his pride wouldn’t allow that.
“Tousen?” That was Rangiku.
“The South?” Yumichika added. The South was the most dangerous of all the territories, even now. Gin had managed to tame it, but only to an extent. The South still had the highest death rates.
“I’ll be working directly under Tousen,” Shuhei said as a means of explanation. Tousen was one of Gin’s captains, so being Tousen’s lieutenant was a position of power. Something that usually took longer to obtain. Shuhei wasn’t sure if it was the best decision for him, but he had already given his word.
“What about you, Grimm?” Renji asked after seeing how uncomfortable Shuhei was. The blue haired male grunted and plucked at the carpet.
“I’ll do the initiation after graduation. Da’s got it all setup,” Grimmjow muttered.
“So he finally gave in, huh?”
“He didn’t have a choice. Aizen wants me,” he said and glanced back at Renji. The others would understand if he explained it, but he didn’t have to explain to Renji. Grimmjow was strong and could think on his feet, the perfect soldier. If Renji hadn’t met Byakuya, he might’ve been stuck in the same situation. If one of the leaders wanted you, they got you. Byakuya wasn’t a bad leader, and the Shinigami initiation wasn’t that tough. You had to be recommended and then closely watched by a captain, and that was it. The Espada initiation was a bit more harsh. The North was the calmest of all the territories, and that was because the Espada were good at putting the fear into everyone that dared to oppose them. Becoming a low level Espada required a fight against one of the elite Espada, ranked 0-9, and being able to walk away. Becoming a ranked Espada, which Aizen wanted for Grimmjow, required fighting three of the ranked Espadas and walking away. It might not seem like much, fighting three people when Grimmjow can take out four people with one hand during a temper tantrum, but he wasn’t going to be fighting just anyone. He had to fight some of the strongest people in the Espada Territory, excluding Aizen himself. It wasn’t something he was particularly looking forward to.
“Grimm—”
“I’ll be fine, Ran.” Grimmjow didn’t want to hear any kind of sympathy or pity, not from them, and especially not from Rangiku.
“So, can I turn the movie back on?” Yumichika asked.
“Go ahead, Yumi,” Shuhei said and looked away from everyone. They only had a few months left, and then everything was going to be different. Rangiku and Yumichika would be okay though, even if they were gonna be on the other side of the country.
A little over an hour later, Rangiku stood in the front doorway and waved to everyone as they left. She stayed there until they were out of sight and then ducked back into her home. She closed and locked the door behind her, and her feet shuffled as she walked back to the basement. Rangiku hated being alone, but she couldn’t ask any of the others to stay. They had places to go. Rangiku’s mother was off doing who knows what, and she didn’t know who her father was. She was used to being home alone now, but there was one person she could call…With an extra skip in her step, Rangiku walked into the basement and went straight to her phone. She was grinning as she dialed the familiar number, and she nearly squealed when she heard the voice on the other end.
“Toshiro!”
“Do you have any idea how late it is, Rangiku?”
“I knew you’d still be awake! You never sleep,” she said with a wide smile. She missed her little brother, the genius. He was currently at Hyorinmaru University, the most prestigious university in Shinigami Territory. Toshiro was only thirteen, but he was always so serious! The two had different fathers, but Toshiro’s father was just as absent as Rangiku’s. Instead of staying with his mother, Toshiro stayed with his paternal grandmother.
“I sleep when I have time to,” the boy grumbled.
“So, tell me all about your classes. Do you like them all so far?”
Rangiku listened as her brother rambled on about everything he was taking this semester, and she smiled at the emotions in his voice. Some classes he didn’t care too much for, and some he was nearly ecstatic about. Some of the topics might have went over Rangiku’s head, but she didn’t care. She loved listening to Toshiro’s voice, especially when he was happy. Rangiku loved her mother, even though she didn’t particularly like the woman. Rangiku loved her friends and would do anything for them. What Rangiku felt for Toshiro was more than love. It was devotion and respect, of the highest degrees. To her, Toshiro could do no wrong. Her friends gave her a reason to get out of bed in the morning, but Toshiro was her life. When Rangiku fell asleep to the sound of his voice, Toshiro smiled and hung the phone up. To him, Rangiku was his life.

Yumichika and Grimmjow
“Goodbye, Grimmy!” Renji yelled.
“Don’t make me come over there!”
“Ignore him, Grimm! See you Monday!” Shuhei said and pulled on Renji’s arm.
“Bye, Yumi!” Renji yelled as Shuhei waved. Yumichika waved back and stood by Grimmjow as their two friends stumbled around a corner. Once they were gone, Yumichika wrapped his arms around one of Grimmjow’s and started pulling him down the street. Grimmjow huffed and tugged his arm out of Yumi’s grasp just to wrap it around the smaller male’s waist.
“Are you and Ran really leaving?”
“Are you really going to be an Espada?”
“It’s not like I got a choice,” Grimmjow said and looked down. Yumi’s amethyst eyes were peering up at him, and Grimmjow had to look away from him.
“Rangiku and I will be fine, Grimm. You can’t take care of us forever,” Yumichika said and laid his head on Grimmjow’s arm. Grimm’s fingers tightened on his waist and his lips thinned.
“You’ll call?”
“All the time.”
The two were silent for the rest of their walk, and Yumichika leaned up on his toes to kiss Grimmjow’s cheek before finishing his short walk home. He knew his house was going to be empty, because it was always empty. His father had a business to run, and his mother was off on vacation. his mother was always off on vacation. An empty house suited him just fine. He could do whatever he wanted and didn’t have to worry about dealing with anyone else. He was humming lightly as he walked up his driveway, and he heard a deep laugh. He froze for just a moment and then realized he knew that laugh. His neighbor, Kenpachi Zaraki, was smiling over at him.
“I’ve been waitin’ here forever, kid. What took ya so long?” The gruff man easily stepped over the bushes separating the two properties and walked over to where Yumichika was waiting.
“Movie night at a friend’s house. Waiting for me?”
“Yeah, I didn’t want to leave without sayin’ bye.” Bye? Zaraki had been living next door since Yumichika was twelve, and he looked up to the gruff man. He was rough around the edges and scared the shit out of most people, but Yumichika knew he was a softie deep down. Way deep down. Kenpachi Zaraki was a Shinigami Captain, and people knew to stay out of his way. To Yumichika, he was the man that moved in next door after becoming a Captain at age nineteen and taught him how to fight. He didn’t really know what Kenpachi did when he went out on missions, and he didn’t really care as long as he came back.
“You’re leaving?”
“That Kuchiki bastard wants me on the southern border.” Of course. The southern border had always been a problem area, and Kenpachi was the toughest man Yumichika knew.
“Will you still make it to graduation?” A large hand ruffled his hair, and Yumichika didn’t even squawk and try to get away like he usually did.
“Yeah, kid, I’ll be there. Stay out of trouble, okay?”
“Okay.” Yumichika waved one last time and then disappeared inside. Yumichika was in bed a few minutes later, and he stared up at his ceiling. Everything really was changing…
Grimmjow had only taken two steps inside his home when something latched onto his head and refused to let go. He tried prying it off and got a foot jammed in his throat for his troubles. The small body wiggled and tried to cut off his airway, and he hopped around as he shook his head like a dog. The thing attached to his head laughed and started yanking on his hair. Grimmjow was cussing up a storm when another laugh joined in, this one deeper and quieter. A different voice joined in and then a husky feminine voice called out.
“Lilynette! Let your brother go!” The limbs wrapped around his head slackened, and Grimmjow pulled the little girl off by the back of her shirt. The four year old grinned up at him, and Grimmjow glared straight into her pale pink eyes. Dammit, but he never could stay mad at the little thing. Grimmjow ruffled her short light green hair and placed her on his hip. Lilynette was his little sister, but Tier wasn’t his mother. Grimmjow’s mother had a temper even greater than his, and it got her into a lot of trouble. Before Grimmjow’s first birthday, her temper got her killed. Tier, his father’s first wife, was the complete opposite. She was strong, but she was also smart enough to keep her mouth shut.
“Grimm! Where were you?!” Lilynette demanded and poked his cheek.
“I was at Ran’s. Why? Didya miss me?” Grimm asked and poked her ribs. The little girl squealed and tried to wiggle away.
“Yer s’posed to read me a story.” Grimmjow leaned forward and sniffed at her tousled hair.
“Nope, no story until yer bath. Those’re the rules.” Lilynette stuck her tongue out at him and reached for her mother. Tier stepped forward and plucked her daughter from Grimmjow’s arms. Tier was tall at five-nine with dark skin, cool green eyes, and thick dark blonde hair. She also had one hell of a right hook and had helped raised his ass.
“Welcome home, Grimm,” Tier said after Lilynette was secured on her hip.
“Hey, Ma.” Grimm dropped a kiss on his mother’s cheek and watched the two walk away. Tier might not be his biological mother, but she had taken care of him as if he was her son. Once the two were gone, Grimmjow walked over to where his father was sitting and sat down next to him.
“Good movie?”
“Chick flick,” Grimmjow said and looked over at his father. Coyote Starrk was a lazy man, and that was putting it nicely. Lazy or not, the old man was pretty strong. He was the same height as Grimmjow, and the two males had the same body type. Grimmjow’s eyes were darker than his father’s, which had a gray tint to them, and Starrk’s hair hung to his neck and was a messy dark brown. Most people would never guess that the two were related. Grimmjow took more after his mother, which never failed to worry Starrk.
“I talked to Aizen today.” Starrk’s voice was a lazy drawl, but there was an underlying edge to it. Grimmjow stiffened a little and looked at the floor.
“Yeah? What’d he say?”
“He decided who would initiate you.”
“And who’s that?”
“The top three Espada.” Grimmjow shot to his feet and started pacing. He was growling under his breath, but Starrk could only hear something that vaguely sounded like, “That bastard!”
“This is bullshit, ya know that, right?” Grimmjow said as he looked at his father. Starrk appeared relaxed, but Grimmjow could see the tension in his jaw.
“It’s what he wants.”
“And you’re okay with it?” Grimmjow refused to look away from his father’s eyes, so Starrk was the one that broke eye contact.
“No, I’m not,” said the Primera Espada. Starrk was the First Espada, which meant Grimmjow would have to fight him last. The Segunda, or Second, Espada was an older man named Baraggan Louisenbairn. Grimmjow thought the old man was a little too cocky for his own good, but he couldn’t deny that the old bastard was strong. Grimmjow would have to fight the Tres Espada first, and the third strongest Espada was…
“Grimmjow, Lilynette is ready for her story.” Grimmjow turned around and looked into Tier’s green eyes. Grimmjow would have to fight against the woman he called “mother.” A hand on his arm stopped him from walking into the hallway, but he couldn’t look at her. Not when he knew that, in a few short months, he would have to look into her eyes as she beat the holy hell out of him.
“You’ll do fine, son.” Grimmjow jerkily nodded his head and walked down the hallway. He had to read his baby sister a bedtime story.

Shuhei and Renji
“Tell Rukia I said hey!” Shuhei called. His redheaded friend waved in response and disappeared around the corner. Shuhei continued his walk and slipped inside the dark orphanage. Everyone was asleep at this time of night, so no one stopped him on his way to his room. He quickly stripped out of his clothes and laid down on his bed. The only other bed in the room, across the room from his, was empty. It’d been empty a lot recently. Not that Shuhei could blame Renji. If he had somewhere else to stay, he’d be there. At that thought, he remembered his agreement with Tousen. In just a few months, his bed would be empty too. The South…he didn’t have any desire to travel to that violent place, but he had to do something with his life. Tousen was a captain under Ichimaru, someone to be respected. Shuhei was honored to be chosen by someone such as him, but something still felt off. Not that it mattered. He gave his word, and Shuhei never went back on his word.
“Shu!” A small blur landed on his stomach, and Shuhei blinked up at the small boy. His big green eyes were watery, and he was clutching a stuffed lion to his chest. Shuhei had won the small lion at a small festival, and Kon never let the thing go.
“What are you doing out of bed?” The small boy pursed his lips and looked over his shoulder. When he didn’t see anyone, he leaned down so that his nose brushed against Shuhei’s.
“Jak said there was a monster under the bed that was gonna eat my toes!” the little boy whispered. Shuhei resisted the urge to get out of bed and give Jak a piece of his mind. Besides the babies in the nursery, Kon was the youngest in the orphanage. He had just celebrated his third birthday, and the older kids loved picking on him, especially the eight year old Jak.
“Why don’t you stay in here? No monsters will come in here.”
“Because you’ll beat ‘em up?” Kon asked with wide eyes.
“That’s right.” At Shuhei’s gentle smile, Kon curled up on his stomach and nuzzled his face against Shuhei’s chest. The small boy was asleep in seconds, and Shuhei smiled again as he placed one hand on the back of Kon’s messy blonde hair. Shuhei usually didn’t like kids, but this one was hard to resist. Shuhei closed his eyes and fell asleep to the sound of Kon’s breathing.
Renji stared up at the giant house, not for the first time, and sighed. He’d never get used to walking up to this house, or sleeping in it. Was a house that big really necessary? He didn’t think so, but that’s because he grew up in a crowded orphanage. He was just about to walk inside when a small figure jumped on his back. The weight wasn’t heavy, but it did make him stumble a few steps forward. A ringing laugh echoed in his ears, and he glared over his shoulder. Violet eyes met his, and small arms tightened around his neck.
“Scared ya, didn’t I?”
“Ya know, proper ladies don’t jump on ruffians,” Renji said with a wide smile.
“But you’re my ruffian, and I’m no lady,” Rukia said and smiled back. With a roll of his eyes, Renji hitched her up his back a little and started walking up the long driveway.
“How’d the study party go?” Renji asked.
“The usual. Orihime brought snacks that no one but her and Tatsuki could eat, Uryu yelled at us to keep quiet and stay focused, Ichigo told him to shut up, Tatsuki told them both to shut up, and Chad was the only one that got anything done.”
“And I guess you were innocent the entire time?”
“Of course!” Renji huffed and kept walking. Rukia’s brother may have been the most powerful Shinigami, the Head-Captain (unless Yamamoto felt like stepping in), but none of Rukia’s friends had ties to any of the gangs. Well, Ichigo’s father used to be a Shinigami captain, but he had retired a long time ago and kept his children away from the gang life. It was probably for the best. Renji had never met any of Rukia’s friends, but they all sounded like good kids.
Renji used his foot to close the front door behind him, and he jumped a little bit when a voice called his name. He walked through the hallway and into the study with Rukia still attached to his back, and he nodded his head at Byakuya when he walked inside. Rukia, in a fit of stubbornness, stayed glued to him even at her brother’s disapproving stare. Renji, who was now used to this kind of behavior, just stood there and waited to see what Byakuya wanted with him. After a staring contest with his little sister, Byakuya turned his gray eyes to Renji’s. Byakuya, who appeared closed off to everyone else, looked annoyed to Renji. Yep, he had been around so much that he could read Byakuya’s emotionless face.
“We will have a visitor with us later this week, at Yamamoto’s request. I want the both of you to be on your best behavior. Is that understood?”
“Yes, sir!” Renji said immediately.
“Who is it?” Rukia asked. Byakuya’s eyes slid over to his sister.
“Shunsui Kyoraku.” Rukia nodded her head and then pulled on Renji’s hair, her way of telling him to leave the room.
“So, who is he?” Renji asked after they were far enough away from the study. Rukia looked over at him with a wide smile.
“He was an original captain.” An original? The only original Renji had never met was Yamamoto, and the man was so intimidating that Renji hadn’t even been able to look him in the eye. He seriously hoped this Shunsui Kyoraku was a little more laidback.

Farewell: There’s the fourth chapter! And the first chapter with all of these characters. It took me a little while to get everyone’s back story figured out, but I’m happy with the results. Don’t worry, you’ll be seeing more of these guys (and Rangiku) later on.
In The Next Chapter: We travel back to Visored Territory to see how our dear Harlow is faring and just how heroic Ikkaku truly is.
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We Will Save Your Precious Skin