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Till Death Do Us Part	By : honeyMellon Category: Bleach > Yaoi - Male/Male > Renji/Shuuhei Views: 928 -:- 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
- 5
- 6
- 7
Chapter 6
Dinnertime came and went. Nobody really ate anything. Food was served but everyone just held onto their bowls silently, staring silently at their feet, their bowls, the ceiling…anywhere but each other's faces. The only sound that could be heard was the gentle gurgling of the water being boiled for tea.
As Tessai went around to collect dishes—blatantly ignoring the fact that the bowls were still full—the front door of Urahara Shoten slid open. Kira Izuru and Matsumoto Rangiku stepped inside. They had heard about the situation and decided to provide mental support, to pray for Shuuhei's life together.
Kira's eyes darted around and settled on a fiery mane of red hair away from the crowd. Renji was sitting outside of Shuuhei's room, his knees drawn close to his chest, his head buried in his folded arms. Kira drew in a breath. So much for Shuuhei's assumptions, he thought. He had suspected that Renji also held feelings for his best friend, but Renji hadn't shown any obvious signs to confirm his suspicions. Right now, though, it was clear as day that Abarai Renji felt as strongly for his best friend—if not more—as his best friend felt for Renji. Kira's chest ached for both of his friends. Please don't let it be too late.

"Renji." Renji looked up into the concerned face of Kira Izuru. He moved slightly to the side as Kira sat down next to him. "He has a strong will to live," Kira said softly. Renji offered a weak smile in return.
It was now well into the night. So far Shuuhei had not taken a turn for the worse, but did not show any signs of improvement either. That in itself was a comforting thought. Nobody had slept, although most stayed in the living room, leaving the hallway clear for Hanatarou and Orihime. Well, and for Renji. Everyone had noticed that Renji was especially affected by Shuuhei's situation. They noticed, and sympathized.
"You know," Kira said, looking up at the ceiling. "I'm not supposed to tell you this, but…given the circumstances, I feel that I should say something."
Renji kept silent, but he turned and looked at Kira.
"Have you ever noticed, " Kira continued, still staring at the ceiling as if it was the most interesting thing in the world. "Have you ever noticed recently that…someone…was acting differently around you?"
"Huh?" Renji said in confusion. What does this have to do with anything?
Kira kept his eyes glued to the ceiling.
What the hell was so interesting up there? Renji thought. "Well, no," Renji said. "Why?"
Kira finally tore his eyes away and turned to look at Renji. He had struggled for hours with this decision to tell Renji about how Shuuhei felt about him. If Shuuhei died tonight, at least Renji would have the chance to part with him knowing the truth. But if Shuuhei survived the night—which he hoped fervently that he would—Shuuhei would never forgive him for spilling his secret.
"Hisagi-kun loves you." Kira decided to simply get straight to the point. His eyes focused on Renji's face as he spoke.
The redhead's mouth fell open in surprise.
"He would kill me if he could right now, if he were to hear this conversation." Despite the situation, Kira gave a small smile. "But I know it could be now or never. I just really want you to know…that you mean a lot to Hisagi-kun. He has his own reasons for not telling you. I personally don't agree with his reasons, but that's his choice. However, seeing that he may not get the chance to tell you in person—"
Before he could finish the sentence, Kira found himself lying face-up on the ground. He immediately tasted blood in his mouth. Renji stood above him, a fist raised, his mouth held in a snarl. Kira winced.
"He will!" Renji said fiercely but kept his voice low. His eyes bored down on Kira's. "Please…" His voice cracked. "Please don't say it like…like…" He paused and stared at his feet. Then with a look of apology, he held out his hand to pull Kira up on his feet.
"You're right," Kira said, squeezing Renji's hand. "I'm very sorry." The two men stood facing each other, both feeling kind of embarrassed and awkward.
Renji gave a low cough. "So, you were saying…"
Kira gestured for Renji to sit. "As you know, Hisagi-kun is a quiet and private person," he began. "He doesn't let things get to him, and he hides his emotions very well. You saw it yourself, after Captain Tosen's betrayal, he was the first to pull himself together, and he has been both the Captain and Vice Captain for the 9th squad since then."
Renji nodded.
"But his feelings for you…it's strong enough to make him crack," Kira continued. "I noticed it, and asked him about it."
"Was he going to tell me?" Renji wanted to know.
Kira sighed. "That's the frustrating part. He thinks his feelings for you would be a burden to you. He didn't want to drag you down into his world, as he put it."
"What the…" Renji muttered. He shifted his legs aside to let Hanatarou pass. It was time for the healer to check up on Hisagi again.
Kira then told Renji about how Hisagi had rushed to Karakura when the Research Division warned them about the hollows. "He didn't hear the part about…about how there's more than one of them. And well, you know the rest."
At this, Renji gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. "He almost died protecting me today. He cares for me so much but yet he doesn't want to tell me…why?"
Right at that moment Hisagi's door burst open and Hanatarou ran out looking very pale. "Inoue-san! Help!"
"Wha—" Renji jumped to his feet and stumbled back into the wall as Orihime rushed into the room with Urahara in tow. Then the door slid shut again. Muted whispers echoed in the long hallway as Renji stared at the door. Hanatarou sounded downright hysterical.
Kira and Renji exchanged a worried look. Renji had always thought that Kira looked sickly with his pale complexion, but now Kira looked frighteningly grey in the face. Renji felt his own heart in his throat and his heartbeat pounded painfully in his temples.
After what seemed like hours—it couldn't have been more than 15 minutes really—the three of them came out of the room. Urahara looked at Renji through the shadow of his hat, his face unusually grim. Orihime, who always wore her emotions on her sleeves, was fighting hard to choke back sobs, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"No, no no no no!" Renji heard himself scream although he didn't remember doing so. He was immediately pushed back against the wall by a pair of strong arms. He swung his arms and legs around blindly, trying to fight off Kira, who was restraining him.
Tugging on his hat, Urahara turned around and spoke. "It is most unfortunate, but Hisagi-san's heart stopped just now—" Raising his hand to silence his audience, he continued, "But Inoue-san and Yamada-san managed to revive him…for now." He sighed sadly. "Anyone who wish to bid a final goodbye should do so now."
At that, Renji sobbed out loud and fell limp into Kira's arms. Kira glanced at Urahara, who immediately stepped aside. Keeping a firm grip on Renji, Kira led the redhead into the room. The rest of the shinigamis in the living room stared silently after them.

Shuuhei was lying on a mattress in the middle of the room. His chest had been heavily bandaged. The bandages looked fresh, but already bright blood was seeping through from his wounds. His normally olive-colored face looked ashen and gaunt, and strands of damp hair lay plastered on his forehead.
Kira winced as he took in the battered form of his best friend.
Renji broke away from Kira's hold and knelt down next to the injured man's head. Staring at Shuuhei's face, fresh tears sprung from his already-swollen eyes. He leaned over and gently brushed some strands of hair away from Shuuhei's eyes.
Watching his two friends like this was heart wrenching, Kira thought. Suddenly feeling like an intruder, he slowly backed away and exited the room, leaving Renji alone with his dying friend.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Renji said in a whisper, sadness filling his voice. His shoulders sagged even as he clenched his fists at his sides. "Why? Why hide it from me?"
Knowing that Shuuhei felt this way about him brought Renji fresh pain. If one of them—oh why didn't he have enough guts—had told the other, things would have been completely different. Even if there were no guarantee that either of them would survive the coming war, at least there would have been something they could cherish while they were still here. But now…now it was too late.
At that thought, Renji sobbed out loud again and grabbed Shuuhei's hand. Even unconscious, the dark-haired man had a frown on his face and his jaw was tight, looking as if he was fighting off pain. Before Renji realized what he was doing, he bent over and kissed Shuuhei's forehead, then his eyes, as if he could kiss away the pain. After a brief moment of hesitation, he moved his lips to Shuuhei's. His heart raced as he gently brushed his lips against Shuuhei's, feeling the roughness from the chapped lips. He let his lips linger there for a while as more tears fell from his eyes. Droplets of tears landed on Shuuhei's cheeks and slowly ran down his face.
Just then, he heard an almost-inaudible moan. If Renji's head hadn't been just an inch from Hisagi's mouth, he would never have heard it. His eyes widened. "Shuuhei?"
Pulling back, Renji stared at Shuuhei's face. It was as before, his expression had not changed—the frown was still there, eyes still completely closed. Narrowing his eyes, Renji lowered his head and placed his ears at Shuuhei's mouth, straining to catch any more sounds from those lips. "Shuuhei? Are you awake?"
Just as he was about to dismiss it as wishful thinking, another low moan escaped from Shuuhei. "Shuuhei! Senpai!" Renji yelled as he tried to stand, only to land painfully on his rear when his feet slipped in his panic. His shouts brought Urahara and the others bursting into the room. Then, he was yanked away as the healers crowded around Shuuhei.
- 5
- 6
- 7
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Till Death Do Us Part