*Bleach and all its character's belong to Tite Kubo.
Tatsuki was mortified. How could she have let that slip? To him of all people? She was grateful that it was Saturday. No school and no Renji to confront her about her words. Last night was horrible. She just wanted to forget about it. So when her brothers asked her to help out at the clothing store she readily agreed. It would give her some time to not think about it. But she couldn't stop thinking about it. It played over and over in her head. What had sent nerves to twine and twist in her stomach was that fact that she had told him the truth. The bare, unabashed truth and he threw it back in her face like it was nothing. That had made her angry but during the night as she tossed and turned it made her impossibly sad. And it was pissing Tatsuki off. She had been working in the shop for nearly eight hours. Helping snobby girls find the perfect pair of jeans and ignoring the ogling boys.
Of course what she was wearing wasn't helping. The dark plum halter top that stopped in the middle of her stomach showing a thick inch and a half of skin before leading the eye to the chic black pants and elegant thick woven black leather heels didn't exactly help her blend in. The outfit she didn't mind but the shoes weren't exactly her first choice. Orihime had made her buy them, telling her how she was missing out on being a woman if she never wore heels. Now they came in handy. The only reason she dressed like this was because it showed off the shops clothes and because she caught more flies with her body than with her fists. If she didn't punch anyone out by the end of her shift she considered it her good deed for the week. Right now the lanky boy watching her from the shoe rack was itching for a quick right hook. She quickly took a look at the clock in the back of the store and let out a happy sigh. Her shift was over and she could get away from unwelcome eyes. Tatsuki much preferred being in her white karate uniform. When she was wearing it people were looking at her moves, not her body. Now she knew how Renji felt being stared at all the time.
Just as she turned around to head to the door marked employees only to get her bag a guy looking for sunglasses stopped her. She put on a cheery smile and led him to the display where she thought she was home free. He picked up a red ray ban and twirled it around, a grin on his face. Tatsuki fought to control her clinching first. She knew what was coming.
"I'm not really looking for sunglasses."
She forced herself to keep the smile on her face. She repeated her oldest brothers' words in her head. You can't beat up the customer no matter how much they ask for it. She breathed through her nose.
"Well maybe I can help you find whatever it is you're looking for."
His yellow hair was so slicked back it made her want to wash her own. And his smile made his broad nose flatten out in a very unpleasant way. She thought of flattening it out even more with her fist.
"The thing is, I found what I was looking for. It was you."
She ground her teeth together and she felt her fist shake at her side. Of all days to get one of those super macho guys hitting on her! She felt her temper rising as his hand brushed against her arm.
"I'm sorry-"
He winked at her as he leaned against the display case.
"No fraternizing with the customers right? It's okay. We can keep it quiet."
If Tatsuki didn't feel a strong hand rest against the small of her back she might have actually busted the sleazy frat boy's nose. She didn't have to look up to know who was now draping an arm around her shoulders.
"You ready to go babe?"
She spoke through gritted teeth as she glared at the now pale pick up artist.
"I've just got to go punch out and get my bag."
Renji gripped her shoulder before letting her go and smiling at the sweating faux-customer.
"No, problem. I'll be right here, waiting."
She walked away and counted to ten in her head the same time she was beating down the lump in her throat.
All it took to make the guy hitting on Tatsuki leave was a well learned stare. The same look had made many opponents turn tail and run. At least he wasn't getting rusty. He turned his head up toward the industrial lighting of the store and took a deep breath. He needed to clear things up with Tatsuki. He needed to apologize. Which is something he never did, ever. Which is why after he followed her home last night to apologize he couldn't bring himself to knock on her door and just say sorry. Because he sure as hell felt sorry. After two hours of just standing there staring at her door like a fool he went off to find some advice. And Rukia gave it to him in the form a fist against his head.
"You are a complete and total moron!"
Renji rubbed his sore head. Rukia's fist hadn't packed as much punch as Tatsuki's did but it made her point clear enough. He sighed as he leaned against her Chappy Bunny covered bed and picked a lint ball off of the neon green shag rug he sat on inside of Orihime's apartment. She had been repeating herself for over an hour.
"I know."
"You are a bigger idiot than Ichigo!"
He pulled at his hair ignoring that she finally admitted that the substitute shinigami was in fact the idiot Renji always said he was.
"We've been over this. I'm an idiotic moron. Now how do I fix it?"
Rukia gave him a cold and calculating stare. Renji could see the reflection of his Captain in those cerulean eyes. She was spending way too much time with her older brother. He fought the urge not to cringe under her evaluation.
"If you want Tatsuki to ever talk to you again you're going to have to apologize."
He sat up and sputtered, "But, but I didn't-"
Rukia hit him upside his head again.
"You didn't mean to throw it back in her face but you did! And now you have to apologize. And then when you do apologize," she poked him in the chest to get her point across, "and you WILL apologize, she'll probably still kick your ass. Which she has every right to do!"
He groaned and buried his face in his hands. He never apologized. Because he was never wrong. But this time…
He was pulled from his memories by a voice.
"Come on, let's go."
He nodded and followed her out of the store. They had just gotten a little way down the street when he opened his mouth and closed it again. Why couldn't he just say it!
"Thanks."
She started to walk off again but he caught her arm and kept her from making her retreat. She wouldn't meet his eyes but he could see the anger in them, mixing with the dark color of hurt. It was now or never.
"I'm sorry."
A smile broke her face and its happy fake radiance crushed him. Her brown eyes were staring at anything but his eyes. The pain he felt seeing her like this hurt more than her fist against his head.
"You shouldn't be. You saved that guy from getting a bloody nose and saved my brothers from another lawsuit."
He returned her smile but it felt weak on his lips. He let it fall. He couldn't pretend, not with her. It killed him to pretend like he was a normal human with her enough already. He shook his head.
"I'm sorry about last night."
He felt her tense under his hand.
"You don't have to apolo-"
"Yes, I do. I don't handle compliments well. I never should have thrown that back in your face. I'm sorry. You can go ahead and hit me now."
He closed his eyes but felt no pain. He peaked under his lashes to see her looking away from him, her lip held between her perfect white teeth. He opened his eyes fully as she turned to look at the ground and then finally up to him.
"I, I don't say those things, the honest truth. I rarely say those things to Orihime and she's my best friend. Even Ichigo, I just can't, I can't…"
She trailed off and he waited for her to get her thoughts in order.
"It's hard for me to trust people Renji. I trusted you and…" she swept her hand between them before letting the sentence trail to a stop. He ran a hand over his face.
"And I threw it right back in your face… I am an idiot."
She looked at the ground and he fought the urge to growl at his own stupidity but he was having trouble beating down his own guilt. She trusted him. And he couldn't tell her what he wanted to tell her the most. It was for her safety. It was to protect her but lying to her just didn't feel right to him.
"I'm sorry Tatsuki."
She shrugged her shoulders. Tatsuki was trying to let the whole incident die. But the look in Renji's eyes was crushing her. Dark brown so full of remorse it made her throat ache. He was trying so hard to fix it, to fix them. And she didn't know if he could. But she had to try. He had gotten so close to her over the few months they've known each other. She could be herself around him. She had let her guard down and he had hurt her but somewhere deep down inside her she knew that he wouldn't do it again.
"I'll accept your apology but you have to promise me something."
He nodded vigorously, "anything."
"No more illegal moves. If you get us disqualified I won't forgive you."
He smiled, a genuine smile that made his eyes glow almost amber in the afternoon sun.
"You got it."
"And don't tell anybody about me wearing heels."
Renji shrugged as they stared walking down the street again.
"I don't know. You look good."
She punched him swiftly in the shoulder. He immediately stated to laugh as he rubbed the sore spot.
"Fine, fine. I won't tell."
They walked in silence for a while. The only sound was the soft thump of Tatsuki's heels on the pavement. Renji broke the comfortable silence first.
"We're good?"
Tatsuki smiled at him, "We're good."
"Okay, you want to help me shop for groceries before Karin calls and bitches me out?"
She laughed but pulled the list that was hidden away in one of his many pockets out of his hand. She pointed to the food market in the distance.
"Wouldn't want you to face that wrath, I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. She punches like a mack truck."
Renji laughed, "So do you."
She smiled at him as she started to cross the street. Renji followed her and noticed what she was wearing fully for the first time. He knew that Tatsuki had a body but damn, just damn. She trained every day of her life. But out of all the outfits that Renji had seen her in, even her school skirts, they never did her justice. Renji wasn't lying when he told her that she looked good in those heels. Or those tight black pants. Or the short cut top that accentuated her strong shoulders and arms perfectly. He found himself staring at the golden skin as the small of her back. It was smooth and taunt just like the same sun kissed skin that covered her bare shoulders. Renji found himself wanting to see more of it. The sharp wolf whistle that pierced the air pulled his attention away from Tasuki and the little punk that made the sound. He glared at the guy as he put himself between the street thug and Tatsuki as they walked. When the guy dropped his grin and started to walk away with his head down Renji smirked. As he turned to Tatsuki his smirk fled from her glare. She didn't need to be protected. But he couldn't help it. She was his partner and his friend and after he had hurt her he was sure as hell not going to let anyone else do it. He shrugged his shoulders as they walked through the convenience store doors.
"You are an idiot."
He sighed shaking his head as he followed her in, "tell me something I don't know."
Tatsuki was searching for the Coco Puffs as Renji combed through all the pop tart choices. She wandered over to where her favorite cereal was normally found and cursed under her breath. She could barely make out the top of the last box. It was tucked against the very back of the top shelf. Even with the added height the heels gave her she was still too short to reach them. She stretched out her arm which brought her nowhere close to even grazing the box. She got on her tiptoes and tried again before she felt someone behind her.
She felt Renji's hand rest on the small of her back as he easily reached over her to grab them without effort. She felt him chuckle as his body pressed into hers as he pulled the cardboard box down, dropping it into her basket. She shook off the feeling of warmth that his amusement sent resounding in her smaller frame and elbowed him in the ribs, putting space between them.
"Go be tall somewhere else."
Her taunt didn't hold much anger but her glare did. He rubbed his chest but grinned.
"I thought I'd save you the climb."
She threw some cheerios in with the rest of her groceries for Hiroshi and continued to ignore him.
He let out an exasperated sigh, "I bet the apples don't mind me being tall."
She fiddled around with a container of oatmeal before sighing and following after him. They had just patched things up and she wasn't going to let her height insecurities get in the way. She was short for her age and her genetics. Her brothers were all over six foot. And she could add that all of her guy friends towered over her as well. She made for an odd match to her partner at only 5'6". It was as close to average as she was going to get. But the 6'2" Renji didn't seem to mind. She wandered over to where he was picking bright green apples out of a bin. She leaned against the wooden crate and glanced down at the fruit and the enthusiastic Renji before smirking. He really did like apples.
"I bet you never go to the doctor."
She saw one eyebrow rise on his forehead as he put a juicy looking apple into his quickly filling plastic bag.
"You know "an apple a day keeps the doctor away?" I bet you never get sick."
He shrugged, "not if I can help it."
She grinned and tried not to laugh as Renji struggled with tying the overflowing bag.
"That's good to know especially if we're going up against the Fukuoka Academy in a few weeks."
Renji hefted both his basket up as he and Tatsuki made their way to the checkout lines.
"Isn't that the school where you took the National Karate Champion title?"
She nodded. They had discussed her karate career during practices.
"From the title holder four years running too."
Renji grinned at the cashier as he started to empty the contents of his basket on the counter.
"So you wanna cream him."
She grinned right back. It felt good to have her partner back.
"Yes, and those Judo techniques of yours are gonna get me that gold!"
He shook his head as he paid for his food. Just as Tatsuki put a jar of peanut butter on the counter a sensation stuck her. She felt a sharp shiver crawl up her spine. A Hollow. Her mind registered its presence; it wasn't too far from here. Somewhere near the industrial district, near the piers. She was pulled from pinpointing the monster's exact location by Renji's phone trilling loudly. He flipped open the phone and frowned grabbing his bags. He gave her an apologetic smile as he flipped it closed.
"Looks like I'll be getting that beat down from Karin after all. I gotta go. See you at practice tomorrow."
She nodded and fought the urge to run out the door to where she felt the hollow was but she couldn't. She'd run right across Renji's path and cutting around him would take up too much time. She had no qualms about up and leaving her groceries on the counter. The only reason she wasn't already out the door was because she didn't want to chance Renji seeing her and following her after one of those things. She could take one on by herself but Renji wouldn't even know what to do if he could even tolerate its spiritual pressure. Suddenly another sensation washed over her and she sighed. Ichigo was speeding towards it. She could feel his reiatsu, it curled trough her like a calm wind. But just as she was about to forget about the hollow, trusting Ichigo to finish the monster off before anyone got hurt, she felt something else there, skirting right behind him. And this power sent little eclectic flames to pulse through her body from her head to her toes. It was wild and ferocious but controlled. And powerful. She could feel the sheer pressure of it, curling itself up and out, ready for a battle. She was vaguely aware that someone was staring at her.
"Miss? The total is $28.75. Miss? Are you okay?"
"Oh, sorry!"
The cashier eyed her cautiously. She must have looked dazed. She felt dazed, she forced herself to stop trailing the new reiatsu that overwhelmed her and focus on getting her money out of the little Chappy Bunny adorned zippered bag attached to her cell phone. It was a Christmas gift from Rukia that she carried everywhere. She played with the small money bag as the cashier handed her the change. Worry tore at Tatsuki's gut. Usually Rukia accompanied Ichigo on the patrols and she had always felt Rukia fighting alongside him. The presence of another soul reaper could mean that she was hurt. She let her powers unwind themselves again as she searched for the girl she had become good friends with. She signed in relief as she pinpointed her. She was moving toward Ichigo and the unidentified shinigami. She no longer felt the hollow anywhere. She sighed. Her friends were safe. She allowed her powers to find the new reiatsu again. She let another thrill of raging sparks engulf her before shutting her extra sense down. The next time she felt a hollow she hoped she got there first. She really wanted to know who this new Soul Reaper was.