This is really quite a big deal for me since I have never attempted to do a story with an OC before. But still. This has been fun for me to write, and I hope you all enjoy it!

Some minor spoilers throughout this story - references to events from the latest Bleach chapters, and everything we may have ever found out about Renji. All of this story will be told from the consistent POV of Renji, meaning yay! Canon! If you don't want a lot of spoilers for Hueco Mundo, then don't worry! It's not even spoilers so much as it is the knowledge that Hueco Mundo happened, and Renji didn't, you know, die.

Anyway. Big thank you to nostalgic-maiden who looked over this chapter and every other chapter to follow. Since I know I'll forget, this is a blanket thank you to you!

I hope you enjoy reading the story!

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No Strings Attached
Chapter 1 - Just Tonight

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"How about that one?" Matsumoto mused, lightly nudging Renji. "She's pretty. Short brown hair, cute smile. And look! She has a tattoo on her cheek!"

Renji didn't answer as he took another sip of his drink, wondering how long he could keep up this false pretence of ignorance towards his fellow lieutenant before he would be forced to take action and... walk away.

He paused, and winced, wondering just what had happened to his flair for the dramatics.

"Renji!" Matsumoto glared, her elbow digging into his ribs as she discreetly kept an eye out for the afore mentioned shinigami girl.

From his other side, Ikkaku rolled his eyes. "Give it up, Matsumoto. He obviously ain't interested."

Pouting, Matsumoto replied, "I'm just trying to help. Renji's been in his mood for the last couple of days. He just needs to relax from whatever's been making him all sad. And what better way to do that than go out with a pretty girl?"

"I'm sittin' right here, Matsumoto," Renji finally said, stretching his arms placing them behind his head. "'And Ikkaku's right. I've got way too much work to do to be wasting my time."

Matsumoto waved off his sentence with a flick of her hand, the slight air movement causing some of her golden blond hair to flutter.

"Oh please, Renji," she said, downing one of her drinks in one gulp and dragging a hand across her mouth. Her eyes roved around the various women who were in the near vicinity. "You know you need to get out. And I'm sure your mind will change the moment a girl gorgeous enough for you walks by."

Renji glared. "Just how shallow d'you think I am?"

"Well, I dunno," Ikkaku chuckled, his narrow eyes closing in mirth. "Much as a puddle, I'd say."

Matsumoto laughed, and Renji couldn't help but roll his eyes at the level of stupidity that was Ikkaku's last sentence.

"Alcohol's gettin' to you, Ikkaku," Renji remarked dryly. "I've never heard anythin' more retarded. You're losing your touch. Not that you had too much of one to start with."

"He's just messing with you, Renji," said Matsumoto, looking thoroughly amused. "And you're not shallow. Per se. Everyone needs to escape once in a while, and just have fun."

Renji scoffed. "Yeah. Sure. Hypocrite. Don't see you going 'round and flirting' with every available man."

"And how do you know I don't?"

"Yeah, Abarai," cut in Ikkaku. He threw a look of conspiracy towards Matsumoto. "How d'ya know she don't?"

The absurdness of the situation was getting to Renji. But not in the way he was expecting. His lips unconsciously twitched in amusement.

"Cause you're Matsumoto," he settled with saying. "You wouldn't do that."

"Aww, how sweet Renji. Does that mean you've been holding out for me all this time?" Matsumoto asked with a wink, voice playful as she leaned closer to him.

It was hard to keep the flush from his face when someone of Matsumoto's... Matsumoto-ness was seductively looking at you, even though the humour was written plainly on her face. But Renji tried to keep his face from turning into the same color as his hair.

He tried. But failed miserably.

Ikkaku snorted in laughter.

Giving an uncomfortable cough, Renji sharply looked away from Matsumoto.

"Don't flatter yourself, Matsumoto," he said gruffly. "No need for your ego to blow up further than your taichou's."

"Keep Taichou out of this," Matsumoto reprimanded, playful coyness being replaced with a mock glare. "Don't be going around and stealing my job."

Renji held up his hands in defence. "Sorry for overstepping' my bounds, lieutenant."

Ikkaku slammed his bottle on to the counter of the bar, getting up from his stool. "Well, if you ain't gonna be a man and snatch up the girl, I think I'm gonna go and take your place."

Renji took another sip of his drink. "Be my guest, Ikkaku. Just don't be coming' to me with the details."

Ikkaku smirked and didn't answer, heading off towards the aforementioned brunette.

"Well," said Renji, joining Matsumoto in watching Ikkaku from the corner of their eyes. "That's bound to end up in tears."

"No kidding," laughed Matsumoto. "Now back to what we were talking about before..."

Renji groaned.

"Lord, Matsumoto," said Renji tiredly. "What am I doing' here with you and Ikkaku, anyway? Where're the normal guys? Hisagi? Iba? Hell, Kira?"

Matsumoto shrugged. "Shuuhei's piled with work and Kira's avoiding going drinking with me for whatever reason. For now, anyway. No one can resist my charm for too long."

"Uh-huh."

"So why're you being so difficult about this, Renji?" asked Matsumoto, looking at him sharply, critically, almost. "You know that I have your best interests at heart."

Sighing, Renji replied, "Yeah, I know."

"I really do just want you to enjoy yourself, you know." Her eyes saddened somewhat, and Renji wondered if he hadn't been doing as good of a job as he thought he had in acting normal. "You've been real... I don't know. Not sad. But depressed? You just seemed like you needed to have some kind of fun in your life."

Renji's lips slightly curved upwards. "You're too much, you know that?"

In response, Matsumoto flicked his forehead. "I'm trying to help, you ungrateful idiot," said Matsumoto, "because you've been more stressed than usual lately. Why don't you just take my advice and go and find a pretty girl to talk to?"

Renji considered her words, breathing out heavily. He really didn't want to start something with someone whom he knew he couldn't love. It just wasn't right, giving a nice girl false hope.

"Matsumoto, I don't want to go and take any of 'em out for some nice dinner or something when I can't give them anything more. It's not them that I-"

He cut himself off, suddenly not wanting to look at Matsumoto anymore.

"Hey," whispered Matsumoto, patting him on the back. "This is why you got to do something."

She bit her lip, as if weighing what she was about to say, before carefully starting, "I'm not saying that you should... give up or something like that. You don't have to do anything that you don't want to do. But there are some things that you want, Renji - oh, don't give me that look - and those things you can't really get from me or Ikkaku or whatever."

Renji stared at her incredulously.

Matsumoto tapped her chin. "Well, I suppose I could, but that would be weird in so many levels."

Renji promptly choked. "Matsumoto, just... stop, okay?"

Although she had to stifle in her giggle, Matsumoto nodded, and said, "Sure."

Renji nodded in thanks. It was a good thing that it was Matsumoto he was talking with. Not only would it have been extremely awkward were it one of the guys, but Matsumoto was extremely easy to talk to. Almost like... well, like Rukia, except he couldn't really talk to Rukia about... things that concerned her.

And it wasn't like Matsumoto was replacing Rukia in any way. No matter how gorgeous and funny Matsumoto was, Rukia was simply... Rukia. The big, bright eyes and the superior smirk and the strong but generous and kind attitude and... and...

He took a deep gulp of sake and wondered just when he had discovered he was in so deep.

Matsumoto hummed under her breath contentedly, and Renji pondered over her words.

And despite himself, he let his eyes travel away from a suspicious looking stain on the table in front of him and on to the people that were surrounding the bar.

Matsumoto grinned.

Renji didn't bother to wonder why there were so many people around tonight. It was like this everyday when there wasn't some kind of crisis in Seireitei. It was the busiest area with all sorts of places for shinigami in their break to shop or eat or whatever. And generally, when they were done working for the day - much like Renji and Matsumoto - the souls... basically did the same, except they let themselves have much more leeway since they didn't have to go back to their duties.

And it was a nice night outside, so the amount of shinigami was more than usual.

"Find anyone yet?" questioned Matsumoto casually.

Renji wondered why the wording made it sound like he was looking for... fresh meat or something. Although, to be perfectly honest in a rather roundabout way, that was what he was doing. He wondered why didn't feel the least bit sleazy after he came to the conclusion. He supposed the amount of sake in his system was affecting his natural train of thought.

Or maybe he decided to just do what everyone did for one night instead of restraining himself from it.

It wasn't like women didn't do the same, he reminded himself. If anything, they were even worse, way more perverted than men could ever be, and they were extremely vocal about it.

Renji would never be the same after overhearing a conversation in the 4th Division, of all places, concerning the anatomy of males.

"Nope, not her." Renji glanced curiously at Matsumoto who wasn't even looking at him, but was rather scowling down at her uniform, which had a single drop of liquid on it. "She's with that long haired guy from the 5th Division."

"Oh," frowned Renji.

He wondered just whathe was doing.

"Look to your left, Renji," advised Matsumoto, still glaring at her lap, and pulling up the black fabric to get a closer look at it. "Then maybe I can finally stop feeling weird about checking out good looking women with you. This is Ikkaku's job, dammit. Or even Shuuhei. And have you noticed that I'm the only girl who drinks with you guys? I mean what is with that?"

Renji decided to stop listening to Matsumoto's mumbles, as it stopped being directed to him after the first sentence. Rather, he took the blonde's words to heart - or whatever - and moved his gaze towards his other side.

And even though there were quite a few shinigami there, Renji knew right away who Matsumoto was referring to.

It was kind of hard not to, as the girl in question was staring right at him.

She was talking to her friend - or someone he assumed was her friend - mouth moving as she kept up her conversation while her eyes were trained on him, a smile growing on her lips. Her friend was crouched on the ground - probably looking for something - and obviously had no idea on what was going on.

And then she did the impossible.

Without even putting a break in her conversation, she, of all things, winked.

At him.

Renji raised his eyebrows and turned back to his drink.

"Well," he finally said, in an uncharacteristic show of calm after a moment of silence. Maybe he was leading her on by looking back at her? Maybe he had expected her to get intimidated by his stare? Maybe he had hoped she wouldn't be so forward?

Maybe...?

Matsumoto nodded in agreement to what he said. "Well is right."

"So, ah..."

"Right, privacy," said Matsumoto with an understanding nod, oblivious to - or perhaps purposefully ignoring - Renji's sudden choke. She patted him companionably on the back as she got off of her place beside him. "Don't stay up too late, okay? You've got work tomorrow."

"Oh, hell-"

"Chill, Renji," were her parting words. "And play it smooth. We all know how you can be. Sometimes. And don't be like that this time."

"Wah - Matsumoto," Renji could not believe he was stuttering as he stared in fear at Matsumoto's - or rather, the traitor's, as Renji had now dubbed her - back. "Where the hell d'ya - oh, fuck..."

Renji would've bolted right then and there if it wasn't for the fact the girl was walking towards him right then. And it would've been entirely too obvious that he was getting away from there if he shot off like a bat out of hell.

Or whatever the phrase was.

"Hi," she said, blinking at him with a smile on her face, hand casually reaching up to tuck her long bangs behind one ear. Her hair was parted in a manner - despite the braid - so the majority of it was on one side.

Renji wondered if the awkwardness he was feeling was visible on his face as looked at her in slight disbelief. He managed to reply with a, "Hey."

He really couldn't bring himself to say anything else. In fact, he was in some kind of awe that he managed to say that at all, because frankly, for the last few decades of his life, the women he talked with weren't interested in getting into bed with him.

He immediately - but mentally - slapped himself for that, because he was assuming. Which was not at all good. It made him feel judgemental, and if there was one person who had the least right to be judgmental, it would be him.

For all he knew, she could just want to... go out to dinner. Or something.

Thankfully - or not thankfully, depending on what was going on and Renji just didn't know what to think anymore - the girl didn't seem to mind his answer, as she dropped down to the seat that was previously Ikkaku's and said, gesturing with her hand, "So, I was watching you from over there."

"Yeah?" Renji took a gulp of his drink, and wondered just when he had turned into his captain. So he quickly added a, "I noticed."

Amazingly, she didn't take that as an insult. Rather, her smile widened, and she said, "That's awesome, then. Because now I don't have to talk you into going out with me, since I'm sure you already figured it out."

Although he was slightly taken aback, Renji quickly caught himself and sighed.

"Look," he said finally, looking at her straight in the eye as he put his drink on the surface in front of him. "I'm sorry if I was leading you on or whatnot with my eyes or whatever-"

Her eyes grew more amused, and Renji realized just how odd that sentence sounded and flushed slightly.

"Well," she laughed, giving him another wink, her thick lashes becoming even more pronounced. "Those are some pretty sexy eyes you got there. I think I would've been led on even if you were staring at a chair."

Renji couldn't help the twitch of amusement that reflexively came on his lips. But he shoved it back and continued, just like how a good guy would. "I ain't - I'm not interested in getting into anything right now."

"No?" She sounded almost disappointed. "Not even just going and getting something to eat?"

Shit. She really did just want dinner or whatever.

He felt like an even bigger jackass than before. He didn't even know why he thought she was... what was the word. Promiscuous. Right. She showed a whole lot less than what Matsumoto did - although, to be fair, there was some of her cleavage showing - and her uniform was as protocol. Her dark hair was pulled back neatly, and only some smaller strands fell around her face.

Not as sexy as he had seen in his life – but seriously, looking at the women he spent most of his time with, it wasn't a real big surprise – but she was cute.

Renji gave an internal groan. Ikkaku was right. He was acting like a shallow bastard. Puddle shallow, or whatever the stupid analogy was. If Rukia were here, she would've kicked his ass all the way to the 56th District of Rukongai by now.

"Listen," he tried again. "I know a lotta girls like the whole romance thing, but I seriously don't have that. I don't know if you're that type or not, but even if you aren't, I just wouldn't feel right, y'know? There's just a lot of stuff happening for me right now..."

The girl nodded. "Okay. Sure. And now that you've told me exactly what I'd be getting into if I continue to persist, what would you say if I asked you? Again?"

"Well," said Renji, taken aback. "I didn't think that far ahead."

She smiled again, and it was really freaking Renji out that someone could smile like that so much. Okay, so not freaking-him-out, since it was a pretty smile. But still. "So do you have the time to think about it now?"

Renji sighed, and answered with a proper, "Yes."

She sparkled that smile again. "And?"

"And the answer's still no."

"Oh," she said, face dropping. "So that's the final answer?"

"Sorry," said Renji, really meaning it. "But yeah."

"Hmm." She slid off the stool and stood up next to him, and Renji realized that she must have been pretty small - well, not Rukia small, but maybe Hinamori - if she was his height while he was sitting down. "If you're sure."

"Thanks," replied Renji, feeling the tension ease away from him at her easy acceptance.

"Of course," she continued, and Renji fought the urge to groan. "The invitation's still open. If you want to come with me to get something to eat. And maybe come back here to drink afterwards. Just for tonight. Nothing else."

Renji stared. "What, really?"

"Yup. Only for tonight. Because you look like you need some major unwinding, and I," she paused for a moment to gesture at herself, "am the perfect distraction."

And at that - that being everything, the words the gestures, the way she said, "the perfect distraction," - was enough to make him laugh. Not really at her, but in sheer appreciation out of what she was doing.

"So what d'you say?" she asked, smiling, holding out her hand in invitation.

Although he didn't take the offered hand - he didn't think he could look at himself in the mirror without feeling like a hypocrite if he did - Renji stood up nonetheless and said, rather hesitantly, "...Just tonight."

"Of course," she replied, bringing her hand back to her side. "I'm Noriko, by the way."

"I'm-"

"Abarai Renji." There was a grin on her face. "I know."

"Right," said Renji, already wondering if this was a good idea. "Of course."