Fate (A Bleach Fanfiction)

Chapter 32: Stars and the Stray

3rd person's pov

Renji falls to his knees, his vision blurring as Ganju and Hanatoro, watch the ending of both battles. Renji looks up to Ichigo and reachs out, grabbing his shihaksho. "I regret not going after Rukia that day. When she left." Renji states, his hair in his face. "Each district North, South, East and west has 80 districts. District one was the highest standard of living. As a child growing up in the 78th district of South rukongai, we were considered the lowest of the low." Renji starts to explain his story.

Renji as a child and some other friends of his ties a man's shoe to his table, who was selling goods and shooing away Renji and the other's away. Renji steals some of the goods he was selling. He calls out and yells for Renji and his friends to come back with the goods they stole. "Hey come back here!! Give back those goods you runts!" He loosened the strap and runs after them. As they run Rukia comes out of nowhere, sliding across the floor and knocks the man down off of his feet. "Come on, let's go!" Rukia leads them all away."

"This was the day, I first met Rukia." Renji says.

The young Renji gives Rukia some of the candy as they divide up the goods, before she could even eat her candy she sees an older child take a younger child's candy. The young child fights with the older kid to get it back but while this happens the bag busts and the candy spills everywhere making the young child cry. Rukia decides to approach the older child, "You shouldn't be stealing stuff from someone younger than you. It's not right, he did nothing to you so stop picking on him." Rukia scolds the older child and turns to the younger child. "Here, you can have my candy." She smiled "Are you sure, you don't want it?" The young child sniffles looking up at Rukia. "No, I'm fine. Here, take it." She hands him the candy bag and walks outside. "Hey, wait!!!" Renji runs after her and looks around for her. She pops up in a tree, "So you came to look for me, huh?" Rukia teases Renji. A few hours later they spot shinigami heading towards the rickshaw. But before that happens rukia almost faints on the street. "Are you hungry?" A shinigami asks but rukia replies no. One soul reaper that stands out happens to be the young Byakuya kuchiki. "It's most likely that is was she could feel my reiastu that caused her to collapse due to her hunger." The young Byakuya gives her food and takes his leave. A little while later, the kids are all gathered in the back alley practicing how to summon spirit energy. Renji struggles to form a spirit energy ball, while Rukia summons one a bit bigger with ease. "You two should become soul reapers." One of the kids suggest, "I want to stay with you guys forever." Rukia stated with a smile and the others agree. Later on the two are fishing unsuccessfully. While the flowers float by in the water, renji finally catches a fish and turns to others who are staring lovestruck at rukia.

Another day, in later years Renji and rukia are both grown up. They stand on a cliff overlooking the 78th district of south rukongai. "We should become soul reapers." Rukia told Renji as they stand in front of three graves belonging to their friends. Pretty soon they both are accepted into the shin'o academy. Renji excitedly tells the teacher the answer but she doesn't count it since he shouted it out. The others starts to mock Renji, so after class rukia went to see if he was okay. The next day, Renji is running to find Rukia announcing that he passed a test. He stops short seeing that rukia was in the presence of a noblility, including captain Byakuya Kuchiki. "We expect an answer." The nobles leave and Renji stares in awe at their spiritual pressure. "They want to adopt me into the kuchiki clan." Rukia told Renji but Renji tells her happily the benefits of it and she leaves the room with a few tears visible. Renji didn't want to interfere with her happiness.

Back in the present, Renji stands with all his might. He starts to curse himself for not stopping Rukia from leaving and joining the kuchiki clan. "I'm responsible for Rukia's condition. I wanted to make her happy so I encouraged her into the kuchiki clan. I never expected her to be branded a traitor and put on death row. Please you two, save Rukia." He begs and Ichigo accepts.

"Toshihiro, did you mean those things you said earlier?" Kuroki bent down on her knees, causing Ichigo and Renji look at her. "Yeah, I really meant it." She looked down at his words, "Look, you came here expecting to save Rukia. I don't think it's possible that you'll be able to save her. Even Captain Kuchiki isn't gonna save her. You are a ryoka and a danger to the soul society. What we had in the past stays in the past. What matters now is this time." He said, looking up at her from his spot on the ground.

"That bastard..... What changed him from being the caring Toshihiro, who looked after Kuro when she was in middle school to this guy who has been trying to kill her?" Ichigo thought, as he narrowed his eyes at Toshihiro.

Tears filled Kuroki's eyes, "I see. So the friendship we had back in elementary didn't really mean a thing to you. I get it now." She stood up and started to walk away, but he stopped her. He grabbed her leg and she stopped walking, looking away from him.

"Was this how I seemed to Rukia? Those two must have been close as kids... Now look at them, their relationship has changed because he changed." Renji thought, keeping his eyes on Kuroki and Toshihiro.

"Kuroki, I'm sorry. I'm sorry, that I hurt you. I'm sorry for putting a burden on you like that, that day. I never expected that someone was coming to my rescue and when I saw you, I smiled. I was happy that you were trying to help me, although you didn't know what you were doing. I'm glad that I met you in elementary. And our friendship means the world to me." A tear slides down her cheek and she looks at him. "Thanks for saying that, Hiro." She smiled and walks off towards Ichigo.