Love and Labor - Chapter One

-X-

In the Seventy-Eighth district or the Southern Rukongai, 'Hanging Dog' as it was commonly called, or 'Inuzuri', depending on where you were from, on the far edge of the district, stood a tiny, dilapidated and decrepit shack. The roof was caving in, so a tarp was pulled taught over the gaping hole. The front door swung loosely on a single rusty hinge, but the ingenuity of an individual allowed it to be shut completely. Since the windows had been broken in some time ago, the shutters served as the only thing blocking the cold air from the occupants inside, had finally rotten away completely, random boards looked like they were quickly hauled in as replacements and nailed firmly to the rotten windowpanes. Large dark stains on the ancient wooden siding left the impression that the moss that continually grew back was often pulled off. The small shack was sandwiched tightly between two other, larger living establishments. However much bigger or nicer than the small hut the other houses were, it was still a dingy neighborhood, and nothing would ever persuade a person that anyone but the riffraff occupied the area.

The only respectable person in the area shook her head in disgust. She was the wife of the head of own of the noble houses in the Soul Society. She hadn't come to Hanging Dog of her own volition, but rather, as something that she felt needed to be done. She forced herself to visit the mangy placed that she couldn't believe people actually lived in.

'It's a wonder the place hasn't collapsed on itself yet...' Hisana Kuchiki mused to herself, referring to the ramshackle living establishment.

However, the noble did make it a point to notice the maintenance and even improvements that the occupants attempted to make to their very humble dwelling.
They had indeed attempted to fix their lacking roof, and their door to be sturdy once more. As homely as the 'house', Hisana dared to call it that, looked, it looked like someone was honestly attempting to maintain it. Even the scrawny bushes by the side of the house were clipped and tidy. It wasn't the best of trimmings by far, but Hisana felt slightly impressed by the effort the individuals put into neatness.

It was a stirring spring morning, and Hisana had to be hurrying home to be about her own husband's business, however, she found herself strangely intrigued by the little shack nestled in the corner of the dirty street. As dirty and repulsive as the shack could be, somehow, it seemed to charm the noble.

As Hisana turned to leave the shack and the entire Rukongai behind and head for her own home deep in the Sereitei, she heard the door creak slowly, but loudly, open and a somewhat cheery voice called out.

'Go on, like good boys...' A girl looking about seventeen years of age called out. Her hair was jet black, with a single strand lying down across the bridge of her nose. Her eyes, although they looked tired, shone like violet gems, radiating her genteel and caring personality.

Presently, at her bidding, a boy of about thirteen, with frosty white hair, shocking for a lad of such a young age, slowly exited the shack. His hands were shoved deep into the pockets of his tunic.

'I'll go, but only if Renji carries the basket...' He sniffed.

'Of course I will, Toshiro!' The boy identified as Renji declared, the aforementioned basket on his arm. The smaller boy's smile beamed, and his fiery red hair was pulled back into a single ponytail.

The brown jug that lay in the basket would have looked suspicious to the careless observer, but not to Hisana Kuchiki. The sticky sides of the jug, accompanied by the tattered rag stuck in the mouth to serve as the stopper assured her that common liquids was the jug's only companion for some time.

Normally, Hisana would have liked nothing more than to hurry out of the ghetto, but something about the two boys and the basket seemed to interest her deeply.

Clearly, the young fellow by the name of Renji liked to carry the basket, and as big as the basket was, he planned to carry it all by himself.

'I say Toshiro...' Renji sighed deeply. 'I wish I were a man, then I could be a Soul Reaper, and then I'd have a nice house in the Sereitei. Big enough for everyone, with a large fluffy bed for Sister Rukia to lay in.' Renji smiled dreamily, imagining the future he desperately wished for.

'She's not really our sister...' Toshiro pointed out, grumbling slightly. 'None of us are related.'

'I know...' Renji agreed, but it's so nice that you, me, Rukia, and little Momo were able to come together and try to survive.' He reminded. 'You should be grateful that Rukia's trying to look out for us and take care of us.' Renji quickly added.

'I could manage...' Toshiro snorted.

Renji cocked his head to the side, studying the other boy. 'You've got your good tunic on...' He observed, a little confused.

'My good tunic?' Toshiro repeated, himself unaware of Renji's gist.

'The one Rukia says you're only to wear on special occasions...' Renji trailed off.

'We never have special occasions in the Rukongai...' Toshiro grunted, shoving his hands far deeper into his pockets. 'And I only have two tunics. I should get as much wear as I can out of the both of them.'

Finally, both boys turned into a streetside market, but not before Hisana looked into Renji's cheerful face and brown eyes with a pleasant smile, and given Toshiro's small, self-satisfied countenance a less than agreeable glance.

Renji set his basket down on the dirty ground, next to the market table. Toshiro would have advised him otherwise, but wasn't going to make a fuss over just a basket.

Quite a contrast to Hisana's gentle parting smile, was the cold reception the two rag-dressed boys received at the shopkeeper's hand.

Renji, upon Rukia's guidance, could never think wrong of anyone, and assumed that the shopkeeper, dressed only slightly better than himself, was busy checking his stock of rice, or making sure the water was clean, or even that the lids on the candy jars were shut tightly.

Whether Renji was childishly naïve or just simply ignorant, it was clear to Toshiro that the grimy adult that claimed to run his 'shop' was blatantly ignoring his younger companion.

'Hey!' Toshiro yelled loudly, banging his fist down sharply on the table, getting the attention of the shopkeeper. 'Are you just going to stand there all day or are you going help us?!' He asked rudely.

With an exasperated sigh, the shopkeeper turned around, clearly dreaded having to work with the slightly filthy children. Renji and Toshiro were caught slightly off guard by the shopkeeper. Usually, it was a younger man that took care of them every week, but today the keeper was a decrepit old codger. They silently hoped they wouldn't have any problems. Rukia had made arrangements with the other owner about seeing that the little boys she called her 'brothers' could get the food their little family needed.

'What did you need?' He growled, exposing all of the seven teeth he had left.

'Could we have some milk please?' Renji asked meekly, rather scared of the shopkeeper. He set the jug on the counter, followed by a small sack. 'And three cupfuls of rice, please...' He added.

The shopkeeper looked at the jar and the tattered sack on the counter, and then to Renji, as if expecting him to lay down something else as well.

'Some bean sprouts if you have them too, please.' Renji asked.

'Where's the money?' He growled sternly.

'Uhm...' Renji started looking for his words, trying to remember what Rukia had told him earlier that morning.

'Our sister made arrangements with the previous shop owner...' Toshiro cut in, returning the keeper's rudeness with his own. 'Put it on our bill...' He said firmly.

'Get lost you mangy kids...' He growled tiredly. 'The old keeper was called to some urgent business at home. Apparently his wife is very sick. He won't be back to the shop for quite some time.'

'How terrible...' Renji mused.

The shopkeeper shook his head in disgust, ignoring Renji's attempt at sympathy. 'This is no place for you, if want something, you better come back with some money.' He said sternly, putting the jar and tattered sack back into Renji's basket.

'Our sister has money at home!' Renji tried to persuade the shopkeeper to give them their daily food in advance.

'Then you might want to run home and get it, then come here and get your food.' The shopkeeper said, taking both boys by the arm and showing them back into the street. 'From what he's told me of you, you've got quite a bill rung up...' He finished with a grunt, tossing them into the street.

Renji stood up and dusted himself off, hot tears of anger and sadness brimming in his eyes. Toshiro likewise stood back up in an even more irritated state.

'The old goat...' He growled contemptuously.

'You shouldn't call people names...' Renji sniffed. 'Rukia says it's not nice.'

'It's also not nice to throw hungry boys back into the street like trash...' Toshiro added, slightly angrily. 'But what do we expect? Look where we live!' He grunted, motioning with his hand to the entirety of the Rukongai.

'But, Rukia-'

'What's happened to you?' Toshiro growled, turning back to Renji. The red-haired eleven-year-old had been so different so many years ago when Toshiro had first met him.

'What do you mean, 'What's happened to me?'' Renji asked.

Toshiro drew another small tattered sack out of a fold in his tunic and held it out to Renji. Instead of the small sack be empty and limp, the sack was crammed, and practically exploding long white grains of life-giving rice, enough to feed their 'family' for days.

Renji gasped in horror. 'You stole it!' He breathed quietly.

Toshiro rolled his eyes in disgust. 'Why do you refuse to do it the old way?' He growled.

Renji used to be one of the best thieves in Hanging Dog. He could snatch countless jars right from underneath the shopkeepers' noses, he was a fast runner, and knew all the best hiding spots in the district. When he was a lone individual, Renji was never hungry. Toshiro had admired Renji for his resourcefulness and cunning at such a young age.

However, shortly after Toshiro and his best friend Momo came to Hanging Dog and met Renji, all three of them met Rukia, who was a kind young woman, and instantly took a liking to all three of them. Rukia's warm baths, warm food, and warm hugs seemed to melt Renji's young, but criminal heart. Over time, she explained to him that it was wrong to steal and lie, no matter how mean people can be. Over time, Renji had converted from a seasoned thief, to a sissy Momma's Boy. It disgusted Toshiro that such an impressive youngster could be brought back so low and pathetic. Toshiro had vowed to himself that he wouldn't end up pathetic like Renji, and kept his heart cooler towards the kind woman that only cared for him.

'Because Rukia says it's wrong!' Renji cried, wiping his eyes.

'And how long are you going to listen to her?!' Toshiro yelled angrily. 'Until you're starving to death, and if you want to eat, you'll do what needs to be done?!' He taunted.

'No!' Renji cried defensively, turning on his heel and running as fast as he could in the direction of the humble home he shared with Rukia, Toshiro, and Momo, not wanting to look back at his dear friend.

Toshiro followed slowly, watching with a smirk as Renji ran crying down the dirty streets.

-X-

Toshiro took his time on the way home, collecting countless more ill-gotten gains all along the way. He didn't care if what he was doing was wrong, he only cared that he and the people he cared for had enough to eat. In a cruel world, such as the one he lived in, an individual had to what needed to be done, regardless if it was morally wrong or not. So that was exactly was Toshiro did.

He returned to their shack to find Momo bouncing happily, eager to welcome her best friend.

'Hello 'Shiro!' She said happily. 'But it's a shame that mean man had to treat you so horribly!' She added, still her joyful self.

Toshiro numbly pushed past Momo and laid the food that he had stolen throughout the day on the rickety table next to the equally rickety wood stove that Rukia either cooked on or heated the tiny shack with.

'Toshiro...' Rukia breathed sadly, the sound of her heart breaking reflected in her voice.

'I did what had to be done, Rukia...' Toshiro snorted, holding his head high. 'If we keep living the honest way, we'll starve.'

Rukia was about to reprimand him gently, but her growling stomach interrupted her. Maybe, just this once mind, maybe Toshiro had done the right thing. Any decent person would help a group of starving orphans.

'Okay, Toshiro...' Rukia surrendered tiredly, digging through Toshiro's spoils. She found mounds of rice, enough fruits and vegetables to vary their diet for two weeks, and jugs of cool milk and water. Toshiro had gathered enough provisions to see the group through for a week or two, or even more if Rukia was thrifty.

'However did you manage to carry all of this?' Rukia asked incredulously, opening the only cabinet in the shack and trying to find a place to put all their food.

'I have my ways...' Toshiro said uncertainly. 'Are you going to thank me or not?' He asked with an impatient grunt.

Rukia sighed once more. What was she going to do with him? 'Thank you Toshiro...' She resigned. 'But please don't do it again.' She added brokenheartedly. 'I'll work more hours, I'll do anything so we don't have to steal, so we can earn our food honestly.'

Toshiro answered with an agitated snort, and stormed back out the front door of the shack, eager to be by himself again.

Rukia shook her head sadly as Toshiro's angry footsteps disappeared into the distance. Turning back to Renji, Rukia tried to smile. 'I better be going to work...' She sighed with a forced grin.

Rukia worked as a housecleaner in the upper districts of the Rukongai. She would have liked better to have a position as a maid in the Sereitei, but none of the well-bred inhabitants would even stand for a Rukongai-born girl. Although the pay wasn't much in the Rukongai, it was still district two, which was ten times more than Rukia could ever imagine earning doing anything in Hanging Dog.

'Are you hungry?' She asked Renji. 'Will you be able to find something for the others to eat if I'm out late tonight?'

Renji slowly nodded his head.

Rukia smiled, proud of the nice young boy she had made of Renji's once-wily personality. 'Keep an eye on Momo...' She reminded him. 'And don't get on Toshiro's bad side. You know how that temper of his is...' She added fondly, patting his shoulder.

Renji nodded obediently once more, his eyes locked in solemn concentration.

'Make sure everyone stays close to home too...' Rukia added, grabbing her tattered apron from a rusty hook on the wall.

She smiled to Renji once more before turning to head out the front door. As she started to force the rickety door shut behind her, a meek, but firm chirping of Renji's voice made her stop.

'Say that again?' Rukia asked, confused as she poked her head into the door.

'I want to work...' Renji repeated, his jaw set in determination. 'I want to work and help you provide for us.'

-X-

AN: I'm back! This time, taking a little different approach with everything! Hope everyone likes it! I know all the characters' ages are probably way messed up, but please bear with it, as it makes for a better story. Also, Toshiro and Momo were from a different part of the Rukongai, but in order for me to make this story work, I have to do it this way. That's a forgivable mistake, right? :) I don't expect this to be exactly 'canon', or even reflecting authentic BLEACH facts, such as ages or personalities. I claim creative license on that subject... I originally thought of setting the story in an AU Japanese ghetto, but I thought the Rukongai would be better, permitted that my readers were tolerant of everything I've done and am going to do. Thanks in advance for reading!

Feedback Please! Reviews and even Flames are greatly appreciated! :) Thanks!