Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N: I am perfectly honest when I say this fic was a monster to write. It was the toughest pairing I have come to work with, because the characters are so similar in nature.

Summery: Life had become rather interesting for Abarai Renji since he rented the top floor of his house to Kurosaki Ichigo and his sisters. IchiRen, AU

Warning

AU

Half Betaed

Last Day of August

"Crap." Renji swore as he saw the time. Becoming so engrossed in drafting the tattoo for his latest client, he had lost track of time. Quickly tucking away the drawing, he grabbed his coat and ran towards the nearby primary school. He guessed that he would have to cook something special for the girls tonight, since he had kept them waiting at the gate for nearly half an hour. Not that Karin and Yuzu would give him grief about being forgotten, but he did feel a bit guilty about not coming on time when school finished.

Running to the school, which was an hour walk from his place, Renji paused for a moment to fix his dishevelled appearance. Pulling the bandana over his forehead to cover his tattoos and fixing his appearance as he approached the gate, Renji caught his breath. He didn't want the twins to be shunned by the other children because he looked as he belonged to the local Yakuza; because children, despite being innocent and naïve, were still the harshest when it comes to bullying. The girls have gone through enough losing both their parents at a young age, despite having an amazing older brother they didn't deserve to be bullied at school for such trivial reasons.

"Ren-Nii!" He heard Yuzu call out for him, before he had his arms filled with two five year old girls.

"Baka-Nii!" Karin scolded him as she snuggled into his embraced, "You're late."

"I'm sorry." He apologized to them as he ran a hand through their hair. "Got caught up with work."

"It's okay, Onii-San used to get late too." Yuzu smiled as she tightly hugged him. Renji smiled at her, she was always the first to forgive anything, it was almost hard to believe that she and Karin were twins. Despite being so close to each other, their personalities were worlds apart.

'Not to mention, their brother was even worse.' Renji thought as he took one of the girls' hands into each of his and began walking home.

The Kurosakis were his most recent tenants. As time went by, Renji found out that the twins' older brother, Kurosaki Ichigo, was a twenty year old medical student at the local university. He was the legal guardian of the two five year olds and had been looking for a cheap place to stay in the area since it was close to his university and their preschool. The young male was very competent and a very dedicated older brother. However no matter how hard he tried to care for the girls, with his university schedule it was impossible for him to be a student and a parent at the same time. There were many times Renji found Ichigo falling asleep in the living room chair on his off days, or skipping meals because of his busy schedule. Ichigo had mentioned offhandedly that the preschool was charging a lot for the after school day-care service; which he unfortunately needed since he wasn't able to collect them when their school hours ended and there wasn't anyone to care for them at home even if he could.

Since their personalities and interest were similar, it was only a matter of time before Ichigo and he became friends. As time progressed the twins has begun referring to him as a sibling as well. Despite being their land lord, he was only in his mid-twenties, which Renji figured contributed to the friendship between them; not mentioning their ridiculous natural hair colour. Therefore, when he overheard Ichigo mention that he was going to quit his schooling to work instead, it wasn't a difficult decision for him to offer to watch over the twins as well. Smiling, Renji could still remember their initial meeting.

"Hey, are you Abarai Renji?" A voice called breaking through Renji's concentration as he tried to sketch out what his earlier client described to him. Apparently she wanted something tribal but floral at the same time, but nothing to large because she wanted to able to hide it during work hours. There were other elements she had mentioned but it hadn't made any sense to him at the time, so he doodle a few idea on a rough papers to show her later. Pausing his work, he lifted his gaze from his paper to take in the figure before him.

"Yeah." Renji replied casually tying half of his loose hair into high ponytail. The new comer was a young male and he placed him around late teens and early twenties. Well-built, tan and tall; obviously undertakes some form of physical training. From his posture, Renji would place him as a disciple of some form of martial arts. Studying the spiky orange hair that was arranged in a short shag and the slight scowl he wore, Renji would normally place him as one of his usual clients for his tattoo parlour. However despite being dressed in a casual t-shirt and jeans there was a certain air of refinement that surrounded him, telling him that he wasn't here for a tattoo.

Standing up from his desk, Renji asked, "What can I do for you?"

The male reached behind his head and scratched idly as he answered, "I saw the sign outside," Gesturing to the door he entered, "That you were renting out the top floor."

Renji sighed as he reached for the keys for the first floor. He had inherited the house, so he turned the front of the ground floor into a small tattoo studio, while he rented the top floor. He didn't need all the space in a three bedroom, two bathroom home; so he used the opportunity to add another source of revenue. However he didn't expect that since they had to share a kitchen and the house was bit shabby and small, it would call for a lower price. That very low price typically attracted the troublesome university students that made cohabitation difficult and collecting rent a strenuous task. Despite being in his mid-twenties, these types of punks really grated on his nerves.

"Your name is?" He asked a bit roughly.

"Hmmm?" He turned to look at him, having been occupied with his artwork displayed on the studio wall. "It's Kurosaki Ichigo."

"Well Ichigo-San, please follow me." He motioned as he walked to the door exiting the studio room and walked into the main living room and dining room combined. "The kitchen is shared, so the gas bill will be split." He explained allowing the younger male to walk around the kitchen. Renji watched curiously as the male gauged the height of the counter tops with his height, before nodding at him. "You can enter through that door." Pointing to the door on the left, "It open to the side of the house so you don't have to go through the studio."

Walking towards the stairs, Renji continued explaining the layout of the home. "The first floor has a separate meter for electricity and water. So your bills will be separate as well." When they reached the top floor Renji showed the male the rooms, "There are two bedrooms and a bathroom. There is a balcony for you to hang your laundry." Watching the male walk around each empty room, opening the wall cupboards to inspect their inside. Once he was satisfied with his study, the male turned to him.

"How much are you asking per month?" He asked.

"About XX,XXX Yen" Renji gave his figure, waiting for the reply. Usually his price would deter sole student renters, but if it was shared then they would usually accept much to his chagrin. "Any questions?"

"Just one." He indicated with his index finger, "What is your stance on children?"

Renji blinked in shock but recovered quickly by replying hesitantly, "As long as they behave, they're fine." Swallowing nervously he studied the man. He never had a tenant with a kid, especially as young as he was. Looking at the male's left hand he didn't see a wedding ring. 'So the guy isn't married either.' Renji thought trying to make sense of the situation. 'Maybe he knocked a chick up and took responsibility as the father. I guess that could indicate he would pay rent on time.'

"Great." The male nodded, his face softening a bit and allowing a slight smile to show. "I'll take it."

Clearing his throat, Renji nodded feeling a bit nervous about his new tenant, "Good, let's go downstairs and sort some details then."

'He has a nice smile.' Renji thought and nearly tripped on his way down the stairway once he realized where his mind had wondered to.

'It's really hard to imagine that was nearly six months ago.' Renji thought as he recalled the memory. Back then he didn't know the first thing about children, but now he knew exactly the taste of each Kurosaki. Yuzu and Karin pretty much were the sweet tooth of the family while Ichigo and he preferred to have their meals spicy. However they compromised their personal tastes for the girls. It was a strange shift in role for him, and what unsettled him out of the entire scenario, was how natural the shift from landlord to househusband felt. Renji blushed lightly at that term, it was a passing comment one of the store clerks made from the new grocery store nearby he begun to frequent.

It had been nearly a month since he had volunteered to take care of the two girls, and every week he would shop for the groceries. Since starting this new arrangement, Ichigo and he had reached an agreement to split the food bill since they had all of their meals together and not individually. He had the twins fetch items from the list he had made, which they turned it into a game of treasure hunt. It was endearing to see them run around the grocery store with enthusiasm for such a simple task. Though there were times he had to tell them to quiet down, they were well behaved children. As he had been at the checkout counter the store clerk, who was a chatty old woman, struck up a rather one-sided conversation.

"You must be Kurosaki-San's partner." She smiled as she scanned one of the many items with a beep, "This the first time I'm seeing you. Normally I see him with those two lovely girls. Though you two are a bit young to have children, you handle them very well."

"No-" Renji flushed in embarrassment at what she had assumed.

"Don't worry, I'm not criticizing you." She cut him off, "Not many of the parents I see coming into this store are that patient with their children. Not to mention those girls are so well behaved for their age. I hardly ever see such good manners in children these days. From my point of view you two suit each other, and those girls are lucky to have you as parents."

"I-" Renji tried to correct again as his face started to take on a deeper shade of red. Looking around for the twins who had disappeared to the candy section of the store; he had promised them to buy each a bar of their favourite chocolate.

"Where is Kurosaki-San?" She again cut him off, "I hardly see him."

Thanking which ever deity who was listening to his silent plea that the conversation had moved on from the embarrassing misunderstanding, Renji answered, "He is at the university at the moment. He is studying to be a doctor and this year they have added clinics hours into their curriculum."

"Oh dear." She replied, "Thank goodness he has such a supportive husband. I am guessing you are not working?"

"I'm an artist. I have a studio." Renji answered cautiously, he would cover his tattoos whenever he was with the twins outside the house. He didn't want the prejudice people held against him directed to the girls. He didn't have time to correct her misunderstanding, since the twins had arrived to the counter with their favourite sweet.

"That's wonderful." She compliment as he paid for their items.

X.

As the months passed, he didn't correct the woman. As a result more people from the area had begun to think of them as a couple and parents to Yuzu and Karin. The first time Ichigo had heard the comment directed at him when they went to the local festival, he had raised an eyebrow at him. Renji just shrugged and didn't say anything, but he let out a breath of relief he didn't know he was holding when he notice that the younger male didn't correct anyone either. So they both just accepted that people thought of them as a couple and didn't try to change it since it was too much of a hassle to correct their misconceptions. Also the twins had begun to think of them both as their guardians and they were too young to understand the nuances of society.

"Now you two wash up quickly and come down here to do your homework." He told them as he opened the side entrance. "I'm looking at you Karin-Chan. I don't want to have another complaint from your teachers that you haven't been doing it." He shot a pointed look at the raven haired child who pouted petulantly as she ran up the stairs. "Also don't forget to put your socks into the wash, or else your brother will be annoyed when he does the laundry."

It was hard to imagine how his life had changed from being a tattoo artist who grew up being a delinquent and then recruited for the town yakuza, to going to school Parent Teacher Association meetings or running a private day care. It was an unexpected and strange, but welcomed change. Given his background he didn't expect to be associating with those who held white collar professions. Not that he disliked them, it was a known fact that people like him and people like them generally don't mix. Most with his sort of history who did manage to enter the 'better' side of society would completely separate themselves from their past. This was the case of his childhood friend Rukia; when her brother-in-law had offered to adopt her, she had burnt all bridges to him and the life she previously led.

Thinking about it, it had been ten years since she had said her goodbyes to him. He didn't blame her for leaving, there was nothing for her that was worth staying for. Even though it had pained him to let her go, he loved her enough to do so in the end. From what he had read in the papers, her brother-in-law Kuchiki Byakuya was doing quite well with his family company. So there was no worries that she would be facing any financial difficulties. He did offer his contact information on the day she left, so if there were any problems she would be able to contact him. However, now that she was 'high society' there was nothing a poor tattoo artist with a shady background could offer her. As time went by, that fact lost it's sting; and up until the Kurosaki's had practically invaded his life, he hadn't let go of his wish that Rukia would call or write to him.

"We are ready Ren-Nii." Yuzu's voice cut through his musing. Smiling at the two girls, he directed them to the kitchen table where they both settled down to do their homework as he prepared dinner.

Ever since the Kurosaki siblings entered his life, the emptiness and loneliness Rukia had left was gone. Not that he would ever admit it out loud but when he was with Ichigo and the twins, he felt as if he were part of a family. He had never pictured himself having children but caring for the girls, he found that they filled a need in him he didn't know existed in the first place. Knowing what he had to offer in life, he had all but given up on finding someone and having a family of his own. It had been Rukia who he had dreamt of starting a new life together but he said goodbye to that fantasy, along with her, as she walked away from him.

'But it seems, life works in mysterious ways.' He mused as he watched the twins scribble their school work, admonishing Karin for procrastinating and correcting Yuzu in her spelling. Although it was never spoken about, he had begun to think of the twins as his own and along the way he felt they had too with him.

Renji never thought himself as a maternal figure, but in the family dynamic that evolved, he found himself more often than not falling into the more nurturing role in comparison to Ichigo. The youth himself, was caring and kind. However being saddled with such responsibility and being occupied with his studies had made him less available to the girls. Ichigo did try to make time and pampered them as much he could, but with the introduction of clinic duty into his already packed schedule there was barely enough time for the man to eat and sleep. Before Renji stepped in to take care of them, he had overheard the girls talking about not being able to spend time with their brother. He had never seen them ask Ichigo for anything but from the way they cling on to him at the end of the day, it is obvious that they simply adore him despite not being able occupy as much of his attention as they used to.

The girls were well aware of the circumstance they were in, but most of the details were left out. They knew their brother was looking after them since their parents were no longer among the living. Renji didn't know the specifics, but their mother had passed away a year or so after their birth and when they were about to turn five, their father followed his wife. Renji never asked how they passed away from Ichigo, because he knew the wound was still too raw for the man. There was more than one occasion he had seen him staring intently at the photograph of his parents. Renji did ask about them once, and he found out that Ichigo's passion to be a doctor came from them. He found that they used to have a family clinic at their home, which he had listed for rent and found someone who would lease it long term.

"I'm not working at the moment, and my fees are not getting cheaper." Ichigo informed him, when the girls had gone to bed, "I need to save as much cash as possible, and find another way to earn money till I have a steady source of income."

Renji nodded he had wondered how the male had been able to handle all the expenses when he couldn't take on even part-time employment.

"The house was too big and there were too many expenses for me to even consider." Ichigo explained, "Both girls need a future and I want them to be able have the choice of a higher education. So every yen I save will go into that fund. Selling all the unwanted items and leasing the house for a decade could settle us for now. However even now I am cutting costs to save for their future. I'm nearly on my feet, but they haven even started, so it's my responsibility and duty to ensure they have every opportunity available to them."

He could tell that Ichigo was rambling due to his fatigue, but a certain degree of respect sparked within Renji as he heard about the man's plan for the future. To have someone so young and that dedicated towards his family was admirable. It also showed how selfless and mature Ichigo was for his age as well. Renji knew very well that kids his age would prefer to party and enjoy their university life, instead of being a scrooge and nearly killing themselves studying. Renji thought idly about who Ichigo would choose to settle down with and just how lucky that person would be.

"I'm home." Ichigo's voice rang through the house as they heard the door open, immediately the twins were out of their seats and running to their older brother. The usual scowl the younger male wore had disappeared completely, leaving a small warm smile playing on his lips. His face had softened allowing his features to show naturally, and his eyes deepened in colour. It could be a trick of the light, but Renji was sure that amber had darkened into chocolate brown as Ichigo's attention was on his sisters. There wasn't a single doubt that the male simply adored his younger siblings and was completely devoted to the pair. Seeing such affection openly displayed, made Renji wonder who else Ichigo looked at with that expression.

"Welcome home." Renji greeted haltingly, watching the sibling embrace. It was still a bit awkward since he wasn't included; therefore he immediately went back to attending to dinner preparation, missing the look the other male gave him. If he had turned back he would have seen those same warm brown eyes turn to him as well, before they went back to their normal guarded amber.

"What for dinner?" Ichigo asked placing his bag on a nearby chair and hanging his coat.

"Hotpot." Renji replied not turning around, but was mindful of the male's approaching figure. Through the corner of his eye he watched Ichigo take a seat at the kitchen table and help the girls with their homework. If Renji were anyone else he would have chuckled at the sheer domesticity displayed in their lifestyle. Even the twin's homework was split between them, Ichigo would handle the science, maths and other logic related topics, while he would handle the literature, languages and arts subjects. It wasn't hard to believe that the entire neighbourhood thought them as a couple with two children instead of landlord and tenant. At times he could deluded himself into thinking of them as family as well, after all he already silently thought of the girls as his own.

Peering through his lashes, Renji discreetly watched Ichigo as he interacted with his sisters. His appearance hadn't changed much, except that there was a slight strain in his features due to stress of his work load. Ichigo had recently begun taking on extra theoretical classes, so he wouldn't have to take them in the future allowing him to spend more time in the clinic which would increase his experience. However despite that, the man was still his handsomely attractive self, physically and socially. It was a known fact, when Renji and the twins had come to his university to visit, they had noticed an alarming number of females and males would follow him around. There were multiple times Renji would receive sore treatment from women and men who fancied Ichigo, since they thought him to be his partner.

If he was being perfectly honest, he preferred not to correct their misconceptions, nor did he like the idea of Ichigo fancying anyone else. Previously he had faulted his secret fantasy of having a family, and the mere thought of someone else taking Ichigo away would ruin it. However as time went by, more and more he had found himself thinking of Ichigo as his. He first blamed it on the misunderstanding of the people around them influencing his thoughts; but later on he had come to terms with himself, that gradually he thought of the male as more than just a friend.

X.

Renji watched as the hotpot slowly simmered on the stove, thinking about what he felt from the moment he met Ichigo, the feelings he harboured were not completely platonic. He could still remember the first time the male slid through his defences, placed after Rukia's departure, and enter his heart.

It was a week after they signed the rental agreement, when he heard the noise of a truck arriving in front of his place. Exiting the studio, he was greeted by the sight of Ichigo climbing down from the passenger seat then gently lifting two little girls from inside and lowering them to the ground. Brushing his loose red hair to the side, he studied the little family. Watching the male direct the movers to the side door, Renji approached the trio. Ichigo was currently kneeling down and speaking to the girls as he drew near, and Renji noticed one hide behind her brother's leg when he stood up to greet him. The other stubbornly stared up at him wearing a scowl similar to her brother. It would have been intimidating if she didn't look so adorable.

"This is Abarai Renji, our landlord." Ichigo gestured to him, and Renji gave an awkward half wave, not knowing how to act. He fiddled with the bandana over his forehead; not wanting to scare them with his facial tattoos at the start, he resorted to tying a scarf over them.

"The grumpy one is Karin and this is Yuzu."Petting the girl who shyly looked up at him with childish curiosity.

"I'm not grumpy, Ichi-Nii." Karin grumbled at her brother, but quickly shifted her attention to Renji muttering out a short, "Hello."

After her sisters initial greeting, Yuzu had gathered the courage to wave back sweetly and squeak out, "It is very nice to meet you, Abarai-San."

Renji couldn't help but chuckle at the two. Despite being twins one could easily tell how different they were, but they were similar at the same time. Feeling rather indulgent he crouched down to their eye level and smiled, "It's very nice to meet you both as well." He had never been around small children before, and those he had the chance to interact with were either cautioned away by their parents or were frightened by his appearance. "Just call me Renji. I told your brother that." Both stared at him for a moment before looking up to their brother for confirmation, who nodded at them. Once they had the male's approval, they both broke into wide grins.

'God, they're cute.' Renji thought as he felt a matching grin make its way to his face.

Glancing at Ichigo, as they agreed to refer to each other, Renji had to fight down a flush.

"Renji-San." Karin's voice cut through his thoughts, "What is on your head?"

"Karin, that is rude." Ichigo admonished lightly, placing a hand on her head.

"No, it's fine." Renji dismissed grinningly lightly at the brother. "Children are curious by nature." Turning his attention to the little girl he smiled, "I have tattoos on my face, but I cover them up."

"What are tattoos?" She asked looking at him and then at her brother.

Renji fumbled around for an explanation, since there were prejudices associated with his profession and children were easily impressionable. Not to mention they seem to come from a rather well off and refined background, despite the circumstance which had led them to take up residence on his first floor. Before he could come up with a diplomatic answer, Ichigo spoke up, "It's pictures." He explained simply, "But it's drawn on your body."

"Ohhhh." Both girl echoed in wonder as they turned their attention to Renji staring at his forehead. The landlord fidgeted, but he was taken aback by the younger male's explanation. He had expected some subtle disapproval in the wording, which was the norm from those from white collar families or backgrounds.

"Can we see, Renji-San?" Karin asked again curiosity shining in her eyes.

"Karin." Ichigo's voice lowered as a warning.

"What wrong Ichi-Nii?" She asked, "If it's art, then there is nothing wrong. Kaa-San and Tou-San would always show everyone."

"I know there is nothing wrong with it, but you shouldn't make Renji show if he is doesn't want to." He explained gently.

"That's why I asked Ichi-Nii." She whined back.

Renji smiled, little children could not understand the complex mechanics of society, "It's really fine Ichigo." He interrupted before the little girl could throw a fit, "My pictures are very different to your pictures." Renji explained as he untied the bandana around his forehead. The twins stared at his tattoos in awe, and what surprised him was that Yuzu was so enamoured she had left her brother side and approached him slowly. Normally children would be intimidated by his appearance and those with a similar temperament to the brunette would either cry or run towards their parents in fear.

"Can we touch, Renji-San?" She asked, big brown eyes wide and hopeful. "Please?"

Renji couldn't help but smile at the sweet girl's request, and nodded. Instantly he felt two pairs of small hands on his forehead. Their hands were soft and slightly clammy, but none of their curious poking and rubbing hurt. Hearing a low chuckle from above, Renji saw Ichigo smiling at their interactions. His smile was so infectious and bright, Renji felt himself flush under his gaze. Thankfully he had the children covering his face at the moment.

"They are pretty, Renji-San." Yuzu complimented as she withdrew her hands from his face, blushing lightly as she said it.

"Who drew on you, Renji-San?" Karin questioned, being the more inquisitive one of the two.

"I drew them myself."

"Really?" They asked in unison.

"That's what makes it so great." Ichigo replied, also crouching down, "Renji is a tattoo artist, so he draws on people for a living. Once he draws, he cannot erase it; so he cannot make a mistake. Tattoos are forever." Renji blinked in shock at the description Ichigo gave his occupation. He had initially thought the male was only being diplomatic since he was the landlord, but the sincerity and directness he had discovered while interacting with Ichigo, made him think otherwise.

"That is so cool." Karin replied looking at Renji in amazement. "I want Renji-San to draw on me."

"When you're older, Karin." Ichigo countered making her pout and before she could protest, he changed the topics, "Now our stuff isn't going to move itself. You girls take the small things and choose your room. Renji-San will show you the way." Both of them nodded with enthusiasm, obviously excited about their new home, and immediately flanked Renji on both his sides.

It was the very first time anyone had accepted and spoke about his chosen occupation as if it were a normal and respectable profession. There were many people who look down at his line of work as something only gangsters and criminals would do; also many don't even consider him an artist. The manner in which Ichigo spoke about his job and the way he explained it to the girls, made Renji feel that he was being placed upon a similar level as his chosen line of study. Not that he though being a tattoo artist was similar to what Ichigo was planning to do, but it was nice that the younger man thought it so.

X.

Cleaning up the kitchen while letting the meal finish cooking, Renji removed his bandana and hair tie and massaged his scalp. Having his hair in a tight high ponytail did give him a headache, but there was no other way to keep his hair out of the way. Running his fingers through his thick red tresses, Renji contemplated whether or not to cut it all off. With the summer heat swiftly approaching, he was leaning towards slicing it all off. Fiddling with the ends, he realized that the usual chatter of the girls and their brother had quieted down. Turning his attention to the group he noticed that they were all staring at him. Flushing slightly, especially after meeting Ichigo's penetrating gaze, he asked casually.

"Is something wrong?"

Soon after those word left his mouth, Karin immediately replied "Yes!"

Renji raised an eyebrow, and he noticed that Ichigo seemed to be curious as well about what he little spitfire had to say. Renji did notice that the male was about to answer the question before his sister interrupted him. Turning his attention back to the raven haired child, he smiled as a gesture for her to continue. However she turned to her brother, and spoke towards him.

"Ichi-Nii, Can you please tell Ren-Nii to stop hiding his body pictures?"

"Tattoos." Ichigo automatically corrected, "What do you mean stop hiding?

Before Karin could answer, Yuzu spoke up apparently understanding what her sister was referring to. Renji considered that a 'twin thing', but it was somewhat inconceivable how they did it.

"Ren-Nii, always wears something around his head and ties his hair up." She explained with a slight pout.

Ichigo wore a slightly amused look on his face as he turned his gaze towards Renji. Taking it as his cue to speak, he cleared his throat while focusing on not flushing red under the weight of Ichigo's stare. "I cover the tats 'cause the other parents, teachers and kids might cause the girls some unnecessary trouble."

"Baka-Nii!" Karin scolded him, trying to mimic her brother angry scowl. However it ended up making her even more endearing than intimidating. "We don't care if other kids and adults bad mouth us."

"Yeah, Ren-Nii." Yuzu nodded her head vigorously, "If they cannot see how nice your art is, or how pretty Ren-Nii is, then they don't deserve to be our friends."

Renji didn't have the time to react for soon after was hugged at the waist by both girls. "I'm not pretty." He refuted lamely, unable to think of anything else and too taken aback by the compliment.

"Yes, I agree." Ichigo spoke up cutting whatever his sisters were about to say, making Renji's heart clench for a moment. However before the feeling could sink in, Ichigo continued as he walked up to the group hug. "You are beautiful."

Renji couldn't control the blood that rushed into his face. He was too shocked to reply, and could only splutter at the other man. He watched as Ichigo reached out to brush a stray lock of hair away from his face and tuck it behind his ear. He was so close that Renji could practically smell the disinfectant and the faint scent of sandalwood beneath it. Leaning slightly towards Ichigo's touch, Renji continued to keep eye contact. His usual amber eyes had taken on a chestnut hue with his pupils dilated slightly making them appear even darker. Renji initially blamed it on the lighting in the kitchen, however they were flickering with an unknown emotion.

"Ren-Nii." Yuzu's voice cut through the spell that held the two men in a trance. "I think dinner is burning."

Renji immediately broke away to attend to their dinner, while he heard Ichigo speak behind him, "Since you girls are done with your homework, why don't you clear up and set the table while I have a quick shower?"

There was a chorus of 'Yes' from his sisters and a deep chuckle in return. Renji did not for one second look up from the pot on the stove as he heard the steps fade away up the stairs. Letting out a sigh of relief, Renji began to take deep even breaths; a simple touch from Ichigo and his heart won't stop racing. Turning off the heat, he watched the contents of the meal as his mind wandered over what just happened a few moments ago.

"Ren-Nii." Karin called, breaking him out of his thoughts.

"Yes, Karin-Chan?" He asked, smiling lightly at her.

"You should let your hair down more often." She told him in a nonchalant manner.

"Yeah!" Yuzu piped in happily, "Onii-San, likes it that way."

Renji blushed in shocked, but both girls didn't seem to noticed. Clearing his throat which had suddenly gone dry, "Why do you say that?"

"Cause Ichi-Nii always looks at you when your hair is down." Karin explained as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Taking off where her sister left, Yuzu continued, "When you put your hair down, Onii-San stops what he's doing and looks. Karin does the same thing when the older kids play soccer."

"Yuzu!" Karin shouted which her sisters reply was a stifled giggle.

With that they went back to setting the table as Renji stared at them in disbelief. However as they all sat down to eat, he didn't attempt to tie back his hair as he usually did at home. Pretending not to notice the subtle lingering stares that Ichigo sent his way, Renji hid his smile. From that day onwards, whenever he was Ichigo's presence he always made it a point to have his hair down or at most in a loose ponytail.

X.

::No New Messages::

Ichigo locked his phone as he sighed in disappointment.

It has been six months since that moment in the kitchen. Since then, he had felt that his relationship with Renji had developed into something more that friendship and that event was the cause. Though they didn't talk about it, Ichigo noticed that they had become more tactile than they were previously. The casual touches lingered longer, and they stood closer together whenever they walked outside. He had even noticed that the other male had begun to wear his hair down more around him. Not that he was complaining, but that made it rather difficult for him to keep his hands to himself.

The first thing he noticed when he laid his eyes on Renji, was the man's long blood red hair. It was an unusual colour and in the beginning he thought it was dyed, which may have been a bit hypocritical of him considering that everyone thought the same about him. Never the less, he had liked how thick and silky it looks when Renji has it down. Since that that day his fingers would twitch every time the male let it loose from his tight ponytail. All he wanted to do was to run and bury his fingers through those long red tresses. However he couldn't do that since he wasn't Renji's partner, he was at most a good friend.

Although their relationship has grown Ichigo feels they couldn't be considered a couple yet, even though the entire neighbourhood thought they were. He never corrected the misconception, because like this people wouldn't approach Renji in a romantic way. Ichigo knew he was being immature and he had no right to keep Renji away from other potential partners, but the mere thought of him being with anyone else left such a bitter taste in his mouth not even the worst pharmaceutical drug he knew of could match.

If he was being completely honest with himself, Ichigo knew he was afraid of approaching Renji in a romantic way. They may have been friends for only a short time but it had developed quite fast and strong, and he knew he won the older male's approval when he saw how competent he was at taking care of his sisters. Even though he was being slightly old fashion, he loved the sight of Renji in an apron, in the kitchen with the girls studying at the table. The first time it happened, it took him by surprised on how natural it all seemed and since then Ichigo realized that he wanted to see this scene every day. They had become so comfortable with each other, they moved from landlord and tenant to best of friends seamlessly. It was this very friendship that Ichigo detested, because it was the very thing he was afraid of losing if he tried to approach Renji romantically.

He had seen how happy and attached the girls had become to the other male and it did make him jealous that they didn't come to him first with their problems now. Then again it did also lift the the burden of guilt off his shoulders, that he couldn't be there for his sisters because of his demanding university schedule. It had truly surprised him when Renji, offered to take care of the girls, but seeing how well they took to him made him accept his help. He had seen how patient Renji was with Karin and how gentle he was with Yuzu. It wasn't just anyone who could handle twins as close as they are with such different personalities, and Renji did with natural ease. The twins were hardly surprised by the shift of dynamics, and as Ichigo thought about it, the new arrangement wasn't much different from the old one. It was only defining what they already were. Thought he knew there was something more than platonic friendship between Renji and him; Ichigo didn't want to ruin their happy makeshift family by jumping the gun.

They were all happy, and he shouldn't risk it by wanting more. Ichigo sighed with defeat, he couldn't help it, with each passing day his longing grew deeper. He wanted to make the man part of the Kurosaki family, turn all those misconceptions about them into reality. Renji was his househusband more than his landlord. Though they still paid rent it was more like a contribution to the house expenses than a business arrangement.

'A househusband who happens to be tattoo artist as well.' Ichigo thought in idle amusement.

Renji's profession and his tattoos had never disgusted him in any way. As a matter of fact, he was quite impressed by the man's talent. As someone who doesn't have a single artistic bone in his body, save for being mediocre at playing the guitar, it was simply amazing to watch the man draft his work. There were many times he had found himself staring a Renji when he was wearing some worn out clothing. The material had become so sheer he could see the tattoos faintly underneath. It was extraordinary that the male had inked most of them himself but the one's his back couldn't possibly have been done by him.

"The ones on my back?" Renji repeated his question as they paused their spar.

Ichigo nodded as he panted slightly, it was only recently he found out that the male was a well trained fighter. He usually practiced his kata's in the back, since he didn't want the extra expense of signing up at a dojo and his long hours at the university made him avoid the usual punks who used to try and pick fights with him. Not wanting to forget his training, he decided to do some of his work outs behind the house where there was some privacy. One weekend Renji had stumbled across him and offered to join him in his impromptu training. Now it had become a weekly routine for them to spar for about an hour and half.

As they fought Ichigo noticed that Renji's style was nothing like he had seen before. It was rough and seemed to take pieces from various disciplines and mash them together. Questioning him about his style, the male replied that he picked up things over time. However Ichigo knew that was not the whole story; the keen instinct and muscle memory that could only have been gained over years of fighting cannot be mimicked. Ichigo could recognize it, for he had developed it himself through all the fights he got into during his high school years on top of the strange training his father bestowed upon him.

"Ahhhh." Renji mused as he ran his hand through his damp hair. "Aniki did those for me."

Ichigo raised his eyebrow but didn't say anything. Renji hadn't mentioned anything about having an older brother. He had seen pictures of his family but none of them suggested a sibling. Becoming a little tipsy on sake, Renji had let the name Rukia slip out, which after a few ambiguous statements he figured she was past love interest. However none of their talks about their respective pasts didn't bring up the topic of the male having an older sibling. It was also strange that Renji used the term Aniki, which was more of a link with those in the darker side of society.

Renji must have caught his train of thought, because the male was now tensed and was as if he was anticipating some form of attack. When their eyes met, Renji snapped, "You might as well ask what you are thinking about."

"You are 893?" Ichigo asked with caution. Right now the man opposite him was all riled up, and he didn't want to make the situation worse by being blunt and insensitive.

"If I was," Renji replied, not breaking eye contact, and Ichigo could see the walls he had worked so hard to break beginning to form once again. "What of it?"

"Nothing." Ichigo casually shrugged, noting the past tense used by the man. Renji being a former Yakuza member explained his fighting prowess. As long as the man didn't bring any form of harm to his sisters and shielded them from trouble that could come after him, Ichigo couldn't care less about his past. "Just that you guys needed to think of a new recruitment strategy, other than trying to beat the shit of people."

The defensive stance immediately relaxed as Renji blinked with confusion at his statement. Ichigo chuckled and smiled openly at the man, "I was scouted by several gangs as I was growing up." Running a hand through his spiky orange mess, "Apparently brightly coloured hair was part of the job requirement."

"Yeah, sorry about that, it's kind of a tradition." Renji hesitantly smiled, as he realized that Ichigo wasn't going to condemn him. Looking at his own hair he joked back, "Which gang were you in?"

"None, I just beat up the recruiters."

Renji raised an eyebrow at that, which prompted Ichigo to fall into his stance as he said, "Don't believe me? I've been going easy on you."

"Please." Renji replied with a feral smirk, "I'm the one going easy on you."

Ichigo returned smirk with an equally battle hungry look of his own. He had a feeling this time their spar was going to be slightly more intense than usual.

"Bring it on." He said and they leapt at each other.

After that, Renji later explained that he left the gang, the Juichibantai (Eleventh Division), because there wasn't much of a future for him in the group and the court finally decided to give him the property his family had owned. His parents had passed away rather unexpectedly when he was only a child, therefore they hadn't considered having a will written. He had been placed with a set of distant relatives that didn't care much for him, which contributed to his involvement with the delinquents and ultimately led to his recruitment to the Juichibantai.

"The one who recruited me was Aniki, Harugasaki Seizo, he was one of the less insane members. His dark red hair really caught my attention, since I was always picked on due to mine. It was him who who did the tattoos on my back and taught me everything I knew about the business."

"What happened to him?"

"He retired, and around the same time, the courts decided that the house belonged to me. So I decided to leave the gang and start a tattoo parlour."

Ichigo hadn't pushed for further details. He'd had a feeling the gang wasn't cruel towards Renji, but it didn't make him happy either. In spite of the circumstances and choices he made, Ichigo was thankful that he was able to meet Renji, for if the man had remained with his gang there wouldn't have been the opportunity for them to be such good friends. Though he didn't have society's prejudice for the Yakuza, he didn't like endangering his sisters unnecessarily. Also if Renji was still in the Yakuza, he highly doubted the man would have had the time or inclination to be a househusband and to text him each evening to ask his plans.

Which was why he had been checking his phone, this evening he hadn't received his usual text from Renji, and it unsettled him.

Sighing he returned his focused back to his professor. They were currently in a theatre and learning how to perform an autopsy. Looking at the cadaver in front of him, Ichigo asked under his breath, "Any idea what's happening?"

Receiving no reply, he positioned his scalpel and neatly cut through the flesh. "Yeah, I have a funny feeling as well."

Hearing his phone vibrate, he looked at the caller ID. It was the house phone, which made him frown. The land line at home was mostly a formality that Renji's parents had back before cellular devices became popular, and was never removed even after it was considered obsolete. Excusing himself from his classmates and walking outside the theatre he answered the call.

"Ichi-Nii?" He heard Karin's voice over the phone. However it didn't sound like her usual boisterous and confident self. She sounded utterly terrified and nearly on the verge of tears. Ever since their father's funeral he had never seen her cry, and to hear her so broken and scared made every single protective instinct within him shift into overdrive. He promised on his parents' graves that he would do everything in his power to ensure his little sisters were safe and happy, and to hear his loudmouth sister become so quiet and docile was unacceptable.

"What's wrong, Karin-Chan?" He asked softly adding the suffix to sooth and to let her know that she had his complete attention.

"Th-There are some bad men outside the house." She stuttered as she spoke. Focusing on the background noise, he could hear Yuzu's sniffling and some muffled shouting.

Before he could ask she continued, "Ren-Nii, told us to stay inside and locked us in, but there were three bad men, Ichi-Nii. They were dressed like police people, but they don't look like police people. There was a lot of shouting and I think Ren-Nii is fighting them."

It was then he felt the scalpel he had mistakenly taken from the autopsy room in his other hand. Gripping it tightly, he replied calmly, "I want you to go upstairs and lock yourselves in my room. I'm coming home now."

"Hurry, Ichi-Nii." She answer before the line disconnected.

He walked inside and excused himself form the lecture, citing a family emergency, the academic staff was aware of his situation and he had excellent scores, so they granted him some leniency without too many questions. He ran through the corridors and grabbed his bag, dashing straight home. Thankful of his foresight in choosing to live somewhere close to the university, he managed to reach their neighbourhood in ten minutes at a steady sprint. Through all of the commotion, he never let go of his scalpel, instead he firmed his grip. Karin was an observant child to even notice that the people who had arrived at their residence were not actual law enforcement officers. Calling the police may make matter worse, especially if the people attacking them looked like cops.

"Primum Non Nocere." He heard his mother's voice whisper in his ear.

"First, do no harm." He whispered along with her voice.

Stopping just around the corner and hearing the sound of three voices heckling as well as intervals of flesh hitting flesh. Listening to Renji's pained grunts and groans, Ichigo's anger rose with each sound.

"Most especially must I tread with care in matters of life and death. If it is given me to save a life, all thanks. But it may also be within my power to take a life; this awesome responsibility must be faced with great humbleness and awareness of my own frailty."

The words of Hippocratic Oath ran through his head, as a medical student and a son of two doctors, he considered the oath his moral compass in regards to the knowledge he gained. Along with the power to save lives, one also learns how to take them as well. Ichigo had never considered using his medical knowledge to harm someone let alone kill; but after hearing the agony Renji was in and how terrified his sisters were on the phone, his point of view had changed drastically. He had already lost two of his precious people, his mother to a drunk driver and his father to a delirious patient armed with an illegal firearm. He would never forget the moment his beautiful mother got hit by an out of control car after pushing him out of it's path, or the sound of the bullet meeting his father's body.

Renji's pained scream broke him away from his inner turmoil and Ichigo made up his mind.

Reaffirming his grip on the scalpel, Ichigo strengthen his resolved.

"I'm sorry, Kaa-San." He whispered as he turned around the bend.

X.

Feeling Ikkaku's foot meet his shoulder Renji let out a groan of pain.

The bald bastard had just dislocated his shoulder from its socket, making him scream in pain and rendering his dominant arm useless. He had expected a visit form the Juichibantai sooner or later, because he had heard on the news about two gangs fighting each other in the city about some territorial disputes. With that sort of conflict going on, he knew it was a matter of time before they came making a house visit. During times such as these, the Juichibantai wanted to show their strength and would call all those who retired from the gang to fight. Although he had officially left the Eleventh, he knew could never be rid of them. It was a fact once you were at the bottom of society, one could not rid themselves of its stench.

He was closing shop when he saw the Captain, Lieutenant, Third and Fifth Seat standing outside, Renji knew immediately they were desperate to recruit people for the Captain to make an appearance was very rare. Telling the girls to remain inside and locking the door, he walked outside to approach them. They were not in affluent neighbourhood, and even though he was on good terms with many of his neighbours, it was 'See No Evil, Hear No Evil and Speak No Evil' policy when it came to gang related issues. Especially since they were dressed as police officer no one would dare to lift a finger against them, fearing that they could be interfering with an interrogation.

Yumichika had been the one who did most of the talking, and it was nothing surprising since Renji had already figured out why they were paying him a visit. What he didn't expect was that Ikkaku would respond so violently when he refused to join them once more for an already growing gang war. He was tired of it, and he didn't want to return to pointless violence. However when they started threatening the girls, Renji's parental instincts rose and he defensive attitude shifted to that of offense and aggression.

"If the Captain wasn't so adamant about wanting you back, I would have killed you just now for being so pathetic." Ikkaku taunted as he pressed Renji's face into the road with his foot. "Seriously, playing house has made you soft Abarai."

"Don't you dare touch those girls." Renji rasped out.

"Big talk for someone so pitiful." Ikkaku sneered as he lifted his foot again to smash his heel into Renji's head once more. Renji knew he couldn't withstand it this time, his shoulder was rendered useless and the dizziness of the previous assault to his head was beging to set in. Even if he somehow managed to defeat Ikkaku, there was still Yumichika, the Lieutenant and the Captain to rid of. With a defeated sigh, Renji closed his eyes as he saw the foot descend towards his temple.

'I hope they forgive me.' He thought as he anticipated the pain of being knocked out. 'I hope Ichigo forgives me.'

However as the moments passed the feeling never came. Instead he heard Ikkaku growl and Zaraki's amused chuckle. Renji opened his eyes and was shocked at what was happening above him. Ikkaku's foot was stopped by another placed underneath, just a few inches above his head. The street was so silent that Renji could practically hear everyone breath. Looking at the owner of the foot that stopped Ikkaku's, Renji rasped out in surprised.

"Ichigo."

"Don't talk Renji." The younger male commanded, not breaking the eye contact with Ikkaku. The tone he used was unlike anything he had heard from Ichigo before making him Renji immediately shut him up. It deeper and commanding which gave of a sense of ruthlessness he had only heard from the Captain before. Turning his attention to the group he could see that Ichigo's presences had manage to capture the attention of both Zaraki and the Yachiru. Renji swallowed in nervousness for from the time he could remember, anything that caught the Captain's attention would never end well. He had seen countless members of the gang and rival gangs be reduced to bloody piece of pulverised meat at the end of their 'meeting'.

A fate he wish not to fall on Ichigo.

"What are you doing punk?" Ikkaku's voice sneered as he glared at Ichigo, focusing on pushing his weight on the foot suspended by the younger male.

"It's funny you asked that," Ichigo replied coolly as if not feeling the added pressure from Ikkaku. "Because I was about to ask you the same thing, Pachinko." Renji eyes widen at the name and he could hear a laugh form the Captain along with some whining from the Lieutenant about her being the one to come up with that name.

"You got some guts, Kid, I'll give you that." Ikkaku growled back as he removed his foot and falling back into a stance, "But all of you are all fart and not shit."

"Believe me when I say, I follow through." Ichigo replied as he fell into his usual stance.

Renji knew that Ichigo could hold his own, but compared to Ikkaku's experience and brutality, it was easy to tell the male was the green horns in the battle. He tried to lift himself up, but the throbbing in his arm was too hard to bare, so he resorted to watch the horror that was about to play out before him. Praying to whatever god that was willing to listen, he wished for Ichigo's safety and forgiveness. It was right of him let Rukia go, for all he did to the people he had come to care about was drag them into the filthy pit he was forever in. Never before did he hate his existence, but seeing the two men leap at each other, he choked back a sob of defeat. He knew that the girls he had come to think as his own would hate him, now that he was the reason their one and only brother would be reduced to a pile of broken bones and bruised flesh.

'If only Ichigo never met me.' He thought as he watched the two men clashed.

Watching them fight Renji suddenly realised that Ichigo was beginning to overwhelm Ikkaku. Though he did lack some of the battle prowess, he was able to block and deflect Ikkaku's blows. He could see that though Ichigo was aggressive in his fighting style he was fully on defence, but Renji could see him reading and studying Ikkaku's move. It was something he notice that male did with him initially, and assumed it was something those who had formal training did, since their objective was to defeat the opponent and not kill; therefore they needed to analyse their opponents fighting style and find weakness they could exploit. With those in the Yakuza, they would find and opening and immediately go for the kill, there wasn't any analysis done on fights expect if the players were evenly match. From what he saw, Ikkaku was become frustrated with his fight against Ichigo.

"Why Carrot-Top?" He jeered, as he paused his onslaught. "Too scared to thrown a punch?"

Renji watched at the Ichigo smirked back. It was his usual cocky smirk that he would show, but there was sense of fridge ruthlessness that came from it rather than its usual arrogance.

"Nope." He replied casually. "Too bored."

Ikkaku's face contorted with anger before he launched his next attack at the male, this time he called at Yumichika to throw him his infamous staff. Renji watched in horror as Ichigo threw himself at the other male. Even though he was able to keep up with Ikkaku before, there was no way the male was able to attack his opponent unarmed. However within a blink of an eye he watched Ichigo grab hold of Ikkaku's staff near the end where his grip was to prevent the swing from continuing and instantaneously responded with swipe his hand across the males chest. The next second he saw Ikkaku kneeling on the ground with blood pouring from a large diagonal slice than ran across his chest.

"What the fuck did you do?" Ikkaku groaned as he tried to prevent the bleeding, but his effort were in vain since the cut was far too deep.

Standing above him, Ichigo showed his hand; in it was a thin silver blade slightly tinged with blood. "This is a No.10 scalpel blade." He looked at it as if to mildly inspect it before turning his attention back to the bleeding man at his feet, "It is generally used for making incision in skin and muscle, mostly around the abdominal region."

"What are you a fucking doctor?" Ikkaku spat out but from amount of blood he was losing his alertness was reducing as well. From what Renji could see, he could tell the gash wasn't fatal but it was not something that could be treated lightly.

Crouching down to Ikkaku's eye level, Ichigo smiled cruelly, "Unfortunately, I am only in training." Cupping Ikkaku's chin, he continued, "Don't worry, I purposely missed any vital areas so you won't die." Pausing a bit as if to think, "Well, not immediately."

"Bastard." Ikkaku swore before he lost consciousness. Ichigo let go of the male, allowing him to fall on the floor, and idly wiped his blade on Ikkaku's clothing.

"Why are you doing this for him?" Yukmichika spoke with tightly controlled anger. Renji knew that the third and the fifth seat were in a relationship, and seeing the man fall as he bled was something that would spark anger in the calmest of men.

"Because Renji is mine." Ichigo replied frankly locking his eyes with the other man. "And I don't like it when people harm what is mine."

If Renji was able to express his surprise he would have, unfortunately lying on the floor only allowed him to widen his eyes and stare at Ichigo in wonder. He was about to speak when he heard a loud maniacal laugh erupt from the Captain. Everyone turned their attention to the large man who had walked from his corner towards Ichigo, and with every step Renji's heart dropped even further. The Juichibantai had the strongest fighters since they had to survive within the gang as well as surviving other gang members, this is because the Captain would randomly attack who ever caught his fancy and if they couldn't even defend themselves against the Captain there was no chance they could stay within the group let alone amongst the living. Zaraki Kenpachi was essentially a mad man, and in a fight there wasn't a shred of humanity in him to stop him; and the only way to stop him was to die or withstand the beatings until he became bored.

"You got balls, Punk." He grinned as he stood within three feet away from Ichigo, "But the red pineapple is mine."

Ichigo scratched the back of his head casually, "Ahhh, but I was under the impression that he had left the Juichibantai."

"No one ever leaves."

Ichigo stared back at Zaraki's face as if he was contemplating something. There was brief pause before Ichigo broke by asking, "How about a proposal?" Seeing the larger males peeked interest, "We fight and the winner gets Renji."

Kenpachi grinned widely, "Sound like my kind of deal."

"NO!" Renji shouted as he struggled to lift himself up. "Ichigo, don't do it. You cannot possible defeat the Captain. The girls need you, so please let me go."

At his outburst, Renji nearly flinched at how sharp the man gaze was when it turned to him. They stared at each other for a moment, before Ichigo's face soften slightly and a small smile played on his lips. "I'm sorry Renji, but letting you go is something I cannot do."

Completely shocked at the reply, Renji gaped as the two men fell into their stances.

The fight was brutal and nothing about it was human. The Captain pulled out his rather beaten up wakizashi and did cut up Ichigo, they were shallow since the male did manage to skilfully avoid just in time. Ichigo on the other hand took Ikkaku's staff and snapped it in half to act like a diasho pair. Despite being slightly overwhelmed, Ichigo managed to leave just as many gashes on the Captain as well through the sharp ends of the wooden poles. However instead of slowing the other party down, Renji felt that with every blow it seemed to spur the opponent even further. Ever man wore the same blood thirsty smile as they fought and drew blood and Kepachi went so far as to laugh as he traded blows with Ichigo. Renji's swallowed with anticipation as he absentmindedly took note that Yumichika was engrossed with the fight as well while he was tending to Ikkaku.

"He is an exceptionally skilled fighter if he is to fight against the Captain with two halves of a wooden staff." Yumichika spoke up in a serious manner; his eyes were slightly squinted slightly in concentration as he watched the two men battle.

"Yeah, that punk is good." Ikkaku rasped out, making Yumichika fret over him.

"What do you mean?" Renji asked, turning his attention to Ikkaku, whose head was now resting on his partners lap.

"Using a wooden sword against steel blade is just plain stupid, because wakizashi would easily cut it, no matter how beaten up the blade might be." Ikkaku explained slowly as his attention went back to fight, "The only way for a wooden sword to battle a steel blade, is that the wielder has to ensure it meets the blade at certain angle and use his body to absorb the impact."

"To be able to predict the Captain's movements and get the angle right is alone tough." Yumichika added, "It is another to absorb those blows and throw your own."

"The punk is doing it instinctively," Ikkaku chuckled, "Crazy strong bastard."

"It's a long time since Ken-Chan had a fun." Yachiru announced as she hopped next to Renji, while not taking her eyes off the fight.

Renji quietly agreed, it had been a long time since he had seen the Captain this loose and aggressive through as fight. Though Ichigo had slight disadvantage being not armed with steel blade, he managed to keep up and become offensive at the same time. After listening in to Ikkaku's explanation he began to see Ichigo turn the staff in a split second. The speed it was happening at was alone amazing, not to mention he was able to withstand the Captain's monstrous strength. Renji finally understood what he meant by beating up all the Yakuza recruiters, and was slightly annoyed the male had held out on him. After about fifteen minutes both of them stopped. Kenpachi had managed to cut down Ichigo's wooden weapons, however Ichigo managed to slip behind him and had his scalpel against the side of Kenpachi's neck, while the Captain's blade was uselessly stabbing the air in from of him.

"From this position I can slice through both your jugular vein and carotid artery." Pressing his scalpel further into the man's neck allowing a thin strain of blood drip down, "You would bleed out in under a minute."

"Why don't you?" Kenpachi provoked.

"The clean-up would be horrible."

Zaraki laughed in response, before re-sheathing his sword. "You are an interesting guy." And as he moved away from Ichigo, he grinned. "Take care of the pineapple and yourself, I want a re-match."

"Piss off, Psycho." Ichigo replied as he watched the gang begin to gather their things and leave. Kenpachi barked out another peel of mad laughter before picking up Ikkaku and walked away from the neighbourhood. When they were out of sight Ichigo, relaxed his posture and immediately shifted his attention to Renji; who was not sitting on the road cradling his arm. Pocketing the scalpel, Ichigo knelt down, and effortlessly scooped Renji into his arms as carried him to the house. Placing him down momentarily to open the door, Renji leant into the Ichigo's frame as source of comfort and grounding after being rattled at what just happened.

Ichigo guided him to the kitchen and slowly lowered him to one of the chairs at the kitchen table. Renji winced at the movement of his arm, and clutched at it.

"We have to set that shoulder before the swelling sets in." Ichigo said as he reached out to touch the area. Renji nodded and sighed as he turned his head, in one sharp movement and intense pain he felt the bone fall back into its socket. Letting out a string of curses under his breath, Renji blinked back the tears of pain. After ensuring that the shoulder went back into its correct place, Ichigo instructed him to hold the forearm at a 90 degree angle, until he went to find some cloth to make sling. Once he had returned and carefully manipulated the cloth into a sling he went to place an ice pack.

Finished with the first aid, Ichigo smiled at him, "I think it'd time to call the girls down."

"Take off the lab coat." Renji instructed as he softly returned the smile, "It really shows way too much blood."

"As if you are any better."

"Well I am not their brother or legal guardian."

"Well, they think differently." Ichigo replied as he turned around, "So do I."

Renji gapped at the male's back as he called his sisters names. All he could do was to control the shock as the twins came dashing down. Yuzu wound up crying at their state and Karin though put on a brave face at first broke down into an equal show of water works. In the end it took them both an hour to console each girl that they were both alright and not going to die. Feeding them a very watered down version of what happened, they calmed down and relaxed. However they didn't want to let either adult go from their grips. Renji was glad they were still very young, therefore they couldn't properly understand the severity of the cuts on Ichigo's and his body. In the end, both of them had cried themselves to exhaustion, prompting Ichigo to suggest bed time. Neither of them wanted to go, in which Renji pacified them with tucking them into bed after he and Ichigo had a wash. Reluctantly they agreed and made their way up the stairs after a kiss on the forehead from both their brother and himself.

X.

Once Karin and Yuzu left the room, Ichigo was about to leave for a bath, when he felt something tug his coat preventing from moving away. Turning around, he saw Renji looking down with a slight flush on his face as his uninjured arm was stretched out to grab his jacket.

"Did you really mean what you say back then?" The man asked as his face took on a deeper colour with his gaze averted.

Ichigo swallowed with nervousness at the decision he was about to make, he could either deny and go back to their normal routine, or take a leap of faith and confirm his confession. Pushing back his uncertainty and taking Renji's hand into his he sighed.

"I'm afraid so."

With his heart pounding, Ichigo watched as Renji slowly lifted his head and meet his gaze, as if he was trying to see right into his very soul and Ichigo bared himself open for the man. For Renji, it was a risk he was willing to take; to leave himself vulnerable and open for the man to see. They stood like that, with locked gazes for a few seconds before Renji tighten his hand and avert his gaze. The disappointment was too much to bare for Ichigo, and the rejection felt as if a blade made of ice sliced through his heart. He was about to pull away when, he heard Renji softly whisper.

"I'm glad."

As if the world stop, Ichigo widen his eyes in shock. The pain he was feeling was immediately replaced as he saw the man's cheeks take on a similar colour to his hair. Reaching out with his free hand, he gently lifted Renji's chin with his fingers and they once again stared at each other. His eyes were swirling with such emotion Ichigo knew his weren't any different. Allowing a small smile to play on his lips, he stroked Renji's skin with his thumb.

"So am I." He replied softly as he leant down to place a gently chaste kiss on Renji's lips.

The kiss first started out chaste, sweet and filled with uncertainty from both parties. It was the sort that they exchanged in high school with their first crush or love, and pulling apart they saw the other had a slight flush on their cheeks. Smiling shyly and soft nervous laughter, they both drew in once again for a second kiss. Though first their lips met with the same chaste innocence, it soon turned into something far more passionate and intimate. Renji didn't know who started it, but he soon as he felt one of Ichigo's hand buried in his hair, while the other cupped his face, he was prompted to trace the male's lips with the tip of his tongue.

Ichigo opened his mouth willingly as he felt Renji's tongue plunder his mouth. It was demanding and aggressive, which made him respond in kind. Tongues swirling and twisting with each other, creating a dance of their own, Ichigo soon found himself tasting every single inch of Renji's mouth. Taking a deep breath, he could smell the scent of ink, paper and the household spices. If he had one word to describe Renji's scent, he would use the word 'home'. There was nothing more soothing to his keyed up battle senses, other than the presence and scent of the other man. Being mindful of the males injuries he gently, guided the male to stand up from his seat and drew him closer into an embrace.

Breaking apart, Renji sighed as he rested his head against Ichigo's. If was so surreal, that if it weren't for the dull throb of his shoulder he would have considered all of this a part of some bizarre dream. Breathing in Ichigo's scent, Renji mentally groaned in embarrassment as he felt something else also begin to throb. Thankfully for him, Ichigo wasn't any better, from the bulge forming in his pants. Feeling a bit playful due to mood, Renji ground his hips against Ichigo's, pulling out a low moan from the male. In return, Ichigo gripped his hair and pulled his ear against his mouth and whispered. His voice was deep with arousal and from what Renji saw, his eyes were nothing but black glittering in the low lighting.

"I was not going to touch you today, due to your injury." Letting his hand slide down Renji's toned back and into the waist line of his jeans. Slipping his hand into the male's boxers, Ichigo firmly squeezed Renji's buttocks, prompting him to arch his back and press himself further into Ichigo's chest. "But if you want to play like that…" He trailed off as he slipped his hands between the cheeks and circled Renji's opening.

Renjis flushed deeply at the feeling of the dry finger trace his opening lightly. The feather light touch coupled with rough hands and fingers, pushed his arousal over the edge. Growling softly, Renji replied huskily, "I have been waiting for months." Licking the shell of Ichigo's ear, and slipping his uninjured hand down the front of Ichigo pants and cupping the male's hard length, "Do you think for one second that I wait any longer now that I have it within the palm of my hand?"

He felt Ichigo tense up and still, making him worry if he had said something he shouldn't. About to apologize, Renji soon felt himself being lifted off his feet once more and carried towards his bathroom on the ground floor. Opening and closing the door with his feet, Ichigo gently lowered Renji on his feet and then began to undress himself. Seeing the male's confusion, he explained simply as he unbuckled his belt, "I am not going to make our first time together in this filthy bloody state." Removing the last article of clothing, he walked stark naked towards Renji and tugged the bottom of his shirt, as a silent request to undress him as well. Flushing lightly, Renij nodded and mutter, "Tear it." which was exactly what Ichigo did.

Soon they both were stark naked in the bathroom, staring at each other. From their sparring sessions, Renji was aware that Ichigo was built, but seeing him bare for the first time was another matter altogether. Every muscle in his body was tone and cut, it was hard to imagine that he was a mere medical student and not a professionally trained full time martial artist or a in the forces. The cuts that Kenpachi left were shallow and superficial, part of him was glad the Captain wasn't the type to look after his weapons causing them to become blunt over use. Letting his gaze drift further down, Renji couldn't stop the flush that came to his face. From the time he had cupped Ichigo's length he gauged the man was large, but seeing it bare and slightly erect he could safely say that he was the largest he had seen so far.

'How the hell am I to take that?' He wondered silently. He wasn't new to bottoming; over the years had been the top and bottom to many men, but none of them were as large as Ichigo. Being part of a Yakuza, made him see a lot of naked men and saying that Ichigo was well endowed was an understatement.

His apprehension must have showed on his face for Ichigo chuckled lowly and slowly approached him. "Don't worry, it will fit." He placed a sweet chaste kiss on Renji's lips, as he gently released the sling around his neck. "The human body is an amazing at adaptation, so let's wash before I show you." Ichigo smiled cockily as he guided Renji to the shower. Using his uninjured arm to keep the other at a 90 degree angle, he followed Ichigo compliantly.

Turing on the shower, Ichigo pinned him against the wall of the cubical and pressed a deep passionate kiss. Grabbing the bar of soap, Ichigo began to gently wash Renji in between the kisses. Running his hands along Renji's body, he committed to his memory the placement of the tattoo's on the man's body. He had always wondered where they ended, ever since he had first come to know about their existent. At times he was strangely jealous of Harugasaki Seizo even though Renji considered him more of a parental figure than of a love interest. Renji wasn't the type to give his back to anyone, let alone remain bare and exposed for hours on end to someone spoke about the depth of their relationship. Allowing the water to wash away any dirt, grime and soap away, he allowed Renji to return the favour as he held his arm in place. Though the soap did sting his open wounds, it was nothing compared to the subtle anger he felt welling up as he counted the bruises and scratches that littered Renji's body. If it weren't for the mood and having such a beautiful male in his arms washing him seductively, he would have run after that pinball and beaten him to death.

Once they were both free from dirt and blood, Ichigo reached out and ran his hands through Renji's long red hair. It was silkier and softer than he could imagine and, he couldn't stop touching it. Pressing Renji back against the shower cubical wall, Ichigo gently pulled the man's hair back so he would expose is throat. Running kisses and licking away the stray water droplets, he left a trail of marks on male's neck. Ichigo placed a knee between Renji's legs to part them, and used his other hand to reach behind and cup his buttock. Grinding their erections together, Ichigo slipped his hand between the cheeks and traced Renji's opening.

With the water acting as a lubricant Ichigo was able to slip his finger past the tight rim of muscles quite easily. Renji moaned out as he felt the intrusion and even though it was uncomfortable at first he soon relaxed to feeling. He hadn't bottom in a while and though he played with himself from behind occasionally, therefore it was still a bit difficult for him to relax his muscles at the start. He was slightly concerned about Ichigo's pace, since he knew that both of them were impatient, taking him now wouldn't be pleasurable for both of them. He could tell the male was experience from the way he entered him with his finger, but impatience was something that could affect anyone no matter how much skill they had under their belt.

"Relax," Ichigo whispered as he nibbled his ear, "I am planning to take my time with you. So much so that you would be riper than any woman."

"Do you read my mind?" Renji asked breathily, now calm after hearing the male's intention.

"No." Ichigo disagreed, before pulling him into a long deep kiss, "I am reading your body."

"Smartarse." Renji huffed amusedly, and let out a surprised gasp as he felt Ichigo withdraw from his body and lift him once more. This time the male took him straight to his bed and lowered him on to it before climbing on top of him. Staring at each other once more with storm of emotion in both their eyes, Renji reached up and kissed Ichigo. Taking that as a go ahead, Ichigo shift down and took a nipple into his mouth as his hand reach down between Renji's legs. Moaning under the ministration of that wet muscle swirling around his bud, Renji instinctively parted his legs and wrapped them around Ichigo's waist.

Using this opening Ichigo slipped a finger into the male once more, this time he found the opening not as tight as he first tried. The new position also allowed him a greater mobility to reach inside and after some careful searching he found what he was looking for. Watching Renji shudder slightly he could tell the he had found the exact location of the male's prostrate. From the reaction itself, he could tell it hadn't swelled enough for it be as sensitive as he wanted it to be. However now that he had the male in his arms and writhing with pent up arousal he was going to take his own sweet time. This had been a dream of his and he wasn't going to let it finish anytime soon.

Switching his mouth to other side, Ichigo added the second finger. He paused for a moment until the he felt Renji's muscles relaxed and then began to move around. Occasionally scissoring his fingers to stretch the rim further. After sometime, he could tell his effort has been paying off, because Renji's body had become far more sensitive to than what it was before. Pressing on the gland once more, he added the third finger. This time the male didn't even tense up at the addition. Thrusting all three of them for bit, and satisfied by the looseness of it, Ichigo withdrew pulling out a slight whine from the male beneath him as he did. Shifting himself off Renji and slowly moved down between the male's thighs. Pausing slightly at the man's erected length he decided against blowing on the man since he wanted Renji's first sexual climax with him to be just from the stimulation from his opening. Licking his lips and parting Renji's cheeks, he lightly circled the pink and now slightly puffy opening.

Renji shuddered as he felt that very same muscle which tormented his chest, down below. From his experience only very few of his previous partners had considered to do so only after prompting, and even among them it was a rare thing. Experience told him wetter the better, and Ichigo doing so without even being suggested to do so was practically a miracle in his mind. He could tell whatever he was learning from his university was paying off, because the male was the fastest to find his prostrate, let alone know how it works. Not many people knew that the prostate took time to swell and which made foreplay was very important.

'Proof that education is important.' Renji mused absentmindedly before his thoughts were cut off from the intrusion of Ichigo's tongue. Having enough of being kept on the edge, he reached down to stroke himself, but Ichigo quickly grabbed his hand. Raising his eyebrow Renji withdrew his hand and huffed, "If you are not going to let me deal with it. Hurry up and deal with it."

Ichigo chuckled at the impatience the man displayed, feeling his own throbbing length as well, he decided that it was enough preparation. He wanted Renji to feel the bare minimum level of pain when he entered, which was why he took his time in preparing the male. Stroking his own length with the remaining water from the shower, he positioned himself at the man's entrance. His length was still quite damp and coupled with the amount of saliva he used in preparing Renji, it was hardly surprising to see him glide easily into the man's waiting entrance.

That one slick movement made Renji throw his head back and moan. Not even the throbbing of his arm could ruin such a feeling. He had forgotten how full it felt, and given Ichigo's size he found himself being stretched to the limit, further than anything else before. Clenching around the man's length he slowly shifted around to accommodate the length and was glad Ichigo took his time for foreplay. Once he relaxed, Renji grounded his hips against Ichigo's to tell him to move. Immediately understanding it, he pulled out and then pushed back in. The pace was brutally slow and it drove Renji further towards the edge. Reaching up and pulling Ichigo towards him and flipped them over. Being mindful of his arm, and using his other to steady himself, Renji began to ride the male's length. Not wanting to be left out, Ichigo slowly began to thrust his hips upwards according to Renji's pace.

'He is used to this.' Ichigo thought as he felt his length glide in and out of Renji's stretched opening. It wasn't unexpected given that Renji was in the Yakuza. Occasionally thrusting deeply at where he knew the prostrate was, he elicited a loud wanton moan from the man as he arched his back grinded against his length, 'Showing that face to others.' Ichigo thought as he took in the site of Renji's expression, eyes with half lidded with desperation and primal need. Possessiveness flaring, Ichigo reached up and pulled the male into another deep rough kiss. Now that he had Renji in his arms, he wasn't going to let anyone else see him as this.

'He is the kind of beauty, one wants to keep to themselves.' Ichigo mused as he continued to attack the man's prostrate, pushing him to moan louder and become more desperate. Ichigo smirked, feeling glad that he fought and won Renji from the Eleventh Division; even though the concept was bit backwards.

Sensing Renji's fatigue through his gradually slowing pace, Ichigo flipped them once more again and started to thrust into the man once more. They were both close and after a few more rough thrusts, he felt Renji clamp on his length as he came. Rocking him through his climax Ichigo followed soon after, kissing the already spent male as he released his load into him. Flopping down next to the man and pulling him into an embrace, they waited until their heartbeats reduced their speed.

"I want you by my side." Ichigo suddenly said into Renji's hair, breaking their companionable silence.

Renji burrowed further into the man's embraced and sleepily replied, "There is no other place, I rather be."

Ichigo smiled as he closed his eyes, allowing himself being carried off to sleep.

X.

"Ichi-Nii and Ren-Nii lied to us!" Karin's voice cut through their sleep. Immediately waking Renji up and greeted him with both their angry faces. Ichigo on the other hand was who still not even half awake, groaned was out and tried to bury his head in the pillow.

"I'm sorry Karin-Chan, Yuzu-Chan." Renji began as he tried to think up of an excuse for not tucking them in at night as they promised yesterday.

"Shush, Karin." Ichigo groaned out as slowly lifted himself from the mattress, cutting Renji off from any form of half arsed excuse he could come up with. However this prompted her to climb onto the bed, and her sister followed through. Renji immediately blushed deeply since they both were still naked under the sheets and the sling on his arm didn't help him at all.

"Why is Onii-San and Ren-Nii, not wearing clothes?" Yuzu asked as she stared at their bare chests.

"Because Onii-San and Ren-Nii are together." Ichigo explained simply as he petted her head.

"Together?" They both asked in unison.

"Like Kaa-San and Tou-San."

"Ichigo!" Renji protested as he turned sharply at the grinning male, both flustered and embarrassed.

"Why? What wrong?" He asked raising an eyebrow, making Renji flush a little deeper. Despite his embarrassment, he couldn't refute the male's comparison because deep inside he knew that it was his wish to have a family. However not just any family, but be part of the Kurosaki family.

"Nothing." He mumbled as his cheeks took on a colour similar to his hair.

"Really?" They both asked with untamed excitement, looking from one male to another for confirmation.

"Yes." Renji replied softly and then hesitantly glanced at Ichigo.

Renji couldn't control his emotions, for he saw that deep gentle look he usually saw Ichigo wear when he was speaking to his sisters, directed at him. Never before had he had someone look at him with such adoration and love ever in his life. Slowly moving closer to Ichigo he rested his head against the other man's shoulder and he laced his fingers with Ichigo's. In response he felt a large rough hand rest on his head and a soft kiss being placed on his crown. There were no words to express how they felt for each other in that moment, neither did they need any; for actions spoke louder than words. They both fought and spilt blood for each other and this family. It was a bond greater than anything else on earth.

"Ren-Nii will be part of us?" Karin asked looking at both of them.

"And we are going to be a family?" Yuzu added quietly, "A proper family."

"Yes." Ichigo confirmed with a smile, making Renji bury his face in his neck. He didn't want the girls to see his tears, they the twins cuddled them.

X.

"Renji?" A voice cut through the chatter of the crowd, making him turn towards the direction it came from. They had all come to Tokyo for a medical convention and it was only the elite few who were invited for the dinner afterwards. Naturally Ichigo being an up and coming neurosurgeon was invited for he had already invented a new technique for a particular type of brain surgery, which had just passed approval from the relevant committee in charge.

Taking in the owner of the voice, he smiled lightly as he greeted, "Rukia, it has been a while."

She look beautiful in her furisode kimono, icy blue with white obi and a dull gold embroidery of snowflakes scattered at the bottom of the sleeves and the main body. He was sure every part of her outfit was custom made, along with her jewellery and shoes. Everything considered she looked as if she was an actual snow princess. Standing next to her was Kuchiki Byakuya, dressed in a full black silk kimono and white haori. However though his prideful and stoic expression never changed, Renji could see a flicker of interest in those cool grey eyes as they took in his figure. He himself was also dressed in a formal silk kimono, but it was deep shade of royal purple and the haori was grey. His hair was allowed to fall down freely, framing his face and swept to aside, partially exposing his tattoos. Though the kimono wasn't custom made, he knew they could tell that it wasn't cheap either. He guessed the curiosity stemmed from his entire appearance, since the last time either of them saw him, was when he was a street urchin.

"What are you doing here?" She asked quite bluntly.

Renji smiled at her again, she hadn't changed much since he last saw her twenty years ago when he was fifteen. She was still quiet blunt, but even though he had half expected it from her, it did sting him a bit at the phrasing. Gesturing lightly at the crowd he replied pleasantly, "I was invited."

She blinked in shocked and Byakuya raised one of his elegant eyebrows. Before Rukia could ask any more questions, Byakuya cut him off with his usual calm and collected tone, "I don't recall the name Abarai being list of invitees."

"That is because I no longer go by that name." Renji replied coolly. "My name is Kurosaki Renji."

Renji watched in secret pleasure as Byakuya's eyes widen and Rukia's hand went to her mouth. It had been ten years since he and Ichigo had first confessed to each other, and they had been married for nearly five years. Ichigo had proposed to him the day he became a fully-fledged surgeon and they had a small private ceremony, which was predominantly attended by the Juichibantai. Despite their gruesome start, the gang and them had formed a rather unusual relationship, and now was Ichigo's major customers (patients). Only recently Ichigo had gotten their family home back and remodelled the clinic for his private patients, mainly comprising those of the Juichibantai members; and to accommodate a small tattoo studio on the side.

After a suggestion from Ichigo, Renji began to consider using his skills as tattoo artist to hide skin imperfection. It was after a patient Ichigo had who was a young woman who had large birthmark on her cheek and wanted rid herself of it, unfortunately she was afraid of laser treatments and could afford the price quoted. Unable to provide a suitable solution, Ichigo was about to turn her way, but Renji had been passing by and offered to cover up the birthmark with a tattoo, but the colour used would match her skin tone. Therefore he would literally only tattooing over her birthmark. It was trick he used to cover up smaller tattoo clients had but didn't have the money for laser treatment. Afterwards Ichigo began to urge him to offer those services to other people with other skin disfigurements due to a burn, accident or birth; those who wanted to rid themselves of it but couldn't afford laser treatment or it wasn't a solution. Over the years he had perfected his ability to gauge the skin tone and with his skill he had been steadily gaining recognition for it.

"Ah, Renji!" Ichigo's voice cut through his thoughts and Renji smiled slightly as he felt a familiar arm around his waist. "That where you were." Dressed in a deep emerald green kimono and a beige haori, and sunset hair somewhat tamed after he had allowed it grow out a little. Next to him were Karin and Yuzu in similar furisodes, only the colour scheme was different. Karin's was navy blue with silver birds embroidered, while Yuzu's was ruby red with gold birds. They both look beautiful at the age of fifteen and he was proud to see them grow up to be such beautiful women.

"Chichi, we were looking everywhere for you." Karin complained as she moved towards Renji's other side, "Tou-San was running around like a headless chicken looking for you."

"Don't lie Karin." Ichigo admonished.

"It true, Tou-San." Yuzu agreed with her sister making him pout slightly.

"Why were you looking for me?" Renji asked smiling at Ichigo. The girls had changed the terms they used to refer to them soon after Ichigo and himself had become an actual couple ten years back. It was a gradual change, so they never noticed it until one of Ichigo's classmates pointed it out.

"There is a small informal conference about to start near the bar and I want my beautiful husband to be in near me when I speak."

"I honestly can't believe you are nervous about public speaking."

"I'm not nervous." Ichigo huffed, "I just feel better when I can see you."

Renji laughed and shook his head, "Alright, alright. I wasn't going to miss it anyway."

"Who are these people?" Ichigo asked inquisitively as his attention finally shifted to Rukia and Byakuya; who were closely watching the family interactions.

"Oh, they're just very old acquaintances." Renji truthfully supplied. It has been twenty years since he had last seen or heard from Rukia, and seeing her looking as if she was royalty didn't stir any emotion in his heart. The life he had with Ichigo made him far too content to even consider a 'what if' with Rukia. It was hard to imagine on how much their life had changed, how much his life had changed. He was a husband for young, handsome and successful surgeon while a father to two beautiful girls and help people cover their imperfections. It was hard to imagine that he was once a street urchin whose life would have been forever dedicated to the Yakuza.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Ichigo pleasantly greeted, "Shall we go?" he asked Renji who nodded. After saying his goodbye's to Rukia and Byakuya who were still processing what had just taken place.

Walking towards the bar, they both heard the clock chime midnight; and once the ringing finished, Renji felt Ichigo pull him even closer and whisper in his ear and pulled out a document.

"Happy Birthday."

Opening it Renji nearly shout with surprise as he fully realised what the document contents held. It was the confirmation letter of their adoption of a little boy named, Rikichi, that Renji found on the streets. Once Karin and Yuzu began to enter their teenage years, Renji had felt a mild case of premature empty nest syndrome and suggested the idea of adopting another child. The process was tedious and they had been going for interviews for over a year. Blinking away some unshed tears and trembling with emotion smiled as Renji immediately pulled Ichigo into a tight embrace.

Ever since he had met Kurosaki Ichigo and his sisters the last day of August had always been a happy one.

A/N: There we go a nice long one-shot. I was honestly scrambling around for a good plot for IchiRen, and initially planned to write a small (around 3K-4K words) PWP in the cannon universe. However it seems, that it transformed into something completely different. This was sitting on my computer for about six months, with numerous edits made. Which was why the betaing for it was all over the place. In the end, I just said 'Fuck It' and published it. A giant thank you for 'Lilinoe', who could only edited portions of this giant one-shot due to my chaotic method of writing.

'Primum Non Nocere', another way to state it is that, "given an existing problem, it may be better not to do something, or even to do nothing, than to risk causing more harm than good." The version of the 'Hippocratic Oath' in the fic was written in 1964 by Louis Lasagna, Academic Dean of the School of Medicine at Tufts University, and used in many medical schools today.

The name Yakuza meaning Japanese gangsters comes from a card game called 'Oichokabu'. '8-9-3' (Yattsu, Ku, San), is the worst hand in the game. Therefore Yakuza had come to mean the worst people in the society.

Harugasaki Seizo appears only in the anime in Episode 313. Rikichi is an unseated officer in the the 6th Division.

Ichigo is using Bontenmaru's technique from 'Samurai Deeper Kyo', to fight Kenpachi. I recommend that manga to anyone, it is much underrated and completed. I also aced Japanese History because of it, since it is somewhat partially accurate.

Furisode - literally translates as 'swinging sleeves', the sleeves of furisode average between 39 and 42 inches in length. They are the most formal kimono for unmarried women, with colourful patterns that cover the entire garment.

Basma Hameed is tattoo artist uses ink to put natural colour into skin to cover burn scars. I got the idea for Renji's new branch of clientele from her.