Epilogue 2

Rukia assumed the party was really for Renji. It was being held in the bar over near the Tenth Division where the lieutenants drank together, and it sounded like it was mostly his friends who were coming.

"That's because Matsumoto organized it," Kiyone flapped a hand at her. "And you're being very silly, everyone wants to see you."

Rukia blew her hair out of her face.

Sentarou bumped her shoulder. "Hanatarou said he would come, and you know he hates crowds even more than you do."

That made Rukia feel a little better. She was looking forward to a little Hanatarou time. Maybe she could find some quiet corner to hide in with him until enough time had passed that she could make a discreet exit.

Except that wasn't the way it went down at all.

A huge roar of "Kuchiki!" and "Welcome back!" went up when they walked in, and then people were slapping her on the back and buying her drinks. Renji wasn't even there yet.

"So, Kuchiki," Madarame said, sidling up to her. "You've been avoiding me."

"Not… on purpose?" she shrugged.

"You owe me a fight."

Oh, right, she did. She'd promised him a throwdown back when she and Renji were pulling the Advance Team together. That seemed like a million years ago.

Rukia cracked her knuckles. "Okay. You want to go out back?"

Matsumoto, who was already three sheets to the wind, shoved Ikkaku in the head. "Do not ruin my party, you butt."

"How does a fight ruin a party?" Ikkaku demanded.

"Because everyone wants to see Rukia and you're taking up too much of her attention," Matsumoto announced primly.

"How about Saturday?" Ikkaku grunted.

"We have The Brawl on Saturday," Yumichika reminded him.

"Aw, damn. Next Saturday?"

"Next Saturday," Rukia agreed. "I will destroy you."

A grin curled across Ikkaku's face. "I look forward to it."

Suddenly, there was another chorus of cheers, and Rukia looked up to see Hisagi and Rikichi hauling Renji in through the door.

"Look at this dumb jerk!" Hisagi shouted. "I had to pull him away from his paperwork!"

"There's so much of it," Renji excused, weakly.

People were jumping on him and punching him in the shoulder and calling him names. Rukia breathed out as a huge wave of relief washed over her. Maybe she could stop being the center of attention now. Renji's eyes scanned the crowd, and when they found her, he flashed her a big grin.

Rukia's ears burned. Here they were, at a party for all his friends who hadn't seen him in months, and the first person he looked for was her. What an utter doofus.

"Hey, Kuchiki."

Rukia looked over at the only person at this party shorter than her. "Oh, hello, Captain Hitsugaya, sir!"

Hitsugaya glanced around. "It's your party, so you can call me Toushirou. If you want. Tonight only."

She smiled. "Okay. Toushirou. What's up?"

"Just wanted to make sure you and Abarai were okay. That was some bullhockey. I didn't get wind of it until you were already gone. I wish I could have done something."

Rukia was shocked. "Captain, I…"

"I told you, it's Toushirou. Look, Kuchiki. You and I are a lot alike. We like to do stuff on our own, we don't like to depend on others. But all this Aizen crap went down because none of the captains trusted each other or played well together. I like you and Abarai. I'd like to see you both become captains someday."

"Renji, maybe," Rukia mumbled.

Hitsugaya regarded her out of the corner of his eye. "Modesty doesn't suit you. I've already agreed to proctor your exam in two months. It's about time. So, anyway: how are you?"

"We're fine, really," Rukia assured him. "And our own captains will watch out for us."

Hitsugaya raised one eyebrow. "I like your captain, Kuchiki, but he's been around here longer than you or I can even imagine. He has his own agenda. And I was there when your brother threw Renji in the brig for losing a fight."

"They're...a work in progress," Rukia admitted.

Hitsugaya regarded her carefully. "If you say so. But don't be afraid to come talk to me if you ever need anything. Anyway, go have fun at your own party. I won't be staying long. I'm also here to make sure Momo gets home okay."

"I'm glad to see she's up and around," Rukia said softly. "She was still recovering when we left. Renji will be so relieved."

They both looked over to where Renji and Momo were exclaiming over each other.

"She's doing much better," Toushirou agreed. "But she gets tired easily, and needs some reminders to take it easy. She was, ah, pretty worried about him, too."

They stood in awkward silence for a moment. It was no secret between them that were both in favor of Renji and Momo's friendship in theory, but it made them feel weirdly uncomfortable in practice.

Rukia tried to break some of the tension. "Oh, look, it appears we've gotten the same haircut. It looks much cuter on her." Rukia assumed that sometime over the course of her mystery mission, she had either set her hair on fire or gotten some sticky substance in it. At least the ends were neat, which probably just meant that she had conned Renji into trimming it for her. On Momo, it looked adorable, like a fresh start. Momo also had lovely side-swept bangs. Rukia could never pull off bangs.

Hitsugaya shrugged. "I dunno. Yours looks- What is Abarai doing?"

Rukia could tell exactly what he was doing. "It looks like he's trying to bench her. Don't worry, Kira is talking him out of it."

It was too late, Hitsugaya was off.

Rukia decided to leave Renji to his fate, and went looking for Hanatarou.

The party wore on quite late, especially for a weekday evening. Rukia had found Hanatarou, briefly, hiding out at a corner table with Rikichi. She would have been happy to hide out with him, but the best she could do was promise to meet him later in the week before she got hauled back into the fray. She didn't see much of Renji, either, although she assumed he was being similarly accosted.

Then, she found herself sitting alone at a table with Lieutenant Iba, who turned to her and said, "Did Abarai ever tell you about the time he and I went fishing out at Cattail Lake?"

Renji abruptly materialized out of absolutely nowhere and plopped down next to Rukia. "You tellin' stories, Iba? Is it storytime?"

"Did you… did you flash-step over here?" Iba asked, baffled. "Where did you come from?"

Renji elbowed Rukia. "You're going to love this story. This is the greatest of all Iba-Abarai stories." He narrowed his eyes at Iba. "I hope you weren't planning on telling her the censored version."

Iba looked away, scowling. "Well, I am now."

"Come on! What's the point of telling that story if you're going to leave out the stirring, poetic descriptions of my package?"

Iba rubbed his forehead. "Dammit, Abarai, I can't describe your junk to your...uh…"

"Captain's sister," Renji patiently provided.

"-to your captain's sister, with you sitting right here."

"Gosh," Renji sighed. "Too bad."

"You could leave," Iba suggested.

"Haven't seen Rukia all night," Renji replied.

"Three months on a mission together, and you aren't sick of her yet?" Iba asked skeptically.

"Not yet," Renji shrugged cheerfully.

"I'll just find Iba some other time," Rukia pointed out to Renji. "How the hell does your dong fit into a fishing story anyway?"

"That's what makes it such a good story," Renji replied, knowingly.

"You'll have to come out drinking with me, then," Iba pointed out. "I only tell that story when I've been drinking."

"Speaking of which," Renji slid a bottle of sake across the table. "Here. People keep giving me these, and I am drunk enough."

Iba slid it back. "You're hardly drunk at all. Also, Matsumoto made me and Hisagi the designated-Renjis, so you can get as drunk as you want."

"What is a 'designated Renji'?" Rukia demanded.

"It's the sap who stays sober enough to cut people off when they've had too much and to make sure everyone gets home safe," Iba explained.

"I guess they appoint someone when I'm not around," Renji admitted, sheepishly.

"Why are you embarrassed about it?" Rukia scolded him. "It sounds like a very kind thing to do." It sounded like a very Renji thing to do, to be honest.

Renji slapped his hands on the table. "Wait, that means I can go home whenever I want, right?"

"I guess," Iba shrugged.

"Crap, I am going home right now."

"Laaaaaame," Iba groaned.

"Screw you, man, I haven't slept in my own bed in months. Or days. I don't even know anymore. Getting your memory wiped is terrible." He glanced at Rukia. "How long're you staying? I guess he's gonna start telling you that awful story again the minute I leave."

Rukia tilted her head to the side. "You know how much I love leaving parties early. Let's blow this joint." She straightened up to her full height. "You should let me walk you home, Lightweight."

"I am a little tipsy and you know what a shady neighborhood I live in." As if anyone even littered in the vicinity of the 6th. "We should find Matsumoto and tell her we're out."

"She's right here," Iba said, nudging the pile of shihakushou next to him. He reached across the table and grabbed the jug of sake back. "Oi, Rangiku, I got you some more booze."

"I didn't even see her there!" Renji yelped.

Matsumoto peeled her face off the table. "Did you get to the part where the boat capsizes yet?"

"No, Abarai showed up, and he's making off with Kuchiki."

"I just found out I'm not the designated Renji," Renji excused. "Which means I can go home whenever I want. So I'm going home."

"Renji," Matsumoto croaked. "I love you. I am so glad you're back. Please never leave again."

"I will never leave again," he promised. "I will be in the Squad 6 office every day until the end of the world. Because that's how long it is going to take me to finish all my paperwork."

"Sometimes," Matsumoto whispered, "I just hide it. Like in closets and things." She took a deep breath through her nose and managed to sit up. "Enjoy your early evening, Abarai. You're the designated Renji again on Saturday, you got it?"

"Perfect. Thanks for the party, Rangiku, it was real nice that everybody came out."

"Yes, thank you," Rukia echoed.

Matsumoto blinked, suddenly noticing Rukia. "Wait a second. You two really are leaving together? Are you gonna-?" She made a very illustrative hand gesture.

Rukia's face turned red, but Renji was clearly used to this. "I don't know. Which one of your hands was me?"

Matsumoto started laughing so hard that she began to snort.

"Yeah, she's done," Renji announced.

"Hey, stop doing my job of being you!" Iba scolded him. "I'm glad you're back, man. Wasn't the same without you. And Kuchiki?"

"Yeah?" Rukia asked hesitantly.

"I bet you got a lot of good stories about him, too, dontcha? We should hang out more."

"Boy, howdy," Rukia replied.

"You have a good time?" Rukia asked as they ambled toward the 6th. "Seemed like your kinda party."

"It was nice," Renji agreed. "It was weird, o' course, since everyone missed us so much, and I don't even remember being gone. And life going on without us, the new captains, Momo being up and about."

Rukia looked up at him. "But?"

He stretched his arms up and interlaced his fingers behind his head. "Right around quittin' time, before Hisagi showed up, I got to missing you real bad. Like maybe I woulda preferred a quiet dinner, just you an' me." He looked down at her. "Don't tell anyone else I said that."

It occurred to Rukia that even though, in their minds, no time had passed, something had changed in their hearts. Before they left, he wouldn't have said something like that to her, or asked her to keep a secret for him. Before, they had been friends, sure, but they had maintained a certain distance. Maybe because their hearts hadn't finished healing from their long separation, or maybe just for propriety's sake. But this felt right, Renji just saying what was in his heart. And to be honest, she had kinda missed him, too, even after just one day.

"We must have kept some sort of schedule," Rukia suggested, "that your subconscious still remembers, even if you don't. It's just what you're used to."

"Must be," Renji agreed.

"I know you're real busy catching up on work," Rukia started. "But I could come by for lunch tomorrow. If you wanted."

"If you have time, that'd be real nice, thanks." He smiled softly at her.

Rukia found herself smiling back.

"Hey! Chuckleheads!"

Rukia and Renji practically jumped out of their skin as a dark silhouette stood up on a nearby rooftop.

Renji clutched his chest. "Dammit, Yoruichi, we are too drunk for you to be sneakin' up on us like that."

Yoruichi jumped down from the spot where she had been crouching. "Sorry about that." She wrinkled her nose distastefully. "That's why I'm here, actually. To apologize."

"For what?" Rukia frowned.

Yoruichi sighed heavily. "Soi Fon shouldn't have wiped your memories. It was wrong. I didn't think she'd really do it. It was crummy and I'm sorry."

Renji shrugged. "It's not that big a deal. We're fine. Everyone at Squad 2 made it sound like the mission was a real drag, anyway."

Rukia tilted her head to the side, her forehead creased. "Is there something...that was worth remembering?"

Yoruichi sucked her teeth for a long moment. "You trained an awful lot, for one. Some of that may come back- bodies remember better than brains. I owe each of you a hakuda lesson. I taught you something and I owe it to you to make sure you don't lose it. And…" Yoruichi drew in a deep breath and then let it out again. "And it was a crummy situation and you two were just really friggin' there for each other." She shook her head. "Gaaah, this so sappy! I just needed to make sure you jerks know how lucky you are." Her face looked deeply uncomfortable.

"Wow," Rukia commented. "Good job saying all that without bursting into flames."

Renji ignored her sarcasm. "Yoruichi," he said seriously. "Thanks. But we know." He nudged Rukia in the shoulder. "Right?"

Rukia looked up at him, taken aback by the sincerity in his voice. "Yeah, of course," she agreed, her heart squeezing a little at the admission.

Yoruichi was playing with something she had pulled out of her jacket pocket. "Well, don't take it for granted. Also…" she looked off to the side. "I visited you guys at New Year's. We got hella drunk. Anyway, I found this in my camera roll in the middle of, like, seventeen blurry pictures of my own tits. I don't even remember taking it, I swore you guys were in your- uh, New Year's outfits the whole time." She shoved a photo at each of them.

They were two copies of the same picture, mostly in focus. Renji was flexing one arm, with Rukia slung over his bicep. They weren't looking at the camera, they were looking at each other with huge, stupid, drunk grins plastered all over their faces.

Rukia studied the picture for a long time, thoughtfully.

"Thanks, Yor-" Renji started to say. "Aaand, she's gone."

Rukia looked up. Sure enough, Yoruichi had ghosted.

"That was weird," Renji commented. "Doesn't seem like Yoruichi to make a special point of awkwardly complimenting us on our friendship. I wonder what that was really about."

Rukia's brain was too tired and drunk to go down that road. Instead, she blurted out, "I think this is the first picture I have ever seen of just the two of us together."

Renji blinked and looked down again at the picture in his hand. There were no cameras in Inuzuri. He hadn't really appreciated the value of photos until after Rukia was gone. They had plenty of pictures of each other- she had an almost preternatural gift for having her phone at the ready whenever he did something colossally stupid. They were in some group photos, too, where Rukia always got pushed to the front and Renji got shuffled to the back because of their heights. But just the two of them? "I think you're right," he frowned.

"We should start taking selfies," Rukia blurted out. "All the time. Like Matsumoto does."

Renji snorted. "Okay. If you say so."

She stared at him. "You have to take them, though. Because of, you know. My tiny arms." She shoved her phone at him.

"What, like right now?"

"Why not?"

"It's dark? We probably look like crap- well, I look like crap, you always look good-"

"Abarai," she scowled. "What would you give for a badly lit, blurry picture of us and the guys back in Inuzuri? Or you and me in our shiny new uniforms on our first day at the Academy?"

Without another word, he grabbed her by the back of her kosode, and hefted her up so their faces were roughly level. "Are you smiling?"

"I'm smiling!"

He took the picture, and they examined it together. It was terribly overexposed from the flash, they were both smirking like smart alecks, and they both looked much drunker than they felt. "Well, that's what we look like, I guess," Renji declared.

"You could have taken a knee instead of holding me like a sack of rice," Rukia griped.

"I don't see why I would do that," he replied flippantly, texting himself the photo before returning her phone. "There you go: Kuchiki and Abarai, back from the war, officers in good standing once again."

"Y'know," Rukia said slowly, as they resumed their meandering journey back toward the Sixth. "Everyone keeps talking about things going back to normal, but I don't want to go back to normal."

"No?" he asked mildly.

"What was normal, anyway? Back before Ichigo crashed into my life? Back when we didn't talk to each other, and Brother hated me, and I was miserable? Forget that. I'm… I'm gonna take the lieutenant's exam, Renji."

"I know," he nodded. "When we're both lieutenants, they better frigging watch out."

"Frigging unstoppable," Rukia agreed.

"And…" Renji said slowly. "I'm gonna earn your brother's respect."

"Are you now?"

"Yeah. Mark my words: He's gonna refer to me as 'my trusted lieutenant' or least 'my basically competent lieutenant.'"

"I believe in you," she declared, punching him in the arm. "I bet he even invites you to some family crap."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves."

"It's a low bar. He loves inviting people to family events. It's the price that you pay. Family events suck."

"You'll be there, though, right?"

"Yup. Yup, yup, yup."

"Well, then, those Kuchikis better friggin' watch out, too."

"This is what we always dreamed of, y'know," Rukia pointed out.

"Ruinin' rich peoples' social occasions?"

"Being shinigami. Being strong. Being somebodies."

"Being together," he added.

"We didn't have to dream about that," she said a little sadly. "I never thought we wouldn't be."

"Well," he shrugged. "Let's not be." His foggy brain tried to parse the double negatives. "Not together that is. Ever again."

She looked up at him and smiled. "Deal."