Sorry for making you guys wait too long =( Anyways, enjoy.

Renji groaned and blinked his eyes rapidly, trying to adjust to the bright light that flooded his room. He stretched his arms above his head with a loud yawn, and closed his eyes as he reached over for the sleeping girl beside him, his hands coming into contact with thin air. Renji sat up, his eyes registering the fact that his bed was empty, the raven haired girl not in sight. Groaning, Renji slammed his head back onto the pillow, his mind coming up with reasons why she would leave so early and without saying goodbye, this couldn't be good…maybe he did something wrong, was it something he did, something he said? Pulling his arm up to drape it over his eyes, he noticed there was neat ink scribbles all along the inside of his arm. Smiling Renji sat up and read over the note that he guessed, must've been written with black eyeliner, from Rukia.

'Sorry had to go home, tried to wake you up but couldn't'

Renji sighed, ah…so, he didn't do anything wrong, thank god…he smiled looking at the second line of her message, simply saying 'call me' with her phone number printed neatly on his arm, he was so damn lucky it didn't smudge.

Rising grudgingly out of his comfy bed, Renji rubbed his stomach and scratched his head, glancing at his digital alarm clock briefly; he noticed that it was well into the afternoon, 3:20 actually. He simply stood in the middle of his room, clad only in his boxers, his mind filled with thoughts of the raven haired beauty that had slept with him last night. Surprisingly, that was all they did, sleep. It was really a first that a girl stayed overnight without having sex with him. Renji smiled, glancing affectionately at the black message on his arm.

Then it hit him, "SHIT, IKKAKU!" He yelled, just realizing he forgot all about his injured friend, the hospital warned that he was to be under constant supervision and his sleeping monitored for the next 48 hours, and here Renji was just waking up about 12 hours after Ikkaku fell asleep. He bolted out of his room and ran down the hall, bursting through his roommate's door, catching his breath with a sigh when he noted the man was sitting upright in the bed, laptop on his thighs as his head snapped towards Renji. "Hey, Renji…how was your night, eh?" Ikkaku asked, wagging his eyebrows suggestively.

"Shit, my bad. I fell asleep. I forgot to check on you, shit I thought you were dead." Renji panted, clutching his chest to slow his erratic heart beat.

"Nah, so how was the sex?" he pressed further, waiting for an answer.

"Do you remember anything about last night?" Renji asked, clearly confused.

"Uh…" Ikkaku grounded out, "Oh god, we didn't have some sort of gross guy girl guy three way did we?" he asked with a horrified expression on his face.

Renji narrowed his eyes at his friend, "No you dumbass…" he sighed, "First of all, eww…second of all you passed the fuck out after ruining my night with Rukia…"

"So you guys didn't fuck?" Ikkaku said, clearly shocked.

Renji shook his head no, "It's not that big of a deal." Renji waved off, leaving his friends room.

Ikkaku jumped out of bed, hastily detangling the sheets from around his waist, "Like hell it's not! When's the last time you brought a girl home to have an innocent, celibate sleep-over?" Ikkaku teased following Renji down the stairs. Renji growled in annoyance, standing in front of the open fridge, chugging the milk from the carton. Feeling Ikkaku's gaze on him, Renji wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, "Ya really need to mind your own god damn business," he snapped, sliding the carton into the fridge as he jogged up the stairs once more.

"Whoa, just because you're sexually frustrated, doesn't mean you can take it out on me!" Ikkaku yelled from the kitchen, groaning when his head pulsed with pain, oh yeah…he should eventually take his meds again.

Renji sighed, walking into his room as he closed the door behind him. Spotting his phone on the end table to the left of his bed, Renji remembered the scribbled phone number on his arm, as he ran towards his phone, flipping it open enthusiastically. Holding his arm out below his gaze, Renji typed the number into his phone, labeling the contact as 'Rukia,' the name making a smile spread across his face. Renji glared at the name in his phone's contact list, surrounded by all the other names, the names of the chicks who were fuck buddies or one night stands…her name was too good to be surrounded by all that filth. Renji moved Rukia's name to the top of his list and sighing once more with guilt; Renji scrolled down his list, taking in the names of all the woman he knew, had known, or got to know physically. His mind was indecisive as he selected one woman's name, when he clicked on the contact info he saw a picture of a gorgeous, busty blonde, making a sexy but pouty face at the camera, her large breasts were in perfect view through her see through shirt she was adjusting.

Renji couldn't recall exactly, but she must've been one of the strippers he met and dated once, and by 'dated' he means fooled around backstage after she peeled herself off the pole in the front and pulled him by his collar into the hair and makeup room. That actually happened a couple of times, with different girls, most of the time he was too wasted or too high to even remember he asked for a number, until the next day he woke up and scrolled to an unfamiliar name and upon seeing the face the activities of the previous night flooded him memory. Renji gripped his phone firmly, as he clicked on the contact under his gaze, using his right cursor to highlight the option 'delete.' A message popped up in warning 'do you wish to delete this contact?'

Renji growled and highlighted the 'yes' on the right of the square. He watched with triumph as the woman's name and his attachment to her was erased from his phone permanently, never to be added again he told himself. After going down his contact list, Renji proceeded to delete more and more names of women, "What are you doing?" Ikkaku exclaimed, peering over his friend's shoulder as he watched him deliberately delete a large amount of women's numbers. Renji jumped in surprise, almost dropping the phone as his limping friend managed to sneak behind him without his notice.

"I'm delet-"

"No, you've fucking lost it!" Ikkaku interrupted, throwing his hands in the air for emphasis. "You've what? Known this girl for a night and you've decided to never contact those hot girls ever again? Are you fucking nuts!" he yelled, making Renji sneer at him. "You act like you're in love, yet you just met her. Dude calm the hell down…you're overreacting."

"Shuddup Ikkaku. I didn't ask for your observations and I sure as hell didn't need them. Just like I don't need those women anymore…" Renji explained, glancing at the screen of his phone once more, feeling like weight after weight had been lifted off his shoulders with each name he erased.

Ikkaku sighed, who was he to scold his friend about his love life? He decided it was a big step for him, one that he never thought one girl make him want to take. But, this Rukia chick, she was…just different from all the others. Sure, Ikkaku reminisced, Renji did have a few serious relationships, but most ended in complete failure. He cheated on some and some cheated on him…probably why he has trust issues. But, he just met this Rukia girl and all of a sudden he trusted her? Hell, it took him years to get Renji to trust him, and even now Renji won't confide in him often, Renji mostly keeps his thoughts and feelings to himself. He lashed out when he's questioned or challenged, that much Ikkaku knew. The thought of Renji settling down was ridiculous, yet…even after one night, Ikkaku could see something much different brewing behind his red headed friend's eyes as he gazed at Rukia; he was completely under her spell. Ikkaku just hoped that Rukia had the best intentions; that she wouldn't make him fall in love with her and then betray him. Ikkaku never wished something like that on his best friend, even when he felt like punching his face in.

Shrugging in defeat, Ikkaku sighed loudly, "Oh yeah, you don't need them anymore. Not as long as you've got RRRRuuuukkkk-iiiaaa…" he teased, dragging out her name with a silly voice.

Renji laughed softly at his friend's statement, even if he was crazy and probably high on pain killers right now, he sure as hell made a lot of sense. Renji turned and watched as Ikkaku left the room and descended down the stairs. Renji decided to start deleting every name, like he had planned on. But, it hit him…what was he doing? He shouldn't jump right into this. Even if he liked Rukia a lot, he just met her. There was no reason for him to sacrifice anything yet, at least not on the spur of the moment. Ikkaku had said he was overreacting, and Renji started to believe it himself, maybe he was overreacting….

Renji flipped his phone closed and threw it directly on the bed, the cell hitting the comforter with a muffled plop. Just as he turned to leave his room, the cell phone vibrated and made a ding noise. He raised his eye brow at the cushioned phone and walked towards it curiously. His phone lit up and vibrated some more as the words '1 new message' popped up on his screen, on top of the letter graphic was the name 'Rukia.' Renji smiled widely; gripping the phone in haste he clicked enthusiastically on the 'view' button, bringing her message onto the screen.

'So…what? You're not even gonna call me then?' her message demanded, Renji felt his heart drop to his stomach. It was almost four in the afternoon and he hadn't spoken to her, she must've taken it as a rejection, but that couldn't be any farther from the truth.

Renji typed the words quickly, sending the message which he so eloquently replied, 'Soriy, I jsy wuke op,'

A few seconds later Rukia's responded, 'apparently you're still drunk too.'

Renji sighed, he was making a fool of himself, 'Nah…just suck at typing, anyway how are you?' he asked.

His phone vibrating moments later as he read her reply, 'Fine, and you?'

Renji started typing, but growled when he kept messing up the words with his fumbling fingers. Sighing in anger and defeat he simply clicked on her name and pressed the call button, hoping she would answer.

He could hear his shallow breathing on the line as the ringing noise echoed in his head, his heart pounding in anticipation when he heard her answer, "Hello?" she asked, her voice making Renji smile.

"Hey, it's me."

"I know, I found out today that I put a new contact in last night, some guy named Ranjee," she laughed softly, "I figured it was you." She joked.

"Who else would it be?" he questioned seriously.

"Just a joke…the other guy's name was Shinji." She laughed, clearly taking joy in teasing the poor boy.

"Ha-ha, very funny Rukia…" he said sarcastically.

"I thought so. So, what's up, why'd you call me?" she asked curiously.

"Eh, just got sick of typing shit, it's so tedious, I'd rather hear your voice anyway…" he said suavely.

"It's not as good as seeing me in person." She said, Renji could practically hear her confident smile.

"Well, we can change that…I mean, when you want to…or if you want to…I'm not say-"

"Ha, Renji…calm down. It's okay. Of course I want to see you again. Why are you so unconfident all of a sudden?" she asked with a sigh.

"Hm, I don't know? Were you there last night? Ha, it wasn't exactly a perfect first impression or date. Not to mention I wasn't really on the top of my game…"

"That's not fair; you didn't even get the chance to play it." She reasoned, he could hear her steady breathing, softly fluttering in his ear.

"True. So, what ya been up to?" he asked suddenly.

"Uhhh….nothing much. I just got back from eating with my friends. I'm at the Starbucks right now. The one from last night, ironically." She said, and he could hear her take a sip of her coffee.

"Let me guess…white chocolate mocha?" he questioned, smiling as he listened to her soft chuckle.

"Well, if you really, really, really wanna know…you'll just have to come on down and see for yourself." She baited, making him laugh some.

"Are you, Rukia Kuchiki, asking me out on a date?"

"Yes I am Renji Abarai." She spoke, making the butterflies swarm in his stomach.

"Hm…damn. How can I say no to that?"

"You can't," she agreed teasingly.

Renji walked into the large Starbucks, the same one from last night, searching around the place, he looked for the small raven haired girl. He spotted her, and with a smile he noted she was sitting at the same table, in the same chair from last night. Smiling, Renji noted that there was a coffee placed across from hers, awaiting his arrival as he headed to the chair. Renji watched her gaze down at her newspaper curiously, furrowing her brows at something that shocked her, the girl completely unaware of his presence as he stood in front of his pushed in chair, smiling down at the girl.

"Bitch, gimme your money!" he raised his voice, changing the sound of it to make it deeper, the outburst making the smaller girl jump out of her thoughts in shock. She gasped at first, but when she saw who the comment came from she sighed and glared at him, watching as he took his seat across from hers, grasping the coffee.

"Fuck, don't do that…you scared me." Rukia scolded, catching her breath.

Renji laughed, "Sorry, I couldn't resist. You bought me coffee?" he questioned, making her blush, "Thank you, Rukia…" he said, taking a sip of the hot liquid. Rukia smiled at him as she folded her newspaper neatly, pushing it to the side of the table as she propped her elbows on the table.

"Well, you bought me shots and a coffee last night, I just wanted to return the favor." she said, making Renji chuckle lightly. Renji's eyes scanned her lithe form, he took in the way her tight black and white plaid sleeveless shirt gripped her breasts, pushing the tops of them out of her shirt. She was wearing dark blue skinny jeans that clung to the curves of her lengthy legs, leading down to her white high top converse shoes. His eyes were very pleased with the view in front of him, Rukia smiled back at him, taking in his form as well.

Just then, a flash of orange drew her attention to the door, where she located her best friend, none other than Ichigo Kurosaki as he walked into the building. Groaning in annoyance, Rukia glared at the man as he walked towards the counter obliviously. Renji shot Rukia a puzzled look when he noticed her staring at someone in the distance, before he glanced back taking in the man with bright orange hair who started to walk towards them. Turning around, Renji raised an eyebrow at an annoyed Rukia.

"Uh…it will be easier if you just don't acknowledge his presence," she suggested, burying her face in her hands.

"Yo, Rukia. What are you doing here? I thought you had to work today?" Ichigo said, standing at the side of the table, glancing down at his small best friend.

Rukia looked at the man, "I already did. I'm off now." she informed him, shooting him a stern glare, silently telling him to get lost. Renji caught her silent demands to her friend, he chuckled at the scene before him. Rukia, for some reason…really didn't want them to meet. Ichigo glanced at the red headed man opposite his friend, acknowledging him casually with a nod of his head, which Renji discreetly returned.

"Hey, man. I'm Ichigo, "he said, stepping towards the seated man, who stood and shook his hand politely, "Renji." The red head introduced himself, sitting back down when Ichigo's hard grip relinquished.

"Mind if I join you?" Ichigo asked, and before Rukia could tell him to get lost, Renji beat her to it, "Sure." He agreed as Ichigo pulled a chair from a table near them, sitting down in the chair as he set his recently purchased coffee on the table. Renji and Rukia were sitting across from one another, so Ichigo chose to sit on the left side of the table, probably to intercept the conversations. Rukia rolled her eyes, this way just great. She knew how Ichigo got around men she dated, he was way too protective and actually scared some guys off. But, she blushed, she really liked Renji. She would definitely, she resolved, kill Ichigo if he messed this up for her. Though, from what she knew of Renji…he was very persistent. She doubted that he would run away simply because Ichigo threatened or chased him away.

"Well, this is awkward…" Ichigo said bluntly, breaking the heated silence between the three, making Renji chuckle softly, but Rukia simply clenched her fists visibly.

"What to say….what to say?" Ichigo questioned himself aloud, making Rukia narrow her eyes at the oblivious man, but Renji couldn't help but be entertained at this scenario. He could tell this Ichigo guy just wanted to protect Rukia.

Ichigo wanted to scope him out, to make sure Rukia was in good hands. Of course, they'd only known each other for two days now…so Ichigo shouldn't be completely serious about his investigation, and he knew that. But still, it had been a while since Rukia has dated, she had told him she wasn't gonna waste her time with stupid, disastrous dates. That she was going to wait for when the right guy came along, then she would pursue him. Ichigo took in the tattooed man before him, sipping his coffee as he smiled at an annoyed Rukia, so…this Renji guy,she thinks he's the real deal then? Ichigo questioned. Well, we'll see about that,he smirked evilly.

"So, Renji…" Ichigo began, catching the attentions of the red head and the raven haired girl. "What do you do for a living?"

"Ya know, deal drugs and shit…" Renji lied, making Rukia smile, "But ya know, I pimp on the side. Can't rely strictly on the drugs to pay my rent."

Ichigo's jaw dropped open in shock, the man's reply had been dead serious, making Ichigo shake his head 'no' at Rukia on his left. Rukia laughed, "He's kidding, Ichigo…"

"Yeah, I'm in publishing." Renji assured him with a slight laugh, making Ichigo smirk.

"Well…what bout you?" Renji asked, returning the interrogation.

"I'm a doctor." He said with a confident smirk, Renji whistled at that, "Whoa, doctor…you must be making bank." He observed, he could feel himself gaining Ichigo's trust as they started to converse. Rukia watched in amazement as the two stubborn and hot headed men talked calmly to each other, looking like they enjoyed each other's company. Wow, Rukia wasn't expecting this. She expected that since they were like each other in some ways, they would fight for dominance and control; that their personalities would clash. But, she noted, very pleased, they were actually getting along. Rukia sighed in relief, leaning against the table with a smile.

"Yeah, well actually I thought about it. I mean you wouldn't believe the shit that goes down in hospitals. But I'd probably get fired if I leaked out any malpractice or shit like that." Ichigo said with a small smirk, taking another sip of his coffee.

"No, dude…just say it's based off of true events, they can't nail ya for that. But, seriously, if ya can write and if the book was interesting enough, I'd totally help you publish it for like next to nothing,'" Renji offered, making an excited grin span Ichigo's face, "Seriously, you can do that?" he asked, looking at the nodding red head.

"We can give discounts where we see fit. No one really checks up on it anyways. Of course I'd take a standard fee, can't publish ya for free or anything. But I can cut down what you'd pay us by like 75%."

Rukia narrowed her eyes at that, she knew her brother was very stingy with rules and monetary procedures, she wondered if Renji knew what he was saying could possibly get him fired. That is…if her brother found out about it.

"Actually, ya know. I had another book idea." Ichigo admitted with an evil grin.

"Okay, shoot." Renji said, listening intently.

"You see, when I was eighteen, me and my ex-girlfriend ditched high school for three weeks and just drove cross country and all this crazy shit happened to us…" he began in an amused voice, but Rukia's eyes widened at what her friend was saying, knowing damn well what he was talking about. Rukia felt mortified as Ichigo went into great detail about one particular story she knew all too well.

"So…like the cop bust down the door and walked in on us having sex," he laughed as the red head's laughs escalated as well. Rukia buried her face in her hands, trying to stop herself from shoving her coffee cup down her-so-called-friend's throat. Her face turned as red as a tomato as she looked around the coffee shop.

She could feel Renji's and Ichigo's eyes on her face, she felt like Renji could tell that the ex-girlfriend Ichigo was talking about was her. And he could. But he didn't really feel jealous though. Like Rukia said, she and Ichigo couldn't be together, it just wouldn't work. He figured by her reactions and by the way Ichigo was telling the story, that it was indeed Rukia, he felt bad because she looked so cutely mortified.

"It's cool, Rukia. Don't be embarrassed…" Renji assured her genuinely, making her feel slightly at ease.

"Well." She snapped, "If it's so cool, tell me your most embarrassing story." she baited him.

Renji's face was now plastered with a huge grin as he chuckled with a slight blush on his face, just thinking about it made him laugh.

"Uhhh…" he began, scratching the back of his neck, suddenly nervous as all the attention was on him. "Well…ha, okay. So I was 18 too and…I had these neighbors, this guy and his wife. So one day when I just got home from high school I got out of my car to walk into my house. Then…the wife from across the street called me over saying she needed my help. She knew I worked at an auto repair shop at that time and she asked if she could pay me to replace her blown out headlight with a new one. So, I did and she gave me like twenty bucks. Then she was all like…'aw, poor boy you must be so exhausted, come inside for some lemonade.' And I knew what she was doing, she was like all over me and rubbing up against me, so I said no. But, she made me feel guilty so I had no choice but to come inside. Ha…um…so…she forced herself on me and I just went along with it. Cause, well…she was really damn hot!" he exclaimed, laughing some as he looked down at the table.

"So, we went into her room and she gave me a condom and we started to fuck, then the bedroom door slammed open, and there was her husband, looking all pissed off and shit. So I got off of her and was all like 'shit, man I didn't mean to…I'm sorry, it was a mistake.' And I remember his exact words he said, 'Damn right it was a mistake; you didn't even invite me in for the fun.' So, he dropped his fucking pants and I just ran past him and out of that damn house with my clothes in my hand. Then when I ran across the street, a huge bus almost hit me and then all these faces popped out of the window. There had to be like 50 nuns on this bus. They all started screaming and covering their faces as I ran into my house." He finished, and by then Ichigo and Rukia were laughing so hard that tears were falling from their eyes, Ichigo pounded the table as their laughs filled the room. Every eye in the building was focused on the laughing trio, their eyes raised in questions before they rolled them and continued on with their business.

"Needless to say, the next couple months till I left for college was more than a bit awkward. My mom still doesn't understand why I didn't invite them to my grad party, but whatever…" Renji added sheepishly, taking another sip of his coffee, smirking behind the lid at Rukia when he caught her staring at him.

Just then, a beeping noise emitted from Ichigo's pocket, they all watched with curiosity as the orange haired boy pulled out his pager, read through the message quickly as well as rising to his feet.

Pushing the chair in, Ichigo smiled at the two, "I have to go. Duty calls," he said, eyeing the seated couple for a second before adding, "Take it easy, man…" Ichigo said, pushing playfully against Renji's arm.

"Yeah, ya too Kurosaki," Renji said with a smirk before his attention turned back to Rukia when he sensed the departure of the orange haired boy. But, Ichigo stood briefly behind the red head, his eyes fixed on Rukia as he gave her a rushed thumbs up. Silently approving Renji. Rukia sighed and smiled at the retreating figure of her best friend. She was grateful they got along because Ichigo was really important to her and his opinion did matter. So when he disapproved of men she dated in the past, she found herself reconsidering them. When he approved of men she dated, she…well, actually, come to think of it. Renji was the first guy Ichigo had ever approved of, that thought shocking Rukia. Rukia glanced at Renji, his smoldering cinnamon irises catching her gaze and she found herself drowning into thick pools of brown with flickers of red in them.

Renji smiled at her, "Your friend is actually decent." He stated, catching the playful glint in her eyes.

"So is yours," she added.

"Nah, I wouldn't go that far." Renji warned sarcastically, smiling genuinely at the small girl before him as she traced the rim of her coffee cup distantly with the tip of her finger.

"Yes. Admit it. Ikkaku's nice…he just looks out for you."

"Psh, if hitting on ya is what he considers "looking out for me," he must be dumber that I thought." Renji mused with a chuckle that Rukia couldn't help but return.

"Just wondering. Where did you meet him?" Rukia asked, cocking her head to the side as she studied Renji's face, her mind awaiting his answer.

"In the back of an alley, with the rest of the hobos…" Renji said, taking another long sip of his coffee, and shaking the small cup in his grip when he felt all the liquid was gone.

"No, really." She urged, resting her chin on her hand, leaning in towards the male across from her.

"Uh…okay, nosey. I met him like when I was 13. No 15, I think. In military school…" Renji admitted, still a confused look graced his face as he mentally fought to find what age he was when he met his bald friend, "Yeah, no I was 13. I was only there for like 3 months and until my foster parents took me back. They thought it would teach me discipline, but I never had problems with them it was just with everyone else. So, yeah…these guys were giving me shit and I got into a fight with them. Then 5 more guys joined in and I was getting my ass kicked. Then Ikkaku came along and fought alongside me and we destroyed them! And after that…I guess we became friends." Renji said, the memory of their meeting flashing through his mind.

"Aww." Rukia said in a sickly sweet voice, making Renji roll his eyes.

"Shuddup." He sighed, flustered by her teasing, "Well, where did ya meet that Ichigo guy?" he asked, watching her chuckle lightly.

"We're childhood friends. But, in the beginning I hated his guts. He was so damn obnoxious. I would always bury him in the sandbox…that was fun," she laughed, reminiscing about her past.

Renji raised an eyebrow at the girl before him, "Why are you so violent?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" she inquired, a look of confusion gracing her features.

"I mean…like ya didn't play with dolls or anything? Ya buried little boys in sandboxes…"

Rukia smirked at his observation, "No, I just buried Ichigo in the sandbox. You'll understand why if you spend more time with him. Plus, I wasn't really girly when I was younger. I'd rather climb trees than play with stupid dolls." she admitted.

"Ya climbed trees?" he asked, clearly amused.

"Yeah, what's wrong with that?"

"Nothing. It's just different," he stated, his eyes flickering outside the window, watching the wind wildly blow against pedestrians as they shielded themselves from the force.

"Wanna go somewhere?" he asked suddenly, making Rukia throw him a questioning glance…

So after a year of not touching this story...I took the liberty of going back and fixing all the grammatical errors. There were so many I was embarassed. Anyways, I'd say to expect the next chapter up in about a month or so. Can't give you an exact date, so just bear with me please? haha. Thanks for reading.