A/N: Hoped the last chapter was up to your expectations!

So, Yoruichi is angry that this absurd marriage suggestion was approved by both councils and has the mind to drag Urahara in, which will definitely bring both heads a step towards their ultimate goal. Then, Renji promises that he'd do this job, and meets Aizen later. The omnipotent asshole never stops smiling at Renji and purposefully tries to insinuate that being with Byakuya is not a good thing, because this relationship will be frowned upon. Aizen thinks that if Renji is with him instead, things will be better because he stands 'at the very top', also suggesting that he holds endless power and authority. Whoo, arrogance at its full blast. Because of this conversation, Renji's way of thinking may or may not have changed.

Will Renji continue to help Byakuya, regardless of what the society will say? Or will he be a little more receptive towards Aizen to a certain extent? We shall see! -smiles evilly-

Keep in mind that issues of same-sex relationships is not a problem in this AU. They are a lot more conscious of status.

Enjoy! Again, Bleach is not and will never be mine.

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That Man, Too Close!

その男、　近くすぎる！

Sono Otoko, Chikaku Sugiru!

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Renji had decided to accompany Aizen to the entrance and send the man off. The red-head was relieved, and rather surprised that all the while Aizen did not move to do anything indecent towards him again, or else this time he would not simply ask that businessman to buzz off. Perhaps like spewing a string of vulgarities and then grabbing the nearest vase and smashing it on the billionaire's head. And rip off those offending hands too.

Once again, he tried to list out reasons why Aizen, a noble of authority and pride had wanted him so much, but could not find any. Surely, being only a commoner, there was nothing really special about him, except that he was famous right now for his skills for two of their country's national instrument. That could not have been the reason, could it?

The carriage had arrived and the silver-haired bodyguard opened the carriage door for the billionaire to get on first.

"Do consider my words, Abarai-kun." Aizen smiled again.

The carriage door slammed shut and went off. Renji folded his arms and frowned at the carriage that faded away into the darkness.

"Consider what?"

Renji jumped this time. If he was a lesser man, he would have shrieked.

"Can you not be so sneaky?! I really don't want a heart attack!" Renji turned around, slightly flushed for having visibly jumped at nothing in particular. Thankfully, it was hard to see since it was dark.

Hisagi quirked a brow. "Well, it's not my fault if you weren't paying attention to your surroundings."

The red-head sighed a little, feeling tired and lethargic, even though nothing much happened for the day. They both went back into Renji's room and sat down. The red-head poured tea for the both of them while Hisagi looked out of the window into the starless, cloudy night.

"He asked me to consider being with him instead of Kuchiki-san, which I found absolutely ridiculous, and there's this growing want to smack his head for even suggesting that." Renji gritted out as he set the pot of tea down.

The other also sat down and sipped his tea. "Well, I wouldn't be surprised. Aizen Sousuke is known to look after his things like pirates who're hungry for valuable treasures. 'Things' include stuffs he already own, and stuffs that he desires, regardless of who or what it is."

"I know. Can tell from his words. That is, if he isn't acting or anything. He said that I will suffer if I'm with Kuchiki-san, whereas with him, 'things are different', because he claims that he 'stands at the top'." Renji paused to scowl and directed a rude gesture at the air, as if Aizen had materialized there. "Load of bullcrap!"

Hisagi burst out in laughter upon seeing this side of Renji. The red-head only stared at the other with raised eyebrows and wide questioning eyes.

After the black-haired man had calmed down, Renji only stared harder because of the lack of response from the other.

"Hah. I just...It's just that I didn't expect to see this side of you, looking crude and strangely menacing. I think...it's nice to have seen this, somehow." Hisagi smiled wryly as he munched on a snack.

Renji folded his arms. "Well, for your information, I came from District Seventy Eight, the worst street that's always full of fights and thugs. Back then, only as kids, the chances of survival was zero to none. Without some sort of strength within us, we wouldn't have survived. Plus, my bunch of friends were known to be very strong, so we won lots of fights," said Renji proudly as he remembered the times he spent with his friends, fending themselves successfully from other big groups, and even saving a few weaker ones in the process. Eventually, their bond was stronger than any other, because they looked out for each other.

The black-haired man raised his eyebrows upon hearing this. "Whoa, so you were pretty much a gangster from before eh? And all that changed when you were picked up by, er, that Kurosaki family right now?"

Renji nodded. "Therefore, I owe them a lot now. Which is why I wouldn't even change my mind to be with Aizen. I'm staying with the contract Kuchiki-san offered."

"I see. Well, it's time for me to get back. Rest early," said Hisagi as he got up and went towards the door. "G'night."

The door slid shut.

After sitting there and staring at the door for awhile, Renji said to no one in particular, "Well, at least he seems like he's normal now..."

He shrugged as he proceeded to change into a fresh yukata to get ready to sleep.

00000

Hisagi walked along the hallway and stopped in his tracks, realizing that he had completely forgotten to relay a message from Byakuya to the red-head. He cursed silently as he retraced his steps and back to the room.

Without knocking, he slid open the door.

"Oh, by the way, I wa...s..."

He stared speechlessly, openly gawking at the half naked body that was before him. Black irises took their time to scan the body, noticing the way the body slowly turning over to face him. The intricate tattoos that wrapped themselves around Renji's slender body made the red-head seem even more alluring. His own hands twitched and burned with pure, raw desire to just have a touch at the tattoos that decorated the musician's body, tracing them one by one to wherever they lead to. At such a sight, he could not resist licking his lips and biting on them, hoping his resolve would last. His mind raged at him to move forward and embrace that lithe body to himself. He envied the tattoos that could stick so closely to the beautiful man before him.

He wished he were the tattoos. He wished this was not a dream.

He wished the uncomfortable feeling between his legs would disappear now.

And if Renji himself did not represent art, Hisagi did not know what art was anymore.

"Hisagi-san? What's the thing you have to tell me?" Renji continued to shrug off his clothes.

The bodyguard immediately slammed the door shut again, trying very hard to resist doing something inappropriate to the other. At the same time, his mind forced images of a naked Renji grinding against him out.

Behind the wooden door, Renji's muffled voice rang out, "Hisagi-san?"

"Ah, it's no problem. I can speak from here. I didn't want to let the room get chilly. So, Kuchiki-sama asked you to meet him tomorrow for lunch at his mansion. Please do turn up by yourself. A carriage will be here to pick you up as usual. That's all." Hisagi rushed through quickly and ran off.

That night, Hisagi decided that it would be better having a drink with Kira, rather than going straight to sleep. Drinking would serve as an excellent distraction from his desires.

00000

Renji woke up once the sun rose, its warm rays extending themselves into the room. Today felt a little warmer since spring was coming to an end soon, and the Sakura Festival was almost finishing. And this reminded just how little time was left for Renji to collect the money for Ichigo.

That was, if he had not met Kuchiki Byakuya. Now that this part was more or less settled, he felt much lighter than before, and decided that in return, he should assist Byakuya in any way he can.

With a fresh start, and a new resolve, he got up and stretched, yawning in the process. He proceeded towards his wardrobe and changed into a fresh new set of yukata. He decided he would dress simply, rather informally, and chose a dark blue silk yukata with a light gray obi. He combed his tousled hair, releasing them of the tangles he obtained from flipping and turning while sleeping. This time, he chose to tie his ponytail loosely, and a little lower than as usual.

He heard a knock and wondered who it was this early in the morning.

"Mornin' Renji," grinned Ichigo as he stepped in, sliding the door shut behind him. "Was just gonna drop by and see if everything's alright before I get to school."

"Hey." The red-head grinned back. "Y'know, you don't have to do that. It's still too early for you to be out right? And I'm alright so far. My jobs have been going perfectly well, and I'm pretty confident to be able to raise the money by the time you have to apply for your course, so you just use this time to study!"

The orange-haired boy sat down cross-legged across Renji at the table. "Well, at least that's good to hear. I was actually getting worried that with your increased popularity and performances, people would begin to harrass you or something. Still using Aizen's name to go about asking people to buzz off?"

"Ah...that, er, no. Prefer not to. Turns out he's really interested in me and I don't want to go into details about that," explained Renji as he looked away, recalling the words that Aizen had said to him before. Until now, he did not know if any of those words could be trustworthy in any way at all.

Ichigo raised an eyebrow at this. "So, did he do anything at all to you?"

"Of course not! As in, I could still use the skills I gained back when I was a brawling brat in the streets of Inuzuri." Renji grinned rather uneasily at the memory of Aizen's attempt to assault him. If those two bodyguards of Byakuya's had not stepped in on time, who knew what Aizen could have done?

Thankfully, Ichigo had not realized Renji's uneasiness and continued, "At least that's good. Being in this business really pays off, but in the end- I'm just kinda worried for you, y'know. I mean, you've been giving your all for something that's my problem, so..."

Renji scoffed. "Hah, why're you so worried about things like that? I wasn't picked up by your family for nothing. And let's not get back to this topic anymore. Though, I've got something for you."

The red-head got up and went towards his dressing table where the boxes of his hairpieces and combs were at. He opened one of the boxes, and pulled out a red lucky charm that had inscriptions which blessed the holder improvement on studies. He held it out to Ichigo, who received it with both hands.

Ichigo smiled warmly and responded, "You never fail to give one to me every year. I'll definitely work hard!"

"Hell yeah, you'd better. Or else the money I'm desperately earning will go to waste."

"You're such a manipulative mother-hen, you know that?"

"Well, if you don't work hard I'll peck at your head till there're holes there, and then I'll stuff pieces of information in. Literally," grinned Renji smugly.

They both broke into laughter and carried on talking about many things for the rest of the morning: how Isshin used to chase the two of them about when they were younger, how they both worked jobs together whenever they had the time, how Renji used to be in-charge when Isshin was not around since he was the oldest...

Before they knew it, an hour had already passed, and it was time for Ichigo to get to school.

"Take care, Renji." Ichigo said as he rose up and went towards the door. "If you've got anything, just let me know. And thanks for the charm!"

Renji smiled wryly as the door closed, footsteps of the strawberry slowly fading.

"There's only one thing I can't tell you, 'cause you'd get pissed at me."

00000

It had gotten considerably warmer when Renji had arrived at the Kuchiki mansion, waiting to have lunch with the noble. This time, he knew his way towards where to find Byakuya, and so had a slow walk towards the study room of the head of the family. He admired the beautiful greenery that decorated their household and the peace that enveloped them, a seemingly different realm from the outside world. The architecture was something that Renji had always been impressed about: the intricate structure of the gardens embellished by well-grown plants, the simplicity of the rooms and the large space allowed relaxing walks.

As he strolled through the gardens, he saw a little boy about six or seven years old jumping about the stone steps near a pond. He vaguely wondered whose kid it was. The kid had the same trademark black hair and aura of nobility about him, which made him seem like one of the Kuchiki descendants. Watching the kid play about reminded him of his childhood, when he and his friends would play at the stream, catching fish and then cooking it for dinner. They used to do this often, and would play with the water, splashing it at each other playfully. He smiled rather bitterly as he moved to leave, but then heard a yelp followed by a splash.

He whipped his head over and saw the boy struggling in the water, and darted towards the pond. Without hesitation, he jumped into the water, and realized it was probably about one meter deep as it came up to about his stomach. He pulled the frantic boy up and out of the water, and got up himself too. For once, he was glad he did not choose to wear a furisode.

The boy was hacking and coughing up the water and Renji gently hit the boy's back to help.

"T-Thank you." The boy sounded rather embarrassed.

"No problem. Careful next time when you play about the pond."

The little boy looked up at Renji's face and asked, "What's...your name?"

"Abarai Renji. Yours?"

"Kuchiki Kokuto." The boy, Kokuto, grinned.

Footsteps could be heard coming closer to their area, and a middle-aged bespectacled man was approaching them.

This guy...looks familiar. Ah, the rude guy at the meeting last time. Kuchiki...Ryoudo, was it?

As the man came closer, a shocked expression appeared on Ryoudo's face as he halted in his steps, staring at the scene before him. He managed while darting his eyes back and forth from Renji to the boy, "Wh-why...are you soaking wet, Kokuto?!"

"Ojii-sama, I-"

"I know. It must have been you, right?" Ryoudo pointed an accusing finger at Renji, who only raised an eyebrow in reply.

The boy tried again. "Ojii-"

"You, why did you push my grandson into the water? Because you hold disdain for me, right? Or is it because you did not like what said in that meeting last time? Ah, so it must be it. Even if so, I'll make it clear again: the Kuchiki family will not accept you!" The man gritted out in disgust.

The red-head was surprisingly calm and sighed, folding his arms. "No, no, no and no. Firstly, I didn't push your grandson into the water. He fell in there and I saved him. Secondly, why should I hate you? Thirdly, it's not because of what you said, because I didn't even know this boy's your grandson, until about ten seconds ago. Lastly, the Kuchiki family will accept our relationship and me in the end."

The man before Renji was growing red in both anger and embarrassment. He then turned to his grandson and asked, "Is that true? About you falling into the water?"

"Yes, ojii-sama. This was what I was trying to tell you just now..."

Ryoudo looked down at the ground and coughed uncomfortably. He pushed his spectacles up and said to Renji, even though his eyes were still averted, "I...apologize for my outburst. You see, when it comes to my grandson, I become very...nervous about him."

Renji smiled a little and replied, "It's no problem." He then squatted down and said to Kokuto, who reddened a little, "Don't play about the pond next time, got it? It's dangerous, and even more so when no one's around."

The middle-aged man then tugged the boy along. "Come along now, Kokuto. Let's get you changed quickly, in case you catch a cold!"

Kokuto turned back and waved at Renji, who in return, grinned and waved back. He then looked at his own wet yukata, soaked with pond water and sighed. He began again on his way towards the study room, cursing the other man for not even suggesting he get a change of clothes immediately. So much for saving his beloved grandson...

Upon reaching the study room, he found Byakuya seated at the desk again, but this time writing calligraphy. Hearing footsteps approaching, the noble turned and saw a Renji soaked from waist down, and looked curiously at the red-head.

"What happened, Renji?" He got up and then added, "Never mind that. I shall get the servants to lead you to the bath and have yourself washed. They will also get you a fresh set of yukata." With that said, the noble left swiftly to fetch a servant.

00000

Feeling much fresher than before, Renji sat down at the table with Byakuya. They had decided that they would have lunch in the study room instead of at the dining hall, and were both waiting for it to arrive. During then, a fresh pot of hot green tea and a large plate of taiyaki had arrived and was on the table. The taiyaki made Renji feel a little better, and he suspected Byakuya had requested for more.

"What happened then?" Byakuya asked concernedly.

So, Renji went on to tell the aristocrat what happened earlier on, and he earned a rather surprised look from Byakuya.

Seeing the bewildered look on Renji's face, Byakuya explained, "Kuchiki Ryoudo is a prideful man and holds his head high, belittling other people around him. He rarely apologizes to anyone at all, and it is a surprise that he apologized to you. Perhaps it's because of his grandson..."

Renji smiled at that. "Yeah, I think his grandson means a whole lot to him, seeing as how worried he got when he saw Kokuto soaking wet. He just pointed everything at me and told me off like he was scolding a three year old. But well, I realized it's because he really cares for Kokuto so...I think it's nice to have someone care for you."

At this moment, both of them fell into a rather awkward silence, with Renji slowly chewing away on his taiyaki and Byakuya staring at his cup of tea. Renji was trying to think of something to talk about. This type of silence was not something he was used to, and it was not like speaking to Ichigo, where they could both talk about anything under the sun. It was also unlike the situation with Hisagi, because they both shared a common ground and had developed a mutual understanding. He realized that he had not actually really talked to Byakuya at all.

And he realized, this was the difference between people of different status. He wondered if this gap could really be filled in the end, with their relationship like this.

With our relationship like this...Renji laughed internally as he thought, it sounds like we're really having a relationship, even though it's only a contract.

"Ah, sorry...I didn't bring my shamisen today so..." The red-head smiled sheepishly as he attempted to create a conversation, but realized that it wasn't effective at all.

"It's alright. Sometimes just enjoying quiet time with a cup of tea is also relaxing in its own way." Byakuya picked his tea up and sipped it.

Renji then peered over Byakuya's shoulder and saw the sheet that the noble was writing calligraphy on. He got up and went towards the paper and stared at the one character written there. Even though he could not read, he was in awe, entirely fascinated by the way the lines that made up the character turned and how they seemed to fit each other so perfectly. With this piece of calligraphy, he could almost see the pressure of the brush and when it was applied, from the big black blotch to the even larger blotch at the end of a stroke.

"Are you interested in calligraphy?" Byakuya asked as he knelt beside Renji.

Renji shook his head and answered, "It looks absolutely awesome, but I can't do it, 'cause I can't read and write..."

Byakuya gave a look of apology before continuing, "This word says 'dream'."

The red-head stared even harder and became even more enthralled. "I didn't know that a two-word syllable could have so many lines forming one character. How does this go?" The red-head then attempted to trace the lines himself, counting the strokes but knew he was probably doing it wrong.

Byakuya smiled lightly as he took over, and traced the lines slowly: first vertically, then diagonally, then diagonal again, then shifting a little lower, go diagonal again...

By then, the red-head was already lost at how complicated the strokes were. He could also see the pressure that was applied by Byakuya as the noble pressed his finger on the piece of paper. He could tell that at the first stroke, the finger turned a little white, then towards the end, it remained there for a little while longer before being gently lifted up. The gracefulness that the noble displayed traced the character perfectly, and he himself had this sudden urge to learn how to write it.

"Can I learn how to write this...?" He stared at the character, trying hard to remember the strokes and when to press a little harder, and when to lift it up.

The noble nodded immediately and cleared the space. He had Renji sit down at the table, ink and brush both ready. He placed a new piece of paper and had the paperweight on the paper, in case it flew off. He picked up his own brush and held it between his thumb, index and middle fingers.

Renji then picked his brush up and mimicked Byakuya's actions, hoping it would be correct.

"Do not lay it resting in the bridge between your index finger and thumb. It has to be rather vertically straight when you write." Byakuya explained as he watched Renji correct himself, before nodding and going on to dip his brush in the black ink, then dabbing it against the suzuri to relieve the brush of unnecessary excess ink. Then he hovered his hand over his own paper while the red-head copied Byakuya's actions, both lifting their sleeves of their yukata up to prevent it from staining with ink.

"We will first attempt the Kaisho style, as we are able to do it stroke by stroke. You can then pause whenever you want," explained Byakuya systematically as he pressed his brush down onto the paper, going down vertically. "We will begin by writing the word 'Japan' as it is simple, and only has a few strokes."

At first, the red-head followed the first few strokes, but then stopped as he watched, entranced by the older man slowly crafting the two characters out with grace and practiced patience. The brush went back and was dipped into the ink, and then was placed on the paper once more to continue writing. The two characters became more defined from one smooth stroke to the other, and the musician was amused by how seemingly simple these words were. Yet, the noble was able to extract the very essence of the amorphous ink and construct it distinctly on paper. Renji then pondered about how these complicated characters came about, and how easily it was illustrated by the refined noble pair of hands. The thick, rich ink clearly displayed how Byakuya was proficient in calligraphy, never letting it run out and never losing his concentration. The blotching seemed to fill the paper, making the characters fuller.

When Byakuya was done, he set the brush back down and looked at Renji's barely filled paper. He realized Renji was staring at his own piece, and explained, "Calligraphy requires immense patience and concentration. It also continues to train those two qualities, changing one into a deeper, calmer person."

The red-head nodded as he dipped his brush into the ink once again and attempted a few strokes. They turned out a little crooked due to his own shaky hands. Shaking his head, he finished the piece in the end and set the brush down, frowning at how bad it looked in comparison to the perfection right beside his own.

"For beginners, and for someone who doesn't know how to write, you are doing well," said Byakuya encouragingly as he removed Renji's current sheet of paper and placed it aside.

A fresh sheet was now placed in front of Renji. The red-head, now more determined than ever, picked his brush up and held it more firmly in an attempt to steady his hands. He breathed out and started again, but became hasty as he went on with the strokes. Again, he paused to try to steady himself and sat up straighter.

"Let me show you." Byakuya offered as he placed his hand on Renji's and helped to construct the strokes.

If anything, Renji was even more jittery than before upon the contact of the noble's hand. His heart skipped a beat as the noble's hands touched his own, sending tingles down his spine. Renji decided that he liked the contact and allowed Byakyuya to slowly guide his hand in writing calligraphy.

"Do not grip hard onto your pen. It will only cause unnatural force onto the paper, making it seem constrained. Be more natural, hold it lighter and feel the ink seep into the paper as you proceed along each stroke."

Renji clearly understood what Byakuya meant, but was too distracted in trying to keep a distance between the both of them. When the aristocrat extended his help, he had to lean closer to Renji in order to guide the red-head along. The musician could feel the warmth of the hand on his own soothing and relaxing him as he allowed himself to be guided along. If Byakuya had gotten a little closer, Renji would have probably been able to feel the noble's heartbeat.

Only when Byakuya let go of his hand did he realize that his piece of calligraphy was complete. He stared at his piece in amazement. The simple characters now seem somehow completed, with defined strokes and ink that seemed to truly become one with the paper. It felt as if like if the noble was around, he could do anything, even if he was inexperienced in that particular field of event.

"It's kinda...cool. I mean, the lines now look much smoother, and didn't seem to break when I did it by myself. I just have to steady my hands right? And not grip hard onto it like I wanna break it right?" Renji inquired as Byakuya nodded. "But...it's still not something I'd do, 'cause I think I'm better off playing my instruments."

Byakuya shook his head. "Do not think that way, Renji. If you believe it so, you will not be able to achieve anything. It only takes practice before you advance to the next stage. Perhaps I can help you with learning how to write..."

"Really?"

Then, two attendants carrying trays appeared by the doorway and requested to set the food down on the table. While they were doing so, Renji helped to put the sheets of paper away. He picked his own up done with Byakuya and examined it, tracing the strokes as his eyes followed it. He saw the rich thickness of the ink and in there, he saw how passionate Byakuya was towards calligraphy.

When the set-up was done, the two attendants bowed and left. Byakuya then spoke up as he invited Renji over to the table, "You may take the paper back. If you wish to continue, do feel free to come here and I will help you."

Renji nodded as he stared at the sumptuous meal in front of him again. He hoped that taiyaki would be dessert.

"Renji..."

The red-head looked up at from his food. The Kuchiki seemed to be contemplating over something as he waited for an answer.

"Do you wish to go with me to the Sakura Festival?" Byakuya said, looking straight into Renji's eyes.

The musician blinked and answered, "Okay. It's ending soon though..."

"I believe there will be much entertainment during the festival, and last-minute sales which you may find interest in. I do know of a quiet spot that has a large sakura tree. However, by now, I am unsure if it will be blooming as resplendently as spring is ending."

Renji sat upright as he said, "How about we go for a little boat-ride by the river that separates District One and Two? I haven't actually gone around that yet..."

"I can arrange that." Byakuya nodded as he returned to eat.

Renji grinned at the idea of finally having an opportunity to get to know the Kuchiki more. Perhaps that man, too, wanted to know more about Renji. Their relationship right now is, after all, really purely contract-based. However, the thought of spending a day with Byakuya seemed appealing to Renji, and as he munched on his food, he looked forward to the day.

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A/N: Hah, half-naked Renji as requested and as promised. There you guys go! Fan-service! And rejoice, for there shall be ByaRen for the whole of the next chapter! (I think?)

Two-word syllable: Dream is 'yume' in Japanese, and written in Kanji, it is 'meng' in Chinese (traditional). (I give Japanese lessons! xD)

Suzuri: Heavy black container for the ink, same as how the Chinese use it.

Kaisho: Square sort of characters, instead of those which look more artistic and cursive.

Additionally, to write calligraphy in Japan is very different from writing calligraphy in China. It highly depends on what style you're writing in. The Japanese usually like to blotch the end of the strokes, because it makes the characters look thicker and never let the ink run out, or it is considered as a relatively poor piece. This is, at least, Kaisho-style.