I Think I Write Too Much - Heh
Bleach piece of one-shot, probably ("Stand and Watch it Burn")
Renji/Tatsuki
She was just entertainment. He wasn't using her to escape. He was caught between the pull of caring and the easy, familiar safety of not caring. He was caught between how easy it would be to just forget her, and just how favorable the opposite course of action might turn out to be. It wasn't an easy decision, and after all... She wasn't Rukia.
Rukia.
That name would always mean something to him, romantic or not. And while it was a sore subject - he had known her first, he had cared for her first, why did Kurosaki matter to her at all? - he wanted Rukia's friendship and respect no matter what else happened. She was tough and strong and elegant and graceful - where Tatsuki was tough and strong and loud and brash. And human. The two were so different. Both strong women, but so different.
And Renji sighed, and reminded himself that Rukia didn't equal perfection, and realized once again that he couldn't sit around and wait for her forever. Rukia would never love him; she'd see him as an equal, or a brother, or a friend.
So there he was, waiting for Arisawa Tatsuki to come out of karate practice, pondering the possible effects persuing her would cause. He knew she was attracted to him. That break they had all taken to go swimming had more than proven that to him - she had sent him a few surreptitious glances that made her feelings all too clear. He just hoped no one else had noticed. And while she wasn't the most beautiful or genetically blessed, she was still decently attractive. And she had a raw magnetism that, after finally admittiing to himself he felt it, Renji found irresistible.
"Hey! Abarai!" a loud voice called suddenly, breaking his train of thought. "What the hell are you doing here?"
He smirked and turned his head, a thin, irate girl just coming into view. "I'm sitting. Not such a bad place to just rest."
A half-second later she was in front of him, scowling. "Do you have to be such a smartass all the time?" she asked, folding her arms across her chest.
"Nope," he replied, feeling cheeky, trying to gain more confidence for the conversation he planned to soon initiate. "But I know how much you love it, so..."
She rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I'm leaving - see you tomorrow."
"Wait!" he called. His voice sounded harsh, even to his own ears - hard and short and gruff, like a bark. Not, he realized as he held back a wince, the best way to start. "I want to talk to you."
"Well too bad," she said, sneering, "because in no way is that desire reciprocated."
"Great," he huffed to himself, "she's gonna make this easy." Indignantly, he stood up to follow her. "Hey," he said loudly, "you have a problem? I said I wanted to talk, not start a damn fight."
Tatsuki looked at him warily. "I need to go home."
Renji grinned almost wolfishly. He held his hands up, showing her he meant no harm. "Fine. Then I'll just walk with you."
(--still unfinished--)
I love this pairing. It's a sickness. Heh.
-written18 December 2006
ILB
***
Renji/Tatsuki
She was just entertainment. He wasn't using her to escape. He was caught between the pull of caring and the easy, familiar safety of not caring. He was caught between how easy it would be to just forget her, and just how favorable the opposite course of action might turn out to be. It wasn't an easy decision, and after all... She wasn't Rukia.
Rukia.
That name would always mean something to him, romantic or not. And while it was a sore subject - he had known her first, he had cared for her first, why did Kurosaki matter to her at all? - he wanted Rukia's friendship and respect no matter what else happened. She was tough and strong and elegant and graceful - where Tatsuki was tough and strong and loud and brash. And human. The two were so different. Both strong women, but so different.
And Renji sighed, and reminded himself that Rukia didn't equal perfection, and realized once again that he couldn't sit around and wait for her forever. Rukia would never love him; she'd see him as an equal, or a brother, or a friend.
So there he was, waiting for Arisawa Tatsuki to come out of karate practice, pondering the possible effects persuing her would cause. He knew she was attracted to him. That break they had all taken to go swimming had more than proven that to him - she had sent him a few surreptitious glances that made her feelings all too clear. He just hoped no one else had noticed. And while she wasn't the most beautiful or genetically blessed, she was still decently attractive. And she had a raw magnetism that, after finally admittiing to himself he felt it, Renji found irresistible.
"Hey! Abarai!" a loud voice called suddenly, breaking his train of thought. "What the hell are you doing here?"
He smirked and turned his head, a thin, irate girl just coming into view. "I'm sitting. Not such a bad place to just rest."
A half-second later she was in front of him, scowling. "Do you have to be such a smartass all the time?" she asked, folding her arms across her chest.
"Nope," he replied, feeling cheeky, trying to gain more confidence for the conversation he planned to soon initiate. "But I know how much you love it, so..."
She rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I'm leaving - see you tomorrow."
"Wait!" he called. His voice sounded harsh, even to his own ears - hard and short and gruff, like a bark. Not, he realized as he held back a wince, the best way to start. "I want to talk to you."
"Well too bad," she said, sneering, "because in no way is that desire reciprocated."
"Great," he huffed to himself, "she's gonna make this easy." Indignantly, he stood up to follow her. "Hey," he said loudly, "you have a problem? I said I wanted to talk, not start a damn fight."
Tatsuki looked at him warily. "I need to go home."
Renji grinned almost wolfishly. He held his hands up, showing her he meant no harm. "Fine. Then I'll just walk with you."
(--still unfinished--)
I love this pairing. It's a sickness. Heh.
-written18 December 2006
ILB
***