Bleach FanFic: What Once Was
His name was Abarai Renji. A fiery and brash vice-captain who’d become a shinigami after a harsh childhood on the streets of Rukongai. Everyone knew Renji, he was friendly and open, and his squad adored him with the same strength that they feared their captain.
And anyone who had seen even a glimpse of 6th bantai’s fuku-taichou couldn’t deny that he was gorgeous...
Long hair, unbelievably red, framing a face that was all angles and strength, softened in places by the curve of a cheek and the soft flush of full lips. His body, gods, his body... A body that had to have been crafted by a particularly devious sex god, hard and lean, each muscle sculpted to perfection. Many a man was jealous of Renji’s decidedly masculine physique, and many women and men lusted after the taut, tanned skin and cleverly inked tattoos. Who wasn’t burning with curiosity as to just how far down those delectable black lines went?
And his personality matched his appearance, hot and hard, sexy and sweet. He could be intense with concentration and power. Then, he would turn around with a goofy grin and a contagious laugh, an expression of unselfconscious bliss on his fabulous face.
His company was completely addictive, whether it was to drink and laugh or argue and fight, once you spent an hour with Renji you wanted to spend hours more.
But not everyone is so lucky...
//
Her name was Aoki Tatsu. A quiet and serious 3rd seat who’d been raised at the Shinigami Academy. She’d dug a meagre existence, wandering the halls of a school where everyone forgot about her, even the teachers who saw her every day.
She studied hard to be a shinigami, to escape her dreary life amongst crowds of strangers. She’d kept her head down, her hands busy, and did her best to ignore the cloying loneliness that plagued her.
That is, until she met Rukia.
Not yet a Kuchiki, the wide eyed, petite girl had spotted Tatsu from across a crowded classroom, and had felt a bond of compassion. Neither girls fit in with the pampered, noble-bred students that monopolized the school; both shared a need to connect with someone of a like mind. They found that in each other.
Their friendship was simple and easy, a feminine and youthful bond. Both defended the other in the face of bullies and taunts, strong and loyal.
But Tatsu hadn’t anticipated the result of her meeting Rukia’s other friend. She hadn’t thought of the possible consequences of making friends with the charismatic Abarai Renji.
//
When he’d first seen her, he’d been struck by her eyes. They were deeply green, like dark jade, and they held a sparkle of something mysterious behind them, something he wanted to decipher.
But then she’d hidden that sparkle behind a curtain of hair, and he had greeted her with his usual exuberance. She was quiet, but intelligent and passionate. Renji and Tatsu would argue for hours on a single topic, neither of them budging an inch in their collective opinions.
Renji had been lanky then, not yet the fully shaped and moulded man he would become, but nonetheless attractive and friendly. Nonetheless himself.
Tatsu had been a thin, awkward girl, clumsy and shy. She had the promise of beauty in her features, sharp cheekbones and moist, plump lips. But she hid it all, even her stunning eyes, behind long waves of golden blonde hair and baggy, poor fitting clothes.
The highs and lows of school life were eclipsed by the fond memories of friends, laughing and talking and doing nothing at all. But that too, had to end suddenly.
Rukia was adopted abruptly into the Kuchiki clan, encouraged by a falsely smiling Renji, and the binding force that had brought the friends together was suddenly gone. What once were playful debates became heated fights, the easy companionship lost in the wake of loss. The triangle was broken, and the two points that remained were swiftly separated.
//
Later, Renji and Tatsu would join the ranks of the Gotei 13, no longer naive youths but young adults discovering their world.
Renji had trouble finding his place, starting out in 5th only to be put in 11th before finally settling in his vice-captain rank in 6th. He was a fighter, a problem for some, but he was noticed by his superiors and rose quickly through the ranks. His body lost its lean boyishness, hardening and becoming strong. His tattoos spread from the few he’d had as a student, enveloping him in tribal black. He soon walked with the fluid energy of a Bengal tiger, confident and smooth, every bit the man that people all over Seireitei loved.
Tatsu, however, stayed firmly in 2nd Squad, never wavering from the sides of hundreds of black clad comrades. She was noticed too, by her captain Soi Fon, who saw in her the same stubborn determination and amateur skill that she had once possessed. She took Tatsu under her wing, honing her raw talent into finely controlled skill. Soon Tatsu became a woman to be reckoned with, hiding now, not from shyness or timidity, but in order to gain necessary advantage against her enemy. Her once thin body filled out, becoming muscular and smooth. Baggy, noisy clothes were replaced with tight, soundless ones so she could traipse through the shadows like a whisper. Her long golden hair became a crown instead of a curtain, those eyes that once struck a young boy piercing the very souls of all who dared defy her steely will. She was promoted to 3rd seat, performing her duties with efficiency and grace, and returning home at the end of the day alone to wait for the next battle.
40 years they were separated, 40 years for Renji to wonder how his old friend was doing.
And 40 years for Tatsu to nurse the heartbreak. After all, you never forget the first man you fall in love with. Even if he never knew...
//
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