Log - Renji, An, NPC's
Date: Some hours after this post.
Rating: PG
Summary: A quiet after-work evening for those two... Info about the Japanese kotatsu tables can be found here.
"Orikasa. Had this been for real and not just kata training, you could've injured Takada seriously."
The boy with spikey hair listened to his instructor's concrit and nodded. "Sorry about that, Takano-sensei."
Takano Yoshimitsu nodded as well. "Being sorry alone doesn't cut it. You two have to repeat the whole sequence and do it now. No buts."
"Yes!"
Sitting not too far from his brother-in-law, Renji observed the current training routines closely. Orikasa was one of the most promising students in the dojo and was training for the admission tests for the JSDF, so it was rare to have him commiting errors proper of rookies. So, he quietly focused on watching him spar with Takada under Yoshimitsu's guidance, traking on all the details he could, gathering this info so he would be able to offer advice.
It didn't take the two boys long to adequately finish their session, and judging by Yoshimitsu's satisfied smile, it had worked for the best. Takeda and Orikasa smiled at each other, then bowed respectfully towards the front of the dojo and stared at their instructor, silently requesting pemission to leave.
"Class dismissed," he said after staring at the other students, all of them highschool or college-aged boys and girls, and then back at the last sparring pair. "I expect you all to be on time here tomorrow, then."
As everyone took their leave, Renji went towards Orikasa and Takada to tell them about his impressions on the match. When done, he stared towards the open door, and saw the twins speaking to someone else not too far from it. Yes, a person he had been thinking of before he had to help his brother direct the last class of the day.
Not 5 second after An arrived at the dojo, take-out dinner in hand, did the twins rush up to give the agent a hug.
"An-san! We haven't seen you in so long!" Meiko smiled at her with excitement.
"Hey, Meiko-chan!" An returned the hug before turning to Miki. "And I hear from certain sources that you've been whining lately. Shouldn't you be outgrowing that now?" She grinned before giving Miki a hug as well.
"Renji-ojisan just doesn't understand women." the more gregarious twin laughed as she hung onto An's free arm. "But maybe I should ask you if that's true." Miki grinned mischievously at the agent even as Meiko looked shocked and smacked her sister's arm.
"Miki-chan, maybe he just doesn't understand you.." An chuckled as she ruffled Miki's hair. And that was when Meiko let out a "Ooohh...."
"An-san? That locket you're wearing, Is that new? I haven't seen it before!"
The questions just seemed to keep coming, and An did her best to be evasive; in the end she hadn't really told the twins very much at all, which she was pretty happy about. It's not that she was at all nervous about her relationship with Renji, but this was his family, and she wanted him to decide how much they were told.
An excused herself from the twins when she saw Renji come into view. She walked over towards him, waving in greeting, a warm smile on her face. "Hey there, stranger." She held up the food. "Can I interest you in some dinner?"
After sparing a last glance at Yoshimitsu (who just shrugged and nodded in response, though Renji could swear he was trying not to smirk), Renji walked his way towards his girlfriend. The twins had just decided to let go of the female tech by the moment and chat with the highschool girls that were leaving the training halls; it was a good chance to approach her without having Miki and Meiko around.
He reached for An and smiled at her. "You can, An, but after I've changed my clothing. I suppose just five minutes more won't kill you, right?"
An took a quick look around before giving Renji a light hug and a quick peck on the cheek. "No need to rush. You worked hard today." An smiled at him feeling no small measure of pride in Renji's abilities. It seemed that he had pretty much made a full recovery from his injury, and could now help with the more advanced classes. "I'll just wait for you here." She motioned to some nearby steps where she could have a seat while she waited for him to return.
Less than ten minutes later, Renji was leaving the dressers, ready to leave the place. Not only he was mostly done with everything related to the current dojo bussiness (his sister, as the accountant in charge of the finances, would help Yoshimitsu handle the rest), but unlike other times he *had* someone outside of his family specifically waiting for him at the dojo steps...
Practically everyone had left when he finally reached for An. So, with a smile, he spoke to her as he approached the steps she was sitting on. "I'm 100% ready. We should go."
As she waited, An spoke briefly with Yoshimitsu before the dojo master head off for the night. She noticed a slight twinkle in the older man's eyes, and had to smile herself. It seemed that nothing slipped past the aikido master's attention. She bid Yoshimitsu and the twins good night, leaving her to enjoy the stars on her own as she waited for Renji.
Sighing happily, she leaned against the steps, enjoying the cool spring night. The sakura were now in full bloom, but the air still had a slight bite to it after the sun went down. Some petals blew past her, and she reached out to have one settle in the palm of her hand. Caught up in her own reverie, she hadn't heard Renji approaching her.
"Oh!" She turned to face him, smiling brightly. "Surprised me there!" She giggled before getting up from her spot, enjoying his smile. She slipped an arm around his waist as she picked up her things. "So, my place or yours?"
Shivering slightly because of the sharp contrast between the cool breeze and the warmth of An's body against his own, Renji nodded. "I'd rather have us going to my apartment this time, An, if you agree."
They slowly walked towards the gates, and right then Yuu passed next to them. The first thing Renji noticed was the change in his outlook... the boy's black hair used to reach his shoulders, and now it was almost the same length as Renji's own.
But Yuu didn't let either An nor Renji comment about it. "I'll tell you later, Renji-ojisan," he quickly told the older man. "Though I'm sure Grandfather, Mother and Father have told you something about this... See you and An-san tomorrow!"
With that, Yuu left them on their own. Renji looked at his retreating back for some seconds, but preferred to let go for the moment and stared at An. He had somewhat of an idea as to what his nephew would tell him about, but it was useless to speculate...
"Shall we go?"
"Yup, that's fine with me." An assented to his suggestion, lacing her fingers with his as they walked. Yuu's sudden appearance, and change in appearance, caught her off guard, and An found herself looking at the youth with wide-eyes. She knew it was hardly polite, but she wasn't able to school her facial expressions in time. Hearing Yuu's not-quite explanation left her rather puzzled, and after the teenager left, she stared back at Renji, a look of complete confusion on her face. Judging from his expression, he had some sort of inkling, but she didn't feel the need to press.
Giving his hand a light squeeze, she nodded as they started the familiar walk back to Renji's apartment. They didn't talk a lot along the way, mostly just enjoying each other's company. An reflected on how... right things felt, just walking hand in hand. The streets were littered with sakura petals, and another rush of wind tossed more into the air, giving the place an almost dream-like quality to it.
Much as the cherry petals on the floor and in the wind made their surroundings look like taken out from a romance novel, Renji was conscient that they still were on Earth. This didn't mean he couldn't allow himself to appreciate his current blessings, no no; while he hadn't forgotten the recent developments, the martial artist made his best (and it was working, thank God) to relax and enjoy the presence of his girlfriend next to him as they headed home in silence, taking some minutes off their schedules to just... be themselves.
Few minutes later, Renji took his keys out of his pocket and opened the door. "Let's go inside, An... Just in time, since it's starting to get cold."
As Renji fished his pockets for his house keys, An rubbed her hands together to try and warm them. She was grateful to step inside the apartment, and to be out of the wind, which seemed to be picking up.
An followed him into his suite, leaving her shoes by the entrance way. They hung up their coats before moving further inside, An grabbing the bag of food she had brought for dinner. She had visited Renji a couple times while he was recovering from his injury, but hadn't returned since. And so, she followed him to the kitchen, setting the bags down on the counter
"It's not as good as homemade, but I guess it'll do in a pinch." An started to pull the small containers of miso soup and bentos that she had picked up.
"Don't worry, it's fine," Renji reassured An, observing their surroundings to see how to make both of them comfortable. The "system" kitchen of the agent's apartment was more or less directly connected to the living room, which had a modern kotatsu-type table; if An was still cold, it'd be easy to settle the kotatsu and solve the problem.
"I'll get the table ready; please take care of the rest, An," he told his girlfriend as he took out the futons and settled the electric heater to its lower frequence. As he did so, he happened to look at the photographies that were hanging on the nearby wall. These featured several important moments in his life, from his first months and years to events that took place few months before these days...
Ironically, none of them featured An. Yuu had still not given him copies of the pics he took some days before the eventful first mission; while settling the kotatsu, Renji made a mental note to ask him about them. All of the persons important in his life (even his mother, who was hugging both a 2-year-old Renji and a 15-year-old Sayoko in one of these, one taken by Tooru just a month before Ritsuko died in the car crash...) were features in his photographies, so An couldn't be less.
"Yup, no problem." She smiled cheerfully before setting about the task of getting all the food ready. Seeing as she was done sooner than Renji, she moved to the living room to see if he needed any help, and keep him company. As she walked in, she noticed the photos hanging on his wall, and paused to look at them, a gentle smile coming to her lips. It was obvious from them that family was important to Renji; there were a multitude of photos featuring him with his sister.
There was one shot in particular that grabbed, then held, An's attention. In it, An saw a teenage Sayoko, a toddler that was no doubt Renji, and a woman who An had no doubt was their mother. As she continued to look at the photos, it dawned on her that his mother stopped appearing in photos as Renji got older. I wonder why that is... An's thoughts were cut off as Renji informed her that the table was now ready. Nodding, An head to the kitchen to bring out the food, arranging it on the kotatsu.
Renji nodded quietly, finishing the last checks on the kotatsu table before sitting on the floor with his legs under the table and with a blanket draped over his lower body. He then waited until An did the same and the food was completely arranged, along with a small teapot and teacups.
He *had* noticed how the photo featuring Ritsuko with his and Sayo's younger selves caught An's attention as she walked into the room, but Renji still haf trouble mentioning such things. Not because he loved An less, but because Renji was uncomfortable with anything similar to pity. He just didn't like it, even when he knew it wasn't a sin to let others show how they cared. IUt was... just in him, he thought. If she asked, he'd tell her; if not, well, whatever.
By now, he had other priorities. So, Renji took the chopsticks coming with his bento and smiled at his girlfriend. "Please make the honors, An."
Tucking her legs underneath the blanket, An sighed happily at the warmth. Now didn't seem like quite like the right time to ask about the photos, so instead, she poured them each a cup of tea before picking up her own chopsticks with a smile. With a crack, she split the bamboo sticks apart, saying a cheerful "Thanks for the food!".
An gave her miso soup a light stirring before taking a sip, the hot liquid warming her from the inside out. Shifting a little so she could work on her bento a little more comfortably, she took a good look at both their boxes. It seemed as though Renji's box was missing the umeboshi. Frowning a little to herself -she knew she should have checked the boxes before leaving the restaurant-, she picked up her own and reached across the table to drop it into his box.
"You don't have to do this, An" Renji said gently but seriously, almost sounding like he was still at the aikido dojo or the Agency training grounds, correcting either Yoshimitsu's pupils or the Agency trainés he sometimes coached. "It's not fair for you, since you've made practically everything in your reach to help me and make me feel comfortable..."
An smiled gently at him, shaking her head a little. "I know I don't have to do it...but I want to. The umeboshi is one of your favorite parts of the bento." She tilted her head a little to look at him, as if her last statement explained everything. "Really, I don't mind, Renji." She smiled brightly even as she ate a small mouthful of rice. In An's mind, she would get more enjoyment knowing that Renji enjoyed his meal than she could from eating the umeboshi herself.
Seeing that she wouldn't have it in any other way, Renji carefully extracted the single umeboshi from An's bento, and slowly took a bite out of it. It was a good one, and somewhat less salty than a normal one (just like he liked it), so he enjoyed its sour taste as much as he could...
An was done with her mouthful of rice at the same time, and Renjo got an idea. He carefully extended his hand and help up the rest of the umeboshi in front of her.
"If you won't take the whole umeboshi, a half one would be fine?"
It seemed that each of them were in a giving mood that day, and An couldn't help but smile. She was going to refuse, but she recognized that he probably wanted to share with her as much as she had wanted to share with him.
Her eyes twinkled as she giggled a little. "Alright. We'll share." But instead of reaching out with her chopsticks to take the morsel he offered her, she couldn't help grinning a little wickedly before carefully leaning over, and eating the proffered umeboshi off his chopsticks.
"Mmm...thanks, Renji" She smiled at him before absently licking some of the salty-sour flavour off her lips.
"You're welcome, An," and Renji smiled as well watching her eat and enjoy the pickled plum bit he offered her. He vaguely thought of how this had been pretty much an indirect kiss, but only the light blush on his cheek revealed this train of thought of sorts.
The very same thought hadn't crossed An's mind until a few seconds later, and Renji had yet to resume eating. Her cheeks flushed a delicate shade of pink. "Oh! I'm sorry..." An felt a little flustered and ran her fingers through her hair before shifting her legs out from under the kotatsu so she could get up. "I'll go and get you another pair of chopsticks..."
Somewhat recovered from his embarrassment, Renji let An go for the moment. Laughing quietly at her reaction, he directed his attention towards the still untouched tea pot and cups...
When An returned, Renji had already served the still-warm drink on the cups. Which were placed side by side and not in front of each other.
"You can sit next to me if you want, An"
It took An a moment to find a fresh pair of chopsticks for Renji, having to open a few drawers before finding the right one. Before returning to the living room, she shook her head a little to try and clear it. Just what had possessed her to do that? She had obviously made him feel a little embarrassed. Sighing to herself she took a breath before returning to the other room, chopsticks in hand.
"Sorry. Took me a little while to find them." An smiled brightly at him as she set them down on the table. It was then that she noticed that he had re-arranged their settings. She giggled quietly to herself before nodding. "Thanks. I'd like that."
Settling herself in next to him, she carefully slid her legs underneath the kotasu, her legs bumping against Renji's accidentally. "Oops...sorry." She smiled at him as she made herself comfortable, leaning lightly against him and resting her head on his shoulder.
As soon as she was comfortably settled in, Renji took An's cup and placed it in her hands, carefully to not have any liquids spilling on any of them. Any traces of embarrassment had already disappeared, so the man just retrieved his own cup and took a slow sip from it, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere surrouding him and his girlfriend, enjoying some quiet time as they got used to each other's presences and their new position in their lives...
It seemed to him that An's eyes were fixed again on the photos, since they were sitting right in front of the wall they were hanging on. So, Renji placed his cup back on the kotatsu and stared at her. "Is there something you'd like to ask about the pictures, An?"
Thanking him for the tea, An sipped the hot beverage carefully, relaxing into everything. Being in a relationship still took a little getting used to for her, but things were going well. As she took another sip, her eyes were again drawn to the photos of Renji and his family, becoming reflective as she continued to look at them.
"Well...I guess I just noticed that your mother doesn't show up in any of the photos of you, or your family, when you're older..." An wasn't totally sure how to continue that thought. It was true that although she had met most of Renji's family, she was never introduced to his mother, and that fact combined with her observations with the photos led her to wonder about what may have happened.
When Renji replied, after some silent minutes, his voice was certainly much more quiet than it usually was.
"Yes... and it's because of the reason you might have guessed. My mother died in a car crash when I was just two years old, and my father never married again since he didn't want to force me and my sister to have a stepmother. So... in a sense, my sister has been more of a mother figure than a real sister for me, and she and my deceased grandmother helped my father to raise me."
An may have suspected something along those lines, but to be told it as a fact was a different matter. She reached over to take Renji's hand, giving it a light squeeze. An knew that Renji didn't want pity, those patronizing 'Oh, I'm so sorry'-s that were so common when people heard news like that. Instead, she just quietly nodded her head and kept a hold of Renji's hand.
"I'm sure that you've done your mother's, and grandmother's, memory proud..."
Her voice was as soft as her expression. An thought about her own childhood, growing up with her brother and family. She couldn't imagine not having any of them around. For Renji and his family to have continued on as they did only spoke to their strength of of character, and An certainly respected that in all of the Yanagi's.
Renji nodded at that, letting An take his hand. It was a good thing that she at least knew him well enough to avoid these common places that were uncomfortable for someone like him, not used to openly show his stronger feelings...
"Thank you...," he murmured. His hand released hers... and slowly, he slipped an arm around her waist, pulling her in a soft embrace and then leaning his forehead against her shoulder. He was careful to not hold her too tight so she'd be scared, and nor lean too much on An to pressure her needlessly... he also wanted her to know that he'd be there for her to lean on, should she need him.
An shifted a little closer to him as she felt strong arms encircle her. Her own arms slipped under his as she returned the embrace. Even though he didn't vocalize them, she could sense his emotions in the way he held her, and she tightened her hug a touch in response. An allowed her eyes to close as she relaxed into his arms. Give and take - that sort of balance between them seemed evident to her now, even if she had always instinctively known that was the case. It made An's stomach flutter to know that there was someone in the world that she could count on, and that would also be counting on her.
Words didn't feel necessary, and almost out of place in this moment. Instead, An turned her head a little to press a soft kiss on Renji's cheek. We can lean on each other...
People are nothing if they're completely apart of each other, in all senses. We're stronger if we face our challenges together...
Replaying these words in his mind (his first Aikido instructor, Yoshimitsu's deceased father, had told him these things when he was much younger, just a child starting to crack his own shields and go outside...), Renji kept his arms gently wrapped around An's body for some minutes, cradling her affectionately. He knew they would part later that night and not see each other until the next morning, so he didn't feel like unnecessarily hurrying their good-byes.
When An kissed his cheek, he let her do so. Slowly, however, he turned his face towards her, and tentatively pressed their lips together.
An could feel Renji shifting, but was still surprised when she felt the soft press of his lips against hers, making her breath catch in her throat. She felt a thrill travel up and down her spine before settling into the kiss. The sensation was so warm and comforting, yet exciting and new at the same time.
It wasn't that they had never kissed before; after all, there was even that accidental one that occurred after the Christmas party, before they had realized their feelings for each other. But this one was different; different from the quick little pecks they shared on rare occasions when saying goodbye after Renji would walk her home, when they were sure that no was around to see them. Here, behind closed doors - without any prying eyes - that slow, sweet kiss felt so much more powerful....and intimate.
When he felt that An had settled into their kiss more comfortably, he slowly lifted a hand and ran his fingers through his girlfriend's hair, before letting her lean closer to him. Then, Renji sighed and parted his lips, the tip of his tongue teasing An's mouth open just a little, testing the waters carefully, trying to gather info on what would fit both of them better so the magic of the moment wouldn't go away...
As Renji's fingers threaded through her hair, An heard herself sigh as she pulled in closer to him. She slid her hands slowly down along his back, feeling the definition of his muscles through his shirt before placing one on the ground to support more of her weight. An felt Renji's tongue teasing her lips, and responded by slowly parting them. She could taste a faint hint of tea in his kiss along with something that was distinctly....Renji. An continued to explore this new level of closeness and intimacy, melting into the sensations.
"Mmmmm...." The quiet sound that came from An was more than a sigh, yet not quite a moan, and she was too wrapped up in the kiss to even feel embarrassed about it. The only the that occupied her mind at the moment was the man sitting there beside her at the kotasu, the man who she felt more connected to than anyone in a long time, the man who she loved with all her being.
Renji took the invitation and slowly started to explore An's mouth with his tongue, kissing her throughly yet still gently until he started to run out of breath. He broke their kiss very slowly, staring at his girlfriend with eyes that were more open than closed, still relishing the taste of tea in her lips...
He tried to come up with any words that could describe how he felt right now, with the woman who had gotten under his skin quicker and deepr than anyone else except his relatives. But he preferred to not ruin the moment and just lifted a hand to caress her face, an arm still around her waist to keep An's body pressed against his own.
Even as they broke the kiss to catch their breath, An could still feel the heady rush of sensations coursing through her; her heart was still racing, and her cheeks lightly flushed. If Renji's eyes were open, An didn't know as her own were were still mostly closed.
She let out a slow, slightly shuddering breath, still recovering from the kiss. Feeling Renji's hand gently touch her face, she instinctively leaned into his touch, enjoying the moment.
"Woah...." was the whispered word that fell from her lips even as her eyes fluttered open to look at him, a small smile curling up on her lips.
Renji couldn't help but laughing just a little, seeing An so starstruck from their kiss. His callused, slender hand touched her face more lingeringly, his rough thumb rubbing her cheek before he traced it with his other fingers.
"That was definitely something...," he murmured, open eyes fixed on the woman's face as he also brought himself back to this part of reality where he and An were in each other's arms.
Hearing Renji laugh was such a happy sound that An couldn't help giggling a little. She shifted her arms to wrap snugly around him.
"You certainly know how to take a girl's breath away, Renji."
She smiled warmly at him before pressing a quick kiss on his lips. Her eyes flit to the clock on the wall, and she realized it was probably time for her head head home, after all, they both had work the next day.
"I should probably head home..." Not that she particularly wanted to leave, but she knew she'd have to go at some point in time.
Renji looked at his girlfriend and nodded quietly. Logically, he didn't want her to go home right after enjoying such a peaceful moment, yet An also was his coworker and he knew that their respective works were very important to both of them.
"Unless you have other plans for both of us in this moment, then it's fine to me," he told her serenely, pressing his lips against her forehead for a second, and then against her mouth to give her a longer kiss before they parted and started to clean up before saying goodbye for the day.
An let herself enjoy their kiss before sliding her legs out from under the kotatsu. She helped Renji clear the table, careful to separate the garbage properly. There weren't that many dishes to wash, and with Renji insisting that she shouldn't be the one to do them, An conceded and picked up her own things in preparation for heading home.
Slipping her coat on by the door, she did a last minute check of all her things before smiling at her boyfriend. "Have a good night, Renji. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Perfect," the man told her, getting ready go to the door with her as a sort-of last attention to his guest. The few dishes were clean and in their places, same went to the kotatsu, so he made a small visual check on their surroundings before considering himself 100% satisfied.
"Have a good night, too, An," he whispered with a smile just before opening the door.
An smiled and nodded before taking a step into the hallway. She was very conscious of the fact that the open door meant that anyone who might happen to be in the hall at the time would be able to see them. As such, she just reached out to take Renji's hand, giving it a light squeeze. With a soft smile, she let go of his hand and gave him a little wave before leaving.
As she walked home, An couldn't help replaying moments from that evening over in her head, including that breathtaking kiss. Even the memory of it was enough to make her cheeks flush, and she gently touched a finger to her lips as if to convince herself it had really happened. Anyone who might have seen An enter her apartment that night was probably wondering just what it was she was smiling so much about.
Closing the door carefully, Renji looked at the pictures, and smiled a little more openly as he went towards the wall and slid a finger over the frame of one of them.
"You would've liked her, Mother," he murmured, his voice serene and gentle. "She smiles as much as you did when you were alive, according to my sister..."
He liked to think that Ritsuko, wherever her spirit was, could hear him and see how he was happier than he had been in years. But this was no moment to linger on the past... Renji knew not only An was looking forward to the next day, so it would be better to rest and get ready.
"Good night, mother," he said before going to his room.
Rating: PG
Summary: A quiet after-work evening for those two... Info about the Japanese kotatsu tables can be found here.
"Orikasa. Had this been for real and not just kata training, you could've injured Takada seriously."
The boy with spikey hair listened to his instructor's concrit and nodded. "Sorry about that, Takano-sensei."
Takano Yoshimitsu nodded as well. "Being sorry alone doesn't cut it. You two have to repeat the whole sequence and do it now. No buts."
"Yes!"
Sitting not too far from his brother-in-law, Renji observed the current training routines closely. Orikasa was one of the most promising students in the dojo and was training for the admission tests for the JSDF, so it was rare to have him commiting errors proper of rookies. So, he quietly focused on watching him spar with Takada under Yoshimitsu's guidance, traking on all the details he could, gathering this info so he would be able to offer advice.
It didn't take the two boys long to adequately finish their session, and judging by Yoshimitsu's satisfied smile, it had worked for the best. Takeda and Orikasa smiled at each other, then bowed respectfully towards the front of the dojo and stared at their instructor, silently requesting pemission to leave.
"Class dismissed," he said after staring at the other students, all of them highschool or college-aged boys and girls, and then back at the last sparring pair. "I expect you all to be on time here tomorrow, then."
As everyone took their leave, Renji went towards Orikasa and Takada to tell them about his impressions on the match. When done, he stared towards the open door, and saw the twins speaking to someone else not too far from it. Yes, a person he had been thinking of before he had to help his brother direct the last class of the day.
Not 5 second after An arrived at the dojo, take-out dinner in hand, did the twins rush up to give the agent a hug.
"An-san! We haven't seen you in so long!" Meiko smiled at her with excitement.
"Hey, Meiko-chan!" An returned the hug before turning to Miki. "And I hear from certain sources that you've been whining lately. Shouldn't you be outgrowing that now?" She grinned before giving Miki a hug as well.
"Renji-ojisan just doesn't understand women." the more gregarious twin laughed as she hung onto An's free arm. "But maybe I should ask you if that's true." Miki grinned mischievously at the agent even as Meiko looked shocked and smacked her sister's arm.
"Miki-chan, maybe he just doesn't understand you.." An chuckled as she ruffled Miki's hair. And that was when Meiko let out a "Ooohh...."
"An-san? That locket you're wearing, Is that new? I haven't seen it before!"
The questions just seemed to keep coming, and An did her best to be evasive; in the end she hadn't really told the twins very much at all, which she was pretty happy about. It's not that she was at all nervous about her relationship with Renji, but this was his family, and she wanted him to decide how much they were told.
An excused herself from the twins when she saw Renji come into view. She walked over towards him, waving in greeting, a warm smile on her face. "Hey there, stranger." She held up the food. "Can I interest you in some dinner?"
After sparing a last glance at Yoshimitsu (who just shrugged and nodded in response, though Renji could swear he was trying not to smirk), Renji walked his way towards his girlfriend. The twins had just decided to let go of the female tech by the moment and chat with the highschool girls that were leaving the training halls; it was a good chance to approach her without having Miki and Meiko around.
He reached for An and smiled at her. "You can, An, but after I've changed my clothing. I suppose just five minutes more won't kill you, right?"
An took a quick look around before giving Renji a light hug and a quick peck on the cheek. "No need to rush. You worked hard today." An smiled at him feeling no small measure of pride in Renji's abilities. It seemed that he had pretty much made a full recovery from his injury, and could now help with the more advanced classes. "I'll just wait for you here." She motioned to some nearby steps where she could have a seat while she waited for him to return.
Less than ten minutes later, Renji was leaving the dressers, ready to leave the place. Not only he was mostly done with everything related to the current dojo bussiness (his sister, as the accountant in charge of the finances, would help Yoshimitsu handle the rest), but unlike other times he *had* someone outside of his family specifically waiting for him at the dojo steps...
Practically everyone had left when he finally reached for An. So, with a smile, he spoke to her as he approached the steps she was sitting on. "I'm 100% ready. We should go."
As she waited, An spoke briefly with Yoshimitsu before the dojo master head off for the night. She noticed a slight twinkle in the older man's eyes, and had to smile herself. It seemed that nothing slipped past the aikido master's attention. She bid Yoshimitsu and the twins good night, leaving her to enjoy the stars on her own as she waited for Renji.
Sighing happily, she leaned against the steps, enjoying the cool spring night. The sakura were now in full bloom, but the air still had a slight bite to it after the sun went down. Some petals blew past her, and she reached out to have one settle in the palm of her hand. Caught up in her own reverie, she hadn't heard Renji approaching her.
"Oh!" She turned to face him, smiling brightly. "Surprised me there!" She giggled before getting up from her spot, enjoying his smile. She slipped an arm around his waist as she picked up her things. "So, my place or yours?"
Shivering slightly because of the sharp contrast between the cool breeze and the warmth of An's body against his own, Renji nodded. "I'd rather have us going to my apartment this time, An, if you agree."
They slowly walked towards the gates, and right then Yuu passed next to them. The first thing Renji noticed was the change in his outlook... the boy's black hair used to reach his shoulders, and now it was almost the same length as Renji's own.
But Yuu didn't let either An nor Renji comment about it. "I'll tell you later, Renji-ojisan," he quickly told the older man. "Though I'm sure Grandfather, Mother and Father have told you something about this... See you and An-san tomorrow!"
With that, Yuu left them on their own. Renji looked at his retreating back for some seconds, but preferred to let go for the moment and stared at An. He had somewhat of an idea as to what his nephew would tell him about, but it was useless to speculate...
"Shall we go?"
"Yup, that's fine with me." An assented to his suggestion, lacing her fingers with his as they walked. Yuu's sudden appearance, and change in appearance, caught her off guard, and An found herself looking at the youth with wide-eyes. She knew it was hardly polite, but she wasn't able to school her facial expressions in time. Hearing Yuu's not-quite explanation left her rather puzzled, and after the teenager left, she stared back at Renji, a look of complete confusion on her face. Judging from his expression, he had some sort of inkling, but she didn't feel the need to press.
Giving his hand a light squeeze, she nodded as they started the familiar walk back to Renji's apartment. They didn't talk a lot along the way, mostly just enjoying each other's company. An reflected on how... right things felt, just walking hand in hand. The streets were littered with sakura petals, and another rush of wind tossed more into the air, giving the place an almost dream-like quality to it.
Much as the cherry petals on the floor and in the wind made their surroundings look like taken out from a romance novel, Renji was conscient that they still were on Earth. This didn't mean he couldn't allow himself to appreciate his current blessings, no no; while he hadn't forgotten the recent developments, the martial artist made his best (and it was working, thank God) to relax and enjoy the presence of his girlfriend next to him as they headed home in silence, taking some minutes off their schedules to just... be themselves.
Few minutes later, Renji took his keys out of his pocket and opened the door. "Let's go inside, An... Just in time, since it's starting to get cold."
As Renji fished his pockets for his house keys, An rubbed her hands together to try and warm them. She was grateful to step inside the apartment, and to be out of the wind, which seemed to be picking up.
An followed him into his suite, leaving her shoes by the entrance way. They hung up their coats before moving further inside, An grabbing the bag of food she had brought for dinner. She had visited Renji a couple times while he was recovering from his injury, but hadn't returned since. And so, she followed him to the kitchen, setting the bags down on the counter
"It's not as good as homemade, but I guess it'll do in a pinch." An started to pull the small containers of miso soup and bentos that she had picked up.
"Don't worry, it's fine," Renji reassured An, observing their surroundings to see how to make both of them comfortable. The "system" kitchen of the agent's apartment was more or less directly connected to the living room, which had a modern kotatsu-type table; if An was still cold, it'd be easy to settle the kotatsu and solve the problem.
"I'll get the table ready; please take care of the rest, An," he told his girlfriend as he took out the futons and settled the electric heater to its lower frequence. As he did so, he happened to look at the photographies that were hanging on the nearby wall. These featured several important moments in his life, from his first months and years to events that took place few months before these days...
Ironically, none of them featured An. Yuu had still not given him copies of the pics he took some days before the eventful first mission; while settling the kotatsu, Renji made a mental note to ask him about them. All of the persons important in his life (even his mother, who was hugging both a 2-year-old Renji and a 15-year-old Sayoko in one of these, one taken by Tooru just a month before Ritsuko died in the car crash...) were features in his photographies, so An couldn't be less.
"Yup, no problem." She smiled cheerfully before setting about the task of getting all the food ready. Seeing as she was done sooner than Renji, she moved to the living room to see if he needed any help, and keep him company. As she walked in, she noticed the photos hanging on his wall, and paused to look at them, a gentle smile coming to her lips. It was obvious from them that family was important to Renji; there were a multitude of photos featuring him with his sister.
There was one shot in particular that grabbed, then held, An's attention. In it, An saw a teenage Sayoko, a toddler that was no doubt Renji, and a woman who An had no doubt was their mother. As she continued to look at the photos, it dawned on her that his mother stopped appearing in photos as Renji got older. I wonder why that is... An's thoughts were cut off as Renji informed her that the table was now ready. Nodding, An head to the kitchen to bring out the food, arranging it on the kotatsu.
Renji nodded quietly, finishing the last checks on the kotatsu table before sitting on the floor with his legs under the table and with a blanket draped over his lower body. He then waited until An did the same and the food was completely arranged, along with a small teapot and teacups.
He *had* noticed how the photo featuring Ritsuko with his and Sayo's younger selves caught An's attention as she walked into the room, but Renji still haf trouble mentioning such things. Not because he loved An less, but because Renji was uncomfortable with anything similar to pity. He just didn't like it, even when he knew it wasn't a sin to let others show how they cared. IUt was... just in him, he thought. If she asked, he'd tell her; if not, well, whatever.
By now, he had other priorities. So, Renji took the chopsticks coming with his bento and smiled at his girlfriend. "Please make the honors, An."
Tucking her legs underneath the blanket, An sighed happily at the warmth. Now didn't seem like quite like the right time to ask about the photos, so instead, she poured them each a cup of tea before picking up her own chopsticks with a smile. With a crack, she split the bamboo sticks apart, saying a cheerful "Thanks for the food!".
An gave her miso soup a light stirring before taking a sip, the hot liquid warming her from the inside out. Shifting a little so she could work on her bento a little more comfortably, she took a good look at both their boxes. It seemed as though Renji's box was missing the umeboshi. Frowning a little to herself -she knew she should have checked the boxes before leaving the restaurant-, she picked up her own and reached across the table to drop it into his box.
"You don't have to do this, An" Renji said gently but seriously, almost sounding like he was still at the aikido dojo or the Agency training grounds, correcting either Yoshimitsu's pupils or the Agency trainés he sometimes coached. "It's not fair for you, since you've made practically everything in your reach to help me and make me feel comfortable..."
An smiled gently at him, shaking her head a little. "I know I don't have to do it...but I want to. The umeboshi is one of your favorite parts of the bento." She tilted her head a little to look at him, as if her last statement explained everything. "Really, I don't mind, Renji." She smiled brightly even as she ate a small mouthful of rice. In An's mind, she would get more enjoyment knowing that Renji enjoyed his meal than she could from eating the umeboshi herself.
Seeing that she wouldn't have it in any other way, Renji carefully extracted the single umeboshi from An's bento, and slowly took a bite out of it. It was a good one, and somewhat less salty than a normal one (just like he liked it), so he enjoyed its sour taste as much as he could...
An was done with her mouthful of rice at the same time, and Renjo got an idea. He carefully extended his hand and help up the rest of the umeboshi in front of her.
"If you won't take the whole umeboshi, a half one would be fine?"
It seemed that each of them were in a giving mood that day, and An couldn't help but smile. She was going to refuse, but she recognized that he probably wanted to share with her as much as she had wanted to share with him.
Her eyes twinkled as she giggled a little. "Alright. We'll share." But instead of reaching out with her chopsticks to take the morsel he offered her, she couldn't help grinning a little wickedly before carefully leaning over, and eating the proffered umeboshi off his chopsticks.
"Mmm...thanks, Renji" She smiled at him before absently licking some of the salty-sour flavour off her lips.
"You're welcome, An," and Renji smiled as well watching her eat and enjoy the pickled plum bit he offered her. He vaguely thought of how this had been pretty much an indirect kiss, but only the light blush on his cheek revealed this train of thought of sorts.
The very same thought hadn't crossed An's mind until a few seconds later, and Renji had yet to resume eating. Her cheeks flushed a delicate shade of pink. "Oh! I'm sorry..." An felt a little flustered and ran her fingers through her hair before shifting her legs out from under the kotatsu so she could get up. "I'll go and get you another pair of chopsticks..."
Somewhat recovered from his embarrassment, Renji let An go for the moment. Laughing quietly at her reaction, he directed his attention towards the still untouched tea pot and cups...
When An returned, Renji had already served the still-warm drink on the cups. Which were placed side by side and not in front of each other.
"You can sit next to me if you want, An"
It took An a moment to find a fresh pair of chopsticks for Renji, having to open a few drawers before finding the right one. Before returning to the living room, she shook her head a little to try and clear it. Just what had possessed her to do that? She had obviously made him feel a little embarrassed. Sighing to herself she took a breath before returning to the other room, chopsticks in hand.
"Sorry. Took me a little while to find them." An smiled brightly at him as she set them down on the table. It was then that she noticed that he had re-arranged their settings. She giggled quietly to herself before nodding. "Thanks. I'd like that."
Settling herself in next to him, she carefully slid her legs underneath the kotasu, her legs bumping against Renji's accidentally. "Oops...sorry." She smiled at him as she made herself comfortable, leaning lightly against him and resting her head on his shoulder.
As soon as she was comfortably settled in, Renji took An's cup and placed it in her hands, carefully to not have any liquids spilling on any of them. Any traces of embarrassment had already disappeared, so the man just retrieved his own cup and took a slow sip from it, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere surrouding him and his girlfriend, enjoying some quiet time as they got used to each other's presences and their new position in their lives...
It seemed to him that An's eyes were fixed again on the photos, since they were sitting right in front of the wall they were hanging on. So, Renji placed his cup back on the kotatsu and stared at her. "Is there something you'd like to ask about the pictures, An?"
Thanking him for the tea, An sipped the hot beverage carefully, relaxing into everything. Being in a relationship still took a little getting used to for her, but things were going well. As she took another sip, her eyes were again drawn to the photos of Renji and his family, becoming reflective as she continued to look at them.
"Well...I guess I just noticed that your mother doesn't show up in any of the photos of you, or your family, when you're older..." An wasn't totally sure how to continue that thought. It was true that although she had met most of Renji's family, she was never introduced to his mother, and that fact combined with her observations with the photos led her to wonder about what may have happened.
When Renji replied, after some silent minutes, his voice was certainly much more quiet than it usually was.
"Yes... and it's because of the reason you might have guessed. My mother died in a car crash when I was just two years old, and my father never married again since he didn't want to force me and my sister to have a stepmother. So... in a sense, my sister has been more of a mother figure than a real sister for me, and she and my deceased grandmother helped my father to raise me."
An may have suspected something along those lines, but to be told it as a fact was a different matter. She reached over to take Renji's hand, giving it a light squeeze. An knew that Renji didn't want pity, those patronizing 'Oh, I'm so sorry'-s that were so common when people heard news like that. Instead, she just quietly nodded her head and kept a hold of Renji's hand.
"I'm sure that you've done your mother's, and grandmother's, memory proud..."
Her voice was as soft as her expression. An thought about her own childhood, growing up with her brother and family. She couldn't imagine not having any of them around. For Renji and his family to have continued on as they did only spoke to their strength of of character, and An certainly respected that in all of the Yanagi's.
Renji nodded at that, letting An take his hand. It was a good thing that she at least knew him well enough to avoid these common places that were uncomfortable for someone like him, not used to openly show his stronger feelings...
"Thank you...," he murmured. His hand released hers... and slowly, he slipped an arm around her waist, pulling her in a soft embrace and then leaning his forehead against her shoulder. He was careful to not hold her too tight so she'd be scared, and nor lean too much on An to pressure her needlessly... he also wanted her to know that he'd be there for her to lean on, should she need him.
An shifted a little closer to him as she felt strong arms encircle her. Her own arms slipped under his as she returned the embrace. Even though he didn't vocalize them, she could sense his emotions in the way he held her, and she tightened her hug a touch in response. An allowed her eyes to close as she relaxed into his arms. Give and take - that sort of balance between them seemed evident to her now, even if she had always instinctively known that was the case. It made An's stomach flutter to know that there was someone in the world that she could count on, and that would also be counting on her.
Words didn't feel necessary, and almost out of place in this moment. Instead, An turned her head a little to press a soft kiss on Renji's cheek. We can lean on each other...
People are nothing if they're completely apart of each other, in all senses. We're stronger if we face our challenges together...
Replaying these words in his mind (his first Aikido instructor, Yoshimitsu's deceased father, had told him these things when he was much younger, just a child starting to crack his own shields and go outside...), Renji kept his arms gently wrapped around An's body for some minutes, cradling her affectionately. He knew they would part later that night and not see each other until the next morning, so he didn't feel like unnecessarily hurrying their good-byes.
When An kissed his cheek, he let her do so. Slowly, however, he turned his face towards her, and tentatively pressed their lips together.
An could feel Renji shifting, but was still surprised when she felt the soft press of his lips against hers, making her breath catch in her throat. She felt a thrill travel up and down her spine before settling into the kiss. The sensation was so warm and comforting, yet exciting and new at the same time.
It wasn't that they had never kissed before; after all, there was even that accidental one that occurred after the Christmas party, before they had realized their feelings for each other. But this one was different; different from the quick little pecks they shared on rare occasions when saying goodbye after Renji would walk her home, when they were sure that no was around to see them. Here, behind closed doors - without any prying eyes - that slow, sweet kiss felt so much more powerful....and intimate.
When he felt that An had settled into their kiss more comfortably, he slowly lifted a hand and ran his fingers through his girlfriend's hair, before letting her lean closer to him. Then, Renji sighed and parted his lips, the tip of his tongue teasing An's mouth open just a little, testing the waters carefully, trying to gather info on what would fit both of them better so the magic of the moment wouldn't go away...
As Renji's fingers threaded through her hair, An heard herself sigh as she pulled in closer to him. She slid her hands slowly down along his back, feeling the definition of his muscles through his shirt before placing one on the ground to support more of her weight. An felt Renji's tongue teasing her lips, and responded by slowly parting them. She could taste a faint hint of tea in his kiss along with something that was distinctly....Renji. An continued to explore this new level of closeness and intimacy, melting into the sensations.
"Mmmmm...." The quiet sound that came from An was more than a sigh, yet not quite a moan, and she was too wrapped up in the kiss to even feel embarrassed about it. The only the that occupied her mind at the moment was the man sitting there beside her at the kotasu, the man who she felt more connected to than anyone in a long time, the man who she loved with all her being.
Renji took the invitation and slowly started to explore An's mouth with his tongue, kissing her throughly yet still gently until he started to run out of breath. He broke their kiss very slowly, staring at his girlfriend with eyes that were more open than closed, still relishing the taste of tea in her lips...
He tried to come up with any words that could describe how he felt right now, with the woman who had gotten under his skin quicker and deepr than anyone else except his relatives. But he preferred to not ruin the moment and just lifted a hand to caress her face, an arm still around her waist to keep An's body pressed against his own.
Even as they broke the kiss to catch their breath, An could still feel the heady rush of sensations coursing through her; her heart was still racing, and her cheeks lightly flushed. If Renji's eyes were open, An didn't know as her own were were still mostly closed.
She let out a slow, slightly shuddering breath, still recovering from the kiss. Feeling Renji's hand gently touch her face, she instinctively leaned into his touch, enjoying the moment.
"Woah...." was the whispered word that fell from her lips even as her eyes fluttered open to look at him, a small smile curling up on her lips.
Renji couldn't help but laughing just a little, seeing An so starstruck from their kiss. His callused, slender hand touched her face more lingeringly, his rough thumb rubbing her cheek before he traced it with his other fingers.
"That was definitely something...," he murmured, open eyes fixed on the woman's face as he also brought himself back to this part of reality where he and An were in each other's arms.
Hearing Renji laugh was such a happy sound that An couldn't help giggling a little. She shifted her arms to wrap snugly around him.
"You certainly know how to take a girl's breath away, Renji."
She smiled warmly at him before pressing a quick kiss on his lips. Her eyes flit to the clock on the wall, and she realized it was probably time for her head head home, after all, they both had work the next day.
"I should probably head home..." Not that she particularly wanted to leave, but she knew she'd have to go at some point in time.
Renji looked at his girlfriend and nodded quietly. Logically, he didn't want her to go home right after enjoying such a peaceful moment, yet An also was his coworker and he knew that their respective works were very important to both of them.
"Unless you have other plans for both of us in this moment, then it's fine to me," he told her serenely, pressing his lips against her forehead for a second, and then against her mouth to give her a longer kiss before they parted and started to clean up before saying goodbye for the day.
An let herself enjoy their kiss before sliding her legs out from under the kotatsu. She helped Renji clear the table, careful to separate the garbage properly. There weren't that many dishes to wash, and with Renji insisting that she shouldn't be the one to do them, An conceded and picked up her own things in preparation for heading home.
Slipping her coat on by the door, she did a last minute check of all her things before smiling at her boyfriend. "Have a good night, Renji. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Perfect," the man told her, getting ready go to the door with her as a sort-of last attention to his guest. The few dishes were clean and in their places, same went to the kotatsu, so he made a small visual check on their surroundings before considering himself 100% satisfied.
"Have a good night, too, An," he whispered with a smile just before opening the door.
An smiled and nodded before taking a step into the hallway. She was very conscious of the fact that the open door meant that anyone who might happen to be in the hall at the time would be able to see them. As such, she just reached out to take Renji's hand, giving it a light squeeze. With a soft smile, she let go of his hand and gave him a little wave before leaving.
As she walked home, An couldn't help replaying moments from that evening over in her head, including that breathtaking kiss. Even the memory of it was enough to make her cheeks flush, and she gently touched a finger to her lips as if to convince herself it had really happened. Anyone who might have seen An enter her apartment that night was probably wondering just what it was she was smiling so much about.
Closing the door carefully, Renji looked at the pictures, and smiled a little more openly as he went towards the wall and slid a finger over the frame of one of them.
"You would've liked her, Mother," he murmured, his voice serene and gentle. "She smiles as much as you did when you were alive, according to my sister..."
He liked to think that Ritsuko, wherever her spirit was, could hear him and see how he was happier than he had been in years. But this was no moment to linger on the past... Renji knew not only An was looking forward to the next day, so it would be better to rest and get ready.
"Good night, mother," he said before going to his room.