The Sweetest Downfall

Special thanks to everyone who's given this odd story a chance. Much love to NovaAlexandria, Yakumo, Kuromei, DeviousMinnie, Lynzee, MasterAkira (Great! Cause this is all one big mind game manipulation on Ichimaru's part. *grins*), Anise, Rowen, and satterb.

There's so much I'm trying to show/do with this fic, and I'll be happy as a clam if anyone figures it out by the end. Of course, most of it I'm never going to directly say. It's all from Renji's POV so you'll only know as much as he does. Heh, heh. Sometimes, I feel so evil.

Enjoy!

The Sweetest Downfall
Part Three – Crashing on the Shore

“Kira!”

The blond turned at the sound of his name, brow furrowed in confusion as he cut off his conversation mid-sentence. “Abarai-kun?” he questioned with surprise as Renji jogged up towards him. “Is everything all right? You're out of breath.”

Renji didn't immediately answer, grabbing Kira's elbow and attempting to lead him away. “Sorry,” he apologized lightly to the other Shinigami that Kira was talking to, a woman from his own division. “I have to borrow him.”

He didn't wait for her to acknowledge him, pulling Kira away from the conversation. The vice-captain stumbled at the abrupt action, calling an apology in his wake.

“Abarai-kun!” Kira exclaimed, blue eyes wide with bewilderment. “What's going on? What's the rush? Did something happen?”

It took that long for Renji to realize he probably was acting a little insane. He loosened his hold on Kira and lowered the pace. “Err, nothin',” Renji said dismissively, and it was just this shade of an absolute lie. “I just wanted to talk to ya.”

“Well, you could have done it without dragging me away,” Kira returned with a light frown, and then his eyes raked over Renji's appearance, still confused.

He didn't blame Kira. He probably looked a wreck. Renji had gotten little sleep that night, tossing and turning on his tatami as he tried to ignore the dull ache in his body. He tried to convince himself that he hadn't just had sex with Ichimaru-taichou, and worse, that he'd enjoyed it to an extent. But the more he attempted to chase away the images, the more they played over and over in his mind.

It was even worse after he'd gone to the bath and found the marks. Luckily, it was early enough that he was the only one there. Still, it was embarrassing, and a little infuriating. They were everywhere – on his chest and neck and throat – evidence of that bastard's actions were all over his skin. He'd bandaged up the more visible ones, and told others that he'd hurt himself practicing.

Renji lifted his free hand, rubbing the back of his head. “Sorry. I wasn't thinking.”

“Obviously.” Kira's frown deepened and he ground to a halt, around the corner of the courtyard and away from the prying eyes that had been watching their abrupt exit. Admittedly, the attention they had drawn to themselves was mostly Renji's fault. Well, entirely Renji's fault.

“What was so important?”

“Errr....” Renji faltered, because really, he didn't have anything to say at all.

He thought that maybe he wanted to warn Kira or something. He definitely wasn't planning on saying what he had done, or what plans Ichimaru was making. And Renji didn't know how to say what he wanted to say without revealing his own role in what happened.

Renji felt his cheeks redden on their own as his mind unhelpfully recalled what he had done the night before. If he moved a certain way, his body reminded him, too, in the dull ache that radiated up his back. He'd had sex with Ichimaru-taichou; Renji couldn't get that truth out of his mind. And he could only hope that the captain would keep his half of the deal, that he wouldn't ever touch Kira again.

He wanted to say that Kira didn't have to worry anymore. That he didn't have to do those perverted things anymore. But then Kira would know that he knew and would get angry. Or upset. Or both. And somehow, Renji would have to tell the truth. There was no way in hell he was going to do that.

So why had he dragged Kira away like that? Renji wasn't sure. It was just that the he entered the courtyard and saw Kira, he felt the urge to talk to the blond. Without any sort of rationality or reason. He thought of the way Ichimaru-taichou had talked about Kira, the perverted things he had said. He didn't care about Kira at all. He just treated him like a toy for his amusement, that much was obvious.

Renji wasn't going to let that happen.

“Abarai-kun?” Kira's concerned voice broke through his rampant thoughts and Renji shook his head. He had already made his decision; last night had only solidified it. Even if he never told Kira about it. Ever.

He reached forward, grabbing Kira's arm and giving it a light squeeze. “Ya know ya can trust me, right?”

Kira blinked. “Umm, yes. Why?”

He hated that he was terrible with words. This was the best he could do. “I just wanted ya to know that,” Renji explained, though he realized it probably didn't make any sense at all. “If ya ever need someone to talk to, I'm here. I'll listen.” He gestured to himself. “I might even be able ta help.”

Those blue eyes watched him cautiously, concern lining his pretty features. “You're acting strangely today, Abarai-kun. Are you ill?” Kira lifted a hand, a part of the fourth-division still alive within him as he lifted the back of it to Renji's forehead.

Renji scowled, lightly swatting away the touch that sent a shock of something through his entire body in response. Kira's hands were too damn soft. And he was too damn close, too, for that matter. The smell of whatever soap he bathed with surrounded his body, floating to Renji's nostrils as if called by some unnatural source. Sweet and seductive.

Dammit, dammit, dammit, he wasn't supposed to be thinking of Kira like that. He didn't want to prove Ichimaru-taichou's insinuations right.

“No, I'm not sick.”

“Well, you're certainly not making any sense,” Kira huffed, no doubt growing annoyed with his behavior.

Frustration laced Renji's tone. “I know. It's just...” He growled uncertainly and looked away. The right words just wouldn't come to him, no matter how he searched his mind or his heart. How could he warn someone of something he didn't want to discuss? When they probably already knew what they were getting into?

Renji never got the chance to say it.

In the next moment, a Hell Butterfly fluttered their direction, black wings catching the light of the sun. Kira released Renji's arm and held out a hand, letting the messenger delicately land on his finger.

His head tipped to the side as he listened, Renji waiting with some impatience. The heat of the day was making him sweat, and there was a dull ache in his lower body. He really wanted to sit down, or lie down preferably. He wasn't sure if sitting was a good thing yet.

Kira nodded to himself and message delivered, the butterfly took off again, disappearing into the afternoon. At the look on his face, Renji felt a sinking sensation in his belly. Somehow, he just knew who that had to have been. He asked anyways.

“What was that?”

“Ichimaru-taichou. We have a training exercise in twenty minutes so he wants me to gather the division together.”

Renji huffed, raking fingers through his long hair. Training exercise. Riiiiiight. He didn't believe that for one goddamned second. Or maybe he was just being paranoid. Now that he knew the truth, he couldn't help but see it in everything, even what was truly innocent.

“He had a message for you, too,” Kira added, his brow drawing in confusion. “Though I don't know why. Or even how.”

Ice trickled through Renji's veins as he turned to stone. “He... he did?” Renji asked, trying and failing for casual. “What did it say?” His stomach twisted itself into knots, and the small breakfast he'd managed that morning, threatened to re-emerge.

“I'll keep mine if you keep yours,” Kira replied, and he lifted his eyes to Renji's, blue dimmed with befuddlement. “Are you thinking about transferring to the third, Abarai-kun?”

He sucked in a desperate breath, cursing Ichimaru-taichou loudly within his mind. His cheeks pinked without his permission, knowing exactly what the captain meant. The fucker. Taunting him right in front of Kira.

“No, it's... uh... it's somethin' for Zaraki-taichou,” he insisted, sucking at lying. It was the best he could come up with. “A little bet between them, yanno? I'm just the go-between.”

Kira watched him, not seeming to buy it, before he inclined his head, frowning. “I get the feeling that I don't really want to know.”

Renji laughed, and try as he might, it came out uncertain and nervous. “No, you don't. Ah... don't you have to be somewhere?”

Kira started in remembrance, the first half of his captain's message replaying through his mind. “I do,” he replied, and turned as though to leave, only to pause and glance at Renji over his shoulder. “You sure you're all right?”

Sometimes, Kira was too perceptive for his own good. Renji just grinned, rubbing the back of his head. “M'fine, Kira. Catch ya later.”

Kira nodded, and then he was gone, off to fulfill his duties as vice-captain to the third. Renji watched his exit with mixed feelings, a hatred burbling in his gut for Ichimaru-taichou. He knew exactly what he was doing, the manipulative bastard, and Renji had fallen right into his trap. But it was too late to back out now. Renji refused to accept defeat. He was going to save Kira. No matter what it took.

He had already made this decision.

Which was why, later that night, Renji again found himself on Ichimaru's doorstep. His shoulders were drawn tight with determination, and this time, he managed to at least knock before the door opened. Ichimaru looked at him expectantly, a smirk on his face, mockery dancing on his lips.

Renji hated him. Hated himself. Hated everything, but he was going to do this.

“Leave Kira alone,” he growled, and stepped into the captain's quarters without so much as an invitation.

He fisted Ichimaru's nemaki and pressed himself against the captain, sealing his lips over the other man's in a hard, angry kiss. He wasn't quite sure who he was angry with more, himself or the manipulative captain. But he was pretty damn pissed.

The door closed behind him, locking Renji within the quarters with a defining thud. No turning back, the sound seemed to say. And the ripple in Ichimaru's reiatsu – smugly pleased – agreed entirely.

Ichimaru reached up, ending the kiss easily as he grabbed Renji's wrists with his thin fingers, squeezing them. “Such an enticin' prospect, Abarai-kun,” he drawled, leaning forward and licking a hot line up Renji's throat before purring in his ear. “I'll take ya, if that's what ya want. But don't be surprised if it's more than ya bargained fer.”

Amber-red eyes narrowed, Renji's jaw setting stubbornly. “I don't care,” he muttered, desperately ignoring the flash of heat that dribbled down his spine. He wasn't supposed to enjoy this. “So long as you leave Kira alone.”

The captain chuckled. “If ya insist.”

“I do,” Renji growled, and in that moment, he believed both himself and the vow he had made.

Ichimaru's lips pulled into a smirk – different from his usual grin somehow – and then he pulled Renji further into the hall. The lower seat stumbled at the unexpected move, and with an expert twist, Ichimaru pushed him against the wall. His back struck as Ichimaru's lips covered Renji's own, his wrists caught between the wall and Ichimaru's hold.

Ichimaru tasted of blood, strangely, and something sweet, like candy. Despite the aggression, the kiss was less harsh, more involved. Ichimaru's tongue sought out Renji's, trying to encourage a participation Renji was determined to avoid. The slender build of the captain pressed against Renji, all sharp angles and long limbs. Pale skin gleaming amber in the half-light and silver hair darkened. Ichimaru's ground against him and to Renji's horror, he started to get hard, and even felt Ichimaru lengthen against him.

The captain rubbed against him, moves smooth and sensuous as he rocked their bodies together. Something echoed in Renji's chest. Something a bit like a moan as Ichimaru's talented tongue stroked along his.

At the sound, Ichimaru pulled back from the kiss, only to lick a long line up Renji's throat. “That's better,” he purred, lifting a knee and rubbing it against Renji's burgeoning arousal, prompting a flash of fire through the Renji's loins. “Ya should enjoy it, too.”

Indignation welled, and the scrap of pride that Renji clung to desperately, snarled angrily. “Stop toyin' with me.”

“But it's so much fun,” Ichimaru countered cheerfully and suddenly tugged Renji up off the wall, whirling him around to face it.

Renji's palms slapped against the white surface as Ichimaru draped against his back, a light and bony presence. He squeezed Renji's wrists meaningfully and let them go. Without being told, Renji understood. He didn't move them, his fingers flexing against the unforgiving surface as he stared at nothing, apprehensive of the body moving behind him.

A hand reached around him, and tugged at his obi, letting the sash slither to the floor. Renji's hakama dropped around his hips and Ichimaru gave them a push, letting the fabric pool to the floor around Renji's feet. Clad in only his shitagi, Renji shivered as a wash of air attacked his bare cock and scrotum, Ichimaru's fingers playfully skating up the outside of his thigh before skirting around the front.

He curled a hold around Renji's traitorous cock, already hard and glistening at the tip. A few skilled strokes and Renji's hips rocked into Ichimaru's grip, betraying his every intention to not enjoy this.

Since his body would not cooperate, he settled for proving his indignation aloud. “Bastard, we're still in the hallway,” he growled.

“I know.” Renji could practically hear the captain's smirk, even if he couldn't see it. Talented fingers danced across his cock. “Doncha think it's sexier this way?”

Ichimaru pushed up against him, purring into his ear and grinding against his ass in a way that shouldn't have turned Renji on, but actually did. He told himself he hated it.

“That way,” Ichimaru continued, breath a dangerous wet warmth across Renji's sensitive ear, “if anyone happens ta pass by, they might hear ya. Better be quiet, ne?”

Renji didn't answer, refusing to rise to Ichimaru's bait. He bit down on his retort, and heard the whisper of cloth as Ichimaru pulled the obi on his nemaki. Following, he felt Ichimaru's cock slide against his bare ass, between his buttocks. A slick smear of precum followed in its wake and it shouldn't have been erotic, but somehow it was.

A hand slipped under his shitagi, ghosting across his bare hip and traveling upwards. Ichimaru skirted his fingers across Renji's chest, his palm abnormally warm against the redhead's skin and sending a trill of lust down his spine. Thin fingers grasped one of Renji's nipples, rolling the pebbled flesh expertly.

Renji couldn't stop the gasp that escaped him. His back bowed and his nails scraped against the wall, flecks of paint catching under them. Damn but the captain's touch should not have felt so good. He should not be enjoying this.

Ichimaru chuckled, pulling Renji's ear into his mouth and biting gently on the soft shell. It didn't quite hurt, but there was a faint sting that drizzled down Renji's spine. His fingers twisted Renji's nipple, causing a sweet heat that Renji couldn't ignore, even if he wanted. A moan stole from his lips, echoing in the nearly empty hallway.

“Mmm, now that's a good sound,” Ichimaru purred in his ear, breath a warm, moist puff against Renji's neck.

“Shut up,” Renji snarled, arching backwards when Ichimaru's other hand grasped his hair, yanking out the tie and letting the crimson strands fall free. “And leave my hair alone.”

“I don' think I will,” Ichimaru retorted, tangling his fingers into Renji's hair and give it a small tug, pulling Renji's head back and revealing the curve of his throat. “Yer fun to play wit', Renji-kun.”

He growled, feeling patronized. But the frustrated noise died in his chest as Ichimaru ground against his ass, his hard flesh throbbing where it touched Renji's bare skin.

“Just get it over with,” he demanded, not wanting to enjoy this.

Ichimaru certainly knew what he was doing. Each touch lighting fire through Renji's body, sending a heated flush over his flesh. Despite himself, he grew aroused, his cock lengthening as the head of it brushed against the wall, leaving a streak of precum in its wake.

“Don' ya remember anythin'? I said it last time. These things 're to be done righ'.”

He abandoned the teasing touch to Renji's nipples, lifting his hand to Renji's face where he traced fingers over the lower seat's lips. “Now suck.”

Renji glared at the wall, staring daggers into it and wishing he could set it aflame with ocular fire. He wanted to tell the captain to go fuck himself, but instead he parted his lips, taking two of the thin digits into his mouth. It was self-explanatory from there, Renji obediently laved his tongue over them, moistening the fingers with his saliva.

Ichimaru chuckled, pressing completely against Renji from behind and overwhelming him with his abnormal strength. “Yer pretty good at this, Renji-chan. I'd almos' think ya did it before.”

A growl echoed in Renji's chest, but he couldn't retort around the fingers so he settled for exhaling loudly through his nose. It didn't help that Ichimaru had started tonguing his neck, attacking every one of Renji's weak points and making a languid heat spread down his spine and into his legs. He sagged against the wall as Ichimaru rocked against him, his arousal sliding through the crease of Renji's buttocks but not yet penetrating. He teased and nipped and sucked, making it more and more difficult to remain detached.

Ichimaru's scent surrounded him, a strange mix of blood and cologne, something sharp and musky. He must have recently bathed, too, because there was a clinging dampness to his skin, and the tips of his moist hair occasionally brushed against bare patches of Renji's collarbone over his shoulder.

“I could grow used ta this,” Ichimaru muttered, rubbing the pad of his fingers over Renji's tongue before removing them with an audible pop.

“Keep yer halffa th' bargain and I'll keep mine,” Renji growled, bracing himself for the inevitable penetration. “That's what ya said.”

Ichimaru hummed noncommittally in his throat, his fingers circling Renji's pucker before both of them pressed inside. Renji grunted at the sudden push, a slight burn accompanying the thrust.

“It is, ain't it?” Ichimaru questioned, twisting his fingers within Renji and setting up a slow, but steady pace. He mouthed Renji's neck, biting down on tanned skin and leaving a faint impression of teeth, but no marks. Not just yet.

“I'm perty good at keepin' bargains, just so ya know.”

Renji gritted his teeth, letting the words wash over and through him. He endured Ichimaru's fingers, pressing in and out of him. Twisting and nudging. Brushing against that spot that made him almost see stars.

“You'd better be,” Renji growled out.

Ichimaru chuckled, biting down on Renji's shoulder and sending a shudder of want through the redhead. His body flexed, clenching down on invading fingers even as his hips adopted their own rhythm. He warred with himself, enjoying and hating the sensations all at once.

“Mmm, looks like yer ready fer me, ne, Renji-kun,” Ichimaru purred, licking over the bite marks his teeth made with a flicker of his tongue.

His fingers pulled free from Renji's ass with a lewd noise and settled on Renji's hip, pulling him back towards Ichimaru's waiting cock. He felt it nudge at his puckered entrance and braced himself for the inevitable.

“Spit'll 'ave to do fer now,” Ichimaru added, as though keeping a running commentary was going to make things any better for Renji. “Don' think I want ya to escape.”

“Oy, I can hold up my end, too,” Renji snarled, throwing a heated glare over his shoulder and regretting the action when he caught a slit of hungry cerise peering back at him.

Ichimaru's eyes were unexpectedly pretty, and the last thing Renji wanted was to have that thought suddenly attack him. He wasn't supposed to be attracted to Ichimaru. The bastard was the enemy here, the one making Kira's life difficult and complicating Renji's. He couldn't afford to let himself become enamored, of all things, with the captain.

Renji was jolted out of his thoughts when he felt the head of Ichimaru's arousal press to his entrance. He sucked his lower lip into his mouth, biting down as Ichimaru's free hand slid up and around him, palm flattening over Renji's chest.

“Relax,” Ichimaru murmured into his ear, and somehow, it failed to sound patronizing, though Renji wished he would have stuck with the mockery. It made it easier to hate him.

“Impossible,” he retorted, just to be contrary.

And Ichimaru chuckled lowly, not giving Renji any warning before he rocked his hips forward. Renji groaned, scratching down the wall as Ichimaru pushed into him, his length burrowing deep into Renji and leaving him feeling incredibly full. Ichimaru's cock pulsed inside of him, each throb no doubt matching the rampant beat of the captain's heart.

His back bowing, Ichimaru slid out of him slowly, leaving just the head of his cock inside. He circled his hips and Renji clenched reflexively, feeling as if he were being kept dancing on the edge. His hands curled into fists, pressed up against the wall, and he bit back his cries. No way in hell would he let the noises escape him and this hallway.

“Do it,” he growled, head hanging as he sucked in slow, panting breaths, a heat creeping up his spine that had no right to inform him of the pleasure. “Stop toyin' with me, dammit.”

Fingers danced across his chest. “Yer sexy like this,” Ichimaru said instead, his hips pressing forward, sliding in slow and thick, filling him completely. “Shakin' and wantin', practically beggin' fer it.”

Renji's mouth clamped down on the angered retort he had planned, choosing to keep it to himself rather than admit the embarrassing moan that sought to slip through his lips. Ichimaru's slow and deep rhythm kept sliding against something inside him that sent white-hot sparks of fire through his veins. His arms trembled, legs fighting to keep himself up as his traitorous cock hardened, seeping copiously.

Ichimaru's reiatsu, formerly dormant, rose about his skin like a thick cloak. Renji could feel it pressing against him, not quite painful this time, but like a living extension of the captain himself. It trickled against his back, swamping his own and surrounding him in the sensation of Ichimaru. He hated that he wasn't utterly disgusted, that the feeling of being cradled in power only aroused him further.

A low moan fought its way into his chest, rattling strongly. He sucked in a breath, an urge to reach down and stroke himself growing stronger and stronger with each of Ichimaru's probing thrusts into his body. The captain's rhythm increased, his fingers tightening where they gripped Renji's hip, until he was certain he would have bruises the shape of the captain's thin fingers to match the others on his body tomorrow.

Just like Kira.

Unbidden, his mind recalled the glimpses he had unwittingly received. Of bright marks and flushed cheeks, and he wondered what Ichimaru must have been doing. His lips had been on Kira's skin. He remembered the sounds Kira had been making when he stumbled on the two of them, more erotic than any noise he'd managed to induce from the few women he'd tumbled. Wanton almost.

The coiling in Renji's belly tightened, threatening to explode. Ichimaru's tongue slid across his neck as he reached up to briefly brush Renji's hair aside before gripping the lower seat's hip again. The wet appendage snaked around Renji's ear, teeth catching on the delicate shell, breath hot and wet in his ear.

A shiver dragged down Renji's spine and his head fell back, landing on Ichimaru's shoulder, which seemed to be the captain's intention. His hand skated up Renji's chest and thin fingers gripped Renji's chin, forcing his head further back. Ichimaru's teeth skirted down the side of his bared neck, his fast thrusting pushing Renji against the wall. He felt his aching cock encircled by deft fingers and Renji gasped, the touch sending a sizzling through his veins.

This wasn't going at all like he expected it to. But Renji was beyond the point of coherent thought. Hate and anger and disgust all bled away, chased off by something more carnal and base. The need to come outweighed everything else, his balls drawing up tight, his hips taking up their own relentless and needy rocking motion. He arched back to meet each of Ichimaru's thrusts, and even when the captain chuckled lowly in his ear, he couldn't dredge up a growl of annoyance. Not when his body screamed for release, muscles drawn tight and coiling.

Ichimaru shifted the angle of his thrusts, the sound of his heavy breathing hot and humid against Renji's ear. His cock struck that same something inside of Renji and he cried out before he could stop himself, body convulsing as he spilled over Ichimaru's fingers. The echo of his shout reverberated in the hall, making Renji's cheeks burn with embarrassment. He sagged against Ichimaru, tremors rocking his body. A slick hand gripped Renji's hip, tightening, and Ichimaru pressed against him, thrusting harshly a few more times before he groaned and released.

The younger man sucked in a breath, forcing his hands to unclench as he clung to the wall with his fingers. He swallowed, feeling the weight of Ichimaru's fingers around his throat where they had fallen in the wake of the captain's climax. Sweat painted his body as he tried to will his breathing and his heart-rate to return to normal.

Ichimaru withdrew from him with an obscene noise, and Renji really wanted a bath at the moment. Something hot and scalding, to chase away the lingering pleasure. He wasn't supposed to enjoy this or Ichimaru's touch. And now, this was the second time that Ichimaru's fingers had wrung an orgasm out of him.

A tongue slithered out, curling around Renji's ear as Ichimaru covered him from behind, like a blanket made from pale, angular limbs. “I wonder if anyone heard ya, ne Renji-kun?” Ichimaru murmured, his sticky fingers walking across the planes of Renji's front and leaving streaks of Renji's own release across his skin. “Think they're jealous?”

Renji's eyes snapped open. He hadn't even realized they were close. “Shut up,” he growled, cheeks burning as he cut a gaze towards the door, only a few footsteps away.

He yelped as he was abruptly spun, his back slamming against the wall, one hand planting near his head as the other tangled in his hair. Ichimaru faced him, the grin on his lips too empty for Renji to read it. A question fought to the forefront of Renji's mind. Or some sort of angered retort. He wasn't sure which because Ichimaru kissed him then, pushing his tongue into Renji's mouth and laying claim with the wet appendage.

Renji winced as his hair was tugged, but submitted to the kiss. The skilled tongue winnowed its way, stroking across his own and demanding that Renji participate. He groaned beneath the onslaught, the heavy scent of musk and sex hanging thickly in the air. He could feel the streaks of semen drying on his flesh and Renji desperately wanted a bath.

The kiss ended with a lazy nip to his lips and he watched as Ichimaru licked his lips, lifting a leg and nudging it against Renji's groin. His traitorous cock had liked the kiss more than it should have and sluggishly stirred, lying half-hard.

“Ready fer more, Renji-kun?” Ichimaru purred, and it sounded like he were mocking Renji. Obnoxiously so.

A low growl echoed in Renji's chest. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately: Ichimaru brought out the recklessness in him. And the anger.

But he didn't argue. He knew where his position landed him. He just had to remind himself what he was doing this for. And firmly remind his traitorous organ that he wasn't supposed to be enjoying this.

“Just do it,” he muttered, and tilted his head back, baring his throat for Ichimaru's interest. “Get it over with.”

A tongue dragged up his throat, wet and warm, before teeth followed, grazing lightly. “I'd rather take my time,” Ichimaru returned, his fingers tightening in Renji's hair.

What could he do but submit? He'd made his decision already. It would be worth it, he reminded himself, to see Kira smile like he used to in the Academy.

And Renji refused to fail.

***

a/n: And the plot thickens! Things will speed up a bit as this is more of a ficlet series than an actual chapter-by-chapter fic, so hopefully, you'll like how things are going. I'm still trying my damndest to keep everyone in character. Feel free to let me know what you think! Six more parts to go!