First and Last Kiss

Scene from Chapter 23 of ~jasotheartisan's awesome AU GrimmSoi fic, Anonymous. I really was tearing up during this scene and what happened after this moment T_T so I had to give Renji a chance to shine. Plus it has been a long time since I've made a RenRuk piece.

Quick note, this takes place years after the canon story. Renji is now Captain of the 5th Division and after much coaxing, Rukia is his Vice-Captain. (hence, the haori and badge).

ANONYMOUS (direct link to Chapter 23) [link]

Bleach (c) Kubo Tite
Anonymous (c) ~jasotheartisan
Fanart (c) =F1yMordecai


---SCENE EXCERPT--- (spoiler!)

“Rukia,” Renji whispered, keeping his eyes trained on the Espada in front of them. “Do me a favor?”

“What?” she asked between labored breaths.

“I need you to run.”

He could tell that his words had hit her hard. Her eyes flew open at the command, her violet irises glaring at him incredulously. Her lips parted to speak, but the words failed to fall from her mouth. He took this fortuitous chance to continue.

“We’ve been fighting this guy for thirty minutes already,” he hissed through tired lips, his dark irises finally glancing over to her. “You know that we can’t beat him. Leave me here to fight; you need to get away.”

“Renji,” Rukia said with an air of anguish, her brows tightening over her eyes. “How dare you ask me to leave you to—”

“Rukia,” he hissed to cut her off, feeling himself grow weaker by the second. He looked at her face, the heart-shaped point of her jaw beginning to quiver as she understood what he was getting at. She was starting to tear up as she understood that he wasn’t going to take no for an answer, her eyelids shaking as she struggled to look at him.

“Renji,” she began, her lips shaking as his name spilled out from them. “I can’t go—”

He cut her off with a kiss, his lips pressing against hers with the repressed passion of over two hundred years. She immediately returned the action, her mouth moving on top of his with a feverous desire. He regretted that he’d never kissed her earlier; her instant reaction to his kiss letting him know that she’d been waiting for him to finally make his move. They remained locked together for what felt to Renji like an eternity, his heart swelling within his chest as he tasted her tongue against his.

He finally broke himself away from her, the anguish of the action striking painfully at his soul, knowing that this would be both their first and last kiss....(cont'd)