|| Squints at Kenpachis. Sloooowwwllllyyy picks up twin, cradles him a little bit... Nice n' steady now, don't make sudden movements it triggers the wild and volatile Kenpac--
Peers at the Kiras through binoculars. âThe mating cycle of thâ wild Nerd- the gold-plumed subspecies. Watch closely as they begin to peck each other tâ establish dominance. Soon, they will begin to cockateel-â
 || Snatches binoculars and takes a peek. "I died, came to Soul Society blah blah, details. You know the spiel." Watches the wild Nerd: Gold-Plumed subspecies with great interest, hums lightly before coming to a realization.
  "Ya know, shouldn't this make some sorta paradox thing that's supposed to rip a hole in space time?" Lowers binoculars and stares off, thinking about this for a moment.Â
  âThe nobleman should have expected silence, but it didnât mean he was happy with it. This was not his responsibility. Renji was a hard worker and a fantastic fighter, but was it truly worth keeping him if he could not do something as simple as write? A labored sigh left Byakuyaâs lips and his elegant brows raised with about as much conflicting attitude as he felt on the inside.
  âI have no intention of removing you, Abarai, however I have little need for one who cannot complete assigned tasks. I am assigned enough work as a captain, and will not be set back doing yours as well. For the time being you will attend both the calligraphy association, as well as any proposed seminars that I see fit.â
   Looking back down, the thin eyebrows did not lower, not show any sign of sympathy. In the captainâs eyes, not terminating his position was sympathy enough. After all, he was qualified in all other aspects, but the curse of illiteracy cut down an entire tree of tasks. "This will be a commitment, but I expect that you accept this proposal lest you return to the division whence you came."
 || The words were not the severing blade he had believed were going to come from the other's thin mouth. Instead, they were ones of offering-- As awfully backhanded they were.Â
  'I have no intention of removing you'Â
 But why? He had every damn reason to, the Noble had listed them plainly and painfully. The events he were suggesting, the Lieutenant knew were public, more humiliation then. Bitterness seeped in and stayed, stained hands pulling at each other once again, but he wouldn't say no to the proposal, he'd be able to stay for now, and then, maybe, just maybe, he could prove himself.Â
  "Yes, sir. I'll do that, thank you."  The redhead hastily accepted, the thanks at the end leaving a sour taste on his tongue even though it was sincere. Seems the library was going to have a frequent visitor, he couldn't embarrass himself in front of more people at these events! Just further proving that he was nothing more than gutter trash than a determined and committed soldier that deserved respect. The stress of such a thought weighed at him, scratching at his mind and it settling uneasily in his gut, churning it and giving him a sense of nausea. Could he prove that in time?
 Renji had dodged the blow of being sent back, but for how long? Quietly he waited for his dismissal, wishing to get back to his quarters and the mess of papers that awaited him there so he could think of a way to face this.
 || Cold, devastatingly cold. The poor young child hugged himself tightly, gripping at the shoddy excuse for clothing he had, wishing somehow he could make it bigger. Winter was a terrible time for souls with no home, no family, nothing. Bitterly, brown eyes watched people in large, huddled groups on the side of the road or go into their shacks, a refuge from the biting arctic wind. It was his first winter here. Not only was it terribly freezing, but hungry, and it bit at his form, unable to keep the little warmth he produced alive without the sustenance needed to keep it burning. It was hard to do this time of year, the market closed much earlier, shopkeepers have a harder eye out for thievesâ
  Supplies and demand were heavy, and those penniless and with reitsu were shit out of luck. It wasnât fair! People that donât even need it buy and eat just because they can! It was selfish. Angrily, a small arm came to rub snot and eye water from his face with a sniff and pushing shaggy, matted, red hair from his face. There werenât even small rodents out to nab and cook⊠How was he going to survive? The wind wasnât the only thing that chilled the child then, but fear.
 He didnât want to die! He could still remember how he died before, shadows passing through his eyes, he was so hungry then too⊠but no matter how much he devoured he was never sated, always needing more. Feeling nothing but void, heavy violent thoughts swirled in distant memory and the painful sensation of a blade cutting into his neck. Nightmares still cameâ Would he go back to that if he fell into the darkness again?
  A whimper forced itself through his throat; bare dirty feet picking up his pace, to come to a small, dead end alley, blocked from the sharp wind. It smelled terrible, the source, a half decaying body of a faceless man being the cause⊠And his throat began closing with uncontrollable emotion, horror heightening. 'I don't wanna become that! I Dun wanna be alone!!' Alone he was though, alone, cold and hungry. Panicked breaths left as the kidâs gripping terror took holdâÂ
  âWoof!âThe red head whipped around, the noise shocking him terribly, making him gasp and his eyes were able to catch a large, black dog pass the alley he was in, paying him no mind at all. Renji watched as it sniffed a building flanking the alley, before sitting down, furred back to him. It was big, sitting tall enough to reach his shoulders! That fur was incredibly long too! Oh how he wished that he could have something like that to protect him from this cold! Lucky dog. A pout appeared on the dirty face, jealous of the creature that sat like a sentry at the entrance to the alley, long tail curled at itâs paws.
  The boy looked away, arms folding, rubbing at his biceps to create some sort of heatâ it all wasnât fair, none of this, why did he have to go through this? Why alone? Teeth grit as his eyes fixed on a particularly large rock. It wasnât⊠Fair⊠No.  No! He just had to be smart about it! A spark came to the young lad, a revelation, and oh what a perfect idea it was! Quickly he snatched up the rock, determination gripping him like his hold on the rock. It was his last hope. He looked at the great black figure once more. Renji was strong⊠He had enough energy left, he couldâ
  The boy began to walk carefully towards the canine, small fist raising the rock in a fierce stance, eyes narrowing in wild determination. Heâd kill the dog, there was so much meat there, he could would preserve it too! It was cold enough, heâs seen shop keepers do that, and he could make a fire and cook it, find a knife and take that warm fur. He just had toâ A gulp as he came closer and closer, try not to so much let his feet scrape on the dirt and stray rocks, even holding his breath, heart pounded in his ears. He could do this, he would beat this! Body shaking, adrenaline rushed through him, the thoughts of what he was going to do and the early emotion a terrible combination, and he kicked up some rocks, the small clicks on them hitting the ground and each other making the kidâs stomach dropâÂ
  âOh no!â The dog heard, great head turning to look at the redhead, not moving for a momentâ He could still do this! Just lunge at it! But his body was frozen stiff, rock still raised and teeth gritted. Kill it! Just kill it! Or it will kill you and eat you! Youâre going to di- The hound was suddenly on itâs paws, bounding the rest of the distance over to Renji, mouth open in a toothy, excited smile, hot breath visible in the cold air and the great tail wagging fiercely.
  A person! A person! Was it going to throw the item? Could she have the item? She was very good at fetch! The nose pressed into the small boyâs concave stomach, insisting on the game the human seemed to be proposing. No one has played with her in so long, and the small people always played with him where there were some!Â
  Renji however was frozen to that spot, brows shooting upwards and his breath getting heavy, the dog was so happy to see him, the huge triangle ears facing him, and bright amber eyes focusing on him and the rock, it angered him!
"Are ya stupid, mutt! Imma kill ya and eat you!" He screamed, but the dog stayed, still there waiting, sniffing at him and butting her head into his aching belly, giving another woof. The last bit of his power surged into the small hand, and he raised the rock higher, tensingâ Just hit it! hit it hitithitit-!!Â
  I canât
  Resolve shattered in that moment, and the rock fell from suddenly limp, dirty hands, a choked sobbed forced itself from the emotion tight throat, large tears welling up and pouring down his face in unstoppable rivers, cutting tracks through the dirt upon his face and blurring his vision of the great grim. Loud sobs shot from his throat, a wailing cry coming into stuttered breaths. He couldnât do it, he couldnât kill the animal that had willingly walked to him. He would die, he wasnât strong enough to kill it! He fell to his knees.
 âIs noâ f-fair!â A mantra.
  Hopelessness took him, he was going to die, he was too weak! Hate for himself burned, and the dog was forgotten. Stupid, stupid⊠The great beast however, was confused at this human, first it wanted to play, now it wanted to lay down? But the crying, was it hurt? A whimper escaped the solid black mutt, circling around the kid three times before coming to settle herself right next to the small form, tailing curling around him, fur pressed on the other and the girl began licking the pupâs fur and face, maternal instincts kicking in. Renji, knowing nothing else but that something warm was near him, turned into the dog, gripping the midnight fur like a life line, burying his face into the warm form and tears and snot leaked from him in his devastation. The dog knew nothing else but to sit and stay.
  The boy might of been hungry, but at least now, in his time of need, he was no longer cold and alone.
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